POST GAME NEW YORK

GAME STATS

SCORE – CELTICS - 85 / NYK - 100
REBOUNDS - CELTICS 40 /NYK 41.....Offensive - CELTICS 7 /NYK 15 ......Defensive - CELTICS 33/NYK 26
POINTS IN THE PAINT - CELTICS 44 /NYK 50
FAST BREAK POINTS - CELTICS 17 / NYK 11
FG - CELTICS - 31/69 ( 44.9%) NYK 39/90 ( 43.3 %)
3PM - CELTICS - 6/20 (30 %) NYK 8/28( 28.6 %)
FTM - CELTICS -17/22 ( 77.3 %) NYK 14/18 (77.8 %)
TO - CELTICS 19 / NYK 8
ASSISTS - CELTICS 20 /NYK 11
STL - CELTICS 6 / NYK 12
BLK - CELTICS 6 / NYK 12
PF - CELTICS 16 / NYK 23
BENCH POINTS - CELTICS 19 / NYK 47
TOTAL TEAM TURNOVERS (Points off turnovers) – CELTICS 20 (17) /NYK 8 (10)

NEXT GAME WEDNESDAY - AT CLEVELAND - 7:00PM - CSNE/NBA LEAGUE PASS

POST GAME RECAP

ESPNBOSTON.COM

Rapid Reaction: Knicks 100, Celtics 85

By Chris Forsberg | ESPNBoston.com

BOSTON -- Rapid reaction after the New York Knicks defeated the Boston Celtics 100-85 on Tuesday night at TD Garden:

THE NITTY GRITTY
J.R. Smith poured in a game-high 32 points on 13-of-24 shooting (hitting just one 3-pointer as part of his outburst), while Carmelo Anthony overcame 10-of-30 shooting to add 29 points to pace a Knicks offense that became the third straight team to put up triple figures against Boston. Jeff Green scored a team-high 19 points to go along with 10 rebounds and 6 assists in 39 minutes while starting for Kevin Garnett (ankle inflammation). Paul Pierce added 16 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists, while Jordan Crawford added 14 points while starting in place of Courtney Lee (ankle sprain).

TURNING POINT
The game was tied little more than four minutes into the second quarter, but the Knicks embarked on a 14-0 run that featured a pair of 3-pointers from Steve Novak, the second of which had the visitors out front 49-35. Boston went nearly four full minutes without points, but only missed three shots in the stretch (turning the ball over three times, leading to seven points for the Knicks). The lead never dipped to single digits in the first half and was still at 14 at the intermission (58-44). The Celtics trimmed the lead as low as seven with a little charge early in the third quarter, but Smith's triple to end the frame had New York out front 84-69.

SMALL LINEUP, BIG PROBLEMS FOR C'S
The Celtics went small trying to keep their most talented players on the floor, but it bit them on the glass. The Knicks piled up 27 second-chance points behind 15 offensive rebounds. Surprisingly, Doc Rivers didn't give either Shavlik Randolph or DJ White a look up front for much of the game. During pregame, Rivers had noted, "Shav and DJ, one or both will play. And maybe we'll find something out with one of those two guys going into the playoffs that we didn't know. So you always have to try to find a silver lining and maybe that would be it." Randolph played the final five minutes, grabbing three boards.

TURNOVERS PLAGUE BOSTON AGAIN
A Celtics team that has been plagued by sloppy ball-handling the last few games gave the ball away 20 times on Tuesday night. The Knicks parlayed that into a mere 15 points, but those lost opportunities -- combined with all the offensive rebounds -- led to the Knicks shooting 21 more shots than Boston on this night.

WHAT IT MEANS
If these last two games are any indication of what it's going to be like without Garnett for the next two weeks, buckle up, it's going to get bumpy. The Celtics visit Cleveland on Wednesday night before returning home to host the Hawks on Friday. An Easter rematch with the Knicks looms on Sunday in New York.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

CSNE

Knicks hand Celtics 5th loss in row

A.SHORROD BLAKLEY

BOSTON – The Celtics have a decent amount of momentum these days - the losing kind, that is.

The C's have now dropped five straight following Tuesday's 100-85 loss to the New York Knicks, who are literally trending in the opposite direction with their win over Boston being their fifth in a row.

Jeff Green led the Celtics with 19 points and 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.

But the dominant player in this game was J.R. Smith who scored a game-high 32 points. Knicks all-star Carmelo Anthony also had a solid game, scoring 29 points to go with eight rebounds.

And the Knicks did it with a strong, all-around, balanced effort.

Known for killing teams earlier this season with a barrage of three-pointers, New York has stepped up its defensive game of late, too.

For the season, New York is ranked 10th in the NBA in points allowed (95.6) per game. During their four-game winning streak heading into Tuesday's game, teams had averaged 88.8 points against the Knicks, the third-lowest average in the league during that span.

Although it took both teams more than two minutes to score as both teams showed few signs of pulling away until New York closed out the first with a four-point spurt to take a 28-24 lead after the first.

Boston soon evened things up in the second quarter and it remained relatively close until the Knicks broke open a 35-all tie with a blistering 14-0 run.

Smith continues to add on to a resume that puts him front and center as the NBA's best Sixth Man this season.

After a terrible shooting performance (9 points, 3-for-16 shooting) the last time he was at the TD Garden on Jan. 24, Smith was effective at scoring the ball from the moment he entered the game as he blistered the Celtics for 21 points in the first half.

With the Celtics constantly switching on pick-and-rolls, Smith simply waited for a switch that was to his advantage and attacked the rim or pulled up for the relatively open jumper.

But the Knicks' strong play wasn't a one-man show; it never is when Anthony is around.

He too took advantage of defensive switches by the Celtics as well, which resulted in him scoring 18 first-half points.

For the Celtics who were without Kevin Garnett (swollen left ankle) and Courtney Lee (sprained left ankle), carrying the load early on was Jordan Crawford who got his first start with the Celtics against the Knicks.

He scored 11 of his 14 points in the first half which ended with the C's trailing, 58-44.

Boston also got strong play in the first half from Paul Pierce (8 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists) and Jeff Green (8 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists).

However, their efforts were all but wiped out by nine first-half turnovers that led to 10 points for New York.

Boston once again showed signs of rallying as they cut the Knicks lead to as little as seven points (69-62) in the third.

But the Knicks, as they had done all game, responded with a run of their own to regain control.

Pierce ended the Knicks' 9-0 run with a pair of free throws. But with the third quarter winding down, Boston once again found itself looking up at a double digit deficit.

The fourth quarter was one in which the C's continued to play from behind. And with the Celtics down 93-76 with 5:19 to play, the unofficial white flag was raised by Boston when Doc Rivers took Pierce out, looking to preserve him for the game Wednesday at Cleveland.

Pierce finished with 16 points along with six rebounds and six assists.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

WEEI 93.7 FM

FAST BREAK: J.R. SMITH, KNICKS KNOCK OUT CELTICS

By Ben Rohrbach

J.R. Smith and Carmelo Anthony combined for 61 points and the Knicks delivered a 100-85 knockout of a Celtics team without Kevin Garnett and Courtney Lee that all but ended the C’s reign atop the Atlantic Division.

Jeff Green, Paul Pierce, Jordan Crawford, Brandon Bass and Jason Terry all reached double figures, but the C’s committed 20 turnovers and couldn’t stop New York on the other end. Here’s what else went wrong.

WHAT WENT WRONG

Ugly start: It took almost three minutes for either team to score, and neither club’s former NBA Defensive Player of the Year was involved. The Celtics missed their first three shots and committed a pair of turnovers while the Knicks missed their first five attempts until an Anthony (29 points, 8 rebounds) layup broke a scoreless game 2:42 into the first quarter. This wasn’t exactly the epic Celtics-Knicks battle national television had banked on.

J.R. Smith: The Knicks Sixth Man scored 32 points on 24 shots (oddly, just three 3-pointers) in 35 minutes. He outscored the entire Celtics bench by 13 points. Smith also grabbed four of his six first-half rebounds on the offensive end, helping New York establish a comfortable 58-44 halftime lead.

Chris Wilcox: Speaking of rebounds, Chris Wilcox had none in 10 minutes. That’s not good, and neither were his five total boards in three previous games. Meanwhile, the Knicks reached double-digit offensive rebounds by halftime, netting 50 points in the paint and outscoring the C’s 29-6 in second-chance points for the game. Meanwhile, D.J. White and his eight boards per 36 minutes in his career rode the pine until the final three minutes and Shavlik Randolph out-rebounded Wilcox 4-0 in five garbage minutes.

Avery Bradley: The lone healthy Celtics pitbull hasn’t had much bite on the offensive end. He’s shooting worse than 40 percent this month and hasn’t hit half of his shots in a game for more than two weeks. That includes Tuesday night’s 3-for-11, six-point effort against the Knicks that featured a pair of badly missed layups.

WHAT WENT RIGHT

Scare Jordan: Prior to the game, Celtics coach Doc Rivers voted Jordan Crawford “on the All-Scare Team. He scares me and [Knicks coach Mike Woodson] every night. He scares both coaches.” With Courtney Lee still sidelined by an ankle injury, Crawford got his first start in a Celtics uniform and delivered a (mostly) scary good performance. Crawford scored 14 points and dished out six assists, providing a small spark to a woeful Celtics offense. Of course, his six turnovers were scary, too.

Mean Jeff Green: It wasn’t 43 points against LeBron James x, but Green submitted another stellar performance in his sixth start of the season. He came into the game averaging 22.0 points on 59 percent shooting to go along with five rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal as a starter, and he didn’t disappoint. Against the Knicks, Green scored a team-high 19 points, grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds and collected a season-high six assists.

112288

There are obviously many ways to win a basketball game, and they don't work for all teams all the time. For example:

The Knicks won the game handily despite the fact that:

• The Celtics assisted on 65% of their field goals, and the Knicks assisted on only 28% of theirs.

•The Celtics took four more free throws than the Knicks. (Damn referees—always against the Celtics.)

• The Celtics scored two more treys than the Knicks.

• The Celts led the Knicks in fast break points 17-11.

The stats most prominently reflecting the Knicks' superiority were:

• Bench points (Knicks 47, Celts 19)

• Turnovers (Knicks 11, Celts 20)

• Offensive rebounds (Knicks 15, Celts 7)

• The fact that, between them, Anthony and Smith scored 61% of the Knicks' points, taking 60% of the Knicks' field goal attempts.

Their offensive rebounds didn't just produce points for the Knicks. They also were a factor in forcing the Celtics to keep taking the ball out of their defensive basket, thereby preventing the Celtics from maintaining a steady push of the ball (especially in the first half).

Although the Celtics as a team garnered many more assists than the Knicks, the Celt starters assisted on 79% of their field goals, compared to 14% for the bench.

The Celtics were much more passive in the first half, being outscored 58-44, than in the second half (being outscored only 42-41, although they got that close in the later stages largely due to an extended garbage time. (Collectively, the Celtics starters had a large minus points margin, while the benches were about equal.)

Granted that it's been mainly at garbage time, but I'm starting to like Shavlik's ability to bother shots on defense and rebound at both ends. He's not just tall; he's plenty raw-boned;he's tough to move around; and he works his butt off. Before the Knick's game, and based on a grand total of only 44 minutes played this season), Shavlik was the runaway leader in active Celtics in both offensive and defensive rebounds per 36 minutes played. And I doubt those numbers suffered from the one offensive and three defensive boards he corralled during his five minutes in the Knicks game. And, by the way, based on only 35 minutes played with the Celtics, D.J. White ranks 4th on the team in offensive rebounds and third in defensive rebounds per 36 minutes.

Just for the heck of it, I'd love to see Doc put a unit of Shavlik, Wilcox and Green up front and Pierce and Randolph at the guard spots. This would be my experiment in "tall
ball," with each Celtics player probably being at least equal in height to, and probably taller than, his counterpart opponent. It would be interesting to see the rebound results at both ends. They ought to be able to attack with pace in the forms of Wilcox, Green and Randolph. I believe the presence of Randolph would make Wilcox a better rebounder.) Pierce and Randolph could share in distributing the ball. (When KG returned, I'd put him in Wilcox's slot.) Heck, I might even try a double pivot set. (Shades of Parish and McHale.) I'd like to check out a lineup in which the Celtics could become the "pushers" rather than the "pushees."

By the way, Randolph's not a bad passer. In the Knicks game, he was one of three Celtics (Pierce and Green were the other two) with 6 assists. He's a little like Allen Iverson in his ability to draw defenders (especially given his shooting reputation and unpredictability) and then hitting the open man.

These are the times that try Celtics fans' souls, to be sure. But, being a person who has always believed that worrying is a waste of time that is much better spend on looking for solutions, I'm not attempting a game summary here. You can read about the details and the hand-wringing elsewhere. I'm trying to focus more on aspects of the
game that strike me as providing insights into current and future opportunities.

Go Celtics!

Sam

sam wrote:There are obviously many ways to win a basketball game, and they don't work for all teams all the time. For example:

The Knicks won the game handily despite the fact that:

• The Celtics assisted on 65% of their field goals, and the Knicks assisted on only 28% of theirs.

•The Celtics took four more free throws than the Knicks. (Damn referees—always against the Celtics.)

• The Celtics scored two more treys than the Knicks.

• The Celts led the Knicks in fast break points 17-11.

The stats most prominently reflecting the Knicks' superiority were:

• Bench points (Knicks 47, Celts 19)

• Turnovers (Knicks 20, Celts 11)

• Offensive rebounds (Knicks 15, Celts 7)

• The fact that, between them, Anthony and Smith scored 61% of the Knicks' points, taking 60% of the Knicks' field goal attempts.

Their offensive rebounds didn't just produce points for the Knicks. They also were a factor in forcing the Celtics to keep taking the ball out of their defensive basket, thereby preventing the Celtics from maintaining a steady push of the ball (especially in the first half).

Although the Celtics as a team garnered many more assists than the Knicks, the Celt starters assisted on 79% of their field goals, compared to 14% for the bench.

The Celtics were much more passive in the first half, being outscored 58-44, than in the second half (being outscored only 42-41, although they got that close in the later stages largely due to an extended garbage time. (Collectively, the Celtics starters had a large minus points margin, while the benches were about equal.)

Granted that it's been mainly at garbage time, but I'm starting to like Shavlik's ability to bother shots on defense and rebound at both ends. He's not just tall; he's plenty raw-boned;he's tough to move around; and he works his butt off. Before the Knick's game, and based on a grand total of only 44 minutes played this season), Shavlik was the runaway leader in active Celtics in both offensive and defensive rebounds per 36 minutes played. And I doubt those numbers suffered from the one offensive and three defensive boards he corralled during his five minutes in the Knicks game. And, by the way, based on only 35 minutes played with the Celtics, D.J. White ranks 4th on the team in offensive rebounds and third in defensive rebounds per 36 minutes.

Just for the heck of it, I'd love to see Doc put a unit of Shavlik, Wilcox and Green up front and Pierce and Randolph at the guard spots. This would be my experiment in "tall
ball," with each Celtics player probably being at least equal in height to, and probably taller than, his counterpart opponent. It would be interesting to see the rebound results at both ends. They ought to be able to attack with pace in the forms of Wilcox, Green and Randolph. I believe the presence of Randolph would make Wilcox a better rebounder.) Pierce and Randolph could share in distributing the ball. (When KG returned, I'd put him in Wilcox's slot.) Heck, I might even try a double pivot set. (Shades of Parish and McHale.) I'd like to check out a lineup in which the Celtics could become the "pushers" rather than the "pushees."

By the way, Randolph's not a bad passer. In the Knicks game, he was one of three Celtics (Pierce and Green were the other two) with 6 assists. He's a little like Allen Iverson in his ability to draw defenders (especially given his shooting reputation and unpredictability) and then hitting the open man.

These are the times that try Celtics fans' souls, to be sure. But, being a person who has always believed that worrying is a waste of time that is much better spend on looking for solutions, I'm not attempting a game summary here. You can read about the details and the hand-wringing elsewhere. I'm trying to focus more on aspects of the
game that strike me as providing insights into current and future opportunities.

Go Celtics!

Sam

Sam - Minor typo on your part: you got the turnovers backwards in your summation. We had the 20 and NY had only 11. That, and the offensive rebounding difference (we were minus 8 to the Knicks) gave us a negative 17 in those two combined stats. And it's virtually impossible to win a game when you're minus 17 to your opponent in turnovers and offensive rebounds. That's the main reason why NY got 21 more shots that we did.

I think we might have missed KG, except for a few dunks, what does Wilcox do? he sure don't do rebounding.....KG is not gonna be here forever, we've gotten him no bigman help in the paint and its been a problem for how long now? oh since......we don't need him hes got stone hands, can't set a good pick, hes a turnover machine, lets keep on bashing him, our stats are just as good or better without him, we can plug anyone in there. Starting centers are a dime a dozen, theres 30 starting centers.....

cowens/oldschool wrote:I think we might have missed KG, except for a few dunks, what does Wilcox do? he sure don't do rebounding.....KG is not gonna be here forever, we've gotten him no bigman help in the paint and its been a problem for how long now? oh since......we don't need him hes got stone hands, can't set a good pick, hes a turnover machine, lets keep on bashing him, our stats are just as good or better without him, we can plug anyone in there. Starting centers are a dime a dozen, theres 30 starting centers.....

As much as people play down Perk's value, don't forget his performance in the 2008-2009 playoffs where he averaged 11.9 points and 11.6 rebounds in 14 games (against the Bulls and Orlando) in 36.6 minutes per game. And it's hard to believe that in his 10th pro season he's still only 28 years old. Granted he doesn't score much these days, but he's a load in the paint. Since he left we've been granting EZ passes to players driving our lane. And it's demoralizing.

BTW, Chris Wilcox gets ZERO rebounds in a game where KG is out??? WTF is that about??????????

Boy, did I expect more out of him when he's been healthy this last couple of months.

Steve,

Thanks for catching my reversal of the figures. We may be using different sources. Although I detest ESPN in general, I use their stats because they show the total team turnovers in addition to showing the total of the individual turnovers. (Some turnovers are recorded against the team as a whole as distinct from any specific
individual.)

The correct figures, according to ESPN:

Turnovers: Celtics 20, Knicks 8 (not 11.....I think you may have confused the Knicks turnover stat with Knicks assists)
Offensive rebounds: Knicks 15, Celtics 7

The differences are +12 turnovers for the Celtics and +8 offensive rebounds for the Knicks—a grand total of 20 more "opportunities" for New York.

Those 20 more "opportunities" coincide almost exactly with the 21 more field goal attempts by the Knicks. I think that relationship puts the impact of turnovers and offensive rebounds in a fairly graphic perspective.

Sam

Hi,
I don't know much about stats but watching the game I've got an impression that Celtics team spirit wasn't in the Garden last night. Unfortunately they didn't come to win.

AK

sam wrote:Steve,

Thanks for catching my reversal of the figures. We may be using different sources. Although I detest ESPN in general, I use their stats because they show the total team turnovers in addition to showing the total of the individual turnovers. (Some turnovers are recorded against the team as a whole as distinct from any specific
individual.)

The correct figures, according to ESPN:

Turnovers: Celtics 20, Knicks 8 (not 11.....I think you may have confused the Knicks turnover stat with Knicks assists)
Offensive rebounds: Knicks 15, Celtics 7

The differences are +12 turnovers for the Celtics and +8 offensive rebounds for the Knicks—a grand total of 20 more "opportunities" for New York.

Those 20 more "opportunities" coincide almost exactly with the 21 more field goal attempts by the Knicks. I think that relationship puts the impact of turnovers and offensive rebounds in a fairly graphic perspective.

Sam

I get box scores here (from Yahoo Sports):

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/boxscore?gid=2013032602

And it lists turnovers as 19 for us and 8 for them. When I sent you the correction I was looking at the assist total which is VERY similar to the turnover total - 20 us, 11 for them, but I knew they were around 10 higher than us, not lower as you had it listed at first.

In NYC all over talk radio they are calling Kenyon Martin the savior to the season for that team. Knicks have been going through various injuries and somehow put together a winning streak, the difference between them and us is Kenyon Martin, nice move Danny, lets get some more wings.

We had to play a perfect game, without KG and Lee, to win last night. We were far, far from perfect. Nevertheless, this would have been a close game if we hadn't left so many bunnies on the rim. Pierce missed one, Green missed a couple, Wilcox blew one, Bradley had a wide open layup and blasted it off the backboard and Williams missed one. There's 12 points, minimum, that were ours to be had and should have finished. So, despite everything, we could have been within a single possession of winning if we had just hit our layups.

Our perimeter defense made the swiss proud of their cheese. Not only did Knicks penetrate at will, nobody stepped up to challenge them once they did.

With 2 starters out we should have had everybody gang tackle the boards. We didn't. Yes, we had a lot of rebounds as a team, but that's because the Knicks shot poorly as a team. Not that it mattered since there was no effort to stop them from getting the offensive rebound and putting it back in. The Knicks took a very healthy 90fgas, with MElo taking 33% of them. Nobody collapsed on penetrators, so they were getting layups and putbacks of their own shots. Having them put back their own misses is just not acceptable. At least make someone else crash the boards while you shut down the ball.

1. Carmelo Anthony was 10-30. In the interest of fairness, whenever he does that I'm going to call him MElo. 6 of his 8 rebounds were offensive. There is no excuse for that. Our rotations were abominably slow last night and nobody was dropping down to help. When CarMElo gets within 14 feet he is NOT going to pass. He had one assist last night. If he's getting to the paint, we have to swarm. Between him and Kenyon Martin the IQ of the NY Knicks is down near double-digits. Kenyon Martin, for all his hype, had 9 points and 5 boards in 25 minutes. Of course, it's hard to do anything when you have to pry the ball out of MElo and Smith's cold dead hands. He did get 4 offensive rebounds, but that's because we sucked at boxing out last night, and that's being kind.

2. What is it about us that JR Smith just likes playing against? Out of his 7 boards, 4 were offensive. He outrebounded Green, Wilcox and everybody else for his second shots. We were sooo soft last night. And he was sooo unconscious.

3. The Brain Dead Paul Pierce showed up last night. This year, perhaps more than any other, he has games/stretches where he makes some incredibly bone-headed decisions. 6 TOs last night and a lot of them were just "WTF were you thinking!?" types.

4. Jeff Green played well, aside from his inability to keep MElo and Smith off the boards.

5. Jordan Crawford hit (and missed) more "you gotta be shitting me!?" shots in last night's game than the entire team has taken this year. Does he take any easy shots? When Doc called him a "wild card" he wasn't kidding. All-in-all he played hard, tried to play defense and added energy. What makes me blink are the differences between this wild card and our last wild card, the Brazilian one. VERY different players. Crawford could become our JR Smith, and wouldn't that be nice? He could also become our next Marcus Banks, so much potential but just slightly too out of control to make it work.

6. As far as the bench round up goes: I liked Terrence Williams overall. He was poised, he's good at putting it on the floor and getting past his man, he has good court vision. His outside shot isn't that strong. He played good defense on Smith. All in all, not bad for a guy who barely, if ever, gets any playing time. Randolph showed a lively body on the boards. I know, it was garbage time, but he worked hard for his rebounds and I like that. Wilcox stopped nobody. JET had a good game. Took and hit his shots, tried to play defense (but couldn't stop Smith any better than anybody else).

7. Turnovers. 19-8. I'm amazed this game was even that close. They had 7 more points off of our turnovers than we had with theirs.

We were down 2 starters. We were without our defensive anchor and a defensive guard who might have slowed Smith down a bit. Losing streaks suck, but it's hard to beat a better team when you are short, literally and figuratively. Our starting center was Brandon Bass. Our starting SG was a player who has only been with us for a month or two.



bob


.

Bob H. made a point about being small at center which leads me to a question.

Why trade Collins when we were razor thin at that position? I get the idea that we got an asset (Crawford) back, but given the fact that you are razor thin at a key position (center) and any injury to your 36 year old center who has too many miles on his legs leaves you in a vulnerable position.........can it be safe to say that management AGAIN rolled the dice only to come up SNAKE EYES?

Could it mean that management never thought the team would advance far in the playoffs ....so they decided to acquire an asset (Crawford) for the future and leave the center position vulnerable?

And what about the MacMullan article - MacMullan: C's were close with Martin? This raises new questions and concerns about management and basketball operations.

The Martin deal was a no brainer and yet they did not sign him. Red would have been all over Martin if he was GM. Could we have a conflict or a change of directions/philosophy by management in how to retool the Celtics? Could management's current direction in retooling the team be an indication that management is looking to sell the team? They have a valuation of over $750 million ......they have been in it a long time.......is the fun over with and now time to cash out?

Just an observation on my part....but something does not add up!

112288

Here's an article from the NY Post about the Knicks, the Celtics, the state of the rivalry and how the Knicks feel about the Celtics.


http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/knicks/boston_brewin_57r0fILJeT2xPu7xCJLJFI



Knicks and their fans want no part of Celts in playoffs
By MIKE VACCARO
Last Updated: 2:51 AM, March 26, 2013
Posted: 12:47 AM, March 26, 2013


BOSTON — We all have been in relationships like this, right? When times are good — man, are they ever good. The laughs flow, the good times roll ... it’s not unlike that relentless, ubiquitous Bud Light commercial you’ve seen since the start of the NCAA tournament, a first date you know is speeding toward a second.

But when times are bad ... well, it can make you feel worse than those Allstate ads starring the guy from “Oz”: beaten up, bloodied, broken down.

The Knicks and their fiercest devotees have had that relationship for most of the season’s first 4 1/2 months. When the Knicks are playing well — and forget for a moment the quality of their opponents the last four games, they have played as well as they have in weeks — it doesn’t take a lot to unleash the fans’ optimism, their swagger, even their imagination.


And that’s funny.

Because when the Knicks are playing lousy — such as the four games immediately preceding the last four, and for troublingly long stretches of the New Year — you tend to have a lot of people who wonder if the Knicks ever are going to win another game. They are that kind of team, easy to fall in love with, easier to fall out of love with, inspiring the kinds of mood swings that remind you of ... well, love. And hate. And the slim boundary separating the two.

Which brings us to tonight, to this week, to a fresh chapter of this unfailingly interesting season. The Knicks play the Celtics tonight, and they meet again Sunday at Madison Square Garden, and both teams are missing substantial pieces: no Rajon Rondo, no Kevin Garnett, no Amar’e Stoudemire, probably no Tyson Chandler.

Yet, there remains an intrigue attached to the Celtics for a simple reason: There are Knicks fans by the thousands, maybe by the millions, who looked at the standings yesterday morning and saw the following facts: the Knicks resting in second place by percentage points in the Eastern Conference; the Celtics solidly in seventh.

And that’s terrifying. The Celtics aren’t whole, won’t be whole, aren’t what they have been in past years, aren’t what they will be in the next few years. But they wear those jerseys. They have those banners. Even wounded, they lurk in the memories and the stomachs of Knicks fans who have no trouble admitting they would prefer to have no part of the Cs when the playoffs begin.

The Knicks, of course, would never invite similar words to whatever misgivings they might have. But they do know who they are playing this week.

“The way it looks, there’s a possibility we could play [the Celtics] in the first round,” Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. “That’s a team that you can’t take lightly. They’re playoff-driven. They won a title and they know what it’s like to be deep into the playoffs. So we’ll have our hands full if that’s the team that we have to play.”

The home-and-home tonight and Sunday won’t solve much, though two wins could all but eliminate the Celtics as a threat in the Atlantic Division. More to the point, it probably wouldn’t be a terrible thing for the Knicks’ muscle memory — and, yes for their psyche — to beat a team with “CELTICS” on their chests.

After all, it was against Boston that Carmelo Anthony had his public meltdown in January. Now, was that exclusively a product of one taunting Celtic — Garnett? Or were Melo’s nerves already a little frayed because there will always be a little extra on the line when the Celtics are sharing the floor with him?

It’s impossible to say. And impossible not to ponder.

“They’re going to always be a threat,” Woodson said yesterday.

He’s right. Ray Allen is gone. Rondo and Garnett are wearing civvies. The Celtics are reeling, losers of four in a row, and sometimes look as if they might not ever win again. But if there’s a team that knows how schizophrenic a season can be ... well, the Knicks know all about that. They want us to believe they have turned a corner. Dismissing the Celtics — and the attendant goblins that accompany them — would provide a splendid bit of testimony.



bob


.

112288 wrote:Bob H. made a point about being small at center which leads me to a question.

Why trade Collins when we were razor thin at that position? I get the idea that we got an asset (Crawford) back, but given the fact that you are razor thin at a key position (center) and any injury to your 36 year old center who has too many miles on his legs leaves you in a vulnerable position.........can it be safe to say that management AGAIN rolled the dice only to come up SNAKE EYES?

Could it mean that management never thought the team would advance far in the playoffs ....so they decided to acquire an asset (Crawford) for the future and leave the center position vulnerable?

And what about the MacMullan article - MacMullan: C's were close with Martin? This raises new questions and concerns about management and basketball operations.

The Martin deal was a no brainer and yet they did not sign him. Red would have been all over Martin if he was GM. Could we have a conflict or a change of directions/philosophy by management in how to retool the Celtics? Could management's current direction in retooling the team be an indication that management is looking to sell the team? They have a valuation of over $750 million ......they have been in it a long time.......is the fun over with and now time to cash out?

Just an observation on my part....but something does not add up!

112288

Danny doesn't do tats

The Knicks havent won a meaningful game in almost 15 years. They are built around the model of hero ball - with Carmelo and JR Smith taking 20+ shots a game, and the team living and dying with them getting hot and making 3 pointers.

They can not and will not do that over the long haul and Miami, Indiana, Chicago, Brooklyn and a health Boston team are all built to beat the Knicks in a series.

They will continue to be good enough to get the fans in NY excited - but NOT good enough to go anywhere. And that frustration couldnt happen to a bigger bunch of assholes.

Mrkleen

Right on point! NYK proved nothing last night...and will prove nothing against a injury free Celtic Team......or any good team in general!

112288