Boston and New York will forever induce rivalry, but the current versions of these teams are specifically tailored to go at it. The Boston Celtics (36-16) and New York Knicks (34-17) feature on Saturday’s NBA slate. Mike Breen and Doris Burke in Madison Square Garden; a scintillant Jalen Brunson vs. the league’s reigning champs. Let’s get it.
How to watch Boston Celtics at New York Knicks
Yeah, there’s another huge game to watch earlier on Saturday — Luka Dončić’s Laker debut against Indiana is must-see TV, but Celtics-Knicks is a fight long in the making. The Knicks knew what they were doing when they loaded up on elite wings and a uniquely rangy center. They figured that to win the East, they’d have to match up with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porziņģis and defending champion Boston. The Celtics have been the conference’s final boss for much of the past decade. MSG will welcome them accordingly.
New York scored a big win in its comeback over the pestilent Houston Rockets on Monday. Jalen Brunson is at an all-world level, finishing that game with 42 points and 10 assists. He and Karl-Anthony Towns are the first pair of Knicks to start the All-Star Game since Walt Frazier and Earl Monroe 50 years ago. They also won Tuesday in Toronto.
The Knicks are the fourth-highest-scoring offense despite playing with the NBA’s sixth-slowest pace. Mikal Bridges leads everyone in minutes played. He’s a hamster on a wheel after mainlining caffeine.
Yet the Celts remain the favorites in the Eastern Conference. It will be that way until they relinquish the title belt. Tatum is still leveling up, with career-bests in assists and defensive rebounds. He started the week fourth in defensive win shares, ahead of premier clampers like Victor Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert, Amen Thompson and Jaden McDaniels. Payton Pritchard leads the field for Sixth Man of the Year. Boston blitzes opponents behind the arc and dominates the turnover differential.
The home crowd’s hostilities toward ex-Knick Porziņģis will ring down to Penn Station.
Jared Weiss on Boston’s addition of Torrey Craig: “The Celtics have agreed to a deal with veteran wing Torrey Craig for the rest of the season, league sources told The Athletic. Craig, who was waived by the Bulls as part of the Zach LaVine trade, replaces Jaden Springer as the 14th player on the Celtics roster, bringing them to the league minimum. Craig will wear No. 12 for the Celtics, according to a league source who was granted anonymity so they can speak freely.
Craig will join the Celtics in New York ahead of their Saturday matchup against the Knicks, pending a physical to examine his recently sprained ankle. Craig has played in just nine games this season, but shot 42.9 percent from 3 on 3.9 attempts per game. After finishing second in the league in deep shooting last season, the Celtics are all the way down to 12th and need reinforcements.”
James L. Edwards III on New York moving off Jericho Sims: “The Knicks’ front office has a history of trying to get players to situations where they can potentially thrive and get paid. They’ve done it with Obi Toppin, Quentin Grimes, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley. Sims is the latest. The 2021 second-round pick has been out of Tom Thibodeau’s rotation for most of the season. The franchise has spent several weeks trying to find a landing spot where Sims, who is on an expiring deal, could get a meaningful opportunity. League sources told The Athletic that New York had conversations with Dallas, New Orleans and San Antonio, among others, about Sims in the weeks and days leading up to Thursday’s deadline but settled on the Milwaukee Bucks, who were in need of an athletic, rim-running center.”
Biggest trade between these franchises: In 1979, Bob McAdoo was sent to Boston, where he’d play just 20 games. Three first-rounders came in for New York, one of which became Bill Cartwright. The Knicks won this one by Basketball Reference win shares, 71.5 to 1.
(Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler / NBAE via Getty Images)