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Boston Celtics (16-30) at New York Knicks (10-38)
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #47 – Road Game #23
TV: CSNNE MSG, NBA-LP 754(DTV),752/754(xfinity)
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, ESPN NY 98.7
Madison Square GardenProbable Starters PG: Marcus Smart
SG: Avery Bradley
SF: Jae Crowder
PF: Brandon Bass
C: Jared Sullinger
Celtics Reserves Phil Pressey
Tyler Zeller
Gerald Wallace
Marcus Thornton
Tayshaun Prince
Shavlik Randolph
James Young
Evan Turner
Andre Dawkins
InjuriesKelly Olynyk (ankle) out
Evan Turner (thumb) probable
Avery Bradley (thumb) probable
Tayshaun Prince (hip) probable
Head CoachBrad Stevens
Probable Starters PG: Langston Galloway
SG: Jose Calderon
SF: Lou Amundson
PF: Carmelo Anthony
C: Jason Smith
Knicks Reserves Shane Larkin
Quincy Acy
Tim Hardaway, Jr
Pablo Prigioni
Cleanthony Early
Lance Thomas
Injuries Amare Stoudemire (ankle) out
Travis Wear (hip) out
Cole Aldrich (shin) out
Andrea Bargnani (calf) out
Head CoachDerek Fisher
Game Notes After two games at home the Celtics head back on the road to visit the New York Knicks. This is the second of 4 meetings between these two division foes. The Knicks won the first game in December 101-95. They meet on February 25 in Boston and finally on March 27 again in New York.
After winning just 5 games all season to that point, the Knicks have won 5 of their last 7 games and doubled their win total. They have won the last two games vs the Celtics. The Knicks are 7-17 at home and 5-5 in their last 10 games while the Celtics are 7-15 on the road and 3-7 in their last 10.
The Celtics seemed to have turned a corner when they went 3-3 on their tough Western road trip but since returning home, they lost two very winnable games. Part of the reason for their home losses was a failure to come out playing hard from the start and a lack of effort and focus overall.
The Celtics are a bit banged up with Kelly Olynyk still out and Evan Turner and Avery Bradley playing through hand injuries. Tayshaun Prince missed their last game with a hip flexor but is expected to play in this one. Jared Sullinger was moved out of the starting lineup for the last game due to being late for shoot around but should be back in the starting lineup for this one. The Knicks are expected to have Stoudemire (ankle), Bargnani (calf), Aldrich (shin) and Wear (hip) out.
Brad Stevens hinted that he was making a change to the starting lineup. That may mean that he is moving Jared Sullinger back to the starting lineup or, my guess is that he is going to give Marcus Smart the start since he used Smart to start the second half against the Heat.
Key Matchups vs
Brandon Bass vs Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony had led the Knicks resurgence with 24.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 3.1 assists and is dangerous from everywhere on the court. Bass will need to slow Melo down while also making him work on defense.
vs
Calderon comes into this game averaging 9 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists but he is capable of having a big game if not defended well. On the other end, Avery will need to find a way to score himself.
Keys to the Game Defense - Playing tough team defense is the key to winning every game. The Celtics need to concentrate on getting stops and keeping the Knicks' offense off balance. In the last two games, they flashed the kind of defense they are capable of in the third quarter but they have to play that kind of defense for the whole game.
Set the Pace - The Celtics need to run on every possession from start to finish. It seems that when they run they build leads and outplay the other team. When they slow it down, they fall behind and lose leads. They have to run and set the pace of the game.
Be Aggressive - The Celtics needs to be the more aggressive team. They have to be more aggressive in going after loose balls, in grabbing rebounds, in defending, and in going to the basket. They lacked aggression against the Heat and lost the game because of it.
Rebound - Much of rebounding is effort and desire and when the Celtics put out the extra effort to win the battle of the boards, they seem to play better overall. They have to grab rebounds to keep the Knicks from getting out on the break and to keep them from getting second chance points.
X-Factors Road Game and Focus The Celtics proved that they can win on the road when they won 3 games on their recent road trip. But, young teams struggle with focus on the road and so they will need to work to keep their focus and their energy. Also, they have lost 3 games in a row and should be focused on winning this game to avoid a 4 game losing streak.