The New York Knicks are up 3-1 in the NBA finals against the San Antonio Spurs, but that doesn't mean the championship is theirs just yet. A 3-1 lead doesn't mean a series win is a guarantee... just look at what the Boston Celtics did earlier this season.
Obviously, they're two completely different situations: New York has been red-hot for the majority of the postseason and has clearly outmatched the Spurs in many ways (resilience, clutch-time play, being able to take it up another level more consistently), whereas the Celtics looked of sorts once the Philadelphia 76ers got Joel Embiid back).
But that doesn't change the fact that, just because the Knicks are up 3-1, it's still too early for them to celebrate and crown themselves as champions.
The Knicks can't fall into the same trap the Celtics did
It's obviously hard for me to say this with confidence since I'm not actually a part of the team, but it's fair to say Boston lost some of its urgency and maybe got complacent once it took a 3-1 lead against the 76ers.
The Celtics were constantly out-hustled, had horrible scoring lapses (they shot 13-for-49, or 26.5%, from deep and missed 10 consecutive field goals in the fourth quarter of their Game 7 loss ), and they had a hard time making stops on the defensive side of the ball (leaving guys open and never really figuring out how to contain Embiid, who had his way with Neemias Queta).
Maybe they felt like the series was a wrap. Boston had had the 76ers' number for years (before this season, the Celtics hadn't lost a playoff series to them since the 1982 Eastern Conference Finals), and there weren't a ton of reasons to think that was going to change this season. The Celtics finished the regular season with a 56-26 record, earned the No. 2 seed, and were considered by many the heavy favorites to represent the East in the finals.
It doesn't matter anymore, though. Their season ended in disappointment, and it could lead to some big changes happening... even though they were up 3-1 in the series.
New York is just one win away from winning its first NBA championship since 1973, but the job isn't done just yet. As much as I would love to see the Knicks become the second team to blow a 3-1 series lead in the finals, it's hard to picture it actually happening.
But a lot of crazier things have happened...
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