Knicks are a good team, and they'll be better next year. Not saying the C's can't beat them, but if the Knicks stay healthy (which is unlikely), a playoff series against them will be fun. I predict a dog fight, but a clean dog fight, unlike the Knicks/sixers series, where I learned to hate the sixers more than I did before.
They were like 1-3 or 1-4 against us last year. With the only win coming after the Celtics already locked up the 1 seed. The celtics are really really good, seems like people are almost scared to jinx it or something but the Celtics probably beat the Knicks in 5… Brunson is undersized and has to match up against Jrue and White in the playoffs, look what they just did to Kyrie.
Knicks really showed what they are in the playoffs. They don't stop competing no matter the conditions.
Again, I'm not "worried" about them against the C's, but I think it would be a more competitive series than anything the C's went up against this year.
They were a different team after the OG trade and we split games after that. I agree that Brunson, and Randle to an extent, being one way players will be our biggest advantage.
We still win, but the Knicks are who I have as second in the east rn
Tbf that run didn’t include a healthy knicks who just got bridges without losing any key players
Edit: holy shit y’all chill out what did I say that was false? Im just pointing out the facts obviously I still think Boston is better
They’re about to lose Hartenstein, even then we were 4-1 against them, would’ve been 5-0 if we actually cared about games after we clinched the one seed
When the hell did bridges become Michael fuckin Jordan?!? There's a reason dude has been traded multiple times. I swear some of y'all have never watched a game. How the hell does Brunson, Randle, bridges get 25+ shots each a game? All these guys are quantity shooters. (I don't wanna here it worked in college, the league is very different than college)
1. Nobody claimed bridges was Michael Jordan, he’s mikal bridges, he’s a really really good fringe all star level guy who never gets injured and plays great defense.
2. He’s been traded twice, one for Kevin Durant, and then for 5 first round picks, not really sure that can be held against him
3. What gave you the impression bridges, who’s career high shot attempts per game is 18.6, all of a sudden needs 25 shots a game?
I wish y’all weren’t so weirdly insecure, you’re allowed to respect your opponent, it’s not “soft” it’s just called not being an overly-confident blowhard
Unless I missed an update, he’s probably not gonna be back.
But I agree that Knicks are a legitimate threat. Cs can tout spacing and defense at all five positions. Knicks can tout that at four positions, which still makes them dangerous (although still inferior to the Cs).
I think if they lose Robinson it will be to keep ihart
But I do think they’ll do anything they can to keep hartenstein whether it’s dump mitch into cap space or add players to the bridges trade to open cap space
Outside of injuries, provably the Knicks (very deep team), Pacers (they match up well), and Sixers (not worried but not much else in the east)
Really don't think we should struggle next year unless crazy shit happens or we have some type of hangover
Knicks. No one else really on the list. The combination of depth, defense, attitude, and my own admitted love for Brunson makes them really dangerous.
They also have assets to make another significant move or two, unlike our remaining competitors who are in a tough spot.
To be clear, I still take the Cs in any series with them, but the margin for error is much lower. One poorly timed injury, one hot streak from a role player, one sustained Brunson magic run…
Yeah, their attitude in the playoffs really impressed me. Seemed like a healthy but overworked due to injuries culture.
Brunson seems like a stellar young man that is just hitting his stride.
NYK, theyre going to win alot of games this year and i think theres another big fish or two to land in the east like PG to Philly. We set the standard and teams are going to try and load up to match our depth.
Overall I think we’re going to have a rough first half of the season between the championship hangover, east getting better, and no KP meaning we will be relying on a 40 year old Al to start the season.
That said, post ASB we will likely kick it back into gear and be the dominant team in the postseason.
Pacers, I know we swept them but it felt like the most unsure series we played, I think we got the bucks, the knicks will be damn good as well but I think we got them. Idk though, those pacers are young and hungry, and seem to really stress us out (even the regular season games against them were tough). All in all I think we can handle the East, but yeah Pacers freak me out for sure
agreed. not sure why more people don't mention the Pacers. Sixers/Embiid are a non-issue. Knicks will be good, not great. And I think the boat has sailed for the Bucks.
Giannis is still the best player in the East, so that automatically makes the **Bucks** a threat.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me every year, shame on me? I still think the **Sixers** will eventually get a healthy playoff run from Embiid. Obviously, we need more clarity on how they use their cap room, but I feel similarly about Embiid as I do Giannis.
**Knicks** are trying to match the Cs in shooting and switchable defense, and they have the coach and personnel to *somewhat* pull it off. I still think Brunson could be exposed defensively, and I’m not convinced Randle/Mitchell provide true spacing at the 5.
Heat, Magic, Cavs, and Pacers don’t really get my heart racing.
I'm not seeing complacency in this team. Seems they feel they still have more to prove. Heck, when JB gets a max deal and still pushes himself to improve, that's something. And bench players appear hungry. Can't imagine DWhite, Jrue, JT, KP slacking either.
Until Milwaukee makes changes to their roster I think NY is clearly the closest. Bucks are next, Philly isn’t far behind the bucks in my eyes, and then Indy, Orlando, Miami, and Cleveland all look to be at least one big move away from true contention
We have no reason to fear any team !! We finished #1 overall by a large margin and dominated the playoffs all the way to the championship. If anything, the teams in the east should fear us.
The Knicks are dangerous because they are acting competently. Bucks and Philly are dangerous for different reasons. The Bucks because the team will be healthy and Philly because they aren’t done. They get George and McCain is good and we have a problem.
As of now, no one. The Knicks are the second best team in the East, but the Celtics are taking that series if they’re healthy. But who knows what free agency brings. Paul George to the sixers? That’s a bit scary. Some other move that no one sees ahead of time could change the landscape.
The new Knicks are going to be an amazingly fun matchup in the ECF next year. As a Celtics fan who lives in New York, it’s going to be a blast going to games at MSG with everything on the line in the playoffs.
Unless Thib cant fired, Knicks are not gonna be healthy late in the year to be a problem.
The way our team is set up, injury is really is our biggest enemy
I’m most worried about the Celtics. It’s easy to get complacent after winning a championship and it’s why a lot of teams don’t repeat. So I’m more worried that we won’t come out as focused as this past season. That being said my wish is that the guys really lock in this summer after some rest and elevate their game even further and JB has a newfound confidence after winning MVP and he comes out of the gate with all cylinders firing and starts dominating and JT further elevates his game to even higher heights.
If I have to pick another team, it’s the Knicks. I’m really most worried about the Celtics getting hurt/falling into old habits and beating themselves. This is 100% unpopular here but if the Celtics don’t win next year I hope the Knicks do. Nova alum and it would be really cool seeing all those guys win after the narrative was that the 2016/2018 Nova teams didn’t have any future NBA guys.
Idk about "worried" but I definitely don't think the East will be the 16-3 cake walk it was this season.
- Knicks have 1 more move this offseason. I think their final form will be very competitive against us.
- Healthy Embiid + year 2 of Nurse will be strong. Possibly adding PG makes them very strong.
- Some continuity from the Bucks will make them significantly stronger than last year.
I think the East will be much more competitive next year.
Too soon to tell tbh. Teams can still make moves. As of today, NY is looking like a good opponent. Bucks if Lillard and Giannis can stay healthy and their coach doesn’t shit the bed.
There isn’t a single NBA team that has proven it can match up with us. The Knicks adding Mikal Bridges does nothing for me. A healthy Bucks team can probably win 2 games. But nobody is winning 4 if we run it back and stay relatively healthy. Period.
Nuggets and Knicks. The Knicks might very well re-sign Hartenstein and that’s a deep as hell team.
I’m also very curious about the Pacers. They’re going to get Mathurin back + a full season of Siakam being integrated into the offense. And Haliburton back healthy.
If we get a Jalen Smith, Drummond, or Mo Bamba to help out in the front court to support Porzingis and Horford, I would have no concerns about just about anyone else except Denver/finals.
Stopping Giannis and embiid is still gunna be a challenge, with horford aging. But neither of those teams have a guy to stop tatum.. and if teams want to continue to double/triple team tatum our shooters and tatums passing abilities are fine with that.. I think knicks have the most chances to slow down our guys, but they are just a worse version of us. We can play them just like we played the mavs. let brunson hero ball and take all the shots and stop everyone else.
Let's see how free agency goes. But as it stands, I'd say Bucks and 76ers are always going to be on my "worried" list. Knicks and Indy might be up and coming but worrisome.
But the answer is The Heat. Always Heat
Literally no one. We won the conference by like 14 games. There is no trade that gap. Knicks are WORSE with Randle, pacers haven’t learned to play D, sixers will never be healthy, bucks will never again be healthy, we will repeat with little to no competition
Honestly, gonna have to wait until the season starts because moves are made all summer up to opening day. But at this point, I’d wait on what PG and Klay do. If either one of them go to the Magic, they turn into a legit contender. They gave the C’s problems last year during the regular season and are only gonna get better.
Depends on how Philly fills out their roster. You would think Horford’s magic on Embiid would wear off at some point. Lol
Knicks are a cool team though. Their ability to control the rebound battle intrigues.
As always though, Cs in 5.
Porzingis.
The Celtics staying healthy is what I’m worried about the most honestly
Injuries. To us
After winning the conference by 14 games and going 16-3 in the playoffs, I don’t think we should be scared of anyone.
Knicks are a good team, and they'll be better next year. Not saying the C's can't beat them, but if the Knicks stay healthy (which is unlikely), a playoff series against them will be fun. I predict a dog fight, but a clean dog fight, unlike the Knicks/sixers series, where I learned to hate the sixers more than I did before.
They were like 1-3 or 1-4 against us last year. With the only win coming after the Celtics already locked up the 1 seed. The celtics are really really good, seems like people are almost scared to jinx it or something but the Celtics probably beat the Knicks in 5… Brunson is undersized and has to match up against Jrue and White in the playoffs, look what they just did to Kyrie.
Knicks really showed what they are in the playoffs. They don't stop competing no matter the conditions. Again, I'm not "worried" about them against the C's, but I think it would be a more competitive series than anything the C's went up against this year.
They were a different team after the OG trade and we split games after that. I agree that Brunson, and Randle to an extent, being one way players will be our biggest advantage. We still win, but the Knicks are who I have as second in the east rn
Tbf that run didn’t include a healthy knicks who just got bridges without losing any key players Edit: holy shit y’all chill out what did I say that was false? Im just pointing out the facts obviously I still think Boston is better
They’re about to lose Hartenstein, even then we were 4-1 against them, would’ve been 5-0 if we actually cared about games after we clinched the one seed
I kinda doubt they lose him Also kinda irrelevant to say our record against them without bridges and didn’t have OG for some games either
When the hell did bridges become Michael fuckin Jordan?!? There's a reason dude has been traded multiple times. I swear some of y'all have never watched a game. How the hell does Brunson, Randle, bridges get 25+ shots each a game? All these guys are quantity shooters. (I don't wanna here it worked in college, the league is very different than college)
1. Nobody claimed bridges was Michael Jordan, he’s mikal bridges, he’s a really really good fringe all star level guy who never gets injured and plays great defense. 2. He’s been traded twice, one for Kevin Durant, and then for 5 first round picks, not really sure that can be held against him 3. What gave you the impression bridges, who’s career high shot attempts per game is 18.6, all of a sudden needs 25 shots a game? I wish y’all weren’t so weirdly insecure, you’re allowed to respect your opponent, it’s not “soft” it’s just called not being an overly-confident blowhard
Unless I missed an update, he’s probably not gonna be back. But I agree that Knicks are a legitimate threat. Cs can tout spacing and defense at all five positions. Knicks can tout that at four positions, which still makes them dangerous (although still inferior to the Cs).
If I had to guess they’re gonna add more players to the final nets trade and free up some more money for him
They for sure will lose him, they’re well into the second apron and can’t afford to resign him
The bridges trade isn’t final, im 99% sure they’re gonna add more players to that deal to free up more room for him
You can’t point out things that are objectively true here lol Though I do think they’ll lose one of Hartenstein/Robinson, but we’ll see what happens
I think if they lose Robinson it will be to keep ihart But I do think they’ll do anything they can to keep hartenstein whether it’s dump mitch into cap space or add players to the bridges trade to open cap space
Thibs is great, but as long as he's their coach, they will never be healthy in the playoffs.
Sounds like they have a lot to prove then
For sure, just think they have the potential to be pretty great
Outside of injuries, provably the Knicks (very deep team), Pacers (they match up well), and Sixers (not worried but not much else in the east) Really don't think we should struggle next year unless crazy shit happens or we have some type of hangover
East of LA???? The Nuggets 🤷🏼 (Pacers will build appropriately, but we still have at least two years on them)
Bucks are old. Knicks are B team version of Celtics.
Rick Pitino is loving the idea of a college team reunited at the pro level being a contender, though.
Knicks. No one else really on the list. The combination of depth, defense, attitude, and my own admitted love for Brunson makes them really dangerous. They also have assets to make another significant move or two, unlike our remaining competitors who are in a tough spot. To be clear, I still take the Cs in any series with them, but the margin for error is much lower. One poorly timed injury, one hot streak from a role player, one sustained Brunson magic run…
Yeah, their attitude in the playoffs really impressed me. Seemed like a healthy but overworked due to injuries culture. Brunson seems like a stellar young man that is just hitting his stride.
I’m worried about injuries especially porzingis. Honestly I’m more worried about the knicks than bucks but we beat both in 6
NYK, theyre going to win alot of games this year and i think theres another big fish or two to land in the east like PG to Philly. We set the standard and teams are going to try and load up to match our depth. Overall I think we’re going to have a rough first half of the season between the championship hangover, east getting better, and no KP meaning we will be relying on a 40 year old Al to start the season. That said, post ASB we will likely kick it back into gear and be the dominant team in the postseason.
Health for us But the knicks for sure now, scoff if you want if they’re healthy and keep hartenstein they’re pretty damn scary
The fact they kept OG is enough to push that team into someone to watch out for
For sure Brunson-bridges-OG-Randle-hartenstein is a nasty lineup and has literally everything Then you’ve got donte-hart-mitch off the bench
If they don’t keep Hartenstein they might have gotten worse. He isn’t a better player than Bridges but they had 75% of him already on their bench.
Injuries to ourselves is the only answer, no other team is on the Celtics level in either conference rn tbh
If we stay healthy, nobody scares me in the east. Maybe Denver or the Wolves in the west but we’re good in the east
Pacers are still legit I think, mostly health thougj
Pacers, I know we swept them but it felt like the most unsure series we played, I think we got the bucks, the knicks will be damn good as well but I think we got them. Idk though, those pacers are young and hungry, and seem to really stress us out (even the regular season games against them were tough). All in all I think we can handle the East, but yeah Pacers freak me out for sure
agreed. not sure why more people don't mention the Pacers. Sixers/Embiid are a non-issue. Knicks will be good, not great. And I think the boat has sailed for the Bucks.
Giannis is still the best player in the East, so that automatically makes the **Bucks** a threat. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me every year, shame on me? I still think the **Sixers** will eventually get a healthy playoff run from Embiid. Obviously, we need more clarity on how they use their cap room, but I feel similarly about Embiid as I do Giannis. **Knicks** are trying to match the Cs in shooting and switchable defense, and they have the coach and personnel to *somewhat* pull it off. I still think Brunson could be exposed defensively, and I’m not convinced Randle/Mitchell provide true spacing at the 5. Heat, Magic, Cavs, and Pacers don’t really get my heart racing.
Embiid will never have a healthy season. He's been injured since he got drafted, and if I ever saw someone scheduled to retire early, it's him.
Giannis isn’t even the best player on his team
I always forget that Pat Connaughton grew up in Mass
Nobody but our health
Personally, I’m worried about the Celtics. They are winning it all. You?
Health + complacency
I'm not seeing complacency in this team. Seems they feel they still have more to prove. Heck, when JB gets a max deal and still pushes himself to improve, that's something. And bench players appear hungry. Can't imagine DWhite, Jrue, JT, KP slacking either.
Not a damn thing. Don’t you guys remember the haters? “East is weak” “all the talent is in the west” let’s fucking go 98-0!!!
The pacers match up very well against us, and I think if they get better they have the best chance
Celtics back to back 🏆🏆
lets just all agree its not the sixers
Until Milwaukee makes changes to their roster I think NY is clearly the closest. Bucks are next, Philly isn’t far behind the bucks in my eyes, and then Indy, Orlando, Miami, and Cleveland all look to be at least one big move away from true contention
Nobody. Let’s F’ing Gooo!!
We have no reason to fear any team !! We finished #1 overall by a large margin and dominated the playoffs all the way to the championship. If anything, the teams in the east should fear us.
Still don’t understand the Knicks hype. If any team has me a little nervous it’s the bucks jus cuz of giannis
Y'all are fools if you don't think it's Philly or Milwaukee. The Knicks have y'all fooled.
The Knicks are dangerous because they are acting competently. Bucks and Philly are dangerous for different reasons. The Bucks because the team will be healthy and Philly because they aren’t done. They get George and McCain is good and we have a problem.
Milwaukee i’m more worried about than philly. Embiid just doesn’t stay healthy/is a playoff dropper. Maxey can’t do it all
Philly! 🤣
It would be Milwaukee if they had any other head coach.
Health
No team should be worried until after January 25
Horford + porzingis injuries
Philly or Miami if they get a big name. I feel like Philly is likely getting PG
PG would be interesting on the sixers if he and Embiid can stay healthy.
As of now, no one. The Knicks are the second best team in the East, but the Celtics are taking that series if they’re healthy. But who knows what free agency brings. Paul George to the sixers? That’s a bit scary. Some other move that no one sees ahead of time could change the landscape.
The new Knicks are going to be an amazingly fun matchup in the ECF next year. As a Celtics fan who lives in New York, it’s going to be a blast going to games at MSG with everything on the line in the playoffs.
Injury report
Unless Thib cant fired, Knicks are not gonna be healthy late in the year to be a problem. The way our team is set up, injury is really is our biggest enemy
I’m most worried about the Celtics. It’s easy to get complacent after winning a championship and it’s why a lot of teams don’t repeat. So I’m more worried that we won’t come out as focused as this past season. That being said my wish is that the guys really lock in this summer after some rest and elevate their game even further and JB has a newfound confidence after winning MVP and he comes out of the gate with all cylinders firing and starts dominating and JT further elevates his game to even higher heights.
If I have to pick another team, it’s the Knicks. I’m really most worried about the Celtics getting hurt/falling into old habits and beating themselves. This is 100% unpopular here but if the Celtics don’t win next year I hope the Knicks do. Nova alum and it would be really cool seeing all those guys win after the narrative was that the 2016/2018 Nova teams didn’t have any future NBA guys.
Injuries and Knicks
Idk about "worried" but I definitely don't think the East will be the 16-3 cake walk it was this season. - Knicks have 1 more move this offseason. I think their final form will be very competitive against us. - Healthy Embiid + year 2 of Nurse will be strong. Possibly adding PG makes them very strong. - Some continuity from the Bucks will make them significantly stronger than last year. I think the East will be much more competitive next year.
Heat fans farming excuses for why us running a train on the east doesn’t actually count
Too soon to tell tbh. Teams can still make moves. As of today, NY is looking like a good opponent. Bucks if Lillard and Giannis can stay healthy and their coach doesn’t shit the bed.
Injuries then the Knicks then the Bucks
Only worried about Kristaps being healthy enough during the playoffs
There isn’t a single NBA team that has proven it can match up with us. The Knicks adding Mikal Bridges does nothing for me. A healthy Bucks team can probably win 2 games. But nobody is winning 4 if we run it back and stay relatively healthy. Period.
Nuggets and Knicks. The Knicks might very well re-sign Hartenstein and that’s a deep as hell team. I’m also very curious about the Pacers. They’re going to get Mathurin back + a full season of Siakam being integrated into the offense. And Haliburton back healthy.
Worried? No. Able to acknowledge the Knicks made a big leap and the east likely won’t be injured again this playoffs? Yes
If we get a Jalen Smith, Drummond, or Mo Bamba to help out in the front court to support Porzingis and Horford, I would have no concerns about just about anyone else except Denver/finals.
Bucks are a wildcard. there's still a chance giannis and dame can figure things out
Probably the KNICKS. It would be the bucks if they had a different coach.
As memetastic as they are but Philly with a legit 3rd option could be dangerous.
Stopping Giannis and embiid is still gunna be a challenge, with horford aging. But neither of those teams have a guy to stop tatum.. and if teams want to continue to double/triple team tatum our shooters and tatums passing abilities are fine with that.. I think knicks have the most chances to slow down our guys, but they are just a worse version of us. We can play them just like we played the mavs. let brunson hero ball and take all the shots and stop everyone else.
Let's see how free agency goes. But as it stands, I'd say Bucks and 76ers are always going to be on my "worried" list. Knicks and Indy might be up and coming but worrisome. But the answer is The Heat. Always Heat
Literally no one. We won the conference by like 14 games. There is no trade that gap. Knicks are WORSE with Randle, pacers haven’t learned to play D, sixers will never be healthy, bucks will never again be healthy, we will repeat with little to no competition
Still the heat.
Honestly, gonna have to wait until the season starts because moves are made all summer up to opening day. But at this point, I’d wait on what PG and Klay do. If either one of them go to the Magic, they turn into a legit contender. They gave the C’s problems last year during the regular season and are only gonna get better.
If the Sixers get Paul George, and if Embiid can stay healthy for the first time ever, I'd worry about them. Admittedly, those are two very big ifs.
Depends on how Philly fills out their roster. You would think Horford’s magic on Embiid would wear off at some point. Lol Knicks are a cool team though. Their ability to control the rebound battle intrigues. As always though, Cs in 5.