NBA Playoffs 2011: Rajon Rondo Puts Celtics Up 2-0, but Boston Could Lose Game 3
After a relatively poor Game 1 performance, Rajon Rondo came through for the Boston Celtics Tuesday night. Rondo's 30 points were a career best in the postseason, and he also managed to chip in seven assists, four rebounds and two steals.
Not bad. Not at all.
The Knicks were at a disadvantage from the start, losing Amar'e Stoudemire before the end of the first half to back spasms and going the entire game without Chauncey Billups.
In the absence of the two starters, Carmelo Anthony had arguably the best game of his career. His 42 points were a career best in a playoff game, while shooting 14-of-30 from the field, grabbing a whopping 17 rebounds and dishing six dimes.
Game 3 now becomes a must-win situation for the New York Knicks, as the team has now dropped two games that came down to the final possessions. More importantly, they were two games the Knicks were more than capable of stealing from the defending Eastern Conference champs.
Can the Knicks get it done in Game 3 with the home crowd on their side? Is a Billups or Stoudemire return pivotal if the Knicks expect to make a comeback against the Celtics?
Join B/R and myself in looking ahead to the three crucial questions regarding Game 3 of this physical, hard-fought matchup, as the series shifts to the Big Apple.
Can the Knicks Beat the Celtics Without Stoudemire or Billups?
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The New York Knicks' top scoring threat, Carmelo Anthony, had arguably the best game of his career in Tuesday's 96-93 loss to the Boston Celtics.
The stat line spoke for itself. Anthony would finish the game with 42 points on 14-of-30 shooting, while managing to get 17 rebounds in the process. Five of the rebounds were offensive rebounds, making them all the more significant. Anthony did a whole lot of everything for this Knicks team in the Game 2 letdown.
What made this performance all the more impressive—the offense ran through Anthony on nearly every single possession in the game. Despite the countless touches, the player known for his turnovers had just one the entire game. Anthony would score 19 points on isolation plays in Game 2, according to ESPN.com, getting his way against initial perimeter defenders like Jeff Green and Paul Pierce.
Can the Knicks win a game without Billups or Stoudemire? Certainly.
The Knicks were able to prove that in Game 2. Although it took a spectacular performance from Carmelo Anthony, no other Knicks players were giving Anthony much help. Consequently, it doesn't necessarily require that great of a game from Anthony to pull out a win, despite what it looked like last game.
Toney Douglas chipped in 14 points but also shot just over 30 percent and had difficulty mustering any sort of rhythm.
Can the Knicks win the series without Chauncey Billups or Amar'e Stoudemire? If pigs could fly, still probably not.
The ball club has solid players and is more talented than people give it credit for, but the Knicks are not going to take down the Celtics without Billups or Stoudemire. Not to mention the Celtics' 2-0 series lead makes this an even steeper road to climb for the Knicks. They may take a game at home but have no shot at the series without all the Big Three playing.
Can the Celtics' Starting Five Keep Up the Production?
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The Boston Celtics are winners of the first two games of the series, yet both wins have been hard-fought games that came down to final-second go-ahead baskets.
It should also be noted that the Celtics' starting five is the big reason why they are up 2-0.
Aside from Ray Allen's clutch three-pointer for the win in Game 1 or Garnett's bucket inside one minute to play that put the Celtics ahead for good in Game 2, the starting five as a whole has had to work its tail off this series.
In last night's win, the starting five combined for 82 of the team's 96 points. The five would also account for 26 of the 37 rebounds and 18 of the 21 assists for the Celtics as a team. Rondo and Pierce combined for 52 points between the two.
Can the C's sustain the production going from the starting five against the Knicks? More than likely, yes.
Normally, this would be a difficult task for the aging, at times inconsistent Big Three of Boston. In this case, the injured Knicks team and lack of depth to begin with gives the starting five the advantage it needs to continually produce. If Billups and Stoudemire are to return promptly, this may make this task more difficult; regardless, it's still a doable feat for the Celtics' Big Three and the starting five as a whole.
Which Knicks Player Can Lend Melo a Helping Hand?
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On this particular drive to the basket, Jared Jeffries puts the Knicks up 93-92 with 19 seconds remaining in regulation. Unfortunately, they were the last points the Knicks would put up on the scoreboard.
Nobody saw the layup from Jeffries coming, but those might just have to be opportunities that Jeffries needs to take more advantage of.
Jeffries has an all-around positive performance, shooting 5-of-7 from the field in a 10-point performance that featured six rebounds, a steal and two blocks. All of these numbers came in just 26 minutes of play.
Guard Toney Douglas, the replacement for Billups in the Game 2 starting rotation, had a subpar performance, scoring 14 points on just over 30 percent shooting from the field. Douglas would be the likely go-to player for the Knicks after Anthony, but he hasn't seemed to get into the groove offensively.
If Stoudemire returns to action next game and Jeffries takes more chances offensively, the Knicks may have more fluidity offensively. A player already known for his defensive capabilities, Jeffries may be key for the Knicks this series.
Prediction
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It's hard to go against the Celtics in this situation, as a 2-0 cushion and momentum favor the C's going into Game 3 at Madison Square Garden Friday night.
When it's all said and done, if Stoudemire makes his comeback, the Knicks will likely end the lingering drought, earning their first playoff win in 10 years. In two games at Boston the Knicks have taken it to the Celtics despite injuries to two of their three best players.
If Stoudemire and Billups aren't ready to suit up, the Knicks will more than likely find themselves in a 3-0 hole.
Winner: New York Knicks
Spike Lee will likely walk about the sidelines of MSG in pride.
At the end of the day, with an expected Stoudemire comeback and unlikely Billups return, the Knicks should manage to get a win in New York Friday night.
However, if both don't play or are especially limited with minutes, don't be surprised if the Celtics steal the spotlight in New York and take Game 3.
