Preview: Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks

A new chapter in an old rivalry will begin on Monday when the Boston Celtics host the New York Knicks in game one of that best-of-seven Eastern Conference semi-final series from TD Garden.

The reigning NBA champions took care of the Orlando Magic in the opening round, winning that series four games to one, while the Knicks managed to fend off a resilient Detroit Pistons team, advancing in six outings.

Match preview

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In round one, facing a physical Orlando team, the Celtics showed they were up to the challenge, with a field goal percentage of just below 50% (46.9).

They were able to use the Magic’s aggressive defence against them by posting up countless times when in possession and going to line a lot, earning 29 free throws per 100 field goal attempts in the series.

Joe Mazzulla‘s group were also stifling defensively, giving up fewer points than any team per game in the opening round (93.6).

Boston have won their last eight playoff games at TD Garden, outscoring the Magic in seven of the eight quarters played on their home court.

Their points differential of +12.8 is the third highest in the NBA playoffs so far, with Boston conceding 100 points or fewer in all of their opening round games this year.

During the regular season, the Celtics went 4-0 against the Knicks, mainly due to their outside shooting, making 39 more three-pointers than New York, the fourth-biggest differential in an NBA regular season series since the three-point line came into play.

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It took a team effort and some strong starts for the Knicks to fend off a pesky Pistons team that rallied in nearly every game, but to their credit, New York got the job done.

They are in the second round for a third consecutive campaign and seeking to make it to the Eastern Conference Final for the first time since 2000.

Tom Thibodeau‘s crew have lost their last six second-round playoff games away from home, including three against the Indiana Pacers last season, when they were eliminated in seven games.

New York’s size played a big factor against the Pistons, as they had the fifth-most blocks (5.7) in the opening round of the post-season.

Despite the Celtics recent dominance against them, New York overall did a decent job at defending the three-point shot, allowing the sixth-lowest opponent three-point rate in the regular season (40.7%).

Although it has been a while, the Knicks won their last visit to TD Garden, defeating the Celtics in game six of their 2013 opening-round series to advance into round two.

Boston Celtics NBA Playoffs form:

New York Knicks NBA Playoffs form:

Team News

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In their game five victory over Orlando, Boston were once again without Jrue Holliday who is dealing with a right hamstring strain, while Jaylen Brown played 32 minutes despite a sore right knee.

Jayson Tatum had 35 points in that fixture, posting a double-double with 10 assists, Brown added 23, while Al Horford went four of five from the floor, making his only three-point attempt of the game.

Despite missing time in game five of their series against Detroit with injuries, Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart played significant minutes for the Knicks in game six, with the former scoring a game-high 40 points including the winning shot in the fourth quarter and the latter adding 13.

We say: Celtics to win by 10+ points

As great as they are from beyond the arc, the Celtics showed in the previous round that they can adjust and win in many ways and do not need to rely solely on their outside shooting to prevail.

After such a hard-fought opening-round series against the Pistons, the Knicks’ energy level may be slightly down for game one.

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