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Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics and Jaylen Brown laugh together during the second half of the game against the New York Knicks at TD Garden on February 23, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts.
MVP candidate Jaylen Brown wants to “spin the block” by having his Boston Celtics face the New York Knicks again in the NBA Playoffs. Last postseason featured a shocking upset with the Knicks defeating the Celtics in a 4-2 series, despite being the clear underdog. Boston had homecourt advantage and were defending their previous NBA Championship victory. New York shocked the world by stealing two the first two games in Boston and splitting the next four.
Brown said the following about the potential of a rematch between the Knicks and Celtics:
“I said it felt like death to blow two 20-point leads. This story’s a different year, we might match up with the Knicks again and we gotta be ready to slide…You gotta spin the block, you know what I mean? You gotta run it back. I’m lookin forward to the ‘Offs”
The Knicks were the only team mentioned by name when Brown discussed his desire for a great playoff run on his Twitch stream. Brown also talked about the pain of Boston blowing multiple big leads to New York last season to cause the shocking elimination. However, it is a rare thing to see a top star revealing he wants to play a specific playoff opponent.
Knicks May Be Toughest Celtics Matchup
The top four Eastern Conference teams feel like they are at a level above the rest of the conference. New York and Boston join the Cleveland Cavaliers and top-seeded Detroit Pistons as the teams with a realistic chance to make the NBA Finals representing the East.
Last season saw a better Celtics team on paper (with Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis) folding against the Knicks defense. New York specifically targeted athletic wing defenders OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges to guard Brown and Jayson Tatum as the best players on the best East team at the time.
Bridges and Anunoby remain on the Knicks roster to present the same threat towards the Celtics this season. Brown and Tatum are hungry to correct their wrongs of last season’s exit and get past New York for another NBA Finals run. Boston is just 1-2 against the Knicks this season to show New York still plays against them well.
Pressure Has Changed From Celtics To Knicks
Last postseason saw the Celtics having strong pressure on them as the favorites to repeat as NBA Champions. The Knicks had a lackluster record against good teams all regular season to make them a strong underdog.
This season features a different story of Boston entering the season as a secondary team and New York being a favorite to make the NBA Finals. Tatum’s injury made many lose faith in the Celtics, but Brown led them to a tremendous run to set up another playoff run.
Boston needs role players like Derrick White and Payton Pritchard to step up to help the superstar wing players. Brown’s comment revealed the team would love to get their revenge against the Knicks, but they need help from the entire rotation to win such a tough series and other close series this postseason.
Joey Haverford Joey Haverford is a seasoned sports content writer with over 12 years of experience. He has covered the NBA, WNBA, MLB, NFL, and professional wrestling in the sports industry. More about Joey Haverford
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