One Valuable Lesson Boston Celtics Fans Can Learn From the New York Knicks

The New York Knicks being two wins away from a title isn’t the most shocking thing in the world. They were considered among the favorites heading into the season, and generally somewhere in the top five in preseason championship odds.

At the same time, this has been anything but a smooth run to the NBA Finals for the Knicks. They struggled out of the gate and were the fourth seed as late as February 20. On March 30, Knicks On SI published “Three Takeaways from Knicks’ Ugly Loss to the Thunder” that included a section titled “The Knicks Do Not Look Like a Contender Right Now” and included the following assessment:

“Eight games from the playoffs, they still look like a group that has not fully figured things out. The style of play shifts, the rotations change, and the results are all over the place. That kind of inconsistency is fine in November. In late March, it is a real problem.”

The Ringer’s Zach Lowe repeatedly characterized the Knicks as a trivia answer that's always at the tip of your tongue but you can’t figure out. They were even down 2-1 to the Atlanta Hawks in their opening round series, prompting this piece demanding the Knicks be broken up

All they’ve done since is go on one of the most dominant runs in NBA playoff history, winning 13 playoff games in a row and going a cumulative +273 over that stretch.

Talk about peaking at the right time. And it’s something Boston Celtics fans should be paying close attention to as their team tries to forge a path towards another championship.

The Celtics have a lot of tools at their disposal as they try to add to the team. All that has been discussed, but one key element to all of this is to maintain the patience to make sure Boston is maximizing all of its options. If the Knicks have shown us anything, it’s that a team doesn’t have to be playing its best basketball in November and December, and even good teams can take some time to figure out how to navigate some personnel and fit issues.

The Celtics have some key young players who have the potential to come back noticeably better than they were last season. Hugo Gonzalez, Baylor Scheierman, Neemias Queta, and Jordan Walsh all have the potential to be even bigger contributors than they were last season, even though each had incredible moments at different times. In this new CBA reality, where teams have to deal with aprons and all kinds of hard cap triggers, finding and getting the most out of guys like these, all on cheap contracts, is critical to keeping a championship window open.

The Celtics also can’t be bound by whatever free agents and trades are available this summer. There are some potential moves that could present themselves, but the Celtics can’t make the mistake of pinching their noses and making a lesser move just because it’s the best they could do at that moment. They have to be willing to wait and see which teams head into next season teetering on the edge of things not working and have the tools to pounce on that situation.

The Celtics don’t have to use all of their tools just because they have them all right now. They actually have more time than people might realize. Obviously, if a no-brainer move presents itself this summer, they should make it. But what the Knicks have shown is the work of figuring things out is constant, and that teams have time to figure themselves out. A team doesn't have to be great on day one, and the Oklahoma City Thunder are proof that walking into the season as the overwhelming favorite doesn’t insulate anyone from bad luck and bad matchups.

Even if the Celtics are willing to make a huge move to trade a core piece, that still doesn’t mean it has to happen in July. In the NBA, there's always time, until there's no time left. The Knicks looked lost and ready to be bounced early in these playoffs, and suddenly things shifted in their favor. Boston can wait for the right opportunity and follow a similar path next season if everyone is patient enough to let it happen.

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