After an inspired 127-102 Celtics win over the New York Knicks on Wednesday in Boston, the series now shifts back to New York for Game 6. The Celtics still trail the Knicks 2 games to 3 in the series and are looking to tie the series and send it back to Boston for Game 7.
The Celtics held a 20 point lead in both Games 1 and 2 at home. In both games they lost that 20 point lead and allowed the Knicks to steal the games. They lost 108-105 in overtime in Game 1 and 91-90 in the final seconds of Game 2. In Game 3, they opened up a 31 point lead at one point and held on for a 115-93 win.
The Celtics shot well for the most part in Game 4, but they struggled to stop the Knicks who shot 54.3% from the field and 35.3% from beyond the arc. The Celtics built a 14 point lead in this game but once again, couldn’t hold on and not only lost the game, but also lost Jayson Tatum. The Knicks were up 9 points with less than 3 minutes to go in the game when Jayson Tatum went down with a torn Achilles.
Only 5 teams have won a series after losing the first 2 games at home. This includes the 2017 Celtics, who won the series after going down 0-2 at home to the Chicago Bulls. Of 293 teams that have been down 1-3 in a series, only 13 have gone on to win the series. The 1968 Celtics came back from 1-3 against the 76ers and the 1981 Celtics also came back from down 1-3 to win the series, also against the 76ers. Both of those teams won the championship that year.
The Celtics have already won Game 3 in New York, but they had Jayson Tatum at the time. They are 10-2 on the season without Jayson Tatum, and that includes 2 games in these playoffs. They won Game 2 against the Magic without him and they won Game 5 against the Knicks without him.
Sam Hauser returned to the rotation for Game 5 after missing 3 games with a sprained ankle that he suffered just 4 minutes into Game 1 of this series. Kristaps Porzingis has struggled with a respiratory illness that kept him out of 11 games down the stretch of the season. He started Game 5 but was unable to finish the game. Luke Kornet started the second half and played very well. I had guessed that Luke would start Game 5 but Porzingis started that game. I’m once again guessing that Kornet will start this game since he played so well in Game 5 and Porzingis is still struggling.
Coach Mazzulla played 9 players in Game 1 with Hauser playing just 4 minutes. In Games 2, and 4. he also went with 8 players. He went with 8 players in Game 3 until he emptied the bench with just over 2 minutes to go in the game. In Game 5, he went with 8 players once again but emptied the bench with about 2.5 minutes left in the game. With no Tatum and a very limited Porzingis, I’m not sure who Mazzulla will turn to in this one. The Knicks once again have no injuries to report.
Probable Celtics Starters
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PG: Jrue HolidaySG: Derrick WhiteSF: Jaylen BrownPF: Al HorfordC: Luke Kornet
Celtics ReservesPayton PritchardNeemias QuetaBaylor ScheiermanJordan WalshTorrey CraigXavier Tillman, SrJD DavisonKristaps Porzingis
2 Way PlayersDrew PetersonMiles Norris
Injuries/OutSam Hauser (ankle) probableJayson Tatum (Achilles) out
Head CoachJoe Mazzulla
Probable Knicks Starters
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PG: Jalen BrunsonSG: Mikal BridgesSF: Josh HartPF: OG AnunobyC: Karl-Anthony Towns
Knicks ReservesDelon WrightCameron PayneMiles McBridePacome DadietPrecious AchiuwaTyler KolekPJ TuckerMitchell RobinsonLandry ShametAriel Hukporti
2 Way PlayersMarJon BeauchampKevin McCullar, JrAnton Watson
Injuries/Out None Listed
Head Coach Tom Thibodeau
Key Matchups
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Jrue Holiday
Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images
Jalen Brunson
Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images
Jrue Holiday vs Jalen Brunson In Game 1, Brunson finished with 29 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals while shooting 39.1% from the field and 55.6% from beyond the arc. In Game 2, Brunson finished with 17 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists while shooting 31.6% from the field and 22.2% from beyond the arc. In Game 3, he finished with 27 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1 steal while shooting 42.9% from the field and 37.5% from beyond the arc. In Game 4, he finished with 39 points, 5 rebounds, and 12 assists while shooting 56% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. In Game 5, he finished with 22 points, 1 rebound and 6 assists while shooting 41.2% from the field and 25% from beyond the arc. He fouled out in the 4th quarter but still played almost 33 minutes.
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Luke Kornet
Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images
Karl-Anthony Towns
Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
Luke Kornet vs Karl Anthony TownsTowns gives the Knicks a strong presence in the paint along with the ability to spread the floor. In Game 1, Towns struggled with foul trouble but still finished with 14 points, 13 rebounds, and 1 steal. He shot 46.2% from the field but was just 0-1 on threes. In Game 2, he finished with 21 points, 17 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block while shooting 56.3% from the field and 0-1 on threes. In Game 3, he finished with 21 points and 15 rebounds while shooting 27.8% from the field and 20% on threes. In Game 4, he finished with 23 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block while shooting 73.3% from the field and hitting his only 3. In Game 5, he finished with 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 1 steal while shooting 45.5% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. I’m guessing that, after his play in Game 5, Kornet will get the start, but it may be Porzingis or Horford starting here instead.
Honorable Mention Al Horford vs Josh HartIn Game 1, Hart finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals, while shooting 55.6% from the field and 20% from beyond the arc. In Game 2, Hart finished with 23 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks while shooting 60% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. In Game 5, he finished with 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists while shooting 46.7% from the field and 55.6% from beyond the arc.
Keys to the GameDefense – Defense is the key to winning every game. Defense is important in the regular season, but even more so in the playoffs. In the playoffs so far, Boston has a defensive rating of 106.4 (2nd) while New York has a defensive rating of 112.8 (9th). Defense was a big reason for the Celtics win in Game 3. They held the Knicks to 20% from beyond the arc and just 40% from the field. Defense was also a big reason for the game 5 win, holding the Knicks to 35.8% from the field. Lack of defense was one of the main reasons for their loss in Game 4. They allowed the Knicks to shoot 54.3% from the field and 35.3% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to play tough team defense in this game.
Rebound – The Celtics can’t score if they don’t have the ball, and the best way to get the ball is to grab rebounds. The Celtics need to rebound as a team with every Celtic battling on the boards. The Celtics are 45-10 when tied or out-rebounding their opponents. The Celtics out-rebounded the Knicks 59-49 in Game 1 and 51-46 in Game 2 and that may be the only reason that they were so close even though they shot so poorly. In Game 3, the Knicks out-rebounded the Celtics 43-42. In Game 4, the Knicks once again out-rebounded the Celtics 43-31. In Game 5, the Celtics had 44 rebounds to 40 for the Knicks. Rebounding takes effort and energy and the Celtics have to put out extra effort on the boards in this one in order to win the game.
Play as a Team – Without Jayson Tatum, there is no one player who can bail them out and win the game. However, if all of the players play together and each one of them steps up, they can make up for what they are missing without Tatum and to outplay the Knicks. They kept the ball moving very well in Game 5 and that makes them harder to defend. They need to do the same thing in this game and keep the ball moving and to play as a team on both ends of the floor.
Stay Focused and Play Hard 48 Minutes – The Celtics need to stay focused on taking good shots and on making them. They have to focus on crashing the boards and grabbing rebounds as a team. They also have to focus on making every defensive assignment and not allow the Knicks to get any easy shots. They also have to play hard for 48 minutes with no let up. They have to come out strong to start the game and play hard till the final buzzer.
X-FactorsOn the Road – The Celtics are playing on the road, where they played better in the regular season than they did at home with a 33-8 record on the road. They won one game in NY already in this series. They need to overcome the distractions of playing on the road and in front of a hostile crowd and stay focused on playing the right way. They have to come out playing hard right from the beginning as they did in Game 3 to keep the Knicks’ crowd from getting into the game.
Injuries – The Celtics will definitely miss Jayson Tatum, but they have to focus on playing hard and as a team to make up for his points, rebounds and assists, as well as his defense. Sam Hauser returned to the rotation for Game 5 and hopefully he will be back to close to 100%. Jaylen Brown has been playing with knee and finger issues and has to continue to play through those injuries. The biggest question mark is Kristaps Porzingis, who has been a shell of himself in this series due to a respiratory illness. If he is still limited, the Celtics will need more from Kornet and Horford once again in this game.
Officiating – Officiating always has the potential to be an x-factor. Each officiating crew calls the game differently. Some refs call it tight and constantly call fouls while others let them play with few fouls called. Some refs just make terrible head-scratching calls. The Celtics will be on the road and so they can expect the Knicks to get a favorable whistle in their arena. The Celtics need to adjust to how the refs are calling the game and not allow bad calls or no calls to take away their focus.
Official Report Crew Chief – James Capers – Capers has a home win/loss record of 22-16 this season. He calls 49.1% of fouls on the road team. The Celtics are 2-1- this season and 6-1 over the past 2 seasons with Capers as an official. The Knicks are 2-1 this season and 5-8 over the past 2 seasons with Capers. In the anonymous player poll, 4.6% of the players named Capers as one of the best referees. He called Game 2 against New York in this series.
Referee – Tyler Ford – Ford has been a ref for 11 years. His home win/loss record is 34-39. He calls 49.3% of fouls on the road team. The Celtics are 2-3 this season and 6-3 over the last 2 years with Ford as a ref. The Knicks are 1-4 this year and 2-5 over the past 2 years with Ford. In the player poll, 6.8% of the players felt he was one of the worst refs. He called Game 4 in the first round against the Magic.
Umpire – Ed Malloy – Malloy called 6 games for the Celtics this season, going 3-3 in those 6 games. They were 10-4 over the past 2 seasons with Malloy as a ref. The Knicks were 4-2 this season and 6-4 over the past 2 seasons with Malloy. He calls 50.8% of fouls on the road team. His home win/loss record this season is 42-24. In that anonymous player survey, 3.4% of players named Malloy as one of the worst refs. He called Game 2 in the first round against the Magic.
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