NBA Playoffs 2011: Will New York Knicks-Boston Celtics Ever Amount to Yankees-Red Sox Rivalry?
The Major League Baseball season is in full swing, and arguably the most intriguing matchup in modern-day sports between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox is back in the spotlight. No other professional rivalry exists wherein both teams harbor such animosity towards one another, and their fans follow suit.
The lineups may change, but the clubs remain amongst experts’ picks to represent the American League in the World Series year after year. Competition is always fierce when the Yankees and Red Sox clash, but it is unprecedented during the postseason.
With the first-round series between the New York Knicks and Boston Celtics on the horizon, it raises the question whether this rediscovered New York-Boston rivalry can ever live up to the hype of its baseball counterparts.
While the Knicks wrapped up their first winning season in a decade, the Celtics completed a fourth consecutive season with at least 50 wins.
Back in October, the Celtics were the favorite to represent the East in the NBA Finals, whereas the Knicks were not even a lock to make the playoffs.
A lot of things have changed over the past six months.
Boston, who has taken a back seat to the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat, is struggling defensively as of late. Having traded center Kendrick Perkins, the Celtics were relying on an ailing Shaquille O’Neal to fill the paint, but he’s yet to fully recover and may not even be available for round one. In the meantime, they’ll choose between Nenad Krstic and Jermaine O’Neal—neither of whom is recognized as a banger.
On the other hand, New York has experienced a resurgence to reclaim the six-seed. Victorious in seven of their final nine, their only losses came against Chicago (minus Amar’e Stoudemire) and Boston (a throw-away game during which both team’s starters rested).
Carmelo Anthony, coming off two straight Eastern Conference Player of the Week awards, is playing out of his mind. Chauncey Billups is completely healthy, and Amar’e Stoudemire appears 100 percent after spraining his ankle just over a week ago.
With the way the Knicks were clicking over the course of their recent seven-game winning streak, the Celtics are fully aware of the task that lies ahead and cannot take them lightly.
Boston did sweep the season series 4-0, but the majority of the games were close, and the Knicks often held the lead in the fourth quarter. Only one of those games featured Anthony, Stoudemire and Billups together on the court, and they were still becoming accustomed to playing alongside one other at that stage.
Even prior to the Anthony trade, it was quite heated when these two teams met. Their matchup on December 15 had a playoff-like atmosphere, as Stoudemire attempted to thwart a Paul Pierce go-ahead jumper with a buzzer-beating three of his own. The refs reviewed the replay on the courtside monitors, but the shot clearly did not leave his hand before the clock expired.
Although the Knicks fell to the Celtics 118-116, it felt like something special might be brewing, reminiscent of that October emotion fueled by a Yankees-Red Sox quarrel for the pennant.
As rivalries often are, their next meeting on March 21 was extremely physical. After a collision with Boston point guard Rajon Rondo left him with a gash near his eye, Anthony might as well have stepped into the ring with Mike Tyson in his prime. The cut was still oozing blood in the locker room following the game and required five stitches.
Not to be outdone, Celtics shooting guard Ray Allen took a Jared Jeffries elbow to the head. Seven stitches were needed to close this wound that left him looking like he’d shaved his dome with a steak knife.
The last time these two teams faced off in the postseason was 1990, and the Celtics “big three” was comprised of Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parrish. To put it in perspective, Knicks rookie Landry Fields had not even turned two years old.
They might not have any recent history together, but the Knicks and Celtics were involved in some epic playoff encounters throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s. In fact, New York overcame Boston in the 1973 Eastern Conference Finals en route to their last NBA championship. That series went seven games.
While you can certainly expect a heated confrontation this Sunday when the teams kick off the 2011 postseason, this rivalry will be short-lived.
The Celtics are aging rapidly, and it’s safe to say their superstars’ glory days are behind them. Having signed contracts through 2012, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen will likely retire or wind down their careers with another team.
Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo are the only members of the core four with contracts through 2014. Pierce will probably retire a Celtic, but he won’t be granted anything beyond a two-year deal.
In other words, the 2012-13 season will mark the start of Boston’s rebuilding phase. If they can’t accomplish it this year, the odds of this group raising another championship banner to the TD Garden rafters are slim to none.
Contrarily, there are just a few teams younger than the Knicks, and by 2014, Anthony and Stoudemire will only be 30 and 32 respectively. By that point, a championship will remain a realistic goal in New York, while Boston will possibly endure a subpar stretch.
Unlike the Yankees and Red Sox, who are atop the American League annually, the Knicks and Celtics had not lived up to expectations for the better part of a decade. Competition breeds success, and success breeds rivalries; if you’re not competitive, rivalries are difficult to ignite.
The friction that has developed between the two organizations may persist for a few years. However, this city rivalry will never burn eternal as it has with America’s pastime.
