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New York Knicks (3-2) at Boston Celtics (2-3)
Friday, May 3, 2013
7:00 PM ET
Playoff Game #6, Home Game #3
TV: ESPN, NBAC, CSNNE, MSG
TD Garden
Probable Starting Matchups Probable Starters Point Guard 
vs
Avery Bradley vs Pablo Prigioni
Shooting Guard
vs
Paul Pierce vs Raymond Felton
Small Forward 
vs
Jeff Green vs Iman Shumpert
Power Forward 
vs
Brandon Bass vs Carmelo Anthony
Center
vs
Kevin Garnett vs Tyson Chandler
Celtics ReservesShavlik Randolph
Courtney Lee
Terrence Williams
Jason Terry
DJ White
Jordan Crawford
Chris Wilcox
Fab Melo
InjuriesRajon Rondo (knee) out
Jared Sullinger (back) out
Knicks Reserves James White
Quinton Richardson
Steve Novak
Jason Kidd
Kenyon Martin
JR Smith
Marcus Camby
InjuriesAmar'e Stoudemire (knee) out
Game Notes The Celtics continue their quest to become the first team in NBA history to come back from being down 0-3 to win a series. Doc looked to the 2004 Red Sox for inspiration for the Celtics comeback hopes. The Red Sox comeback is legendary in Boston. It helps that it was against another hated New York team, the Yankees. After losing the first three games of the series, the Red Sox won 4 straight to beat the Yankees and went on to sweep St. Louis to win the World Series.
Not only has no team come back from an 0-3 deficit to win a series, but only three times in NBA history has a team rallied from an 0-3 deficit to even force a game 7 in a series. The Knicks did it in 1951 against the Rochester Royals, the Denver Nuggets came back against Utah in `94 and Portland did against Dallas in 2003. None were able to capitalize and win that 7th game, however.
The 2004 Red Sox title win ended an 86-year title drought so at least the Celtics haven't waited that long. The Knicks have to be feeling some pressure after allowing the Celtics to win the last 2 games, one of which was on their home court. They haven't won a playoff series since 2000, and their last championship came in 1973. The Celtics have the pressure of needing to win to keep their season alive, but they have the momentum after winning the last two games.
The Knicks did a lot of trash talking before game 5. JR Smith said that the Celtics only won because he wasn't playing in game 4. Kenyon Martin talked about giving the Celtics a funeral in game 5 and they all wore black funeral clothes to the game. The Celtics refused to respond before the game, preferring to concentrate on basketball. Jordan Crawford, who didn't play in game 5, caused a skirmish after the game and hopefully that won't fire up the Knicks going into game 6. The Celtics need to once again concentrate on basketball.
Keys to the Game Bench Play - In game 5, Doc went just 7 deep with Jason Terry and Terrence Williams the only reserves he played. Both played well, combining for 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists, and most importantly, Williams handled the ball well against the Knicks pressure and also played some good defense. It would be great to get a bit more from the bench so as not to burn out the starters.
Defense - Defense wins championships and the Celtics ability to win this game will once again depend on their ability to get stops. The Celtics must once again stay on the Knicks shooters beyond the arc as if they get hot, they can bury you with 3 pointers. They also have to defend the paint to keep them from getting easy scores at the basket.
Execution on Offense - The Celtics have improved their execution on offense in the past 2 games. They have to continue to move the ball and find the open man. They also have to make smart passes and limit turnovers as the Knicks are very good at scoring off of them.
Be Aggressive - The Celtics must be the more aggressive team. They have to win the 50-50 balls. They must be more aggressive in diving for loose balls, going for rebounds, and driving to the basket. The more aggressive team usually gets the benefit of the calls and also usually wins the game. We know the Knicks are going to be aggressive and try to close out the series and the Celtics must be more so. The Celtics simply must want this game more than the Knicks.
Rebound - The Celtics must make an effort to crash the boards and win the rebounding battle. They can limit the Knicks second chance points as well as their fast breaks by beating them to the rebounds. It is crucial for every player to fight for rebounds.
X-FactorsHome Court and Heart
This game is going to come down to heart. How much do the Celtics really want this game. They have played well at home over the season and although they didn't respond to the home crowd in game 3, they won game 4 at home. Now they need to feed off the crowd and once again, dig deep to try to force a game 7 and keep their playoff hopes alive.
Topic: Knicks (3-2) at Celtics (2-3) Game 6 5/3 (Read 77002 times)