The New York Knicks’ Game 1 win over the Boston Celtics in the second round of the playoffs stunned the sports world. Many were expecting the Knicks to get tormented by the Celtics this series, given Boston’s dominance over them in the regular season, but New York persevered after being down 20 to pull off the upset.
WFAN’s Evan Roberts says the Knicks beating the Celtics would be a bigger upset than the Giants’ Super Bowl XLII win over the Patriots
Now, the momentum can suddenly shift in their favor if the Knicks pull off another road win in Game 2. The Knicks are massive underdogs in this series despite being the third seed in the Eastern Conference, so a series win would completely change the outlook of the entire NBA Playoffs.
WFAN radio personality Evan Roberts went the extra mile, saying that a Knicks’ series win over the Celtics would be a larger upset than when the Giants took down the undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII back in 2008.
“We’ll see if the Knicks can pull this off, but them beating the Celtics four times in seven games is a bigger upset,” Roberts said.
To back Roberts’ point, the New York Giants had a strong playoff run in their Super Bowl-winning season that included wins over the 13-3 Dallas Cowboys and 13-3 Green Bay Packers to get to the Big Dance, proving that they were capable of taking down big opponents. Now, a victory over the Patriots was certainly unexpected, especially since the Giants were a Wild Card team in the 2007 season.
A Knicks series win would be shocking, but not as shocking as the Giants’ Super Bowl win
The Knicks, meanwhile, have been largely non-competitive against the top teams in the league this season. They went winless against six different playoff teams this year, including a 0-10 record against the top three teams in the NBA, which also includes the Celtics.
That would explain the pure shock of Game 1’s victory, as many don’t expect the Knicks to have a chance in this best-of-seven series against Boston. However, a Wild Card team taking down a team that had not lost a single game all season is something that still hasn’t been replicated, and likely won’t for some time.
The Knicks were still a very good team in the regular season, as they won 51 games and imposed their will against the teams they should beat. Furthermore, it is much easier to learn about a team when playing them multiple times in a best-of-seven series, as the margin for error is much bigger, whereas the Giants only had one chance to take down New England in the Super Bowl.
The Knicks’ chances of taking down Boston are still low, and New York still has to find a way to string together three more wins. However, the momentum can shift if they find a way to take Game 2 on the road Wednesday night.