Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks Tickets

It’s an age old battle between these two northeastern cities. New York and Boston, with their strong accents and even stronger fan bases, have battled each other in every sport imaginable. The Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks rivalry is not just another sub plot in this continuing regional faceoff. The Celtics and the Knicks are two of the original NBA franchises who have never moved from their cities. Passions run deep for these teams in these cities and their rivalry runs even deeper.

Members of the Eastern Conference’s Atlantic Division, the Celtics and the Knicks have gone up against each other on many occasions. Given the intensity of this rivalry, these encounters have always had some exciting moments.

Memorable Moments between the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks

The two teams faced each other for the first time on December 7, 1946. Since then the Celtics and the Knicks have played more than 400 games against each other. Here are some of the memorable ones.

Knicks Upset Celtics on MLK Day – On January 19, 1987, the New York Knicks invited the Boston Celtics for a matchup on Martin Luther King’s anniversary. The game would feature future Hall of Famers Bill Cartwright and Patrick Ewing. Celtics, the defending champions at the time, found themselves trailing 100-88 with only six minutes left on the clock. Larry Bird led a spirited comeback that tied the game at 109 with eight seconds left, but now the Knicks had the ball. Power forward Louis Orr drove the length of the court hit a bank shot by pulling just inside the three point line and won the game for the Knicks. This was a huge upset as the Celtics were in the midst of their 80’s dominant run.

2011 Eastern Conference First Round – With the acquisition of Amare Stoudemire, the Knicks looked set to take on the Celtics in the 2011 Easter Conference. However, the Celtics had other plans. The Knicks lost the first game 85-87 with Ray Allen sinking a left wing triple with only eleven seconds to go. The second outing at TD Garden in Boston again saw the Knicks come up short with a 93-96 loss. Knicks thought a change of scenery may help but Madison Square Garden was of no help. The Knicks lost the third game 96-113 and the fourth game 89-101. Even though Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony performed well, they were no match for Rajon Rondo and Kevin Garnett who led in points and rebounds.

The Knicks and the Celtics go Head to Head

Here is how the Boston Celtics have performed against the New York Knicks in head to head contests.

The Knicks and the Celtics have a long playoff history. These two teams have met on fifteen occasions. The New York Knicks have won eight of those encounters while the Celtics have won seven. Their last postseason meeting was in the 2013 NBA Playoffs First Round which the Celtics lost 4-2.

The Legends behind the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks

Both the Celtics and the Knicks have had many great players on their rosters. Here are a couple of them.

To begin with the New York Knicks, we have Patrick Ewing. This center played for the Knicks from 1985-2000. Over his fifteen year career, Ewing played in 11 All Star games, was NBA Rookie of the Year and his jersey number 33 was retired by the New York Knicks. Willis Reed played for the Knicks from 1964-1974. He won two NBA Championships with the Knicks in 1970 and 1973. He was also the NBA Finals MVP for the same years.

The list for the Boston Celtics begins with Larry Bird. This power forward is a three time NBA Champion and two time NBA Finals MVP. He was also the driving force behind the Celtics success during the eighties. Bill Russell is perhaps the most decorated Celtic of all time. The center has 11 NBA Championships and 5 NBA MVP nods. Kevin McHale is another player who helped create the Celtics dynasty. In his thirteen years with the Celtics, this dynamic power forward earned 3 NBA Championships and 7 NBA All Star selections.

How many championships have the Celtics won?

The Boston Celtics have won an astounding 17 championships

Who has played the most games for the Knicks?

Hall of Fame center Patrick Ewing played 1,039 games for the Knicks. He spent the majority of his career with the Knicks scoring over 23,000 points!

Which Boston Celtics were player coaches?

Bill Russell and Dave Cowens were both player coaches for the Celtics