The New York Knicks and Boston Celtics faceoff on Friday night in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference playoffs matchup and as the series moved back to TD Garden the city of Boston is ready to welcome back the Celtics for the first time since the marathon attacks two weeks ago.
The Celtics are trying to keep themselves alive in the series to avoid going down 3-0 as the Knicks have been playing dominant basketball as they look to win their first series in years. TD Garden will be emotional on Friday and Paul Pierce and company will be looking to play their best in front of the home crowd and they likely will play better as they won 13 more games this season while playing at their home arena.
Carmelo Anthony is averaging 35 points and Kevin Garnett will try to keep him off his game as the Celtics look for their first postseason victory this year. NBA Commissioner David Stern said he will be at the game despite hitting doc Rivers with a $25K fine after he criticized officials following the 87-71 loss in Game 2. The Knicks have momentum in the series and are looking to advance to the eastern conference finals for the first time in years if they can close out Boston and win the next series.
The Knicks ranked 11th in the NBA in scoring during the season and will need that again on Friday when they play the Celtics. The team had a top 10 defense allowing 85 points per game and they have been continuing that strong play against the Celtics through two games despite dealing with injuries. The team ranked 26th in rebounding and 30th in assists, but that did not stop them from winning over 50 games for the first time in years.
The Celtics ranked 18th in scoring and 12th in defense and the team will need to shoot much more consistently against the Knicks on Friday after losing the first two games. The team ranked 12th in assists and 29th in rebounding and they will need to use both Friday to beat the Knicks as they try to avoid being swept out of the playoffs.
