The conference semifinals have arrived, and one of the most anticipated matchups begins tonight, with the three-seed Knicks and the two-seed Celtics squaring off. The Knicks are led by top scorer Jalen Brunson and big man Karl-Anthony Towns, while the Celtics are led by two top scorers in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The Celtics look to repeat as NBA champions, as New York eyes its first Conference Finals appearance since 2000.
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Round One Recap
In the first round, the Celtics overcame the Magic with relative ease in just five games. In the series, they outscored Orlando 532-468. The games were never necessarily back-and-forth battles, as Boston dominated most of the games they won. The Magic did come away with a win, a 95-93 victory at home in Game 3, but the Celtics were in control the rest of the way. Jayson Tatum was a driving force, averaging 31.3 points and 11.3 rebounds. Jaylen Brown averaged 23 points and 7.6 rebounds.
The Knicks took down the Pistons in a thrilling six-game series; each game was close but one, the Knicks’ 123-112 Game 1 victory. Game 2 was decided by six points, as the Knicks lost 100-94, but then every game after that was decided by three points or less. In Game 4, a crucial missed foul call at the end of the game led to the Knicks’ 94-93 victory; Tim Hardaway Jr. drew some contact from Josh Hart on a three-pointer just before the buzzer sounded, but the officials didn’t pick up on it. Had the foul been called, the result of the game likely would’ve changed, and potentially the result of the series, too.
The highlight of the series, however, was Jalen Brunson’s go-ahead three with less than five seconds left in Game 6 to secure the series for the Knicks, as they won 116-113. Brunson averaged 31.5 points and 8.2 assists, and Karl-Anthony Towns averaged 19.7 points and 10 rebounds.
Players to Watch
For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are the highlights, but just like the Knicks, they’re a well-rounded team with depth and different contributors. Payton Pritchard, who is making a campaign for Sixth Man of the Year, will be an interesting player to watch from the bench. Fans should also be excited to watch Kristaps Porzingis face off against his old team.
Predictions
This will be a difficult series to predict. Both teams have star power and a well-rounded starting lineup, plus solid contributors off the bench. The Celtics, however, have better defense and more depth. They managed to score easily against a good Magic defense, as well. The Knicks, on the other hand, struggled against the Pistons; they won the series, but a missed foul call gave them a lot of help there.
Boston also holds home-court advantage, where they went 28-13 this season. However, the Knicks were 24-17 on the road this year. It should (hopefully) be a close and exciting series, but there is a reason why Boston is a 9.5-point favorite.
My pick: Celtics
