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The 2023-24 season was the most successful one for the New York Knicks in a decade, but it wasn't good enough. The Knicks maneuvered, upgrading their roster by adding Karl-Anthony Towns and trading for Mikal Bridges. While their record this season was similar to that of last season, the goal was always to make themselves more viable to make a deep playoff run—and compete with the Boston Celtics. Now that philosophy will be put to the test.
The Knicks advanced past the Detroit Pistons in dramatic fashion. Now they enter the Eastern Conference Semifinals as extreme underdogs against the defending champion Celtics—a team that won 61 games this season while going 4-0 against the Knicks in the process. New York wasn't healthy or in rhythm for most, if not all, of those matchups. But a fully healthy Knicks team will finally face off with the Celtics.
Let's review exactly what New York did to prepare for this moment.
Karl-Anthony Towns addition was meant to mirror Celtics' Kristaps Porzingis success
Towns is an objectively great player. He's a five-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA guy. There was much criticism about Towns' limited success in the clutch prior to the trade that landed him in New York. Some of that has alleviated since Towns' clutch shooting down the stretch of Game 4 in Detroit. But either way, the idea of adding Towns made a lot of sense, especially when looking at how the Celtics are built.
Boston was incredibly successful playing with four guys who could shoot and handle the ball along with one shooting big. Kristaps Porzingis was the final piece for the Celtics' championship puzzle. He is also incredibly similar to, although less offensively capable than, Towns.
Despite dealing with injuries, Porzingis was wildly successful in last season's postseason run. He scored in double figures in four of the seven games in which he played, and he blocked 11 shot attempts throughout the 2024 playoffs.
Part of the Knicks' motivation in adding Towns had to be Boston's success with Porzingis. Having traditional bigs who do not stretch the floor play a majority of minutes is dangerous, especially with someone like Jalen Brunson who succeeds with space to operate. That's exactly what the Knicks' big-man rotation looked like before Towns.
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But there's a catch. While Porzingis is now a super role player, New York is going to need Towns to be a superstar. Towns will have to co-lead the Knicks, scoring 20 or more per game, cleaning the glass to the tune of 10 or more rebounds per contest, and fighting the trend of disappearing for stretches of time.
Mikal Bridges trade was made to combat Celtics' wing depth
The Bridges trade was clearly made to prepare for the Celtics. New York witnessed Boston's success with a gluttony of wings and long guards like Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Jrue Holiday—all of whom are at least 6-foot-4. All four can shoot the 3-ball, and that team dynamic had a lot to do with the Celtics winning the 2024 NBA championship. It also carried over to the 2024-25 season, with the Celtics shooting a league-best 48.2 3-pointers per game.
Granted, the Knicks' version of the Celtics' roster build didn't materialize exactly the same. New York shot the fourth-fewest 3-pointers per game (34.1). But just look at how New York's wings defended in the first-round matchup with Detroit. Specifically, consider how well OG Anunoby and Bridges defended Cade Cunningham.
Of course, Boston's wings present more challenges than one superstar (Cunningham). But the Knicks hope to defend the Celtics guards and wings using a similar philosophy, changing looks by giving different defensive assignments to Josh Hart, Anunoby, and Bridges, as needed.
New York will have to play its absolute best to advance. And, frankly, they'll have to play incredibly well for every individual win they earn. But from a personnel standpoint, the Knicks match up with the Celtics about as well as a team can—on paper. Hopefully that translates to at least a very competitive series.
Otherwise, New York's management will probably feel pressure to make even more changes.
