New York Knicks vs Boston Celtics: A Foggy Mirror Image
By James Ryder
The New York Knicks will be at Madison Square Garden on October 20th to face the Boston Celtics in what will be the first game of the season for both teams.
The matchup for these two squads is notable for a couple of reasons. They are division rivals.
Both teams made the playoffs last season and will look to take a step forward in that area this season.
Boston and New York have a rich history of being enemies that goes beyond the sport of basketball (trigger warning for that link, Yankee fans).
Probably the leading storyline will be how the Knicks’ new starting backcourt is Boston’s old guard combo.
Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier, who each signed contracts with New York in free agency this summer, played together for the Celtics in 9 games last year.
Walker spent two injury-riddled years of a four-year max contract with the Celtics from 2019 until the end of the 2020-21 season.
He was traded in June to the Oklahoma City Thunder and bought out in August, allowing him to come home to New York.
Fournier, who spent six and a half seasons with the Orlando Magic, was shipped to Boston during last year’s trade deadline. He suited up in only 16 games.
The New York Knicks and Boston Celtics May Compete As Equals This Season
Some Celtics fans, among other malcontents on Twitter, made it well known how unimpressed they were with the duo and that they believe the Knicks shouldn’t be excited about their new guard tandem.
It’s a ripple that certainly will add to the excitement for their upcoming battle.
But, for as much as Knicks and Celtics, fans alike may have sour emotions for the opposition, I think many of us have failed to realize how much these two teams actually have in common going into the 2021-22 season.
Besides the aforementioned potential headlines, there are several aspects these rosters have in common. As we approach this game, there will be plenty of “steamy” reports such as the Walker and Fournier narrative that will attempt to drive up anticipation and viewership.
But, if you just focus and squint a little bit, you can easily see through the fog and recognize that these teams are mirror images of one another.
Let’s now go through such examples, starting with the star-power.