Thursday, April 18, 2013

Celtics vs Knicks Playoff Preview

The Celtic's first stop in the playoffs is New York; and not Brooklyn. The Knicks are a very good team that have had decent success against the Celtics this regular season. Most notably, the game between the two before the All-Star break in which Kevin Garnett and Carmelo Anthony exchanged shoves and some harsh words. The series promises to be extremely entertaining with all of the storylines included. 

Using my "Danny Emerman NBA Playoff Theory", I will predict the winner of the series. Refer to one of my previous posts for my complete theory....

Boston Celtics Lineup:

PG: Avery Bradley

SG: Paul Pierce

SF: Jeff Green

PF: Brandon Bass

C: Kevin Garnett

6TH MAN: Courtney Lee/Jason Terry/Chris Wilcox

New York Knicks Lineup:

PG: Raymond Felton

SG: Pablo Prigioni

SF: Iman Shumpert

PF: Carmelo Anthony

C: Tyson Chandler

6TH MAN: J.R. Smith

Matchups:

PG: Avery Bradley vs Ray Felton

Ray Felton is a very good offensive player on some nights, but on other nights, he just looks lost on the floor. Even when he's playing well, the Knicks don't ask him to do much. His responsibility as Point Guard is to almost always throw it to Melo on the wing and watch. Bradley on the other hand, will hound is matchup 94 feet for 40 minutes a game every game. What comes on offense is just bonus. Advantage: Avery Bradley

SG: Paul Pierce vs Pablo Prigioni

THE TRUTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 'Nuff said. Advantage: Paul Pierce

SF: Jeff Green vs Iman Shumpert

This is ultimately a huge matchup for the series because you don't really know what you're going to get with either of these players on a nightly basis. I believe that Jeff Green will have a few really good nights and a few very mediocre games. Those few games in which nobody can stop him will be a difference maker in the series. Advantage: Jeff Green

PF: Carmelo Anthony vs Brandon Bass

This one is not even remotely close. Advantage: Melo

C: Tyson Chandler vs Kevin Garnett

This is the single most important matchup in the series. Kevin Garnett will be jawing and battling with Melo for so much of the game, he might not have enough energy to deal with the beast of Tyson Chandler. The winner of this matchup is truly whoever is more healthy. We all know that Garnett has two times as much heart and desire than Chandler, but I don't know how much that actually plays into things. The biggest numbers when comparing the two players are 36 and 30. Garnett is 36 years old and Chandler is 30. That is huge in a grueling series that will probably go 7 games. In my opinion, these two players are so similar, it's almost impossible to pick one. As much as I hate to say it, I honestly hope that I'm wrong, Tyson Chandler will be better than KG in this series because Garnett's body is wearing down and Chandler is a better rebounder. I'm completely torn in half is I type these sentences. Advantage: Tyson Chandler

6TH MAN: J.R. Smith vs Jason Terry and Co.

J.R Smith will most likely win the 6th man of the year award and the Celtics don't have a 6th man. Advantage: J.R. Smith

SUPER TEAM:

PG: Avery Bradley

SG: Paul Pierce

SF: Jeff Green

PF: Carmelo Anthony

C: Tyson Chandler

6TH MAN: J.R Smith

 

Analysis:

That's right.... three Celtics players and three Knicks players. Judging by my theory, the Knicks will win this series because they have the best overall player in Carmelo Anthony. But, I'm almost positive that this series will go 7 games and the Celtics will make their runs and really challenge the overall superior team. I think the mental stage of Carmelo Anthony is huge in the series and can either win or lose the series for New York.

FINAL RESULT:

KNICKS WIN IN 7 GAMES

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