'Boston, Watch Out!': Spike Lee Optimistic in Knicks' Ability to Beat Celtics
With the NBA's All-Star Weekend in full swing, many have updated their playoff predictions and adjusted their hypothetical Finals matchups.
The New York Knicks are perhaps one of the teams that have enjoyed a significant amount of adjusted forecasts, as their recent moves at the trade deadline, not to mention the presence of All-Star Jalen Brunson, makes them one of the deepest teams in the NBA on paper.
That optimism was well on display in lauded director/superfan Spike Lee, who expounded upon his outlook for the current group in an appearance on TNT's Inside the NBA prior to Saturday's festivities at Lucas Oil Stadium.
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"We've got guys hurt, but when they come back, Boston watch out," Lee said. "We're playing with seven players ... We need to get healthy! They shoot a lot of three-pointers, and we've got some defense!"
The Knicks have been slipping as of later, as the team has lost its last four, and five of its last six. Despite the recent efforts of Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo, the depleted Knicks haven't had enough to compete with some of the NBA's finest in the final stretch before the break.
DiVincenzo and deadline arrival Bojan Bogdanovic each missed the Knicks' most recent contest on Wednesday in Orlando but both will probably be back sooner rather than later. More concerning are the long-term absences of OG Anunoby, Julius Randle, and Mitchell Robinson, while Isaiah Hartenstein has missed each of the past three games.
That has done little to reduce confidence in the Knicks, who also brought in Alec Burks in the Bogdanovic trade with Detroit. As it stands, fourth-place New York sits 10 games behind Boston for first place in the East. Boston has had the Knicks' number so far this year, winning each of the first three meetings ... all before the fateful trade for Anunoby on Dec. 30.
The Knicks will have an immediate opportunity to prove their mettle against the Celtics, as they face them in their second game back from break this Saturday. In the meantime, they open with a road game in Philadelphia two nights prior (7 p.m. ET, MSG).
