Semifinals Matchup Set: Knicks vs Celtics

[LethalRangee]

Robinson needs to get in the gym and put up 1000 fts a day because this hack-a-Mitch thing can't become a thing. Career 37% playoff ft rate is beyond abysmal...

[Capn'O]

When the underdog is hungry the favorite might fall. Behold, well produced 80s shlock.

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For now, I'm keeping my hopes separate from my expectations. If we can keep games close, our clutch play is second to none. Let's Go Knicks!!!

[sol537]

Only way we can win:

-> Jrue Holiday remains hobbled by hammy and is in/out of the rotation and then one of Brown or Tatum is hobbled with some nagging injury that puts them at 75% or lower performance

-> We up the physicality like Detroit/Orlando did these playoffs and hope that the Refs swallow their whistles

-> Mikal/OG/Hart continue to play top tier defense

-> KAT goes into best mode 20/10+ every game at high efficiency

-> Brunson continues to be a killer closer and Tatum falters some games

Boston is heavily favored for a reason. We'd need a lot of things to break our way to prevail. I'm expecting BOS in 5/6 but I would welcome a NYK surprise series win =)

[NY2k1]

Eh, I'm not going to delude myself into thinking the Knicks have a chance of beating the Celtics. C's in 5 or MAYBE 6

[spree8]

Fuq it, I’m getting blue (n orange) pilled n drinking the Kool-Aid






Knicks in 6

[ctorres]

If we steal game 1 and then each team wins on their home floor from game 2 onward, we could take it in 6.

Also, ISO ball may be the way to beat the Celtics. It's how the CP3/Harden Rockets felt they had to play to beat the Warriors, even though they knew fans and critics hated the ISO offense.

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[nedleeds]

Only way we can win:

Boston team bus:

[NoDopeOnSundays]

Call it wishful thinking but I wouldn’t be surprised if Thibs preparation focus going into the playoffs was predominantly on Boston …I can defintely see him neglecting Detroit…celts in 6

We just got a preview of what to expect on offense, we struggled to score against the Pistons because they went with Duren on Hart and Harris on KAT. This series will be KP on Hart, Jrue, Tatum or Brown on KAT. They could also go double bigs with Horford/KP, because both of their bigs attempt more threes per game than KAT.



Celtics are going to take 40-45 threes per game because of how we sink to protect the paint, and we're going to take maybe 30. It's going to get dark early like it's December.

[The Vo Show]

Let's talk strategy. I'm not with the doomerism, we are here and we need to fight and win.

We're not stopping Tatum when he goes on a heater. I'm not even deluding myself. I know the conventional idea is to send help and let others beat you but I think against a team like this that's a horrible idea.

We have to take away their primary weapon, the three ball.

My question to everyone is: How do we do that?

I agree that stopping Tatum and forcing the others to beat you isn't the play here when the others are White/Brown/Holiday/Porzingis since they will probably beat you. So stopping the 3 is paramount and I think you do that by giving up the paint. Its like the one thing that Thibs will not do. He lives and dies with the notion that a good defense is built around stopping layups, which isn't crazy by any means but just not as effective as it was in the past.

According to the NBA advance stats, they shoot way worse on the left corner. I think the defensive strategy should be to take away right corner 3s first and foremost and by extension, also take away right wing 3s (i don't have access to second spectrum but I suspect this is especially true for White).

After that, I'd try to turn them into a 1v1 iso ball team like we play. If we can take away their swing swing open 3 and basically say go ahead and play OG v Tatum on every possession, don't help and stay home on shooters, we will have a good chance of winning.

[dakomish23]

We almost lost Game 4 & 6 b/c we decided to stop running an offense and went hero ball way too early. If it wasn’t for DET inexperience with closing out playoff games & some insane / lucky shot making by us, we’re facing Game 7 or even a series loss.

Do not expect these things to just happen again against BOS.

If we follow the game 3 template, I think we can push this to 7. We have the talent to go to war with BOS. We just don’t maximize it.

Also Deuce absolutely has to provide some type of counter to Pritchard. He was not great in the DET series.

[R-DAWG]

I'm expecting us to put up a solid fight in game 1 but ultimately lose
Game 2 Boston wins going away
Knicks pull out a close game 3
Boston takes games 4 and 5 - one is close and one is a blowout

End result - Knicks lose in 5, but the series is interesting through the end of game 4.

[Luv those Knicks]

I didn't like voting Celtics in 5, but it's what I expect. I'd LOVE TO BE VERY WRONG.

[snadler]

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Get up this morning with Hahn and Jay Williams, they had a great breakdown of the game winning 3 by Brunson, however the breakdown was not just the shot BUT the amazing drawn up play by Thibs to allow Brunson the floor spacing to get that good of a look to begin with, if you have twitter and follow Hahn you can check it out, especially for those of you who keep harping on over and over again how thibs never draws up

[KnicksGadfly]

Call it wishful thinking but I wouldn’t be surprised if Thibs preparation focus going into the playoffs was predominantly on Boston …I can defintely see him neglecting Detroit…celts in 6

You don’t know Thibs at all. The man does not have any ability to think in the medium or long term.

[The KnicksFix]

People sleeping on the Knicks.
The last regular season game we played against Boston we took them to overtime. That was only the 6th time the team was healthy and all players played. The Knicks are closer than a lot of people think.

[The KnicksFix]

The last regular season game where the Celtics played us at MSG, was the closest we played them all year because the entire team was healthy.
We were up 3 with 11 seconds
And then Tatum tied it
Hart took the last shot and missed in regulation

For the majority of the game, we didn’t have OG on Tatum. It was Mikal who guarded him. If you have OG on Tatum the dynamic of this series is a lot closer than everyone thinks.

[The KnicksFix]

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Get up this morning with Hahn and Jay Williams, they had a great breakdown of the game winning 3 by Brunson, however the breakdown was not just the shot BUT the amazing drawn up play by Thibs to allow Brunson the floor spacing to get that good of a look to begin with, if you have twitter and follow Hahn you can check it out, especially for those of you who keep harping on over and over again how thibs never draws up

Bro. That’s not a crazy hard play to draw up. That’s iso at the top of the key three point extended and set a flare screen with a player to overload one side. It’s the same play that every great one on one player uses at the end of the game. Look at MJ In the 98 finals. Look at Kobe with the shot over the heat or the playoff series against Phoenix. Come on now, and don’t get it twisted, the play was set for Mikal to set the screen, but once the flare screen is set, JB sees Thompson is leaning on one foot (overloads the back foot) and knows he has him off balance to start the play, hence the snatch back.
This ain’t thibs man, it’s having one of the best one on one players ever in our squad.

[kNicksGmen]

I think knicks will surprise and actually compete. they might end up losing games by 10+ but it will be within 5 late in a few of the games at least.

still might not win a game or only win 1 but the actual games will be competitive - other than maybe 1 blowout loss.

could be wrong and they lose every game by 20 who knows but i have a feeling the celtics will be cold from 3 and we stay in games as a result.

[dakomish23]

25 min mark. They go over the clear overdependence we have on ISO Brunson

https://youtu.be/

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[Im Coming Home]

Let's talk strategy. I'm not with the doomerism, we are here and we need to fight and win.

We're not stopping Tatum when he goes on a heater. I'm not even deluding myself. I know the conventional idea is to send help and let others beat you but I think against a team like this that's a horrible idea.

We have to take away their primary weapon, the three ball.

My question to everyone is: How do we do that?

By not having Tom "My defense always collapsed to prevent paint scoring leading to open 3s" Thibodeau as our head coach.