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New York Knicks (25-37) at Boston Celtics (37-25)
Friday, March 4, 2016
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #63, Home Game #32
TV: CSN-NE, MSG, NBA-LP 757(DTV), 754(xfinity)
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, ESPN NY 98.7, Sirius 215
TD Garden
Probable Starters 
PG: Isaiah Thomas
SG: Avery Bradley
SF: Jae Crowder
PF: Amir Johnson
C: Jared Sullinger
Celtics Reserves Evan Turner
RJ Hunter
Jonas Jerebko
Terry Rozier
Tyler Zeller
Marcus Smart
Jordan Mickey
InjuriesKelly Olynyk (shoulder) out
James Young (calf) questionable
RJ Hunter (D-League)
Head CoachBrad Stevens
Probable Starters 
PG: Jose Calderon
SG: Arron Afflalo
SF: Carmelo Anthony
PF: Kristaps Porzingis
C: Robin Lopez
Knicks Reserves Kevin Seraphin
Langston Galloway
Jerian Grant
Sasha Vujacic
Derrick Williams
Lance Thomas
Jimmer Fredette
Thanasis Antetokounmpo
Injuries Cleanthony Early (knee) out
Lou Amundson (respiratory infection) day to day
Head Coach Kurt Rambis
Game Notes The Celtics close out their home stand with a visit from division rival New York Knicks. The Celtics are looking for their 13th straight home win as well as their 5th straight win overall. The Knicks are looking to stop a 2 game skid. The Celtics are 2-1 in the series so far and would win the series 3-1 with a win here. The Celtics won the series last season 3-1.
The Celtics and the Knicks have been going in opposite directions since January 22. At that time, the Celtics were 22-21 and the Knicks were just half a game back at 22-22. Since then the Knicks have lost 15 of 18 while the Celtics have won 15 of 19.
The Celtics are playing in the first of back to back games with a game in Cleveland against the Cavaliers looming on Saturday night. The Celtics are 1-3 in the first of back to back games when the first game is at home and the second on the road. The Celtics are 21-10 at home while the Knicks are 10-19 on the road.
The Celtics remain in 3rd place in the East and are just 1.5 games ahead of the Heat who won once again against the Suns on Thursday night. The Heat's next opponent is the Sixers. The Heat have one of the easiest remaining schedules while the Celtics have one of the toughest and so they are going to have to continue to win, especially the games they are supposed to win, in order to stay ahead of the Heat. The Knicks have dropped to 13th in the East, 6.5 games out of 8th.
The Celtics will once again be missing Kelly Olynyk who is progressing from the shoulder injury but is still out. RJ Hunter was assigned to the Red Claws on Thursday and will probably remain there for this game. Cleanthony Early is out with a knee injury for the Knicks and Lou Amundson is day to day with a respiratory infection.
Key Matchups vs
Jae Crowder vs Carmelo Anthony
Jae Crowder is earning a reputation as one of the top wing defenders in the league and he will need to put that to the test to guard Melo, who is averaging 21.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists. In their last meeting, Melo finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Jae needs to limit Melo on the offensive end and make him work on the defensive end as well.
vs
Amir Johnson vs Kristaps Porzingis
The Knicks 7'3" rookie is averaging 14.0 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game and he has long since changed the boos he heard on draft night into cheers. His length makes him tough to handle and the Celtics will have their hands full, especially keeping him off the boards.
Honorable Mention Avery Bradley vs Arron Afflalo
Afflalo is averaging 13.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists and is capable of putting up big numbers if not guarded closely. In the last two games vs the Celtics he has averaged 21 points and so Avery needs to stay with him to keep him from having another big 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. The Knicks average just 98.8 points per game while the Celtics are the highest scoring team in the East at 106.1 points per game. Both teams allow 101.7 points per game but the Celtics have gotten back to their defensive roots in their past 3 games allowing only 92.3 points on 39.7% shooting. The Celtics need to play tough defense to limit the Knicks scoring.
Run and Move the Ball - 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. They also need to keep the ball moving to find the open man and the best shots. They need to play team ball and not lapse into hero ball.
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 have to be the team that wants it more.
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.
Limit Turnovers - Sometimes ball movement results in too many turnovers. The Celtics have to be careful not to make careless and bad passes. They also need to keep their focus and not allow the Knicks to get steals that would lead to easy baskets.
Play Hard 48 Minutes - Sometimes when the Celtics face teams that should beat, the Celtics let up and don't put out the effort that they do against the tougher teams. They need to start strong and give maximum effort for the full 48 minutes. No let up!
X-Factors Home Game - To say that the Celtics are playing very well at home is an understatement given that they have won 12 straight on the Parquet. They need to keep up the effort at home and be motivated by the home crowd to run that streak to 13.
Officiating -
The officiating is always an X-Factor. You never know if a crew will call the game tight or let them play and the team has to be able to adjust to any officiating style. And you never know when a ref will have an agenda and call it one sided for one of the teams. We can only hope for an evenly called game where they let them play.
Topic: Knicks (25-37) at Celtics (37-25) Game #63 3/4/16 (Read 23436 times)