THE LOWDOWN:
The Knicks (8-14) look to make it two in a row tonight, facing off against the equally terrible Boston Celtics(6-13). Jared Jeffries will make his NY regular season debut tonight after missing the first part of the season being injured. Steve Francis will be out for this game, and his futures status is still unknown. Channing Frye is also on the bench, of course.
The two coaches on possibly the hottest seats in all of the NBA, Doc Rivers of Boston and Isiah Thomas of NY, face off tonight it what could be another chapter in their final stretch as coach. Isiah's job is probably still safe for now, thanks to Eddy Curry (more later). Rivers, however, is hoping that a trade for Allen Iverson goes through to save his job.
The last time the two teams faced off, the Knicks lost 122-118 and Paul Pierce dropped 39 on them. Don't be surprised if this trend continues tonight, as Marbury and Crawford will most likely continue their poor defense against opposing guards. Hopefully Isiah decides to put Q-Rich on Pierce, which would even the score somewhat.
Another intriguing matchup to watch is always the two cousins, the Coney Island boys, facing off in the same arena in which they used to play the city championships in: Stephon Marbury vs. Sebastian Telfair. They haven't been on the best of terms in recent years, which should make for a good confrontation.
THINGS TO WATCH FOR:
- Eddy Curry is coming off a career high 36 points at the hands of the Bucks Saturday night. When the Knicks give him the ball in the low post, he has been unstoppable as of late. In my opinion, he deserves all star consideration.
- How will David Lee handle Al Jefferson on the defensive end? The Knicks didn't get a look at him the last time the two teams met, so it should be interesting this time around.
- It doesn't get any bigger than this. The next two weeks will make or break the Knicks' season. This home stretch has went so-so, but the team could make it 3 of their last 4 tonight with a win. With Atlanta coming up on Wednesday, the Knicks could be 10-14 by Thursday morning, possessing (believe it or not) FIRST PLACE in the Atlantic Division.
KEY MATCHUP:
PG Stephon Marbury vs. PG Sebastian Telfair:
This may not be the matchup that decides the game, but it is the one the Garden fans care the most about. Starbury needs to distribute the ball well tonight to get a win. Lots of feeds to Curry and some alley-oops should do it. Hopefully Crawford can move without the ball and open up some opportunities for Steph to dish it to. Also, Telfair loves coming back to the Garden, so this should be a good one.
PREDICTION:
I truly believe the Knicks will win this one, as long as Curry gets his touches. After the last game though, it should be clear to this team that he is the key to a W in the column.
Knicks 113, Celtics 101
Look for another game with no defense from either team.
The Knicks (8-14) look to make it two in a row tonight, facing off against the equally terrible Boston Celtics(6-13). Jared Jeffries will make his NY regular season debut tonight after missing the first part of the season being injured. Steve Francis will be out for this game, and his futures status is still unknown. Channing Frye is also on the bench, of course.
The two coaches on possibly the hottest seats in all of the NBA, Doc Rivers of Boston and Isiah Thomas of NY, face off tonight it what could be another chapter in their final stretch as coach. Isiah's job is probably still safe for now, thanks to Eddy Curry (more later). Rivers, however, is hoping that a trade for Allen Iverson goes through to save his job.
The last time the two teams faced off, the Knicks lost 122-118 and Paul Pierce dropped 39 on them. Don't be surprised if this trend continues tonight, as Marbury and Crawford will most likely continue their poor defense against opposing guards. Hopefully Isiah decides to put Q-Rich on Pierce, which would even the score somewhat.
Another intriguing matchup to watch is always the two cousins, the Coney Island boys, facing off in the same arena in which they used to play the city championships in: Stephon Marbury vs. Sebastian Telfair. They haven't been on the best of terms in recent years, which should make for a good confrontation.
THINGS TO WATCH FOR:
- Eddy Curry is coming off a career high 36 points at the hands of the Bucks Saturday night. When the Knicks give him the ball in the low post, he has been unstoppable as of late. In my opinion, he deserves all star consideration.
- How will David Lee handle Al Jefferson on the defensive end? The Knicks didn't get a look at him the last time the two teams met, so it should be interesting this time around.
- It doesn't get any bigger than this. The next two weeks will make or break the Knicks' season. This home stretch has went so-so, but the team could make it 3 of their last 4 tonight with a win. With Atlanta coming up on Wednesday, the Knicks could be 10-14 by Thursday morning, possessing (believe it or not) FIRST PLACE in the Atlantic Division.
KEY MATCHUP:
PG Stephon Marbury vs. PG Sebastian Telfair:
This may not be the matchup that decides the game, but it is the one the Garden fans care the most about. Starbury needs to distribute the ball well tonight to get a win. Lots of feeds to Curry and some alley-oops should do it. Hopefully Crawford can move without the ball and open up some opportunities for Steph to dish it to. Also, Telfair loves coming back to the Garden, so this should be a good one.
PREDICTION:
I truly believe the Knicks will win this one, as long as Curry gets his touches. After the last game though, it should be clear to this team that he is the key to a W in the column.
Knicks 113, Celtics 101
Look for another game with no defense from either team.
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