Welcome to the Garden …
Welcome to TD Garden, where the Boston Celtics will take on the New York Knicks in Game 2 of a first-round playoff series at 7 p.m. The Celtics lead the best-of-seven series, 1-0.
Listened to some local talk radio today and was struck by how both hosts and callers attempted to break down this series without mentioning the word “defense”. Sure, the Knicks need Carmelo Anthony to create better scoring chances, and sure, the Celtics might not get another 6 for 6 performance from Jermaine O’Neal. But isn’t that missing the point? If the Celtics play championship-level defense, none of that is going to matter. We know New York has firepower, but the Knicks will become a legitimately scary team if they can hold the Celtics under 90 points for another game or two. If the Celtics are the only team putting the clamps on, it could be blowout city.
I’ll save you the suspense and tell you that O’Neal isn’t going 6 for 6 again tonight. Two players who could fill scoring roles off the bench include Jeff Green and Glen Davis, though I have a feeling Davis will save his best for the bright lights of New York. Green, on the other hand, could use a few easy baskets in transition tonight. The Celtics would benefit greatly from getting out on the break so as to avoid a repeat of the offensive ineptitude they displayed in the first half of Game 1.
We’ve got the full Globe team here tonight for this one. Follow along, leave a comment or two, and enjoy the game.
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