In a must-win game at home in Game 5, the Celtics beat the Knicks 127-102 to extend the series. They are still down 3-2 and without superstar Jayson Tatum, who recently underwent surgery to repair his ruptured Achilles.
Game 6 is at the hoops Mecca, Madison Square Garden, in the Big Apple. The Knicks are a 2.5-point favorite with a total of 209.5.
In Boston’s Game 5 win, the Celtics covered the spread as a 5.5-point favorite, with the total going over. Game 6 is the only game in the series in which the Celtics have not been the favorite. After losing the first two games at the TD Garden, they won at home in the last game.
The Celtics Kill it on Defense
In the Game 5 win, the Celtics killed it on D, holding the Knicks to 35.8% shooting and outscoring them by 25 points in the second half. Derrick White (16.4 ppg) stepped up big time in the win, leading the way with 34 points, including nailing seven of his 13-3-pointers. Jaylen Brown (22.2 ppg) went for 24 points, and Payton Pritchard (14.3 ppg) came off the bench for 17 points.
For the Celtics to force a Game 7, they must play good defense again. It is a major understatement to say Tatum’s loss is a big one, as he led the team this season in scoring (28.1 ppg) and rebounding (11.5 ppg).
Kristaps Porzingis (19.5 ppg 6.8 rpg) has been battling an illness in this series and could not play in the second half of Game 5. Boston could use his production, as in the series he has only averaged 4.2 ppg and 3.4 rpg.
Simple for the Knicks, Shoot the Pill Better
The Knicks’ task in Game 6 is pretty simple: They have to shoot the ball better and play better 3-point defense. In Game 2, they were ice cold and allowed the Celtics, who rely on the long ball, to nail 12 bombs in the first 24 minutes.
Josh Hart (13.6 ppg) and Jalen Brunson (26 ppg) led the way in the last game, combining for 46 points, but they only combined to shoot 14-32 from the floor. That is 43.7%, which is not bad but not good.
Another big question for the Knicks is which OG Anunoby will show up? He averaged 18 ppg for the season, and to say he has been inconsistent is like saying LeBron James has a pretty decent hoops IQ. Yeah, it’s a major understatement. In Game 1, Anunoby scored 29 points, combined for seven points in the next two games, then went for 20 points before only scoring six in Game 5, going 1-12 from the floor.
All of the pressure is on the Knicks, as the Celtics are not expected to win the series. They went down 3-1 and lost Tatum. Can NY handle that pressure? That’s a big question for a team that has not advanced to the Eastern Conference finals since 2000.
The Prediction
The Knicks lost to the Celtics in all four regular-season games but then shocked them by winning the first two games of this series in Boston. They could have closed out the series in Game 5 on the road but played poorly on both sides of the floor.
The Celtics have been in many big-pressure playoff games in the last few seasons, while the Knicks have not. Still, at home and not facing Tatum, New York will get it done at the Garden, as they will win, cover, and advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since the millennium.