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Knicks set for first ECSF rematch in second game of season

Originally posted on Empire Sports Media
By Dylan Backer | Last updated Aug 13, 2025 4:17 PM ET

More parts of the 2025-26 NBA schedule have been released, and the New York Knicks will certainly have their work cut out for them to open the season.

Knicks to face Celtics in second game of season

After facing the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden on Opening Night, New York will remain home and face the Boston Celtics in the second game of the season. This game will also be the first NBA game to be streamed on Amazon Prime Video.

More notably, this game will mark the first between the two since they met in the 2025 playoffs. The Knicks pulled off a stunning upset of the 2024 champions by knocking them off in six games.

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The one big missing piece from this matchup will be the absence of Celtics’ superstar Jayson Tatum. The forward suffered a torn Achilles tendon during the playoff series against the Knicks and is expected to miss the entire season.

Furthermore, the Celtics traded away Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis and replaced them with Anfernee Simons and Georges Niang (Niang would later get dealt to the Utah Jazz in exchange for undrafted rookie RJ Luis).

The Knicks will have a chance to prove they belong right away

The Knicks, meanwhile, are gearing up for a big season in which many have them as the presumed favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference. They kept their main core intact while also adding Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele in free agency.

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On the personnel front, they replaced Tom Thibodeau with new head coach Mike Brown, who has longtime head coaching experience and could transform the Knicks’ offense into a juggernaut.

New York will be battle-tested right away in the 2025-26 season, and they will have the chance to prove early on that they belong in the title contenders conversation.

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

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