Boston Awaits: New York's Road to an Upset

Coming off a tight, grueling 4–2 series win against the Detroit Pistons, the Knicks now face their toughest test yet: a showdown with the defending champion Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. New York went 0–4 against Boston in the regular season, with their final matchup ending in a heartbreaking overtime loss. The Knicks led by three with 50 seconds left in regulation before the Celtics stormed back to steal the win.

Though they advanced past the Pistons, the series exposed several cracks in the Knicks’ foundation. The six-game series was decided by a combined margin of just nine points, with New York frequently playing from behind. Their offense, which ranked 5th in the league during the regular season with an offensive rating of 118.5, looked noticeably stagnant and out of rhythm, dropping to a 109.8 rating in the series—a mark that would have ranked bottom-10 over the full season.

While much of that offensive drop-off can be attributed to Detroit’s physical, grinding style of play, that very style might also serve the Knicks well against Boston—much like Orlando’s physicality gave the Celtics some trouble in the first round. But while a slow, gritty series could work in their favor stylistically, the Knicks' offensive execution will need to improve dramatically if they’re going to have any real chance in this matchup.

Let’s break down how the Knicks can adjust offensively—and what defensive strategies they might employ—to give themselves a shot at pulling off the upset.

Knicks' Evolution Beyond Iso Ball

In the halfcourt against Detroit, the Knicks' offense often stalled—lacking urgency, movement, and quick initiation of sets. Despite Jalen Brunson's brilliance as a shotmaker and creator, the offense frequently became too reliant on him. Brunson averaged a dominant 31.5 points per game on 43.6% shooting (33.3% from three), along with 8.2 assists, but the ball rarely moved enough to keep the defense in rotation. This also meant that New York went away from their other star, Karl-Anthony Towns, far too often. While Brunson’s isolation game will still be an essential part of the offense, it can’t be the only plan. The Celtics have elite on-ball defenders with length and physicality—this style of play won’t be sustainable over a full series against Boston.

I expect the Celtics to put one of their wings on Towns and their big on Josh Hart, allowing the big to help off to serve as a roaming presence against any dribble penetration or help on Brunson’s drives. That defensive setup, however, creates a mismatch for Towns in the post. He’s thrived in similar matchups, averaging 29.0 points on 56.1% shooting (57.1% from three) and grabbing 16.0 rebounds in their last two outings against the Celtics. If the Knicks lean into these mismatches, Towns can score on his own or force consistent help and doubles, getting Boston’s defense into rotation and opening the door for cutting lanes and kick-outs to shooters.

Beyond KAT, it will be crucial for the Knicks to get quality looks for their scoring wings in Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby against Boston’s smaller guards. The takeaway is clear: while Jalen Brunson’s elite shotmaking and creation will remain essential, the Knicks’ halfcourt offense must shift away from iso-heavy possessions toward a more balanced, team-oriented approach built on movement, quick decisions, and exploiting mismatches.

Disrupting the Rhythm of Boston's Offensive Onslaught

While I expect the Knicks to be able to generate decent looks offensively this series, their biggest challenge lies on the other end of the court—slowing down Boston’s high-powered, three-point-heavy offense, while also contending with the isolation brilliance of Jayson Tatum. Tatum is coming off a dominant first-round series against Orlando, averaging 31.7 points per game on 44.7% shooting from the field and 36.4% from three.

The Celtics torched New York in the regular season, posting an offensive rating of 130.2 across their four matchups. Despite having three elite perimeter defenders in OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart to throw at Boston’s trio of Derrick White, Tatum, and Jaylen Brown, the Celtics are likely to lean on pick-and-rolls to test New York's defensive structure—especially by targeting Karl-Anthony Towns. If the Knicks play drop coverage with Towns and the point-of-attack defender can’t fight over screens, Boston’s shooters will have a green light to pull up for threes or get downhill. That approach will also open up midrange jumpers and pick-and-pop looks for Kristaps Porziņģis. Simply put, drop coverage will not work against this team.

Instead, the Knicks should lean into a switching scheme. Yes, this will create mismatches with Jalen Brunson and Towns being isolated, but it may be the lesser of two evils. Forcing Boston into contested midrange shots, stepback threes, and one-on-one drives will be preferable to getting caught in a rotating blender that ends in clean looks from three—the Celtics’ offensive sweet spot.

Rotational discipline will be critical. Boston thrives on breakdowns—slow help, miscommunication, or lazy closeouts. However, perfect rotations are impossible to sustain every possession, and when the Knicks inevitably have breakdowns, they must make it a priority to run shooters off the line and force Boston to settle for midrange jumpers or finish through contact in traffic, especially in the paint. They must impose their physicality on the Celtics and make them uncomfortable by drawing them away from their preferred game: a barrage of rhythm threes that can shoot teams out of the building.