Knicks vs. Celtics Among Best NBA Playoff Rivalries

The New York Knicks are building a new chapter against the Boston Celtics in the playoffs.

New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby defends against Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks and Boston Celtics are in the midst of their 16th playoff series of all-time.

The Knicks hold a 2-0 lead, but the Celtics are the defending champions and likely won't fold easy as the series shifts back to the Big Apple.

The series marks another chapter in the historic rivalry between the two teams, which Bleacher Report writer Matt Velazquez named as one of the 12 best playoff rivalries in NBA history.

"This is setting up to be an exciting series between two cities that have bad blood across multiple sports," Velazquez wrote.

"While the historical series is long (15 matchups since 1951) and close (each team has won seven series), the Knicks and Celtics have only met three times in the playoffs since 1990. The teams met five times in a row from 1951-1955 and then five times from 1967-1974, but their matchups have been more sporadic since."

"Here's to hoping that 2025's matchup provides some Yankees-Red Sox level drama and sets the stage for more playoff clashes in the coming years."

The last time the Knicks and Celtics met in the playoffs came back in 2013, where Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett were approaching the end of their tenures in Boston, while Carmelo Anthony was in the prime of his career with New York.

In that series, the Knicks took a 3-0 lead and closed things out in Game 6 after the Celtics won two consecutive elimination games, including one at Madison Square Garden.

In this year's battle, the Knicks find themselves in nearly identical territory up 2-0, but it is in their best interest to finish out the series as soon as possible since the Celtics will host two of the final three games in their building.

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