at
Boston Celtics (49-19) at New York Knicks (35-34)
Monday, March 21
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #69 – Road Game #34
TV: NBA-TV, CSNNE, MSG
Radio: WEEI
Madison Square Garden Probable Starters Point Guard vs
Rajon Rondo vs Chauncey Billups
Shooting Guard vs
Ray Allen vs Landry Fields
Small Forward vs
Paul Pierce vs Carmelo Anthony
Power Forward vs
Kevin Garnett vs Amar'e Stoudamire
Center vs
Nenad Krstic vs Jared Jeffries
Boston Bench Mob Glen Davis
Jeff Green
Delonte West
Troy Murphy
Carlos Arroyo
Sasha Pavlovic
Avery Bradley
InjuredJermaine O'Neal (knee) out
Shaquille O'Neal (Achilles) out
Von Wafer (calf) out
Knicks Bench Shawne Williams
Bill Walker
Andy Rautins
Ronny Turiaf
Roger Mason Jr
Toney Douglas
Anthony Carter
Shelden Williams
Renaldo Balkman
Derrick Brown
Injuries None
Team ConnectionsDoc Rivers played for the Knicks from 1992‐95
Bill Walker was a member of the Celtics from 2008‐10
Amar’e Stoudemire and Shaquille O’Neal were teammates in Phoenix from 2008‐09
Shaquille O’Neal played for Mike D’Antoni from the end of the 2007‐08 season and all of the 2008‐09 season in Phoenix
Toney Douglas and Von Wafer both attended Florida State University
Chauncey Billups was drafted by the Celtics and played for them in the 1997‐98 season
Chauncey Billups played with Celtics Assistant Coach Roy Rogers in Boston and Toronto during the 1997‐98 season
Shelden Williams played for the Celtics during the 2009‐10 season
Toney Douglas and Von Wafer both attended Florida State University
Jared Jeffries and Celtics Assistant Coach Lawrence Frank both attended Indiana Universtiy
Shawne Williams and Troy Murphy were teammates in Indiana from 2006‐08.
Anthony Carter and Kevin Garnett were teammates in Minnesota from 2004‐2006..
Anthony Carter and Von Wafer were teammates in Denver during the 2007‐08 season.
Game NotesThis is the 3rd of 4 meetings between these division rivals this season. The Celtics won both of the meetings so far but both games were before both teams had an upheaval at the trade deadline. The Celtics have been struggling somewhat to regain their chemistry after the trades but the Knicks have struggled even more. The Knicks are just 7-8 since the trade and that has elicited complaints from Anthony about not getting enough touches and shots as well as complaints about the Knicks defense being too difficult for him to learn.
This game has playoff implications for both teams. The Celtics are once again tied with the Bulls for the top spot in the East. With the Bulls playing the Kings at home, the Celtics need a win in this game to keep pace. The Knicks are in the 7th spot and half a game behind Philly for the 6th seed.
The Celtics are 6-4 in their last 10 games and are coming off a big come back win against the Hornets. The Knicks are 4-6 in their last 10 games and have lost 2 in a row against Detroit and Milwaukee. The Knicks have also lost 5 of their last 6 games. The Celtics have had a day off while the Knicks are playing in the second of back to back games. The Knicks have had more success in back to back games than the Celtics and are 9-8 in the second game and 4-2 at home in an away-home set.
With both teams struggling in recent games, it will be a matter of which team wants this one more and can regroup and focus on playing their game to get the win. The Celtics showed signs of doing just that in the second half of their last game while the Knicks are still struggling. But a big game against a rival has a way of bringing out the best in players and teams.
Key Matchups vs
Paul Pierce vs Carmelo Anthony
Pierce has called Melo his toughest matchup in the league. This will be Pierce's first look at Anthony as a Knick. Anthony has career averages of 24.1 points and 6.7 rebounds in 13 games against the Celtics. Paul Pierce is averaging 28.5 points and 12 rebounds against Melo. Since the trade the Knicks are 7-8 and Melo has complained about his lack of shots and the Knicks' confusing defensive schemes. On the other side, Pierce has been struggling in his last couple of games. In his last two games he is 3-19 from the field and 1-10 from beyond the arc. He is due for a big game and a matchup against Melo may be just what he needs to have one.
vs
Kevin Garnett vs Amar'e Stoudemire
KG has been one of the few Celtics playing well consistently over their last stretch of games. Stoudemire is averaging 33 points on .590 shooting and nine rebounds over 39.1 minutes in two meetings with the Celtics this season. KG has 22 points and 11.5 rebounds in two games against New York. Amar'e is definitely going to challenge KG on both ends of the court and hopefully KG will be up to the task of keeping Amar'e from putting up big numbers on the offensive end and also getting his shot off against Stoudemire's defense.
Honorable Mention Rajon Rondo vs Chauncey Billups
It is still true that as Rondo goes, so go the Celtics. Rondo showed some signs of breaking out of his slump in the last game. Hopefully re-injuring his finger won't set him back and he will continue to break out in this game. Billups has lost a step or two in recent years but he is still a danger to hit big shots and Rondo will need to play tough defense on him. Rondo should get the better of this matchup if he plays even close to his potential.
Keys to the GameDefense - This will be the classic battle between offense vs defense. The Celtics must keep their defensive intensity throughout the entire game. They especially must guard the perimeter where the Knicks are a very good 3 point shooting team. But they also have to depend the paint where the Knicks are also very strong at driving and posting up.
Take it to the Hoop - The Celtics are best when they take the ball to the basket and either get the score or the foul or kick the ball out for an open shot. Lately they have been settling for a lot of outside shots and abandoning their inside game. Good things happen when they are aggressive and taking the ball inside.
Rebound- The Celtics have to crash the boards in order to limit the Knicks second chance points and fast break opportunities. The team that wins the rebounding battle will usually win the war because the effort they put out on the glass also affects the other areas of their game.
Move the Ball When the Celtics move the ball, make the extra pass and find the open man, they are tough to beat. It's when players hold the ball and try to do too much on their own that the offense struggles.
X-Factors Focus and Effort
The Celtics have put out a few lackluster performances lately and they can't afford to come out with a lack of focus and effort in this game or the Knicks will take advantage of it. On the other side of it the Knicks have lost 2 in a row and will be focused to avoid a 3 game losing streak. The Celtics need to be sure they are just as focused on getting the win.