The Celtics earned banner No. 18 Monday evening, ending off a season during which they went a mixed 80-21 in one of many nice start-to-finish years you’ll ever see. They went 16-3 within the playoffs. They not solely by no means confronted a decisive recreation, they had been by no means worse than tied 1-1 in any of these romps towards the Warmth, Cavaliers, Pacers and Mavericks.
That makes it seven titles for the Celtics for the reason that Knicks gained the second of their two championships in 1973. And there might be loads of Knicks followers who will argue that, as a minimum, the Knicks would’ve given the Celtics a greater run than any of the 4 groups Boston vanquished.
Perhaps they might’ve.
Perhaps not.
And that’s one of many issues the Knicks face as they now formally relaunch their quest to shut the hole between themselves and the Celtics. As a result of it’s unimaginable to calculate with any sort of precision simply how huge that chasm is.
Extra to the purpose, it’s tough — very, very tough — to shake from the consciousness the 27 days connecting Jan. 1 and Jan 27. Twenty-seven days during which the Knicks regarded nearly as good as any group within the NBA: 14 video games performed, 12 video games gained. Boston was 9-5 in that stretch. Dallas was 6-7. Oklahoma Metropolis was 10-4. Denver was 9-4. Minnesota was 8-7.
Solely the Cavaliers, at 10-2, approached the Knicks in that point, and we noticed because the season wore on that the Cavs had been a home of playing cards and did lots of their regular-season harm towards the NBA’s dregs.
Amongst these 12 Knicks wins in that halcyon stretch was a 112-106 win over the Timberwolves on New Yr’s Day, a recreation during which they jumped to a 16-point lead after three quarters. 4 nights later they throttled a full-strength 76ers group in Philadelphia by 36 factors. The one losses had been a four-point at Dallas during which they waited just a little too lengthy to make a comeback, and a four-point loss to Orlando on the Backyard during which they blew a seven-point fourth-quarter lead, the one actual stinker within the bunch.
And, in fact, there have been the 2 video games that capped the 14-game, 27-day run, once they obliterated each contributors within the earlier yr’s Finals inside two days of one another on the Backyard: 122-84 towards the Nuggets, 125-109 towards the Warmth.
When Knicks followers consider this yr’s group, that is the model they invariably bear in mind, coinciding with OG Anunoby’s arrival, a streak put collectively regardless of the absence of Mitch Robinson. May that group have given the Celtics a collection?
Perhaps they might’ve.
Perhaps not.
And that’s what Leon Rose has to calculate within the weeks forward. It says right here that if Julius Randle hadn’t been misplaced for the season on Jan. 27, if Anunoby hadn’t missed a bulk of video games throughout the subsequent two months, the Knicks absolutely would’ve gained greater than the 50 video games that eked them into the No. 2 seed, which means the final week of the season might’ve been used as a strategy to relaxation folks and reincorporate Robinson into the rotation.
They nonetheless would’ve wanted to beat the Celtics 4 out of seven, figuring out Recreation 7 would’ve been in Boston. I do know this: I’d’ve appreciated to see that collection, with these groups, within the alternatingly frantic and maniacal settings of TD Backyard and Madison Sq. Backyard.
So, figuring out all of that, do you run it again in case you’re the Knicks?
When you’re going to do this, you first have to lock up Anunoby, whose impression was pronounced even after Randle went down, the Knicks going 26-5 (not counting his cameo within the Recreation 7 loss to Indiana) with him within the lineup, together with 13-3 with out Randle.
It might be unimaginable to convey Isaiah Hartenstein again, except he’s prepared to simply accept a steep hometown low cost. However that is offset by the hope (if it’s not an phantasm) of a wholesome Robinson and in addition this: The Knicks developed Hartenstein from a helpful participant to a sexy asset in two years; can they discover one other model at a fraction of the price?
The most important query, in some ways, is Randle. It took Randle just a few video games to utterly blossom as soon as Anunoby arrived, however he performed his greatest ball of the season with Anunoby as considered one of his wingmen: 24.9 factors, 8.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists. Within the large image, shutting him down was the wisest plan of action, however it is going to take just a few weeks of rugged NBA life to completely take a look at that shoulder.
And the one query that shadowed Randle — can he be one of the best participant on a title contender? — not applies as a result of Jalen Brunson is now the clear alpha canine right here.
That makes it tempting. In fact, by October, the Celtics might be hungry to defend their title. The 76ers might have Paul George or Jimmy Butler on the roster. Doc Rivers insisted Dame Lillard was by no means in high form this yr; he and a totally reloaded Giannis Antetokounmpo might be formidable in Milwaukee. And it’s not just like the Pacers and Magic might be any much less athletic, or much less harmful. Warmth Tradition is at all times lurking.
And that’s simply to get out of the East.
So many questions, and so little time. Rose has presumably been ready for one exact second in time to strike and splurge his belongings. Perhaps it’s time. Or perhaps he wonders, as we surprise, what the varsity Knicks would possibly’ve regarded like towards the Celtics. And perhaps he’d like to search out out.
