New York's struggles against the Celtics were mirrored in the team's season series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the top seed in the East. Like Boston, the Cavs swept the four-game set. How the Knicks fared in the first round probably did little to dispel the general fears about their championship credentials.

The reigning champion Celtics built their backcourt around defense. Jrue Holiday and Derrick White are not Thompson, Nesmith, or Oubre. They’re perennial All-Defensive candidates, high-IQ disruptors with the length and anticipation to bother even elite scorers.