BOSTON — The Knicks are at a crossroads in Beantown.
A loss in Sunday’s matinee, significantly an unsightly one, would additional the freshly strengthened thought they’re not outfitted for the large time.
A victory would redirect the narrative and function proof the Knicks aren’t going to roll over in opposition to the East’s elite.
So is it good that the Celtics showdown arrives proper after Friday’s debacle in Cleveland?
Or wouldn’t it be higher to have that 142-105 nastiness additional within the rearview earlier than dealing with one other marquee opponent?
“Ask me that after the game on Sunday,” Jalen Brunson mentioned.
The Knicks (37-19) have failed in most of their measuring-stick video games — with vital exceptions of two victories over the Nuggets — however nothing feels extra related to their long-term success than matchups in opposition to the Celtics.
The 2 really feel destined for a second-round playoff matchup, particularly with the Cavaliers giving no indication they’ll concede the highest seed.
Within the two earlier matchups this season, the Celtics boat-raced the Knicks whereas bombing environment friendly 3-pointers at will.
The Cavaliers did a lot of the identical in Friday evening’s recreation that mercifully ended roughly 39 hours earlier than tipoff at TD Backyard.
“I love it. I feel like you want to play best at all times,” Miles McBride mentioned of the fast turnaround. “We have to bounce back and have our heads right.”
Probably the most obvious drawback the Knicks should handle is pick-and-roll protection, particularly when it entails Karl-Anthony Cities.
Jayson Tatum punished the Knicks within the season opener by looking Cities and ditching Mikal Bridges.
Within the subsequent head-to-head two weeks in the past, Tatum was unstoppable whereas dropping 40 factors and silencing MSG.
One Knicks adjustment is likely to be to as a substitute use OG Anunoby on Tatum — Bridges was the first defender within the first two matchups — however Anunoby simply returned from harm and couldn’t gradual Donovan Mitchell on Friday evening.
Cities expressed confidence the protection will rebound.
“I don’t think that we lack a belief in doing any of that. The belief is high in this locker room. We just got to continue to work. We’ve got to continue to get better,” he mentioned. “[Friday night] we may not have made that step forward that we talk about every day and I like to talk about every day, that we need to get that 1 percent better. We didn’t do that. But we get another chance quickly with Boston to show how resilient we are and what grit we really have to bounce back from a game like this.”
The Knicks have to point out one thing a lot better than Friday — and even better than the poor defensive effort in Thursday’s additional time win over the Bulls.
Josh Hart, maybe not coincidentally, missed these two video games with a sore knee.
“We’ve got to turn the page but we’ve got to understand where we are,” Brunson mentioned. “We can’t just turn the page and forget about it. We’ve got to turn the page and realize what has happened [in Cleveland]. This goes back to the Chicago game. The Chicago game was not our best play, but we masked it with a win. We’ve just got to be better. Simple as that. Can’t keep pointing fingers making excuses, saying what if this, what if that, what if we had this person? No, we’ve got to go out there and play how we’re supposed to play with what we have.”
