The Boston Celtics' chances of repeating as NBA champions have looked very good over the past couple of months. But those chances were dealt a sizable blow on Monday when the team fell apart at home and lost Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals to the New York Knicks.

They lost Game 1 108-105 to the New York Knicks in overtime after having been up a whopping 20 points in the second half. They also set a new NBA playoff record with 45 missed thr

For the first time since 2013, the Celtics and Knicks — two of the NBA’s most historic franchises — will meet in the playoffs. But at least for the past two seasons, this hasn’t been much of a rivalry at all. Boston has taken eight of its last nine against New York, including all four games during the 2024-25 regular season.