Knicks' Lack Of Success vs Elite NBA Teams Concerning For Franchise, Bettors

The expectation heading into the 2024-25 season was that the new-look New York Knicks were well-equipped to stand and compete alongside the likes of the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers for Eastern Conference supremacy. The win-loss record (37-20 as of February 25, 2025) would paint a picture that they're not completely out of that conversation, but as we've witnessed in several head-to-head matchups, including against an Oklahoma City Thunder squad sitting atop the Western Conference by a considerable margin, New York looks and feels more like a pretender than bonafide contender for the Larry O'Brien trophy. 

A 118-105 loss at the hands of Boston on February 23 dropped the Knicks' record against those aforementioned teams to 0-7, while also marking the sixth defeat by 10 or more points. They're also 11-14 against teams with winning records, as opposed to 26-6 versus losing teams. 

Against the Celtics alone, New York has lost all three encounters by an average margin of 21 points, giving up 135.1 points per 100 possessions. To put how awful that number is into perspective, that's 7.3 more points allowed per 100 possessions than any of the other 28 teams versus Boston. 

The Knicks are 0-7 vs the top 3 teams in the NBA. pic.twitter.com/hyMFVBkrlk

— StatMuse (@statmuse) February 23, 2025

New York Knicks' SU Record vs. Celtics, Thunder, Cavaliers

"Where I said from the beginning of the season: We're a work in progress," said All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns following the defeat when asked where he thinks his team stands against elite competition, according to ESPN's Tim Bontemps. "We're going to be a work in progress all year until the day we step into the postseason.

"Every team in the NBA will tell you the same thing. We're all a work in progress until the postseason, when you put all the chips and cards and see what the season taught you."

New York has only been a betting favorite once out of those possible seven instances, but it's not as though that ultimately mattered when the final buzzer sounded. A 27-29-1 record in covering the spread is by no means the worst overall, as 11 other teams currently rank lower, yet seven of those failed covers did come against Boston, Cleveland, and Oklahoma City.

New York Knicks' ATS Record vs. Celtics, Cavaliers, Thunder

There's even little value to be had in the OVER/UNDER market, because while we've seen more OVERs than UNDERs in these seven games, there's not much of a consistent pattern to be found to favor one side over the other. The Knicks have faced each of these teams multiple times, but not one matchup has had purely OVERs or UNDERs for the final score.

New York Knicks' Total Record vs. Celtics, Cavaliers, Thunder

It's one thing to lose a game, but it's another entirely to get consistently blown out and fail to leave a mark on the opposition. As we've seen time and time again from New York, its inability to put up much of a fight against those upper-echelon teams has left a sour taste in the mouthes of those who were perhaps at one point prepared to dub them the next champion. Lest we forget, the Association has crowned a unique titleholder each year since 2019, so parity has never been stronger. Why couldn't it be the Knicks' turn to end a 52-year drought?

The front office gutted the roster and handed over a slew of assets in order to bring aboard both Towns and Mikal Bridges, who were believed to have put New York over the top. This included moving Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to the Minnesota Timberwolves, along with a package involving five first-round draft picks to the Brooklyn Nets. Unfortunately in these matchups, their respective numbers have left a lot to be desired, with small glimmers of hope sprinkled throughout as far as efficiency goes.

Karl-Anthony Towns/Mikal Bridges Scoring Numbers vs. Celtics, Cavaliers, Thunder

There's a slew of reasons why the Knicks always come up short on these nights, and it goes well beyond not having a defensive presence like Mitchell Robinson at the five. His inevitable return following ankle will surely help a 20th-ranked defense which has dropped 11 spots from a year ago, but that's not going to completely cure what ails New York.

Allowing opponents to shoot 38.1 percent from behind the arc (30th) isn't going to cut it, especially when all three of the Celtics, Cavaliers, and Thunder rank in the top-third of the league in 3-pointers made and attempted. The second unit is also dead last in scoring at 21.4 points, which is a full four points behind the 29th-ranked Sacramento Kings. Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau has built his reputation off of playing his starting lineup heavy minutes, evident by Bridges and Josh Hart being first and second overall, respectively, and O.G. Anunoby, Jalen Brunson, and Towns all ranking in the top 25. Wear and tear will occur, though, and it could all come crashing down at the worst possible time.

Thankfully for New York, time is on their side. There's 25 games to go before the playoffs get underway, and it gets to see Cleveland twice in the month of April and Boston one more time, as well. Those are the last chances for redemption before a potential best-of-seven series against either team, because the road to the 2025 championship undoubtedly goes through one or both of them.

"It's a long season. It has peaks and valleys. It is what it is," said Towns on Sunday, per Bontemps.