Looking to Silence Critics, the Knicks Head to Boston with a Lot to Prove

Time after time, the New York Knicks fail to prove they can keep up with the league's best, and after a loss on Friday night against the Cavaliers, things seem to remain the same. They are a combined 0-6 against the top three teams in the league, that being the Thunder, Cavs, and Celtics. There can, of course, be excuses made surrounding injuries or other matters, but the bottom line is that things must change if they want any shot at contending for a championship in the near future. With another test against Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics, will the Knicks finally be able to alter the narrative? 

Game Insight

Another chapter in a long-standing rivalry between two of the most competitive teams in the Eastern Conference is scheduled for Sunday afternoon, and it promises to be a classic. This New York team is hungry, and the weight of this game proves to be very large as the Knicks have yet to beat Boston this season, and they will only see them one more time in the regular season. The Celtics are healthy and ready to go, as the Knicks are looking to possibly get Josh Hart and Mitchell Robinson back in time for Sunday's tipoff. As if the odds weren’t stacked enough in the Celtics favor already, Boston is on a four-game win streak and will look to keep it alive come Sunday.

Key Matchup 

It is important to note that the last time the Knicks played the Celtics, their best defender, OG Anunoby, was absent with an injury, and that absence proved fatal. With the lack of a true defensive weapon, they were not able to contain Jayson Tatum, who finished with 40 points in one of his best performances of the season. Now that Anunoby is officially back and healthy, expect this matchup to steal the show and be a true deciding entity in the end result. If Anunoby is even able to slow down Tatum partially, it will go a long way in keeping up with or potentially dethroning the defending champions.