Celtics–Knicks rivalry Celtics–Knicks rivalry The Celtics–Knicks rivalry is a National Basketball Association (NBA) rivalry between the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks. The Celtics and Knicks are two of only three remaining charter franchises (the other being the Golden State Warriors) from the inaugural Basketball Association of America, which began operations in 1946. The rivalry mirrors the fierce competition between the Boston and New York City sports teams, as evidenced by the Red Sox–Yankees rivalry and the Jets–Patriots rivalry. Boston and New York City are only 190 miles apart, and both cities' professional sports teams are among the most historic in
Boston Celtics the National Basketball League and the Basketball Association of America merger. However, the Blackhawks could not field a truly competitive team until they moved to St. Louis as the St. Louis Hawks after a four-year stopover at Milwaukee. The two teams have faced each other eleven times in the NBA Playoffs, four times in the NBA Finals, with the Celtics winning ten of twelve series against the Hawks, including three out of four NBA Finals. While the Hawks have only defeated the Celtics twice out of eleven series in the NBA Playoffs, they still often managed to make their series