The Knicks Are Better Than Both, but 76ers Would Be Tougher Than Celtics in Round 2

Getting Boston as a second-round opponent might benefit New York the most.

Neither opponent would be easy, but the Knicks might fare better against the Celtics in Round 2. | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

Closeout games are the hardest to win, but the Knicks turned their series-clinching win over the Hawks into one for the record books. That hasn’t been the case for the rest of their Eastern Conference competition, as every other opening-round series is heading for a Game 7.

The national media lovebird Celtics lost a close-out game against the 76ers and host a do-or-die date on Saturday night. The Cavaliers saw their hopes of punching their ticket to round two dashed by an RJ Barrett miracle shot in overtime. Meanwhile, it took the Pistons digging out from a 22-point halftime deficit to keep their season alive.

The Knicks will play the winner of the Celtics-Sixers series. Even though Boston would have home-court as the number two seed and seemingly all the national pundits still have the C's as the favorites to win the East, New York fans should be rooting for them to beat Philly.

The 76ers wouldn't be a walk in the park for Knicks

Hosting Game 1 of the semifinals sounds appealing, but the Sixers are seemingly hitting their stride with Joel Embiid actually on the court, Paul George turning back the clock and two of the most explosive young guards in the league—Tyrese Maxey and V. J. Edgecombe—exceeding expectations.

The first problem with the Sixers is their dirty play, led by Embiid, whom the Knicks saw firsthand for what an injury risk he poses two springs ago. Then there's Maxey, who is probably a tougher guard than anyone else in the East. The Knicks are not well-equipped to defend fast, athletic guards, and Philadelphia has two of them.

The Knicks could struggle to guard Tyrese Maxey in a potential second-round series. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Quietly, the Knicks have been one of the NBA's best defenses. Yes, that’s without former bench boss Tom Thibodeau directing things. But Maxey’s quickness and Embiid’s massiveness might pose more problems than the duo of Jayson Tatum, who missed the first 62 games recovering from a torn Achilles and is nursing a new calf injury, and Jaylen Brown.

Knicks president Leon Rose built this team with an eye towards the Celtics, who have long been considered the class of the East. It took multiple twenty-point comebacks, but the Knicks toppled the Celtics last spring. And that was before Jrue Holiday, Luke Kornet, Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis left Beantown. They are a thinner team this time around, especially up front.  

The Knicks are also 7-3 in their last 10 games vs. the Celtics, including wins in the last two meetings by an average of 14 points. New York owns the same record in its last 10 matchups against Philadelphia, which is impressive; however, it's worth noting the 76ers won in their last two trips to Madison Square Garden with a plus-10 average point margin.

Knicks can still win, regardless of the opponent

I’m not saying that the Knicks should fear the Sixers. New York will rightfully be the favorite, and head coach Mike Brown’s offense will make Embiid play defense and run around, which he isn’t doing now. The Knicks will outrebound the 76ers in every game. Philly HC Nick Nurse is heavily leaning on his starters because their bench is nothing to write home about behind Andre Drummond and Quentin Grimes.

Should the Sixers advance, they would be playing their third pressure-packed game in a third different city over the course of five days on Monday night. And we all know how fragile Embiid and "Playoff P" can be.

Although the Sixers are a seventh seed, the Knicks have gotten upset by lower-seeded teams three straight years: 2023: Heat (No. 8), 2024: Pacers (No. 6), and 2025: Pacers (No. 4). There's reason to downplay them based on where they finished the regular season in the standings.

Whether it's the 76ers or Celtics next on the horizon, I'm taking the Knicks in six.