The NBA regular season is coming to an end, big names are on the bench, teams that normally win are on losing streaks. All we care about are the playoffs. My team (the Boston Celtics) are hobbling into the postseason with just 3 wins in the last 7 games and close out the season tonight against the New York Knicks, who they will be facing in the first round of the playoffs next week. This will be a good preview game for things to come in the first round.
Let's face it, the Knicks have been irrelevant to basketball for a few years now. But with the addition of all-star forward/center Amar'e Stoudemire in the offseason and then obtaining one of the best isolation shooters in the game Carmelo Anthony at the trade deadline, the Knicks started winning games, a lot of games. As i said in one of my past posts, when basketball is prevalent in New York, the NBA is a happier league. So now as the number 6 seed they will have to face the veteraned Boston Celtics and their "Big Three".
Boston and New York have always had their rivalries; Yanks Sox, Patriots Jets, hell we even debate who has the best pizza. The Kicks Celtics rivalry hasn't really shown itself since the early 90's with Bird and Ewing facing each other in the playoffs. But before then, the two teams have faced off a total of 12 times with the series split 6-6 dating way back to '51 with Cousy and Gallatin. Always pushing each other to the deciding game 5 and playing physical the rivalry is there (probably doesn't hurt that it's Boston and New York).
So here we are in 2011, new faces, new playing styles, new coaches, yet things feel like they are back to the good old days of Bird and Red against Ewing and Pitino/Jackson. Rondo will need to stay sharp and show the ability to carry this team much like he did last postseason because lets face it... with Delonte out who is his back up? We all saw how Wafer played the other night agains the Wizards. I think an X-factor for this series could be the big Shaqtus. Reports say that he is in the lineup for game 1. After trading away Perkins, the Celtics haven't been able to catch a rebound for their lives. His height and postseason experience is a huge benefit for this Boston lineup. Another player to watch for is Glen "Big Baby" Davis. Doc Rivers had to have been impressed with his performance against the Wiz the other night, dropping 20 points but only grabbing 3 boards.
For New York they need to show that their team is molded together and in sync, only going 7-8 after trading for Melo isn't a great sign. Amar'e is a manchild, and will continue to be a manchild; there's no question that his time on the court will only get more intense throughout the playoffs. Melo needs to get over his ego and start playing with the Knicks. Their X-factor will be Chauncy Billups who was traded along with Carmelo to the Knicks. He's a veteran point guard and can really control the tempo of a game.
My prediction: Celtics in 4 winning it at MSG
