
Will the Boston Celtics taking on the Knicks in the East Semis rekindle their rivalry?
Will the Boston Celtics taking on the Orlando Magic in the 2025 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals second round series rekindle their old rivalry? The two Atlantic Division foes used to be the worst of enemies on the court, but the Knicks have fallen on hard times for decades now, with a few brief, abortive moments since the 1980s as an exception.
What sort of challenges do the Knicks, big man Karl-Anthony Towns and star point guard Jalen Brunson pose to the Celtics in this series? What are New York's strengths and weaknesses heading into the East Semis? And how much do we need to worry about the injuries nagging star Boston forwards Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown -- and vet guard Jrue Holiday?
NBC Sports Boston's Chris Forsberg and Kayla Burton took some time on a recent episode of their "Celtics Talk" show to talk it over. Check it out below!
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


USA Today
24 minutes ago
- USA Today
Boston Celtics jersey history No. 30 - Marty Conlon (1996-97)
The Boston Celtics have had players suiting up in a total of 68 different jersey numbers (and have three others not part of any numerical series) since their founding at the dawn of the Basketball Association of America (BAA -- the league that would become today's NBA), worn by well over 500 players in the course of Celtics history. To commemorate the players who wore those numbers, Celtics Wire is covering the entire history of jersey numbers and the players who sported them since the founding of the team. With 25 of those jerseys now retired to honor some of the greatest Celtics to wear those jerseys, there is a lot of history to cover. And for today's article, we will continue with the seventh of 15 people to wear the No. 30, Boston big man alum Marty Conlon. After ending his college career at Providence, Conlon would go unselected in the 1990 NBA Draft, instead playing in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA -- that era's version of the G League) and abroad before signing with the Seattle SuperSonics in 1991. The Bronx, New York native also played for the Sacramento Kings, Charlotte Hornets, (then) Washington Bullets (now, Wizards), and Milwaukee Bucks before signing with Boston in 1996. His stay with the team would span a single season before he would sign with the Miami Heat in 1998. During his time suiting up for the Celtics, Conlon wore only jersey No. 30 and put up 7.8 points 4.4 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. All stats and data courtesy of Basketball Reference.


Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
Knicks Given Massive Prediction on Playoff Future
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. After suffering through some 20 years of ineptitude, the New York Knicks have been gradually building a winning team over the last few years. Now, they seem to have a clear opportunity to do something special this coming season. With Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum out for the season due to a torn Achilles (one he suffered versus the Knicks in the 2025 playoffs) and Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton also out for the year because of a similar injury, the field in the Eastern Conference is almost wide open for the Knicks. The Cleveland Cavaliers remain in the way, but New York seems to be clearly better than the rest of the pack right now. Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report just gave the over/under for wins and predicted win totals for all 30 NBA teams in a recent article. The Knicks' over/under is at 53.5 wins, and the only East team with a higher figure is the Cavaliers. Overall, only three NBA teams were given a higher over/under than New York in this piece. "Every member of the New York Knicks lineup that led (by a massive margin) the league in total minutes last season (Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns) is back," Bailey wrote. "That alone should have Knicks fans encouraged about the possibility of a second straight 50-win season, but that's not all. "New York also added Guerschon Yabusele and Jordan Clarkson to a bench that includes Mitchell Robinson. That should lead to meaningful improvement over last season's second unit." Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks huddles with his team during the fourth quarter against the Indiana Pacers in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge... Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks huddles with his team during the fourth quarter against the Indiana Pacers in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on May 27, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. More Photo byRead more: ESPN Personality Calls Out Knicks Star Karl-Anthony Towns Last season, New York went 51-31, but Bailey picked the team to once again win 51 regular-season games. However, his reasons for that prediction aren't necessarily negative. "So, why are the Knicks predicted to finish below their over-under this season? "Well, think back to caveat in the intro. There are only so many wins to go around, and being higher than consensus on one team might mean shaving a win or two off other teams. "That and what feels like a small likelihood of New York being as healthy as it was last season made the Knicks one of the victims of the finite leaguewide win total." As Bailey pointed out, the Knicks have a somewhat deeper bench for this season. Clarkson isn't an efficient shooter, but he did average 16.2 points a game last season, which was around his career average in scoring. Yabusele, a wide-bodied 6-foot-8 29-year-old who can play the 4 and 5 spots, put up 11.0 points on 50.1% from the field and 38% from 3-point range, 5.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 27.1 minutes a game. Backup guard Miles McBride, who has been a spark plug over the last couple of years, remains on the roster. Read more: Former NBA Star Throws Shade at Rockets' Kevin Durant The onus seems to be on All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns to raise his game. While he was at 24.4 points and 12.8 rebounds a game last season, many are disappointed with his lack of defense, both around the rim and on the perimeter. The Knicks have a new head coach in Mike Brown, who has always been known as a defensive mastermind but has also kept up with the NBA's offensive evolution in recent years. All eyes across the Tri-State area will also be on him as the team attempts to win its first world championship since 1973. For more on the Knicks and general NBA news, head over to Newsweek Sports.


USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Are Boston Celtics fans irked Kristaps Porzingis just showed out in EuroBasket play?
Fans of the Boston Celtics may have some conflicting feelings about seeing how former Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis has been playing with his Latvian National Team in FIBA EuroBasket exhibition games of late. After seeing Porzingis deliver a number of duds for Boston in the Celtics' 2025 NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals second round series vs. the New York Knicks, seeing KP recover and play well for Latvia is both good in that he has clearly recovered from the viral malady that took away his high-level play. But on the other side of that coin, it can be hard to wonder why fate didn't let him play for Boston like this when he was most needed. The hosts of the CLNS Media "How Bout Them Celtics!" podcast, Jack Simone and Sam LaFrance, took a closer look at his play in EuroBasket games recently. Check it out below! If you enjoy this pod, check out the "How Bout Them Celtics," "First to the Floor," and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network: Listen to "Havlicek Stole the Pod" on: Spotify: iTunes: YouTube: