That is the primary in a sequence of articles previewing the Celtics’ likeliest challengers to the throne.
The best type of flattery is watching opponents tailor their rosters particularly to beat you.
From the Harden Rockets attempting to math the Warriors dynasty into submission within the late 2010s to the Minnesota Timberwolves realizing that dimension was the pickaxe wanted to mine the Nuggets, groups have grow to be extra aggressive about setting up a roster designed particularly to beat the highest canine of their convention.
No one has been extra blatant about forming a Celtics Killer than the New York Knicks.
Final season’s Knicks have been an excellent staff in the end undone by accidents. Their new roster, bolstered by the summer season’s commerce for Mikal Bridges, was remade to battle Boston.
Let’s begin with the probably depth chart.
PG: Jalen Brunson, Miles McBride, Cam Payne
SG: Mikal Bridges, Donte DiVincenzo
SF: OG Anunoby, Josh Hart
PF: Julius Randle, Keita Bates-Diop
C: Mitchell Robinson, Valuable Achiuwa, Jericho Sims
Though the Celtics received final common season’s sequence 4-1 final season, they hardly ever noticed the Knicks at full energy. New York’s one win was the one recreation Anunoby participated in, and this yr’s staff shall be higher geared up to combat Boston.
The Knicks have a ton of wing depth, an apparent response to the Celtics assault, however is it attainable to have an excessive amount of of factor? Nearly as good as Mikal Bridges is, I’m undecided he’s as comfortable a match for the Knicks offensively as Donte DiVincenzo, who had a case because the second-best three-pointer shooter within the league final season. You don’t commerce the farm for a participant like Bridges with out enjoying him monster minutes (and his iron-man standing will instantly endear him to educate Tom Thibodeau), however watching how the Knicks match DiVincenzo (their finest shooter by a Brooklyn Bridge size) into the rotation shall be fascinating.
Brunson was an All-NBA participant final yr, and he was capable of finding success at instances in opposition to the Celtics’ vaunted defensive backcourt, dropping 34 and 39 factors within the final two conferences on environment friendly capturing.
Randle, the Knicks’ second-best participant (by box-score manufacturing, no less than), has sometimes struggled in opposition to the Celtics. There’s a way that his bruising energy recreation may benefit from a slimmer Boston frontline, however that hasn’t translated to actuality but.
Their greatest gap is on the greatest place. The Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson is an honest heart, however he’s continually injured. Shedding Isaiah Hartenstein to the OKC Thunder leaves a Kool-Help-man-sized hole on the roster, as Valuable Achiuwa and Jericho Sims shall be overtaxed as the first backups. The Knicks nonetheless have some commerce ammo left to fortify their entrance court docket, so I’d count on them so as to add a high-quality backup earlier than the commerce deadline.
Photograph by Stephen Gosling/NBAE through Getty Photos
Strengths
The Knicks, as an entire, have two vital strengths going for them in opposition to the Celtics. One, no staff within the league will higher be capable to match up with the Jays (though which may be extra difficult than individuals assume, because it means placing both Julius Randle or NY’s heart on certainly one of Boston’s guards — a transfer Boston noticed loads of final yr and is aware of easy methods to exploit). Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown can’t be utterly stopped, however Anunoby and Bridges have the most effective probability within the league of slowing them. It’ll be as much as Jrue Vacation or Derrick White to benefit from what ought to be a susceptible matchup.
Right here’s one thing bizarre: regardless of their 1-4 document, the Knicks truly had the third-best offensive score in opposition to the Celtics! No, I wouldn’t have guessed that both, however it wasn’t as a result of they shot exceptionally nicely. As a substitute, the Knicks put their full weight into their best energy: offensive rebounding.
The Knicks have been the most effective offensive rebounding staff within the league, however they amped up their boarding to a preposterous quantity in opposition to Boston. They mopped up 38.0% of their misses, practically six share factors greater than their league-best 32.2% regular-season fee. It’s arduous to overstate how absurd that quantity is.
Randle, Robinson, and Hart be certain that no less than two elite window-wipers are on the ground always. Boston was a wonderfully respectable defensive rebounding staff final yr, however that is the one statistical edge New York ought to cleanly have over the Celtics, even when they take a small step again with out Hartenstein. Though Boston’s protection ought to maintain up nicely in opposition to New York’s first-shot offense, the Celtics should emphasize defending the glass.
Photograph by David Dow/NBAE through Getty Photos
Weaknesses
Regardless of what I stated above, New York should still have issues scoring in opposition to Boston. Randle, particularly, should work out easy methods to get buckets extra effectively — he shot simply 34% in opposition to Boston in his three matches final yr. He’s additionally struggled in his playoff minutes, generally. Bridges’ presence provides a desperately wanted tertiary playmaking aspect to New York, however it stays to be seen how a lot incremental profit that has for an offense constructed round bully ball and Jalen Brunson’s pitter-patters into the paint.
Between Bridges, Anunoby, DiVincenzo, and Brunson, the Knicks have surprisingly dependable capturing. However praying for long-range fireworks isn’t a sustainable technique over a seven-game sequence (let’s neglect about that Miami-Boston sequence a number of years in the past, lets?).
And with the Knicks, well being is at all times a priority. Heart depth, particularly, is a big downside proper now. If Randle or Brunson is even barely hobbled, there merely isn’t sufficient creation on this staff to beat a protection as well-rounded as Boston’s.
Last ideas
The scariest model of the Knicks would possibly place Anunoby or Randle at heart, one thing they toyed with an eensy-teensy bit final season. Tom Thibodeau’s willingness to get bizarre would possibly decide their probabilities.
The Knicks’ revamped protection may bother Boston (as a lot as anybody can, anyway). Nonetheless, regardless of their rebounding prowess, New York ought to have even larger issues scoring constantly in opposition to the Celtics. On the finish of the day, I’d count on them to fall quick (though Boston might escape battered and bruised).
In some methods, I sit up for a Boston-New York sequence greater than anything. Brown and Tatum should elevate their video games to beat the Anunoby/Bridges duo. Nothing creates basketball artwork fairly like high-level offense overcoming snarling protection, and I’d love to look at the Jays swish their paintbrushes round.
Wanting forward, the Knicks ought to be round on this iteration for a number of years. Despite the fact that I firmly have Boston in entrance of New York for this season, the Knicks could also be a much bigger menace within the following years, when Boston will probably must shed some wage. However that’s an issue for future Celtics; for now, Boston should preserve their self-discipline on the glass to show me proper.
