Boston Celtics / New York Knicks 1st Round Preview:

By Eric Yearian

This matchup is between two teams that went in opposite directions at the February trade deadline. The Knicks made all the headlines by prying Carmelo Anthony away from Denver, and getting Chauncey Billups for their trouble. After that trade went down and things got crazy in the league, the Celtics gambled by trading Kendrick Perkins to the Thunder. As if Danny Ainge felt he didn’t do enough to show that he was confident in Shaq and [player: Jermaine O’Neal] at the center position, he also shipped Semih Erden to Cleveland. Now, with Shaq and O’Neal not fully healthy (although Jermaine is playing) the Celtics are backing into the playoffs. They clearly miss his presence inside defensively. The Knicks have also faced questions about whether they messed up by completing their trade. I don’t think it was a mistake to pair Carmelo with [player: Amar'e Stoudemire], but they are very thin now, and have to rely very heavily on their combo of Melo, Amare, and Billups.
   
The Celtics and Knicks teamed up to give fans an early preview of the matchup, as they played their final game in Wednesday against each other in Boston. The Celtics miss Perkins inside, but they have some of the best defensive principles in the league and have the third ranked defense in the league. With Kevin Garnett to matchup with Stoudemire, that really puts the pressure on Carmelo to put the team on his back. That’s going to be very difficult. The Knicks now have two players who are high volume shooters and that can work in some situations, but the Celtics’ biggest strength defensively is stopping the one and two man game. The Celtics were able to stifle the Cavaliers last season when their offense was focused on LeBron James creating. Carmelo isn’t as good as LeBron, so the Knicks have to recognize that the Celtics will not be beaten that way, and play a more team oriented style. Chauncey Billups gets far fewer headlines than the other two, but he will be huge in this series, especially since he’ll have to deal with the Celtics’ Rajon Rondo.
   
Ultimately, it may come down to how hard the Knicks play defense. Even with Boston stumbling into the playoffs, they are a formidable team who can win games on defense. Without Perkins inside though, New York could sneak in and get buckets, but it will be imperative that they play stellar defense, because the Celtics aren’t going to allow the Knicks to score enough points to win unless they play great defense of their own. Unless you are just a huge fan of Rajon Rondo, New York has the two best players in this game, while the Celtics boast far more depth.

Key for the Celtics: Jef GreenThis is simple, if Boston plays great defense, and they are very capable of sustaining that defensive level for an entire series, they will win this one, because they specialize at dealing with players like Stoudemire and Anthony. They’ll have to figure out how to get their offense going and find a way for Jeff Green to get involved, but defense truly is the key for them. Even if their offense struggles, if they can keep both of the Knicks’ superstars from playing well at the same time, they’ll have little trouble winning this series. The question is will Boston be able to get back on track for the playoffs?

Key for the Knicks: Chauncey Billups will be key for the Knicks. I’ve covered how important it is for New York to get both of its big names going early in the series, but Billups is equally important. He’ll be tasked with keeping Rondo out of the lane, and if he can do that it will go a long way towards making the Celtics offense much easier to stop. Rondo is lighting quick and has a knack for getting into the lane. Once in the lane, Rondo can score or pass, and there will be little New York can do to stop him. If Billups can make it so that Rondo is forced to stay outside, it will bog down everything they want to do. On the other end of the floor, if Billups can hit a few shots, it may draw defensive attention away from his teammates, and it would be very tough for the Celtics to deal with three guys who all have the ability to score in bunches.

X-Factors: For Boston, the X-Factor is the center position, namely Jermaine and [player: Shaquille O’Neal]. Both big men share not only a last name, but also the fact that they have been invisible most of the year while they’ve been injured. Danny Ainge has insisted all along that the two were more important for the Celtics come playoff time, and he’s right, especially since he gave away every other center on the roster. If those two can give the Celtics quality minutes it would be big for the Celtics down the stretch. Shaq may be old, but he is still tough to matchup with. Jermaine is a shell of the all-star he once was, but he’s still long and can hurt you from both the high and low posts. With New York having little in the way of big men, it would compound the issue for them defensively.
   
Pierce and FieldsNew York will be looking to their top three players to win the series, but can they get a fourth player to step up. Landry Fields could play a big role in the series. His play early on this season got the attention of everyone around the association, but he has since leveled off. If he can be a factor in the series, the Knicks stand a fairly good chance of upsetting the Celtics early. Fields is a more than capable defender, fitting the mold of energy guy for a team that will really need some energy on the defensive end, where they’ll be tasked with stopping the likes of Ray Allen and Paul Pierce.

The Prediction: While the Celtics have looked far from spectacular while backing into the playoffs, I still can’t find myself advancing the Knicks in this series. I believe this has the potential to be one of the more fun series to watch, as there will be a ton of talent on the floor, including 6 NBA all-stars. The Celtics should win this one on the defensive end, but if they continue to have a void in the middle of their defense it could be a potentially short stay in the playoffs for them. Ultimately, I just see the Celtics’ veteran not allowing their team to falter this early and Boston moves on to the second round after 6 games.

Schedule:
Sunday, April 17: Knicks @ Celtics 7:00 Eastern
Tuesday, April 19: Knicks @ Celtics 7:00 Eastern
Friday, April 22: Celtics @ Knicks 7:00 Eastern
Sunday, April 24: Celtics @ Knicks 3:30 Eastern
Tuesday, April 26: Knicks @ Celtics (If Needed)
Friday, April 29: Celtics @ Knicks (If Needed)
Sunday, May 1: Knicks @ Celtics (If Needed)