Fact 2: Shaq hurt himself while doing nothing on a basketball court after 5 minutes of action.

I hope they play that fat mother****er in the game. If Sheldon Williams can stifle D. Howard in his prime, he can slow down an almost immobile Shaq. I'm not in the least bit worried about him. They put in Shaq, I go with TD, Billups, Melo, Amare, and Shawne Williams. Lets see his fat ass chase somebody up and down the court. I'd go at Shaq super aggressively with he pick and roll.

Billups
Douglas
Melo
Amare
Jeffries

That way I could have Douglas on Rondo, Billups on Allen, Melo on Pierce, and Jeffries on Garnett. Either that or I play play Shawne Williams and try to run them off the floor if Shaq is there. What the Knicks need to do though is neutralize Rondo's dribble penetration and take him out of the game or make him take jumpers. TD is better equipped for that then fields.

As far as this matchup goes, it's a tough one for the Knicks, but it will certainly answer a lot of questions. I can't wait to see it.

SupremeCommander wrote:Defensively I'd focus on Ray Allen. I think Pierce/Melo is a wash. Same with KG/Garnett. I don't think Billups is better than Rondo, but I'd rather Billups shoot that Rondo, so I'll say that's a wash. Allen vs. Fields/TD is where the team falls short.

Then there is the matter of the Knicks bench versus Boston's. Glen Davis and Jeff Greena re better than any Knicks combination. Jermaine O'Neal had a big night last night too. He should be rested headed into the playoffs.

This is a bad matchup for the Knicks

Yeah the Celtics are a tough team to deal with, but if we had to play them the best approach is to stay on the attack and don't let them keep the game totally in the half court. More than the Heat they want to play slower to preserve their older stars. We can't let them catch their breath. We've got to keep the pressure on them and keep pushing the pace at all times.

Knicks in Six!

SupremeCommander wrote:Defensively I'd focus on Ray Allen. I think Pierce/Melo is a wash. Same with KG/Garnett. I don't think Billups is better than Rondo, but I'd rather Billups shoot that Rondo, so I'll say that's a wash. Allen vs. Fields/TD is where the team falls short.

Then there is the matter of the Knicks bench versus Boston's. Glen Davis and Jeff Greena re better than any Knicks combination. Jermaine O'Neal had a big night last night too. He should be rested headed into the playoffs.

This is a bad matchup for the Knicks

DOn't sell Melo short. Last game Melo was abusing and I mean abusing Paul Pierce. We collapsed in the4th but part of that was Amare didn't play well and Melo caught an elbow to the eye which basically sidelined him. We can beat BOston.

C's have the experience but both teams have big question marks.

rondo will kill us for the first 46 minutes of every game, but he always fades at the end b/c he's afraid to take the last shot. this is where billups excels. i'd give the knicks a slight advantage at PG because of it. lets not forget MR BIG SHOT has a finals MVP and a chip on his resume.

i think douglas will get a LOT of time. he can annoy rondo and pressure the ball, and billups on allen isn't really a mismatch since all allen does is shoot Js. fields will likely see less time.

let's hope STAT is well-rested and ready to go. we have the most clutch player in the league wearing BLUE and ORANGE. if we can get one in boston i like our chances, because the garden is going to be RAUCOUS baby!

nyk4ever wrote:key to this series is winning OUR home games. i think if we can beat them once in boston, we can win this series.

Winning one of the first two in Boston is HUGE.

Playofffs cliche of the day: "The series does not start until one team wins in the road"