Knicks vs Celtics Game Analysis
Nothing has been confirmed yet, but it appears that Boston’s superstar, Jayson Tatum, will be out for the rest of the playoffs and possibly next season. The Celtics were well on their way to losing Game 4, with just under three minutes to play, when Tatum collapsed, clutching his right ankle in agony.
The big question for Game 5 is: how will Boston manage without Tatum? The only other time he missed a playoff game was in Game 2 of the previous series against the Orlando Magic, but the team still won 109-100. Can they do the same against the Knicks?
New York Knicks Recent Scores
In this playoff run, the Knicks seem to favor close wins. Except for the first game of the first round, they beat the Pistons 118-116, 93-93, and 116-113. Is it because the teams were so well matched?
We can’t look to the regular season to predict Game 5, as Boston won all four matchups with New York. The Knicks won the first game in OT, 108-105. Game 2 was as close as you can get and still win, 91-90. In each of their wins, the Knicks trailed by double digits. In the first two away games, the gap was as high as 20 points. A team with this much character and grit will be tough to beat in the playoffs. They don’t panic, and they won’t give up.
Boston Celtics Recent Scores
In the first round, Boston confidently took care of the Orlando Magic in five games, winning by a range of 9 to 31 points. Their only loss was a close 95-93 outing. In the second round, their losses have been close, but they won Game 3 on the road by a 22-point margin, 115-93. That game saw the return of the 3-point success they had during the regular season. They went 20 for 40 as opposed to 25 for 100 in their first two losses in Boston.
In Game 4, they led the Knicks by 15 to start the second half, but by the end of the third period, they were down by three points. New York continued to pull away from that point on.
Who Will Show Up? Knicks vs Celtics Prediction
The Knicks haven’t advanced to the conference finals since 2000 and need one more win to reach that milestone. Even though they’re up 3-1 in the series, it’s almost impossible to fathom Boston going down at home in five games. Yes, they did lose the first two games at home, but this one is for all the enchiladas.
The only way I can see them losing is if they falter on the three-pointers again. Then again, Jayson Tatum had a game-high of 42 points before sustaining his injury, and the Celtics still lost.
Most analysts predict a Boston win, but I think the Knicks will mount another comeback and take out the Celtics 112-108. Also, remember to follow us at BossAction to be on top of every NBA news.
