The Boston Celtics are expected to be at full strength when they begin their second-round playoff series Monday against the New York Knicks. That means point guard Jrue Holiday is expected to return from a strained right hamstring.

Holiday is viewed as one of the Celtics' key players because of his offensive and defensive versatility and consistency. He is known for making key plays with the ball in his hands at the most important moments and he has also shown that he can guard many of the opponents' best scorers regardless of their size.

The Celtics earned their spot in the second round by defeating the Orlando Magic in five games. The Knicks defeated the Detroit Pistons in 6 games.

While Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are clearly recognized as head coach Joe Mazzulla's most high-profile players on the Celtics, Holiday and Derek White are do-it-all types who have shown that they can either complement the two superstars or take over at the most important moments. The presence of Holiday in the lineup against New York ill be a welcome sight for the defending NBA champion Celtics and their fans.

Celtics hoping to win second title in a row

Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla watches from the sideline as they take on the Orlando Magic during game five of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden.
Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images

While Boston has a long way to go to win a second consecutive championship, confidence is high going into the second-round series. The Celtics defeated the Knicks in all four regular-season games this year.

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Holiday was able to play in the first two games of the series against the Magic and he averaged 10 points, 5.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds against Orlando. However, he was sidelined after Boston won both of those games and took a 2-0 lead in the series.

The Celtics lost Game 3 of the series in Orlando, but the team rebounded on the road in Game 4 before closing out the Magic when the series returned to Boston for Game 5.

In addition to Holiday's right hamstring issue, Brown had a knee problem that bothered him down the stretch of the regular season. Brown was able to play in each of the five games of the playoff series without any issue. He is no longer listed on the Celtics injury report.

Tatum was the team's dominant scorer in the series win over the Magic. He averaged 31.3 points along with 11.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists. Brown averaged 23.0 point and 7.6 rebounds in the series despite his lingering knee issues.

White and Kristaps Porzingis also averaged in double figures for the Celtics. The Celtics have won an NBA-leading 18 championships in their notable history.