The New York Knicks will host the Boston Celtics on Thursday, Dec. 21. What are the keys to upsetting the Celtics and defending the home court?
The 2017-18 NBA regular season has been a resurgent campaign for the New York Knicks. After four years of living in virtual obscurity, the Knicks are showing signs of short-term life and long-term sustainability.
New York’s progress will be tested on Thursday, Dec. 21, when it matches up against the team that sent its 2016-17 season into a downward spiral: The Boston Celtics.
The Celtics have won 10 of the past 12 meetings with the Knicks, including a 110-89 obliteration on Oct. 24, 2017. That also includes the Christmas Day meeting that Boston won 119-114 in 2016—a game that effectively destroyed the last thread of New York’s momentum.
The hope during Thursday’s meeting is that the Knicks can rewrite the script and utilize the clash with the class of the Eastern Conference as a launching pad to greater success.
It’s yet to be seen whether the Celtics or Cleveland Cavaliers will win the Eastern Conference, but Boston is 26-8 through 34 games. In addition to being the No. 1 seed in the East, Brad Stevens’ crew has the second-most road wins in the NBA.
The question is: What can the New York Knicks do to exact a measure of revenge against the Boston Celtics on Thursday, Dec. 21?