What Celtics are expecting from Knicks in second-round playoff matchup
Points were hard to come by in the Celtics first-round playoff series against the Magic who boasted an elite defense but one of the NBA s worst offenses Expect an uptick in scoring in Round The New York Knicks Boston s opponent in the Eastern Conference semifinals aren t nearly as stout defensively as Orlando was th in defensive rating during the regular season but their offense is far more potent fifth-best Obviously their offensive numbers are better Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla explained Friday in a video conference Their ability to change defenses is good They have two guys that can points at all three levels They ve got role guys that can really impact the challenge Their defensive pressure is great and they have the ability to impact the margins in a big way So we have to be able to combat that with our physicality our attention to detail and our execution Those two guys are point guard Jalen Brunson and big man Karl-Anthony Towns premier offensive players who both ranked in the top in the NBA in points per meeting this season Brunson averaged points per tournament in the Knicks opening-round series against Detroit including a -point clinic in Tournament on Thursday that he capped with a series-winning -pointer New York s decision last offseason to swing blockbuster trades for Towns and Mikal Bridges to pair with Brunson Josh Hart and OG Anunoby gave the Knicks one of the league s majority talented starting fives That group managed just one more win than last season s band however and the gulf between - New York and the top tier of championship contenders Boston Oklahoma City and Cleveland remained wide The Knicks went - against the teams with the league s four best records including an - mark against the defending champion Celtics Related Articles Celtics to face Knicks in first postseason matchup since Why new description on Celtics offseason exchange interest shouldn t surprise Celtics biggest question ahead of East semifinals Jrue Holiday s wellness Celtics Jrue Holiday wins NBA Sportsmanship Award in landslide Celtics playoff schedule Dates set for Eastern Conference semifinals Three of those four games weren t close with Boston winning - at TD Garden on opening night - at Madison Square Garden on Feb and - in Boston on Feb Only the finale of the season series a - overtime win at MSG on April was competitive New York s wing defense duo of Bridges and Anunoby struggled to contain Jayson Tatum who scored and points in the four meetings while shooting from the field and from -point range And the Celtics were at full strength for just one of the four games Jaylen Brown was limited by a knee injury in the final matchup sitting out the entire fourth quarter and overtime Kristaps Porzingis missed each of the first two and Jrue Holiday sat out the second Holiday at present is dealing with a hamstring strain that sidelined him for Boston s last three games He s considered day to day per Mazzulla What does that all mean for this postseason series the first between the Celtics and Knicks since and their first in the second round or later since This is the playoffs so everything we did in the regular season doesn t really mean a whole lot now Celtics guard Derrick White declared It s not like we get to start up - or anything like that So we just understand it s the playoffs they re here for a reason they re a really good unit and it s going to be a big challenge The Knicks don t play the same bruising style as the Magic a relief for the Celtics after multiple players suffered injuries on hard Orlando fouls but Mazzulla still is anticipating a physical series The final five games of Knicks-Pistons all were decided by six points or fewer and Detroit scored above its season average just once in the series Obviously they have a great coach Mazzulla mentioned of Knicks counterpart Tom Thibodeau Great depth great group You ve seen what they ve been able to do over the module of the season and in the playoffs thus far with their two guys but also the way that the others are able to impact the meeting It ll be a physical series It ll come down to the margins You have to be able to defend without fouling rebound take care of the ball execute and be able to get to different stuff defensively because of their ability to put pressure on the rim and get great shots Battle is Monday at TD Garden
