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New York Knicks players are fully aware that their upcoming matchup with the Boston Celtics will present a much more formidable challenge than the one they faced in the first round, reports Peter Botte of The New York Post.

The Knicks struggled against Boston during the regular season, finishing with a 0-4 record against them. The first three losses were especially one-sided, with the Knicks being outscored by a combined total of 63 points before finally losing in overtime in April.

“Obviously, (we have to) play better than we did (against them) throughout the regular season,” said Knicks star Jalen Brunson. “Be better, ready to do it from the jump, knowing it’s going to be a game of runs, knowing that they’re capable of doing a lot of great things.

“I feel like we played better in that (fourth) game. We adjusted from the first three times we played them, obviously still not getting it done, but definitely played better and competed better than the first three games. So that’s something we can look at and build off of.”

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