The New York Knicks and Boston Celtics tip off on Monday night for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, and the experts and analysts are pouring in their expectations and predictions.
The matchup between the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in the East is one-sided, with the Celtics listed as a heavy favorite across multiple betting markets. As the reigning champions, they have most certainly earned that respect, but another factor may be Boston's perfect 4-0 record against the Knicks in the regular season, three of those wins being blowouts.
Basketball legend and Inside the NBA analyst Charles Barkley predicted the Celtics would win the series, and it should come as no surprise considering how he felt about Boston, given his remarks at the start of the season.
"They’re gonna be favored probably the next five to seven years,” Barkley said. “They are going to be favored to win the championship. You got Jayson (Tatum) and Jaylen (Brown), they’re two of the 10 best players in the world. They’re young. Derrick White’s young, (Kristaps) Porzingis is young. They’re gonna be the favorites."
Barkley's comments aren't controversial, as it's no debate that the Celtics boast one of the best-built rosters in modern NBA history, but that doesn't mean that the Knicks will just roll over, even with the odds stacked against them.
It's worth noting that the Knicks lost three of four to the Detroit Pistons in the regular season, before winning in six games in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
“I don’t care,” said New York forward Josh Hart regarding the upcoming series. “If we’re counted out already, then we should play with a great level of freedom. We don’t really care too much what the outside world says. We’re focused on how we feel internally and going about it that way. With us, we don’t really involve ourselves with what other people think. Same people who praise us one day kill us the other, so we’re focused on us.”
Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
Hart isn't the only player embodying the underdog mentality for this Knicks squad. Superstar point guard Jalen Brunson, who averages over 30 points per game in his playoff career with New York, is used to the David vs. Goliath narratives.
"I’ve been an underdog my whole career,” Brunson said. “It is what it is. It’s all about what you make of the opportunity you’re given."
MORE CELTICS NEWS:
- Celtics vs. Knicks predictions: How experts are picking Eastern Conference semifinals series
- Celtics playoff tickets 2025: Best prices, seats, full schedule, bracket for Boston NBA postseason games
- Celtics vs. Knicks prediction, odds, schedule for 2025 NBA Playoffs second round series