NBA Insider: Gap Between Celtics and Knicks 'Is the Size of the Grand Canyon'

The Boston Celtics and New York Knicks aren't viewed on the same level following the latest matchup between the two teams Sunday.

"Every single person walked out of the building today saying, 'The gap between these teams is the size of the Grand Canyon,'" ESPN's Tim Bontemps said on the latest episode of Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective (20:14 mark).

The Celtics defeated the Knicks 118-105 at TD Garden in a game that wasn't as close as the final score indicated. Boston jumped out to an early 38-19 lead in the first quarter and held a 21-point advantage at the half.

New York briefly cut the deficit to four points near the start of the fourth quarter, but the Celtics quickly pulled away and led by 17 points with roughly six minutes left in regulation.

Boston has won all three meetings between the two teams this season, with each victory containing a double-digit final margin.

While the Celtics and Knicks sit at No. 2 and No. 3 in the Eastern Conference standings, respectively, the reigning champions have consistently held the upper hand in the meetings between both teams as of late.

Dating back to the start of the 2023-24 season, the Celtics have won seven of the past eight matchups between the two teams.

While the Knicks' overall 2024-25 campaign has been promising with a 37-20 record, offseason additions including Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges haven't helped the team keep up with the best squads in the association.

New York owns a record of 0-7 against the top three teams in the NBA this season including the Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder.

The gap between Boston and the Knicks is considered especially wide.