The New York Knicks went into Boston and took the first two games of their Eastern Conference semifinal series, but Celtics reporters are still hesitant to give them any respect.
After the Knicks rallied from a 20-point deficit in Game 1, Celtics reporters Chris Forsberg and Abby Chin went on NBC Sports Boston’s Postgame Pod with a long list of excuses. None bigger than blaming the 7pm start time and dreary weather outside for creating a lukewarm crowd.
But after the Knicks rallied from down 20 again to win Game 2 in Boston Wednesday night, surely, Boston’s Postgame Pod would give New York a little more credit, right?
“It’s not the Knicks…I don’t think the Knicks are doing anything all too impressive…”
“They’re cockroaches. No matter what the Celtics do…they don’t just sit there & take it…”
“But we’re handing it to them!”
“We’re gonna get aggregated…”
–– Celtics TV postgame pic.twitter.com/hc9Ddgf3yE
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) May 8, 2025
“The frustrating thing is, it’s not the Knicks,” said Kayla Burton who joined Forsberg on Wednesday night’s show. “It’s the Celtics losing grit. Like, I don’t think the Knicks are doing anything all too impressive.”
“They’re cockroaches,” Forsberg added. “No matter what the Celtics do to put them in a compromised position, they do not just sit there and take it. They are willing to fight back.”
“But we’re handing it to them!” Burton passionately said of the Celtics. “The Celtics are playing scared!”
As a Knicks fan, I’m inclined to say how ridiculous this lack of respect is. But no one really knows how to assess this series because we’ve never seen anything like this in the NBA Playoffs.
The Knicks, who most fans and analysts believed had no shot against the Celtics, have been able to overcome two 20-point deficits to take a 2-0 series lead. And in Game 2, they did it with Mikal Bridges getting shut out for three quarters, OG Anunoby scoring five points and Jalen Brunson having a below average performance. But like cockroaches, the Knicks will not go away.
It’s not just the Celtics handing games to the Knicks. New York looks most comfortable when playing in a close game, while the Celtics are tight. The Knicks are thriving with the game on the line and Boston appears to want no part of it, which is very surprising for a team that is the defending champions.
Everything about this series has been surprising after two games. But it’s not the weather and it’s not just the Celtics handing games away. The Knicks are up 2-0 because they play confident and comfortable when the pressure is on, they’ve executed, and they’ve out-coached Boston.
About Brandon Contes
Brandon Contes is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He previously helped carve the sports vertical for Mediaite and spent more than three years with Barrett Sports Media. Send tips/comments/complaints to bcontes@thecomeback.com