The New York Knicks will be up for a massive challenge in Round 2 of the playoffs, perhaps their toughest task yet. After taking care of the Detroit Pistons in six games of the first round of the playoffs, they will now have a highly anticipated matchup with the defending champion Boston Celtics.
Knicks’ Tom Thibodeau wants everyone to play at a high level vs. Celtics
The odds are heavily against the Knicks’ favor, with many already counting them out before the series has even started. Those people are right to think that, as New York simply looked overmatched in their four regular season matchups this season.
However, the playoffs are a different animal, and if the Knicks play above what is being expected out of them, they can shock the basketball world with a series win over Boston. Head coach Tom Thibodeau had one big message to get across to his team to ensure that happens.
“We need everyone to play well, we’ve got to be at our best,” said Thibodeau, via Athlon Sports’ JB Kubicek. “I think balance is what’s going to win. You can’t have any mental breakdowns where you have a bad two or three-minute stretch because of their ability to go on runs, you have to minimize that.”
The Knicks can shock the world if they play the right way
The Knicks played far from their best basketball in the first round against the Pistons, and it took Jalen Brunson turning into a superhuman version of himself to carry them to a series win. New York can’t afford to find itself in that situation again, as the Celtics will make them pay.
When they are playing at their best, the Knicks have unlimited offensive potential. However, they need to be a more cohesive unit defensively, as the Celtics are one of the best perimeter scoring teams in the entire league, and can easily put a team away with their marksman shooting from beyond the arc.
If they are getting enough from their impact pieces such as OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Karl-Anthony Towns, they will have a much stronger chance at changing a big narrative around the team. They will need to prove that on the court, however, and their first opportunity will come Monday night at the TD Garden for Game 1.