By Eddie Castro
For the second straight year, the New York Knicks have punched their ticket into the second round of the NBA playoffs after putting away the Detroit Pistons last Thursday. In what could be considered one of the most physical playoff series in some time. The team will now face another challenge in the Boston Celtics. This will mark the 15th time the two franchises will meet in the playoffs, with the last meeting coming back in 2013 when Carmelo Anthony led the team to a series victory in six games versus a Kevin Garnett Celtics team.
As we fast forward to today, this series is expected to have a nostalgic 90s feeling to it. Knicks star Jalen Brunson looks to steal home court from the Celtics. Let’s keep in mind that in four meetings during the regular season, New York is 0-4 against the Celtics. On Monday night, led by the heroics of Brunson’s clutch scoring and Mikal Bridges’ sensational defense, the Knicks were able to come back after being down by 20 points to secure a Game 1 103-100 victory in Boston.
This current Celtics team could very well be better than last year’s championship team. During the regular season, Boston was just one of two teams to finish in the top 5 in both offensive and defensive rating (the other team was the Oklahoma City Thunder). A few key plays led to New York’s comeback win. 1. The Celtics got too comfortable from beyond the arc. After Celtics star Jayson Tatum drained two big three-pointers in the third quarter, the team as a whole got a bit too three-pointer-happy going into the fourth.
They ultimately stopped attacking the paint, which was proving to be beneficial to Boston’s offense, especially after Karl-Anthony Towns left the game during the third quarter due to foul trouble, which relegated him to the bench. 2. New York’s defense displayed another gear. Tatum’s primary defender during Game 1 was OG Anunoby, who not only dropped 29 points along with Brunson, but his defense was a problem for Boston as he deflected a huge Tatum pass attempt, which was intended for Al Horford.
Anaouby finished the play with a dunk, completing the 20-point comeback and tying the game at 86. Bridges also made some key plays on defense, especially in overtime. Tied at 100 at the time, the Celtics’ Jaylen Brown drove to his left and passed Towns, who received help-defense from Bridges, who got his hand on the ball and saved it from going out of bounds. Bridges was able to throw the ball to Anaouby, who was able to beat Tatum down the floor for the dunk and foul, putting a bow on a 103-100 victory.
As we go to press, we will be either discussing the Knicks’ surprisingly stealing two games on the Boston home court or the Celtics4 being able to grab one game to tie the series before heading to Madison Square Garden for Game 3 on Saturday afternoon. The Knicks now know they can beat Boston. However, it needs to be a 4 quarter-effort on both ends of the floor. Brunson needs a Robin to complement his Batman-like leadership.
On defense, the Knicks need to prevent Boston from getting second-chance points. Boston’s ability to grab offensive rebounds is one of the many strengths they have. If the Knicks can prevent the Celtics’ shooters from getting one shot per possession, it may very well favor New York as the team is one of the best when they can get in transition. The New York crowd is going to be insane come Saturday, like it always is when it comes to any New York-Boston rivalry in sports.
Sports Notes: (Basketball) The New York Knicks return home on Saturday afternoon to battle the Celtics in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference matchup. (Baseball) The Mets welcome the Chicago Cubs Tomorrow night to begin a three-game set at Citi Field. The Yankees will begin a six-game West Coast trip on Friday as they head to Sacramento to play the Athletics.