Entering the 2026 NBA Playoffs, the Boston Celtics are favored to win the Eastern Conference.
However, that doesn’t mean it’s going to be a cakewalk for the Celtics. The Detroit Pistons are the one seed and have home-court advantage, while the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers look dangerous as well.
According to NBA insider Brian Windhorst, there’s one team in particular that Boston needs to watch out for.
“I think that the Knicks are the team that the Celtics have to contend with most seriously, and that is simply because the Knicks have been constructed with the exact purpose of beating the Celtics,” Windhorst said on Wednesday’s episode of “First Take.”
“That is why they invested so heavily in Mikal Bridges. That is why they invested so heavily in OG Anunoby,” Windhorst continued. “Those players were brought in specifically to deal with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and they have had success.”
New York has beaten the Celtics in seven of their last 10 matchups dating back to last year’s Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Knicks play physical basketball and were the best fourth-quarter team in the NBA this year, so getting past them won’t be easy for Boston.
Colin Cowherd expects the Celtics to beat New York due to their deeper bench and superior 3-point shooting, but that wasn’t enough last year.