If the Knicks soon punch a ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years, they’ll achieve the long-coveted feat as undisputed underdogs. Their semifinal-round opponent is the reigning champion Boston Celtics, poised to defend the NBA’s crown and reassert dominance shown during four regular-season matchups.
The storied history between the Knicks and Celtics holds no weight with today’s players. While this series marks the 17th playoff meeting between the division rivals — the second most for any pair of opponents in league history — they haven’t battled this late in a season since 2013.
Nevertheless, the Knicks face a rather tall order with the Celtics stamped as clear-cut favorites and owning home-court advantage. But the outside noise from doubters isn’t penetrating their walls. The upcoming games will provide a clean slate and an opportunity to change narratives.
This is how Josh Hart feels, at least.
“If we’re counted out already, we should play with a great level of freedom,” the Knicks’ guard said after Sunday’s practice. “We don’t really care too much what the outside world said. We’re focused on how we feel internally… We don’t really involve ourselves with what other people think. The same people who praise us one day, kill us the next. We’re focused on us.”
The Knicks were consensus favorites in the first round, and nearly closed out their series against the Detroit Pistons in five games. But inconsistent play from some key contributors and the natural uptick in physicality stretched the bout, and New York managed to avoid a do-or-die Game 7 with last-second heroics from Jalen Brunson on the road in Game 6.
Josh Hart was asked how the Knicks are different now than they were at the end of the regular season:
“Probably about, roughly, 26 days older” 😂 pic.twitter.com/9hzDwreQUx
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) May 4, 2025
In order to outlast the Celtics, the Knicks will need to display toughness from the jump. They’ll also need to learn from past mistakes and address their weak points. Boston made 39 more three-pointers than New York in their four-game regular-season sweep. According to NBA.com, that’s tied for the fourth-biggest differential for any regular-season series since the three-point line’s inception in 1979.
Hart serves best as a facilitator in transition and ball hawk near the glass. His aggressiveness on both ends of the floor can wreak havoc on opponents. But the Knicks would welcome more offense from the double-double machine in extended minutes — he averaged just 11.8 points across six first-round games. Suffice to say, there’s room for growth and pressure to deliver with the stage even brighter.
“I think it’ll be a different series. I’ve never played against [the Celtics] in the playoffs,” Hart said. “The physicality always heightens in the playoffs. We can handle the physicality, but they’re such a skillful team, we’ve got to make sure we’re not just worried about physicality. We’re making sure we’re locked-in mentally to their tendencies. Not just their plays, but their personnel.”
A trip to the East Finals requires four wins, and the odds of the Knicks racking them up are undoubtedly daunting. They struggled mightily against elite competition this season, finishing a lowly 0-10 against the NBA’s top three teams. Four of those losses came against the Celtics, while two came against a potential East Finals opponent in the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Knicks and Celtics will begin their Eastern Conference semifinal series on Monday night, with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. at TD Garden.
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