Celtics Star ‘Worried’ About Knicks?

Is Jaylen Brown green with envy over the New York Knicks‘ offseason? An interview with Stephen A. Smith at least hints at the possibility.

The Boston Celtics star checked in with the ESPN personality and Knicks fan/critic as he prepares to launch the Beantown title defense against Manhattan’s finest on Tuesday (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT). Smith, of course, had to ask the de facto enemy about the state of the Knicks, who are viewed as one of the top contenders to remove Boston from the NBA’s current perch.

Brown, the reigning NBA Finals MVP after Boston’s 4-1 win over Dallas last June, was confident enough to laugh off Smith asking the idea of being “worried” about the Knicks but it’s safe to say that he’s keeping New York high on his personal League Pass rankings after what transpired over the offseason.

“I wouldn’t use the word worried. But the Knicks have a good team,” Brown said. “I think [Karl-Anthony Towns] brings a level of excitement to them, (he’s) dynamic offensively, shooting the ball, as well as Mikal [Bridges] and stuff like that. So, the Knicks, I think, will be a team to watch this year.”

The Knicks finished second behind Boston on last year’s Eastern Conference leaderboard, albeit by 14 games. While Boston mostly restocked on the talent that held capture its record-extending 18th championship, the Knicks made several high-profile moves that have made this season the most anticipated in recent Manhattan memory.

The Celtics handily took last year’s season series by a 4-1 final, but the Knicks left an intriguing final impression with a relatively one-sided win back in April. Though Boston had the top seed long locked up, it played most of its starters in a game that saw them trail by as much as 31. New York took the game by a 118-109 final. Of note, it was the only game of the five meetings to feature the services of OG Anunoby on the Knicks’ side after he dealt with an in-season move from Toronto and a series of injuries.

New York and Boston are currently set to face each other four times this season, with part two destined for Madison Square Garden on Feb. 8.

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