Boston Celtics vs New York Knicks

Lore & Background

The 2023–24 Celtics won the franchise's 18th championship, breaking a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for the most NBA championships. They defeated the Dallas Mavericks in five games in the NBA Finals. The Celtics had the best regular-season record (64–18) and became the first team to have the best record and win the title since the Golden State Warriors in 2017.

In Their Own Story

The air inside Madison Square Garden doesn't just hang heavy; it crackles with static electricity. A whistle cuts through the roar like a gunshot. Ewing plants his feet in the paint, eyes locked on a challenger from the green side, the hardwood groaning under the weight of generations of grudges. Every rebound is reclaimed territory; every hard foul is a territorial declaration. Here, legends aren't handed out—they are hammered into existence by the sheer force of will.

Reader's Guide

The Celtics won the East Group C in the inaugural 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament with a 3–1 group stage record, but were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in the quarterfinals. They clinched the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference on March 23, 2024, after beating the Chicago Bulls.

Did You Know?

• The Celtics drew an average home attendance of 19,156 in 41 home games in the 2023–24 season.
• The Celtics' playoff record of 16–3 was second only to the 2016–17 Golden State Warriors for the best postseason record since all four rounds became best-of-seven in 2003.
• The Celtics are the first team to have the best regular-season record and win the title since the Golden State Warriors in 2017.