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New York Knicks (10-45) at Boston Celtics (21-33)
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #55, Home Game #28
TV: CSN-NE, MSG, NBA-LP 755(DTV), 753(xfinity)
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, ESPN NY 98.7
TD Garden
Probable Starters 
PG: Marcus Smart
SG: Avery Bradley
SF: Evan Turner
PF: Brandon Bass
C: Tyler Zeller
Celtics ReservesGerald Wallace
Jae Crowder
James Young
Phil Pressey
Shavlik Randolph
Isaiah Thomas
Jonas Jerebko
Gigi Datome
InjuriesKelly Olynyk (ankle) out
Jared Sullinger (foot) out
Head CoachBrad Stevens
Probable Starters 
PG: Langston Galloway
SG: Jose Calderon
SF: Lou Amundson
PF: Cleanthony Early
C: Jason Smith
Knicks Reserves Shane Larkin
Alexey Shved
Quincy Acy
Tim Hardaway, Jr
Travis Wear
Lance Thomas
Cole Aldrich
Andrea Bargnani
Injuries Carmelo Anthony
Head Coach Derek Fisher
Game Notes The Celtics return home from from their road trip with 1 win, 2 losses, and 3 new players. They begin a 3 game home stand by hosting the New York Knicks. This is the 3rd of 4 games between these two division rivals this season. They will meet once more on March 27.
The Knicks have just 10 wins, one of which came at the expense of the Celtics when they met the first time in Boston. In that game the Celtics were missing Avery Bradley and Jeff Green and Tyler Zeller were the Celtics high scorers. The Celtics won the second meeting 108-97 at MSG as the led from wire to wire. Avery Bradley and Jared Sullinger led the Celtics. Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks over the two games with 21.5 points.
The Knicks have the worst record in the league and lead the Sixers by 1.5 games for the top spot in the tankathon. Boston is 2 games behind Brooklyn for the 8th spot in the East but they also own the 9th worst record, 11.5 games behind the Knicks and just 2 games back of the 6th worst record. The Knicks have lost their last 7 games while the Celtics are coming off a big win over the Suns on the road.
Key Matchups 
vs
Avery Bradley vs Jose Calderon
Calderon is averaging 9.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game. He can get hot from outside and can also score inside if not guarded closely. Avery has had the hot hand over the road trip and hopefully that continues in this game.
vs
Marcus Smart vs Langston Galloway
Galloway has been playing fairly well for the Knicks. He is their leading scorer, now that Melo has been shut down and Shumpert and Smith were traded. He is averaging 11.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists.
Honorable Mention Isaiah Thomas vs Tim Hardaway Jr
Hardaway Jr is the Knicks second leading scorer at 11.1 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists off the bench. He scored 15 off the bench in the last meeting between these two teams. Isaiah Thomas has been hot for the Celtics and will look to continue that trend in this game.
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.
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 keep up the pace for the whole game.
Be Aggressive - The Celtics need 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 showed that aggression against the Suns and need to keep it up in this game.
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.
Play 48 Minutes - The Celtics have to start off strong and play hard until the final buzzer. They still tend to either start slow and then have to spend the rest of the game digging out of a hole, or they get off to a fast start and then let up and allow the other team to catch up. They have to play hard for the entire 48 minutes.
X-Factors Home and Trap The Celtics will be home after a 3 game road trip and should get a boost from the familiar surroundings and the home crowd. They can't fall into the trap of playing down to teams with worse records. They did that with the Lakers and with the Timberwolves and with the Knicks in their first meeting. They have to come out playing hard just as they did when they beat the Hawks.
Topic: Knicks (10-45) at Celtics (21-33) Game #55 2/25/15 (Read 32205 times)