Analyst: Knicks Are Pretenders After Celtics Loss

The New York Knicks don't look good after their loss against the Boston Celtics.

Feb 23, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) loses the ball in front of New York Knicks guard Josh Hart (3) during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images | Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks are among the best teams in the Eastern Conference, but they have struggled against elite competition throughout the season.

After recent losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics, the Knicks look like the inferior team of the three squads that have built a little bit of a cushion from the other teams in the Eastern Conference.

However, that isn't enough for Bleacher Report writer Timothy Rapp from deeming the Knicks a "pretender."

"The loss dropped the Knicks to 37-20 on the season, while Boston won its fifth straight game, improving to 41-16. Cleveland (46-10) remains the class of the Eastern Conference, at least in the standings, but the Celtics are the defending champions and are now 4-1 against the Knicks and Cavs this season," Rapp writes.

"For the time being, it appears the road to the NBA Finals very much goes through Boston. Despite New York's high-profile additions of Towns and Mikal Bridges this offseason, the Knicks still feel closer to pretender than contender when they share the court with the Celtics."

The Knicks have made it to the second round of the playoffs in each of the last two years, but they have been unable to get over the hump and make it to the Eastern Conference Finals.

In all likelihood, unless a major injury or two takes place, the Knicks will need to beat one or both of the Cavs and Celtics in a seven-game series, and nothing that New York has shown from these past two games has people believing that they could do it once, let alone twice.

That doesn't mean that the Knicks are having an unsuccessful season, but this is a sign that they maybe aren't set to meet the goals that were set out for them in training camp.

Make sure you bookmark Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns as and so much more!