Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Playoff Schedule 

Game 1 – Saturday, April 20, Boston at New York, 3 p.m., ABC

Game 2 – Tuesday, April 23, Boston at New York, 8 p.m., TNT

Game 3 – Friday, April 26, New York at Boston, 8 p.m., ESPN

Game 4 – Sunday, April 28, New York at Boston, 1 p.m., ABC

Game 5* – Wednesday, May 1, Boston at New York, TBD

Game 6* – Friday, May 3, New York at Boston, TBD

Game 7* – Sunday, May 5, Boston at New York, TBD

Season Record

New York Knicks (54-28, Atlantic Division Champions) vs Boston Celtics (41-40, third in Atlantic Division)

Season Series: New York Knicks 3-1

January 7, 2013 (102-96 for Boston)

January 24, 2013 (89-86 for New York)

March 26, 2013 (100-85 for New York)

March 31, 2013 (108-89 for New York)

Key Matchups

Carmelo Anthony vs Paul Pierce

Tyson Chandler vs Kevin Garnett

J.R Smith vs Avery Bradley

Stat Leaders

Points: Knicks – Carmelo Anthony (28.7), Paul Pierce (18.6)

Rebounds: Knicks – Tyson Chandler (10.7), Kevin Garnett (7.8)

Assists: Knicks – Raymond Felton (5.5), Paul Pierce (4.8)

Fun Fact

Up until this season, the Boston Celtics had won the Atlantic Division every year Kevin Garnett had been with the team.

Why the New York Knicks will win this series:

There are just too many question marks on the side of Boston. The health of Kevin Garnett is still up in there, Avery Bradley will likely start out-of-position at point guard, and the Celtics second-unit (Williams, Crawford, Randolph, Wilcox) has no playoff experience whatsoever. Carmelo Anthony has been lights-out as of late, finishing the season as the leagues leading-scorer at 28.7 points a night. If not for LeBron James and Kevin Durant, Anthony could easily be the MVP of the NBA in 2013. Boston is going to focus a lot of their defensive pressure on Carmelo, but with his recent hot streak, that may not be enough. The Knicks roster is full of battle-tested, hungry veterans who are ready to take that next stride in the East and compete with the likes of the Miami Heat for that top spot. Fans and experts have made fun of their age in the past, but in the postseason, it will all pay huge dividends for the Knicks. New York is still extremely deep, despite key injuries to guys like Amare Stoudemire and the now retired Rasheed Wallace.

How the Boston Celtics can pull off the upset:

They have the backing of an entire country behind them. With all due respect to the city of New York and their Knicks, each and every American citizen will have a soft spot for these Boston Celtics heading into this series, after the tragic events that took place Monday afternoon at the Boston Marathon. It could become very uplifting, and almost be the extra boost the Celtics need to push the Knicks to the prink. From a basketball standpoint, Boston is in the top-10 in the NBA in both opponents field-goal percentage (44.1%) and opponents three-point field-goal percentage (34.2%). In their only win against the Knicks this season, Boston held New York to just 40% shooting, and Carmelo Anthony to just six made shots on 26 attempts. Outside of Anthony and J.R Smith, New York doesn’t have many guys who can create their own shot. Contain those two, and this series becomes a heck of a lot easier.

Final Prediction: New York Knicks in seven

Chris Walder is the Editor of Sir Charles in Charge. You may follow him on Twitter at @WalderSports

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Jan 25, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo (9) reacts to a call in overtime against the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 123-111. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

The imminent demise of the Boston Celtics has been greatly exaggerated.

When Rajon Rondo tore his ACL during a game against the Atlanta Hawks back in January, all hope seemed lost in the Celtics quest to capture its second NBA Championship in the past five years.

It was going to be quite the struggle to begin with, but losing its all-star point guard seemed like the final nail in the coffin.

Or so you would think.

After last night’s 109-101 road victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, the Celtics now find themselves five games over .500 with a record of 32-27, which puts them in the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference. Only 1.5 games separate them from that elusive fourth seed, which is currently owned by the Chicago Bulls. Moving up to the fourth spot would be huge for Boston, as it would guarantee them home-court advantage in the first round. It would also allow them to avoid a meeting with the Miami Heat in their opening playoff series, as well.

Boston is now 12-4 this season without Rondo in the lineup. That record includes victories over the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, Chicago Bulls, Utah Jazz and Golden State Warriors. They were three games under .500 at 20-23 before he got hurt.

So what gives?

Rajon Rondo is a threat to put up a triple-double every time he steps on the court. Through 38 games, Rondo was averaging a double-double of 13. 7 points and 11.1 assists, which leads the NBA. He was voted in as a starter for his fourth NBA All-Star game back in February.

A case could even be made for Rondo being the best all-around point guard in the league today.

Yet, without him, the Boston Celtics are finding ways to win basketball games. In fact, they’re finding more success with him away from the team.

How is that possible?

Well, in the most desperate of times, the remaining Celtics have found a way to overcome adversity and persevere.

“I just think we’re playing better, for whatever reason,” said coach Doc Rivers. “You have all those injuries, you usually go the other way. I just think our guys kind of came together and realized we don’t have a margin of error anymore. (Boston Globe)

Kevin Garnett, the heart and soul of this Boston team, believes the team’s decision making on the court has vastly improved in order to compensate for not having Rondo around.

“I would say [we’re] more decisive,” he said. “You get to whatever you’re doing and if you’re going to pass it, pass it, if not you make your move. Consistency is something that I always put our hat on. The more consistent we can be with stopping the ball . . . that’s been the formula for success since I’ve been here and getting guys to buy in.”

Paul Pierce, the cornerstone of the franchise and a 15-year veteran of the team, acknowledges his fellow teammates and their willingness to step up as one of the main reasons the Celtics have remained afloat in the East, despite their numerous injuries to key players.

“I think when you have the type of adversity we been through, the sense of urgency is a little more kicked in,” Pierce said. “It’s giving guys an opportunity to step up, being able to elevate their play, and it’s showing. You always see the character when you get a group that has to go through some adversity.

“Everybody was hearing the rumblings after the injuries. We were going to fall out the playoff race, this team can’t play with the elite teams in the Eastern Conference. Guys in the locker room are going to hear that and there’s a sense of pride about them and [it’s] making them better and making them compete.”

While Rajon Rondo is very much a key component of the Celtics, it should be noted that he is not their best player, at least in my opinion.

He’s second in the NBA in turnovers (3.9), his free-throw shooting percentage is atrocious for a point guard (64.1%), and he comes off as being overly concerned with his statistical production, passing up open looks in order to get assists, or overly fighting for steals on the defensive end to pad his numbers.

Here’s an interesting stat: No starting point guard since 1987 (Magic Johnson) has led their team to the NBA Championship after having led the league in assists during the regular season.

Despite all of that, this Celtics team is going to find winning a playoff series or two extremely difficult without him. He’s a game-changer who makes life easier for the rest of his teammates, day in and day out. He’s not the perfect player, but there is no denying his immense talent. He’s the kind of guy you want running your offense in a seven-game series. He’s going to be missed out there when the games actually matter.

Winning in the regular season is one thing, but the NBA Playoffs are an entirely different beast.

It must be reassuring, for the time being, knowing that they can win without one of their stars, but I’d be surprised to see the Boston Celtics make any REAL noise in the postseason without Rajon Rondo.

Desire can only take you so far. They’re a great story, but let’s wait and see how Boston does in April, May and June.

Chris Walder is the Editor of Sir Charles in Charge. You may follow him on Twitter at @WalderSports

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