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New York Knicks (6-15) at Boston Celtics (10-14)
Friday, December 13, 2013
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #25, Home Game #12
TV: CSN-NE, MSG, NBA-LP 758(DTV), 755(xfinity)
Radio: WBZ 98.5, ESPN NY 98.7
TD Garden
Referees: Mike Callahan, Eric Dalen, Josh Tiven
Game Thread l Chat
The Knicks will look for revenge, after being embarrassed at home by the Celtics in their last meeting, when the teams meet in Boston on Friday night. The Knicks will also be looking for just their 2nd two game win streak this season.
The Celtics have lost their last two games after blowing out the Knicks by 41 and will be looking to get back on track in this game. The Knicks are 3-7 in their last 10 games and 3-7 on the road while the Celtics are 6-4 in their last 10 games and 5-6 at home.
The Knicks will more than likely have Kenyon Martin back for this game but will be without their starting point guard, Raymond Felton. In addition, Iman Shumpert is listed as day to day after bumping knees in Wednesday's game vs the Bulls.
Kelly Olynyk may return in this game after missing the past 10 games with a sprained ankle and is listed as a game time decision. Kris Humphries is also listed as questionable after injuring his knee in Wednesday's game vs the Clippers.
Probable Starters
PG:Jordan Crawford..................................... SG:Avery Bradley
C: Jared Sullinger
SF:Jeff Green ........................................... PF:Brandon Bass
Celtics Reserves
MarShon Brooks
Kris Humphries
Vitor Faverani
Phil Pressey
Gerald Wallace
Keith Bogans
Courtney Lee
Injuries
Rajon Rondo (ACL)out
Kris Humphries (knee) questionable
Kelly Olynyk (ankle) day to day
Probable Starters
PG:Iman Shumpert.......................................... SG:Pablo Prigioni
Andrea Bargnani
SF:Carmelo Anthony .................................. PF:Kenyon Martin
Knicks Reserves
Chris Smith
Amar'e Stoudemire
Tim Hardaway,Jr
JR Smith
Pablo Prigioni
Beno Udrih
Toure' Murry
Cole Aldrich
Metta World Peace
Injuries
Tyson Chandler (fibula) out
Raymond Felton (hamstring) questionable
Iman Shumpert (knee) day to day
Key Matchups
vs
Jeff Green vs Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo is averaging 25.6 points and 9.9 rebounds per game and is a tough cover for any player. He is coming off of a 30 point night against the Bulls. Jeff Green needs to make Carmelo work on the defensive end and he needs to stay with Melo on defense and make him work for every shot. Granted he won't be able to get under Melo's skin like KG used to, but he can defend and make him work.
vs
Jared Sullinger vs Andrea Bargnani
Bargnani is averaging 15.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game and needs to be defended all the way out to the 3 point line. Bargnani has a height advantage over Sully, but Sully has a strength advantage. Sully did a good job defending him in their first meeting and hopefully will do so again.
Keys to the Game
Defense - The Celtics need to especially defend the 3 point line as the Knicks have good 3 point shooters and can get hot from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to make sure they don't give up open looks from the outside. The Celtics allow 5.4 made 3-pointers per game, fewest in the NBA, and they need to continue to guard the perimeter well in this game.
Rebound - The Celtics need to rebound as a team in order to keep the Knicks from getting second chance points. Much of rebounding is effort and desire and when the Celtics show both on the boards, it usually transfers the rest of their game.
Run! - The Celtics need to run at every opportunity. They have young legs and energy on their side and they need to use it to their advantage. If they can beat the defense down the court, they will get some easy shots.
Take the Ball Inside - The Celtics need to try to get the ball inside and not settle for outside shots all game, especially if their shots aren't falling. Taking the ball into the paint will usually either give them an easy shot or draw a foul or an open man on the perimeter.
Don't Over Dribble - The Celtics are at their best when they are moving the ball and not just dribbling out the clock. They need to share the ball and move it without a lot of dribbling. Keep the ball moving.
Start Fast, Finish Strong - Te Celtics need to get off to another fast start as they did in the first win against the Knicks. It's too hard to dig their way back if they get down early. They also need to play hard for 48 minutes and finish strong. They can't let up because the Knicks will be looking for blood in this one and the Celtics will need to keep their focus for all 48 minutes.
X-Factors
Revenge Factor
The Knicks will be looking to avenge that 41 point loss to the Celtics from Sunday. The Celtics need to be ready for that and stay focused. If they come in thinking that they will have an easy win without playing hard, they will end up on the losing end.
Official Report
Mike Callahan
A veteran of 23 NBA seasons, Mike Callahan has officiated 1,365 regular season, 130 Playoff and 14 NBA Finals games. He was a member of the crews that officiated the 2007 NBA All-Star Game, 1994 Mexico Challenge and the 1996 Schick Rookie Game. Prior to joining the NBA, Callahan spent three years officiating in the CBA, including the 1989
and 1990 CBA Finals. A member of the Cardinal O’Hara High School basketball team for four years, Callahan also coached the freshman basketball team after graduating.
Callahan has run a clinic for referees called "Hoops4Heros" that benefits local fire departments, and he maintains strong ties to the Philadelphia community through his volunteer work with the Don Guanella School for developmentally disabled boys.
Callahan is one of 4 refs to come out of Cardinal O'Hara High School in Pennsylvania. The other 3 are Joey Crawford, Ed Malloy and Tim Donaghy. Callahan was one of the referees mentioned in an incident in Tim Donaghy's book. He and other refs would regularly wager with their fellow refs over things like who would call the first foul, who could give out the first tech, etc. Makes you wonder what game they might be playing tonight.
The Celtics 3-7 over their last 10 games with Callahan officiating. In a win over the Jazz last season, Callahan's officiating inspired a classic rant by Tommy about an especially bad traveling call he made on Jeff Green. Against Denver last season, the Celtics shot 16 free throws to 36 for the Nuggets and the officiating was terrible. In other games last season, the officiating was ok. The Celtics are 0-3 this season including a loss to the Nets in the preseason, a loss to the Charlotte Bobcats, and a loss at Houston. In all 3 games, the officiating wasn't a factor. As with most refs, Callahan can be good or he can be very, very bad and so far this season he has been pretty good. The Knicks are 5-5 over their last 10 with Callahan on the court. He usually lets the teams play and isn't a tyrant with the whistle but still makes some head scratching calls from time to time. His home W/L record this season is 13-5.
Eric Dalen
Eric Dalen officiated 278 regular season games in his first five NBA seasons. Prior to the NBA, Dalen worked for five seasons in the NBA Development League and officiated the 2008 D-League All Star Game and the Finals. He also officiated for three years in the Southeastern Conference. Dalen was a two-year letter winner at the University of Minnesota where he played tight end for the football team. I couldn't find much on the guy other than an article where Andrew Bynum was complaining about Dalen calling all 6 fouls on him in a game in 2008.
The Celtics are 7-3 in their last 10 games with Dalen. He called 4 games for the Celtics 2 seasons ago. The first 3 were well officiated. But in the fourth, a loss to Chicago, the Bulls shot 28 free throws to 14 for the Celtics and the officiating was terrible. The Bulls shot 9 free throws before the Celtics shot 1 in spite of a lot of contact and no calls on behalf of the Bulls. Last season he called the OT loss to the Hawks where Atlanta took 36 free throws to 20 for the Celtics and the officiating was pretty much in their favor all game. He also called a loss to the Blazers, a win over the Jazz and a win over the Bobcats where the officiating was even in all 3. This is his first game this season. The Knicks are 6-4 in their last 10 games with Dalen officiating. His home W/L record this season is 9-4.
Josh Tiven
Joshua Tiven is entering his fourth NBA season having officiated 167 NBA games. Tiven has seven years of NCAA officiating experience, as well as two years of WNBA officiating experience and two seasons of WNBA Playoff experience. He also has worked three NBA D-League Finals, as well as the 2007-08 NBA D-League All-Star Game.
The Celtics are 1-1 this season, with the win over the Nets in the preseason and a loss to the Grizzlies. They are 6-4 over their last 10 games with Tiven. One loss last season was New York in OT in the preseason in which the Knicks shot 38 free throws to 33 for the Celtics. The second loss was also to the Knicks where the Knicks shot 18 free throws to 22 for the Celtics. One win was the Orlando game, also an OT game. The other wins were against the Sixers and the Suns. All of the games were fairly well officiated.
The Knicks are 5-5 over their last 10 games with Tiven on the court. Tiven lives in Connecticut and he has a twin brother who is a big Celtics fan and who was shown in the crowd at the Garden in a game he officiated there. His home W/L record this season is 11-7.