Barring a shocking turn of events, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics are going to finish the season No. 1 and No. 2 in the Eastern Conference, respectively.
The New York Knicks are on pace to finish with the third-best record.
That means that their path to the NBA Finals runs through Boston in the second round and through Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Finals.
With that in mind, ESPN analyst Tim Bontemps claimed that there was absolutely no chance the Knicks could beat the Cavs.
"Nope. No chance at all."
—@TimBontemps on if the Knicks can beat the Celtics or Cavaliers in the playoffs 😯 pic.twitter.com/GvFAVJC1q8
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) March 18, 2025
He doesn’t see them getting past Boston, much less past the Cavs.
He argued that Karl-Anthony Towns’ defensive flaws were just too big to overlook, and they will struggle with the spacing that both of the top teams in the East bring to the table.
He also pointed out that none of the Knicks’ games against actual championship contenders have been competitive at all.
The Cavs have won their two matchups against them this season, and the last time they met wasn’t pretty.
Kenny Atkinson’s team ran away with a 142-105 win.
The Cavaliers have dominated good and bad teams alike, and it doesn’t seem like the Knicks will have enough firepower to keep up with their shooting in a seven-game series.
Even if Tom Thibodeau manages to hide Towns on defense for some stretches, they would still need his scoring.
As currently constructed, it’s hard to envision them being a legitimate threat to take down the Cavaliers in the playoffs.
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