At last, Celtics fans get the matchup they've been waiting for all season. After playing every other team in the Atlantic Division, Boston (16-17) finally has it's chance to go up against the division-leading New York Knicks (23-10).
New York, the oldest team in the NBA, owns the second-best record in the East behind the Miami Heat. They're led by MVP-candidate Carmelo Anthony, who is second in the league in points per game (29.3), shooting 47.7% from the field (his best mark since 2007-2008), and is shooting a career-high 43.5% from three-point range. The Knicks have attained many quality wins, such as defeating the Heat twice (once without Carmelo Anthony) and the San Antonio Spurs twice. What has made them so successful thus far has been their offense. Led by Anthony, the Knicks are averaging 102.5 points per game (good for sixth in the NBA), shooting 38.8% from beyond the arc (third in the league), and are getting career years offensively from players such as J.R. Smith, Jason Kidd, Steve Novak, and Raymond Felton. Its also worth noting that Tyson Chandler is leading the league in field-goal percentage at 69.5%.
Both of these teams come into tonight's game having won two in a row. They both last played on Saturday in the Southeast (Boston played in Atlanta, and New York played in Orlando), so fatigue is not a factor. With the way the Celtics are playing of late, this matchup is now all the more intriguing.
Here's a preview:
Projected lineups:
Celtics:
Avery Bradley
Jason Terry
Paul Pierce
Brandon Bass
Kevin Garnett
Knicks:
Jason Kidd
Ronnie Brewer
Carmelo Anthony
Marcus Camby
Tyson Chandler
Keys to the game:
1. Perimeter defense: Since the return of Avery Bradley, the Celtics' defense has returned to form. In the three games he's played in, the Celtics are giving up a sensational 79.7 points per game. Furthermore, their perimeter defense has improved tremendously. Bradley has provided his signature on-ball defense that makes his opponents cringe. He has been forcing the opposing ball-handler to to keep the dribble and not get a pass off to someone else until a good chunk of time has past on the shot clock. Bradley has made Rajon Rondo and Jason Terry better defenders as well -- Courtney Lee's stellar defense can be thrown in there as well. What's more is that going into their game with Memphis, Boston was the worst in the league at defending the three. Over their last three games, the C's are only allowing teams to shoot 34.7% from downtown. 33.2% of New York's points come from their three-point shooting, and they have three players (Novak, Anthony, and Kidd) in the top-ten in three-point percentage. It will be crucial for the Celtics to take away the three as much as possible.
2. Playing their game: If you take a closer look at some of the major statistical categories, you won't find the Knicks near the top of any of them besides points per game and three-point shooting. In fact, they're near the bottom in a lot of categories. They rank rank second-to-last in points in the paint, 26th in fast break points, 24th in rebounding, and 22nd in opponent field-goal percentage. The Knicks have decided to live and die with the jump shot, and so far they've been thriving with it. But you can't expect them to shoot the ball this way over the course of the entire season -- expecting 39-year-old Jason Kidd to shoot 43.5% from beyond the arc the rest of the way is absurd. The Celtics just need to continue to improve with Bradley and Bass back in the starting five. The team showed some grit and emotion -- things we've been waiting to see all year -- Saturday night in their 19-point comeback win. The Celtics are on a little roll, and if they stick to what they've been doing of late, they'll be in a position to climb back to the .500 mark by the time the final horn sounds.
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