Boston Celtics: Ranking 5 contenders with the best chance to spoil C's magical season

4. New York Knicks

It may seem a bit strange to see the New York Knicks on this list but with the way they've been playing recently, it's easy to forget just how good and dangerous they looked during the month of January. When the Knicks were healthy and they had OG Anunoby in the lineup, New York went 14-2 in January and sported the league's sixth-best offensive rating, best defensive rating, and No. 1 net rating.

In those 16 games, before the injuries began to catch up with them, the Knicks were the talk of the league and had the look of a team that could emerge as a true championship contender in May. If the Knicks can get healthy before the start of the playoffs, they're going to be a threat to the Celtics in the Eastern Conference.

The Knicks have the wings to compete with the Celtics on the perimeter and Anunoby is a defender that can lock up a Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown for the duration of a seven-game series. For as good as Jrue Holiday is, he's unlikely to keep pace with Jalen Brunson on a night-to-night basis. If healthy, there's no question the Knicks could give the Celtics a strong fight in the playoffs.