Knicks' Intensity in Dress Rehearsal vs. Celtics Meant More Than the Standings Say

It was Jayson Tatum’s first visit to Madison Square Garden since his Achilles injury suffered last May in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, and the Knicks didn't give him an easy time. New York all but sealed a second-round rematch possibility with a 112-106 victory, which marked their 52nd win and most since 2012-13. It was a playoff atmosphere in the Mecca and the Knicks are evidently not ducking from running it back against Boston in the playoffs.

The Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns two-man game was brilliant. Mikal Bridges scored ten points and made all four of his shots. Mitchell Robinson was a force on both sides and Josh Hart scored 26 points, including knocking down five three-pointers and back-to-back shots from long distance to ice the game in the final minute.

Coach Joe Mazzulla seemed like he didn't want to show the Knicks much in their last matchup before the playoffs. Jaylen Brown, who recently talked about "spinning the block" on New York in the postseason, didn’t suit up. The game's value as a playoff preview was reduced with the Celtics missing their MVP candidate and all but having wrapped up the second seed, but you wouldn't have known that by observing the intensity of the players and fans.

Knicks playoff scenarios clarifying with win over Celtics

The Knicks now need either one more win or one Cavaliers loss to lock up the third seed. They could only move up by winning their final two games at home against Toronto and Charlotte while Boston would have to lose out against the lowly Pelicans and Magic, both of which are at the TD Garden.

New York will essentially get a chance to control its opponent for the first round. If they win tomorrow against Toronto, that's most likely who they'll face in the opening round. If Toronto does win out, which includes a cupcake game against Brooklyn on Sunday, the Knicks will likely see Atlanta.

Meanwhile, the Knicks all but know their second-round opponent, pending Mike Brown’s group takes care of business and Boston holds off what will likely be a hard-charging Hornets team or whatever is left of Philadelphia with Joel Embiid’s appendectomy and questionable timeline for return.

OG Anunoby, New York Knicks — Apr 9, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) defends Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. | Lucas Boland-Imagn Images

Of course, it’s a disappointment that New York couldn’t seize home court in a year where Boston was without Tatum for the first 62 games and lost the quartet of Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Luke Kornet over the summer. The Knicks may well be the favorite if they had home-court, where they have a 29-9 record this season at the World’s Most Famous Arena.

This is a better Knicks team than last season. Everyone is healthy — knock on wood. The bench is actually four deep with Robinson, Deuce McBride, Landry Shamet and Jordan Clarkson. The Knicks did go 3-1 against Boston this season after losing all four matchups during the regular season last season. We all know how that translated in the playoffs.

What we saw last night doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things. But we did see enough to know that this team is ready.