2011 NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs
First Round – Game 2
New York Knicks at Boston Celtics, TD Garden, Boston, MA
Tuesday, April 19, 2011, 7:00 pm Eastern, TV: TNT
Opening Line: Celtics -6.5
Current Line: Celtics -7
Opening Total: 193
Current Total: 193
Money Line: Celtics -330 / Knicks +270
The New York Knicks (42-41) nearly beat the Boston Celtics (57-26) in Game 1 on Sunday but saw Ray Allen hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 12 seconds remaining for an 87-85 victory. Now the Knicks will likely face the Celtics (-7) in Game 2 without starting point guard Chauncey Billups due to a leg injury he suffered with less than a minute remaining.
Missing games is nothing new for Billups, who sat out six with a thigh bruise between March 2-10 after arriving in a blockbuster trade from Denver along with Carmelo Anthony. New York split those games with Toney Douglas running the point, as he averaged 16.8 points and 6.8 assists per game. The Knicks will be missing the veteran leadership of Billups on the floor, but Douglas has proven he is more than capable of filling in. He just has to continue to do it in the playoffs.
After all, it was Douglas who hit the previous big 3-pointer with 38 seconds left that gave New York an 85-82 lead. But a basket by Kevin Garnett on an alley-oop pass followed by a controversial offensive foul on Anthony gave Allen the opportunity to be the hero in the end. Garnett had tripped Douglas on the play that set Allen free, adding to the drama.
The Celtics may have been a bit lucky to escape with a win in Game 1. However, head coach Doc Rivers knows that his team should not underestimate Douglas’ ability if Billups does not play.
“If you take someone lightly in the playoffs, then shame on you,” Rivers said. “Douglas has had a terrific year. (The Knicks) went on a winning streak when Douglas was playing and Chauncey was out. But I don’t think that’ll affect the way we approach the game. We just have to worry about us.”
The Knicks will need to do a better job of securing a lead if they hope to head home to Madison Square Garden with a split in the first two games. For the second time in three games against Boston, they held a double-digit lead at halftime only to come unraveled in the second half.
Anthony in particular struggled after scoring 12 of his 15 points in the first half. He missed 10 of 11 shots in the second half and will need to do a much better job of being aggressive in order to get to the free-throw line more often. Amar’e Stoudemire led the team with six free-throw attempts while Anthony had just four.
New York has covered four of the last six meetings with the Celtics, who have won five of those games straight-up. The UNDER has cashed in two of the last three games between the teams after going OVER in five of the previous seven.
Now that you have read this NBA betting preview featuring the Celtics & Knicks, check out the NBA odds on this and all the playoff games to compare the best lines at multiple sportsbooks.
