Jalen Brunson Makes Knicks Statement Before Celtics Series

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By JH Kubicek | Last updated May 5, 2025 3:21 PM ET

The New York Knicks are gearing up for a Game 1 matchup against the Boston Celtics on Monday after beating the Detroit Pistons in the first round. The Knicks were always expected to get past Detroit, but there is one talking point they simply can't escape.

During the regular season, New York went 0-9 against the three best teams in the NBA, including a disappointing 0-4 record against Boston.

The Celtics are the favorites to win the Eastern Conference, and with plenty of pressure on the Knicks to win just a single game, Jalen Brunson addressed the expectations.

Brunson has been fantastic against Boston this season, averaging 26.8 points and 5.3 assists while shooting 43.3 percent from deep, although Boston boasts more depth than pretty much any team in the league, and all of the Knicks, not just The Captain, will need to bring their A-Game.

Brunson recently reflected on the regular-season matchups.

"They played better than us," he summed up. "For the first three games, I think Game 4, we played a lot better. We made it a game. And so I think that's growth. Obviously, we still lost all four games. The best way to go about that is just to see what we did, know what we did wrong. How can we be better? Where have we got to now versus where we were then?"

Still, Bruson would rather not focus on the past, lest the 0-4 record get in his--and his teammates'--heads.

"Just take it one possession, one game at a time at this point," he finished. "You know, you can't really focus on the past and think, oh, well, it's going to be the same. But we can't have that mindset at all. We've got to be different. We've got to be ready to go. We've got to go out there and compete for just the job."

Game 1 will tip off in Boston at 7:00 PM on Monday.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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