Celtics

What’s the better matchup for the Celtics: Knicks or Pacers?

The Celtics' ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals has been punched. Who will join them?

By Khari Thompson

May 17, 2024

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The Celtics have punched their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals for the sixth time in eight seasons.

They’re still waiting to find out who their next opponent will be. The Knicks and Pacers are set for Game 6 tonight, with the Knicks up 3-2. The winner of that series will travel to Boston to kick off the next round on Tuesday.

So, which opponent would be the better matchup for the Celtics? Here are five reasons why the Celtics are more likely to fare better against the Knicks.

The Knicks are not at full strength

If you think the Celtics caught a bad break with Kristaps Porzingis’s calf strain, take a look at who the Knicks are missing:

Julius Randle and Bojan Bogdanovic are out for the season. Mitchell Robinson is expected to miss the rest of the playoffs with an ankle injury. OG Anunoby is expected to miss his fourth consecutive game with a hamstring injury Friday night.

The Knicks have been able to keep chugging along, despite being hit hard by injuries.

The Celtics on the other hand (knock on wood) are healthy outside of Porzingis, and will have had nearly a week to rest and charge up by the time this series tips off on Tuesday.

Plus, Boston already had the more talented roster anyway.

Boston has a significant size advantage

Four of the five players the Knicks started in Game 5 were 6-foot-4 or shorter.

Contrast that with the taller, longer Celtics. Point guards Derrick White and Jrue Holiday are the same height or taller than pretty much the entire Knicks’ starting five.

Obviously, this is due to injuries, and if the 6-foot-7 Anunoby returns it could be a slightly different story. But, chances are that Jayson Tatum (6-foot-8), Jaylen Brown (6-foot-9), and co. will likely have smaller players on them across the board and should be able to do damage inside.

Dealing with Isaiah Hartenstein, a bunch of guards, and a dose of Precious Achiuwa here and there should be a much lighter lift for the Celtics bigs than Indiana’s frontline of Myles Turner, Pascal Siakam, and Obi Toppin would be.

Plus, the Celtics have the flexibility to go small when they want to.

No backcourt duo is better equipped to deal with Jalen Brunson than Boston’s

Speaking of White and Holiday, they should (at least on paper) have the best shot of slowing down Knicks star Jalen Brunson.

Brunson is averaging a league-best 33.9 points per game this postseason, but Boston has the luxury of putting two of the league’s best defenders at his position on him.

Holiday and White finished sixth and eighth in the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year voting. Boston has been one of the league’s best defensive teams all year, and their backcourt is a big reason why.

The Celtics played better against the Knicks during the regular-season

If we’re just talking head-to-head battles this season, then the Knicks are the weaker opponent.

Boston went 4-1 against the Knicks this season. Indiana went 3-2. New York’s only win came last month in the third-to-last game of the regular season.

Boston had already clinched first place in the East by then, while the Knicks were still playing for seeding.

If there’s anyone who can match Boston’s offensive firepower, it’s Indiana.

The only team with a higher offensive efficiency rating than the Celtics during these playoffs is the Pacers.

They lead the league in points per game (112.6) and assist-to-turnover-ratio (2.74). They’re also second in points in the paint.

Indiana led the league in points per game, field-goal percentage, and assists during the regular season.