Knicks Questioned by Fans as NBA Title Contenders after Blowout Loss to Tatum, Celtics

To be the best, you have to beat the best. The New York Knicks continue to struggle in that regard. 

The Boston Celtics blew out the Knicks on Sunday, 118-105, leading by as many as 27 points in the third quarter. The Knicks cut the deficit to four points early in the fourth before the Celtics stopped playing with their food and pulled away. 

Jayson Tatum led all players with 25 points to go along with 10 rebounds and nine assists, just missing out on a triple-double, while Jaylen Brown added 24 points and eight assists. Karl-Anthony Towns (24 points, 18 rebounds) and Jalen Brunson (22 points, four assists) led the way for the Knicks. 

New York's struggles against the NBA's elite this season are no secret. The Knicks are now 0-3 against the Celtics, 0-2 against the Cleveland Cavaliers and 0-2 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the three best teams in basketball this season.

That's not exactly the track record a championship contender would have against its top competition, and NBA fans were quick to point out as much on social media after Sunday's result:

The loss dropped the Knicks to 37-20 on the season, while Boston won its fifth straight game, improving to 41-16. Cleveland (46-10) remains the class of the Eastern Conference, at least in the standings, but the Celtics are the defending champions and are now 4-1 against the Knicks and Cavs this season.

For the time being, it appears the road to the NBA Finals very much goes through Boston. Despite New York's high-profile additions of Towns and Mikal Bridges this offseason, the Knicks still feel closer to pretender than contender when they share the court with the Celtics.