The Boston Celtics kick off their second-round series against the New York Knicks on Monday at TD Garden. After taking care of the Orlando Magic in five games, the Celtics will have four days of rest, which will be very helpful in getting healthy.
The time will do the most good for veteran guard Jrue Holiday. The star defender missed the last three games of the Orlando series with a hamstring strain. Head coach Joe Mazzulla provided an update on Holiday on Friday, labeling him as "day-to-day", per Celtics insiders Bobby Manning and Noa Dalzell.
.@realbobmanning asked Joe Mazzulla about whether Jrue Holiday is on track to play Monday:
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) May 2, 2025
“Day-to-day. Just getting better every day, doing whatever he can to make sure he puts himself in position to come back as fast as he can. He’s working hard.” pic.twitter.com/UU4VgAa4Ry
Jrue Holiday Remains Day-to-Day for Celtics' Game 1 vs. the Knicks
Mazzulla shied away from providing an exact timeline for Holiday's return, but said that the 34-year-old was getting better every day.
Holiday's status will likely remain uncertain until the game day.
While the Celtics should be favored to beat the Knicks even if Holiday were to miss time, they would love to have his defensive chops against Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. Holiday has the ability to switch onto both players and guard both of them reasonably well, providing Boston with their best chance to get their opponent's go-to offensive weapons out of their games.
Holiday has already proven that he has another gear he can hit in the playoffs, looking like his former self against the Magic in the first two games of the series. He averaged 34.5 minutes in those two contests, giving the Celtics elite perimeter defense while adding 10 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game.
Boston will presumably have an easier offensive series against the Knicks. New York has more defensive holes than the Magic, making it more likely that the Celtics can finally get their three-point machine humming. Defensively, however, Boston has more of a challenge awaiting them. While Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, and Jayson Tatum are more than capable on that end of the floor to make up for Holiday's absence, Mazzulla and Celtics fans would love to have Holiday's veteran competence back in the mix.