Celtics Knicks 2011 Playoff Series Preview
Written by Steve Janus - Google +
The Boston Celtics are set to take on the New York Knicks in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. This is arguably the most anticipated matchup of the opening series. Both teams are loaded with stars and come in with high expectations. The Celtics earned the No. 3 seed in the East with a 56-26 record, while the Knicks grabbed the No. 7 seed with a 42-40 finish.
These two teams faced off four times in the regular season. Boston won all four meetings, including two 10 point wins after New York traded for Carmelo Anthony. The Knicks lost their first two games before the trade by a combined six points.
Game 1 of the series is set for Sunday at 7:00 ET.
Boston Celtics
The Celtics opened the season on an absolute tear winning 24 of their first 29 games, and it looked like they would runaway with the top seed in the East. Boston, however, struggled down the stretch and barely finished above .500 over the final three months. Things seemed to really take a turn for the worse when the team decided to trade away Kendrick Perkins. The players felt betrayed by the move, and their play suffered as a result.
Boston really gets it done on the defensive side of the floor. They held opponents to a league-low 91.1 points per game and were second in defensive efficiency. They do an amazing job of taking away opposing team’s first and second options. Perkins was such a big piece in the Celtics defense, and now they must rely heavily on Shaquille O’Neal to give them big time production in the postseason. The problem is O’Neal hasn’t been able to stay healthy all season. He is expected to be back for the series against the Knicks, and his ability to give them valuable minutes will likely determine how far this team makes it in the playoffs.
Offensively the Celtics have one of the best point guards in the game in Rajon Rondo. His ability to get the ball in the right hands at the right time is something special. Veterans Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen will be counted on to score a heavy load of the points. Pierce, who led the team at 18.9 points per game, has to play at a high level for the Celtics to make it past the Knicks.
New York Knicks
The Knicks didn’t want to take any chances of Anthony not signing with them this summer, which resulted in the biggest trade of the season. The problem, is the Knicks had to give away so much talent to team up Anthony and Chauncey Billups with Amare Stoudemire, that they really weren’t much better after the move. New York was 28-26 before the deal and just 14-14 after.
New York doesn’t provide much of a scare defensively, but with Anthony and Stoudemire leading the way offensively they are a very dangerous team. The Knicks love to shoot the 3-point shot and when they are hitting from outside they are tough to beat. The problem with the Knicks is they are a very streaky team. They can go from being up 15 to down 10 in no time.
Because Boston is so good defensively I really have a hard time seeing the Knicks pulling off the upset. This team needs another offseason to get accustomed to playing with one another, and they need to add some better players around their stars. Their ability to go off offensively will likely allow them to steal a game or two, but overall I just don’t think they will have what it takes against one of the best teams in the NBA.
Prediction: Boston Wins in 6 Games
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