{"id":138580,"date":"2025-05-08T15:32:15","date_gmt":"2025-05-08T19:32:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=138580"},"modified":"2025-05-08T15:32:15","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T19:32:15","slug":"3-reasons-why-the-knicks-are-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/05\/08\/3-reasons-why-the-knicks-are-up\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Reasons Why The Knicks Are Up 2-0 On Celtics"},"content":{"rendered":"

Heading into their second-round series against the Boston Celtics, no one even gave the New York Knicks a sliver of hope. No experts picked them to win, the media counted them out, fans laughed at them, and even the sportsbooks had this series as lopsided as a second-round series can be. Despite 51 wins, one of the league’s best starting fives, and two All-NBA players, New York was seen as a non-threat to the defending champions. Their pitiful performance during the regular season against top teams indicated more of the same come playoff time, but NY has completely flipped the script to go up 2-0 on their historic rivals. The story today has been about Boston’s collapse, but how have the Knicks done it?<\/p>\n

3 Reasons Why The Knicks Are Up 2-0 On Celtics<\/h2>\n
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May 7, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) reacts after his three point basket against the Boston Celtics in the second half during game two of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

1. New York Has The Best Player in the Series<\/h3>\n

Going into the series against the vaunted Celtics, New York vowed that if they were able to keep the games close, they liked their chances. This was because they knew they had the best clutch player in the matchup and arguably the world. Jalen Brunson<\/a> won Clutch Player of the Year<\/a>\u00a0for a reason: he seems to come through every single time the Knicks have needed him. Well, although erasing consecutive 20-point deficits wasn’t how the Knicks planned on “keeping it close”, they were able to get the game to the late stages at a one-possession game. From there, Brunson has stared Jayson Tatum<\/a> in the eyes and simply been better.<\/p>\n

After a tremendous regular season in crunch time, Brunson has delivered yet again in the playoffs. Since losing Game 2, NY’s captain has come through in every big spot. Games 3, 4, and 6 of the first round, and Games 1 and 2 of Knicks-Celtics have all featured Brunson’s clutch heroics (He was injured late in Game 5 of the Detroit series).<\/p>\n

New York’s captain leads the playoffs<\/a> with 5.9 points per clutch game (seven games). He’s walked down the Celtics in Games 1 and 2, outperforming Tatum both times. He hit the game-winning three in round one to send New York to Boston. Although Tatum is a proven champion and a better overall player, Brunson is simply more reliable at the moment. He’s creating offense for his team at a higher level, and it’s clear he feels more comfortable late in games than his counterpart. If Brunson continues to outperform Tatum this badly, the Knicks will win this series.<\/p>\n

2. “Wingstop” Formula Has Worked<\/h3>\n

When Leon Rose paired OG Anunoby<\/a> and Mikal Bridges<\/a> last summer, the idea was to create a defensive wing tandem who could match up with the Celtics’ championship duo. The East ran through Boston, and stopping Tatum and Jaylen Brown<\/a> was the first step to winning a title. While good in theory, it didn’t work out at all on the floor in the regular season, as Boston abused the Knicks in a series sweep.<\/p>\n

Well, the theory has finally come to fruition in this series. OG Anunoby has done a phenomenal job guarding Tatum. Celtics players are 7-34 from the field (20.6%) when guarded by Anunoby<\/a>. Bridges has done well when he’s switched onto Tatum or Brown in this series. Most importantly, Bridges has made the two biggest defensive plays of the Knicks’ season, ripping the ball from Brown at the buzzer of Game 1 and stealing Tatum’s pass at the end of Game 2.<\/p>\n

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Lowest opponent FG% on shots inside of 10 feet in the 2025 Playoffs (min 40 FGA): <\/p>\n

37.8 – Mikal Bridges
43.8 – Draymond Green
43.9 – Chet Holmgren
44.2 – OG Anunoby
44.7 – Tobias Harris
45.0 – Buddy Hield
46.7 – Jalen Duren <\/p>\n

Worth Every Penny. pic.twitter.com\/dtQPIEuE7S<\/a><\/p>\n

— The Lead (@TheLeadSM) May 8, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n