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New York Knicks (26-32) at Boston Celtics (14-42)
Regular Season Game #57 Home Game #27
Wednesday February 28
7:30 PM Eastern Time
NBA TV, FSN
TD Banknorth Garden, Boston MA
Probable Starters
PG: #13 Delonte West, 23 years old, 6-4, 180 , St. Joe's
SG: #34 Paul Pierce, 29 years old, 6-6, 240, Kansas
SF: #0 Leon Powe, 23 years old, 6-8, 244, California
PF: #7 Al Jefferson, 22 years old, 6-10, 256, Prentiss HS
C: #44 Brian Scalabrine, 28 years old, 6-9, 235, USC
Key off the Bench
#9 Rajon Rondo G, 6-1, 176
#5 Gerald Green GF, 6-8 ,206
#4 Ryan Gomes F, 6-7, 250
#43 Kendrick Perkins FC, 6-10, 271
Injury list
Ratliff, back - out
Allen, knee - out
Wally, ankles - out
Allen Ray - D League
Notes: After saying that Powe would be seeing a lot more minutes, he played only 3 minutes against the Rockets. He played very well in his first start and already had 1 rebound in his second and Doc sat him with 2 fouls and forgot him. I am assuming that Doc will go with the same starters, although it would be a much stronger unit either starting Perk at center or starting Al at center, Powe at PF and Gomes at SF. Scal is not a starting center and I have no idea why Doc insists on playing him there. They are coming off a come from behind win in Houston and hopefully that will boost their confidence and they can put 2 wins together.
Probable Starters
PG: #3 Stephon Marbury, 30 yrs old, 6-2, 205, Georgia Tech
SG: #11 Jamal Crawford, 26, 6-5, 190, Michigan
SF: #23 Quentin Richardson, 26, 6-6, 230, Depaul
PF: #13 Jerome James, 31, 7-1, 280, Florida A&M
C: #34 Eddy Curry, 24, 6-11, 285, Thomwood HS (IL)
Key Off the Bench
#42 David Lee F, 6-9, 235
#4 Nate Robinson G ,5-9, 180
#32 Renaldo Balkman F, 6-8, 208
#20 Jared Jeffries GF, 6-11, 240
Injury list
Francis, knee questionable
Lee, ankle questionable
Cato inactive list
Notes
Knicks are coming off a big win against the Heat and are 6-10 in their last 10. They aren't the pushover team that they have been in the past. I have been sort of rooting for them so as to rob Chicago of that high pick they are hoping for. We may catch a break if Francis and Lee are both still out but the way our luck has gone this season, both will come back and have a career game. Lee always plays tough against us as does Balkman off the bench.
Key Matchups
vs 
Marbury has been playing well lately and the PG matchup should set the tone for both teams. Marbury is averaging 14.3 ppg and 5.5 apg. West is averaging 11.4 ppg and 4.5 apg.
vs 
Doc insists on starting Scal at center and this will be a big mismatch against Curry. Scal is averaging 4 ppg and 1.9 rpg. Curry is averaging a team leading 19.5 PPG and 7.0 rpg. Doc should start Perk this game as Perk has always played well against Curry and Scal will be way over his head.
to the game:
Hit our shots. We can't depend on opposing teams shooting 32% to offset our 34% shooting percentage too often. We have to take good shots and hit them.
Defense We came back last night to win because we played defense. We got stops down the stretch and that was the difference. Hopefully that defensive mindset will transfer to this game.
Take care of the ball We are still turning the ball over way too much. We have to cut down on careless turnovers like travels, offensive fouls, and bad passes.
Play as a team The younger players can't just stand around and watch Pierce take over the game. He isn't back to that form and so they have to play as a team, share the ball, find the open man, and all contribute.
Rebound We need to win the rebounding battle. Rebounding gives us second chances and limits their chances. It also indicates how aggressive we are being. When we are out rebounded, we aren't being aggressive on either end of the court and most often lose.
