For that to happen a lot of things have to go right and several Knicks players will have to step up at both ends of the floor.

Apr 20, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Boston Celtics small forward Paul Pierce (34) looks to pass the ball as New York Knicks point guard Raymond Felton (2) defends during the fourth quarter of game one of the first round of the 2013 NBA playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Knicks won 85-78. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

But perhaps no player will be called upon to come through more than Raymond Felton.

Offensively the Knicks would like something similar to what Felton gave them in Game 1, scoring 13 points, dishing out six assists and grabbing four rebounds to go along with two steals and a block. Even though Felton didn’t shoot the ball particularly well, if he can give the Knicks a line like that every game the remainder of the postseason, I’m sure Mike Woodson and company will be happy with him at the offensive end of the floor.

But for the Knicks to make this a quick series, Felton must answer the challenge defensively.

With Pablo Prigioni expected to return to the lineup for Game 2, Iman Shumpert will draw the primary assignment on Jeff Green, which leaves Felton on Paul Pierce. Felton keeping Pierce in check now becomes a big part of this series.

Pierce, the Celtics’ top offensive threat, could have his way against Felton. The North Carolina product is six inches shorter and 30 pounds lighter than the 10-time All-Star. Pierce led the Celtics in scoring at 18.6 points per game during the regular season and had 21 points on 6-for-15 shooting in Game 1 when he was guarded most of the game by Shumpert.

But Felton started guarding Pierce late in the game and did a commendable job limiting the looks that Pierce got.

Guarding Pierce is nothing new for Felton as he drew the assignment on the future Hall of Famer in the Knicks final two regular season games against Boston.

Felton struggled mightily all season staying with point guards around the league as he just doesn’t have the speed to stay with most quick guards. But the matchup against most 2-guards and even some smaller 3′s is more fitting for Felton, especially if Prigioni is on the floor handling the opposition’s point guard.

Defense is likely to win his series and Felton has a tough task ahead of him.

He will likely need help at times, but has to find a way to slow Pierce down without needing too much help. If the Knicks have to constantly double team Pierce, it is going to leave open shooters on the perimeter and that’s something the Knicks don’t necessarily want either.

Shumpert is going to have his hands full checking Green, but given his reputation as a perimeter defender I’m fairly confident that he can at the minimum keep Green from going off in this series.

That then puts the pressure on Felton to do the same to Pierce.

If he is successful, this could turn into a quick series.

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The Knicks this time are the favorite and the higher seed and with home-court advantage while the Celtics are the team rattled with injuries. Rajon Rondo is out for the season and Ray Allen will not be on the court for the Celtics, which is music to Knicks fans’ ears.

Jan. 7, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) and Boston Celtics power forward Kevin Garnett (5) have words on the court during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Boston won 102-96. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

Let’ look at a preview of Game 1.

When: Saturday, April 19th at 3:00 PM

Where: Madison Square Garden in New York, NY

Watch: ABC

Line: Knicks -7

When the Knicks have the ball: 100 PPG (11th in NBA), Boston 96.7 Points allowed (12th in NBA)

When the Celtics have the ball: 96.5 PPG (18th in NBA), New York 95.7 Points allowed (7th in NBA)

Key Matchup: Carmelo Anthony vs. Paul Pierce

The Celtics will have an obvious chip on the shoulder feeling and will want to carry their hometown after this week’s tragic events. There’s nothing the Knicks can do to stop that but it’s pretty obvious the Knicks are the better team. The Knicks have a stellar 31-10 record at the Garden this season, while the Celtics struggled on the road with a 14-27 record.

Carmelo vs. Pierce will be the key matchup all series long. Pierce is a warrior and steps up his game up this time of year, but Carmelo is on a mission. The NBA scoring champion has been fire and will look to put on a show this opening game to send a statement to the NBA that the Knicks are a serious title contender.

Kevin Garnett is another player Mike Woodson has to worry about, but he’s nothing Tyson Chandler can’t handle. Garnett and Anthony had a feud this season and it will be interesting to see these two go at it the entire series. I believe Boston will win a game at home in front of their tough and inspired crowd, but the Knicks at home will be too much to handle at home.

Prediction :Knicks: 104, Celtics: 95

The Knicks as the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference draw a good matchup in the No. 7 seed Boston Celtics, but even though the Knicks won the season series 3-1 against their division rivals, this series won’t be a cakewalk unless the Knicks take care of business.

There are still some concerns with facing the Celtics and if those concerns aren’t addressed, the Knicks could find themselves in for a much tougher first round series than they may originally be planning for.

With that being said, here’s a look at five concerns the Celtics present for the Knicks.

Jan. 7, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony (7) and Boston Celtics power forward Kevin Garnett (5) have words on the court during the second half at Madison Square Garden. Boston won 102-96. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

1. Mental

It’s all mental with the Knicks. The Celtics shouldn’t be able to stop scorers such as Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith, but what the Celtics do is take teams out of their rhythm offensively. Then there is the mental aspect of what if the Knicks fall behind in the series?  If that happens, all fingers will be pointed ‘Melo’s way. Then the questions will begin about another first round exit. The key here for the Knicks is to be mentally focused and execute their gameplan at both ends of the floor.  Anthony especially has to be tough mentally.

2. Physical Toughness

This is still a Doc Rivers coached Boston Celtics team and they will not roll over. In addition, you can expect Kevin Garnett to bring his best effort. With KG on the floor, the Celtics will be a physically tough team at both ends of the floor. The Knicks will have to match the Celtics physicality to win the series.

3. Jeff Green

There’s always an X-factor when the Knicks play the Celtics and in this series it’s Green. It’s clear that Green will be in the Celtics’ starting lineup with Garnett and Paul Pierce and for the Celtics that’s good news. In 16 games as a starter, he’s averaging 20.8 points and 5.9 rebounds. His shooting percentages spike to 52 percent and 51 percent from the field and beyond the arc, respectively. In addition he is getting to the charity-stripe over five times per game. He will be a handful to stop.

In four games against the Knicks this season, Green is shooting 55.6 percent and is averaging 17.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest. This comes with 20 total trips to the free-throw line and a 5-of-13 mark from three-point land.

But Green could have the biggest impact on the series defensively, where he will likely draw the assignment on Anthony. He is a very good one-on-one defender, Per SynergySports; he allows .81 points per possession. That number dips to .72 with him guarding isolation plays. Overall, opponents are shooting 35.9 percent against him. The Knicks will run a lot of isolation and they have to have success as Green is one guy that can take them out of their comfort zone.

Mar 31, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Boston Celtics small forward Paul Pierce (34) drives against New York Knicks power forward Kenyon Martin (3) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

4. Paul Pierce

Pierce will also draw some of the assignment on ‘Melo and that’s probably good news for the Knicks, but the Knicks have to be careful in not allowing Pierce to get comfortable offensively. He may not be the player that he once was, but Pierce is still a guy who averaged 18.7 points and 6.4 rebounds per game on the season. He averaged over 21 points per game against the Knicks this season and is a guy who still has some big shots left in him.

5. Defending the point guard

The Knicks generally struggled against the Celtics because they had difficulty containing Rajon Rondo’s playmaking skills. With that being said, Avery Bradley should not have similar success. The job falls on Raymond Felton and Pablo Prigioni to make sure that Bradley is not a big factor offensively this series. On the season, opposing point guards have torched the Knicks as they have allowed 21.7 points per game (third worst in the NBA), while allowing them to  shoot 45.4 percent (fourth worst in NBA) from the floor. If Bradley and the other Celtics guards, which include Jordan Crawford, Jason Terry, Courtney Lee and Terrence Williams, have a big impact on this series, the Knicks could end up having their hands full.

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It also is the home to the leagues two best players- LeBron James and Kevin Durant. These two guys can each play all five positions and are the premier players in the sport today. With LeBron and Durant at the top, the rest of the top small forward position players have a lot of catching up to do. The first two players are no surprise but how about the next eight? Here are the Top 10 small forwards heading into the 2013 NBA season.

May 17, 2012; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Caron Butler (5) shoots during the first half in game two of the Western Conference semifinals of the 2012 NBA Playoffs against the San Antonio Spurs at the AT

10. Caron Butler- Los Angeles Clippers

Caron Butler comes in at No. 10 on the list. Butler hasn’t been healthy enough to make a jump into the 5-9 range but he is a damn good player when he gets on the court. He does the little things and has always been a leader, showing the world his toughness by playing with a broken hand in last year’s postseason. Playing with Chris Paul can boost your stats and I like Caron to take a nice step forward if he can stay healthy.

9. Gerald Wallace- Brooklyn Nets

Gerald Wallace is a do everything type of guy. He doesn’t do one particular thing great but he does everything well. He can score, rebound, pass, defend and block shots. He is known as one of the best one-on-one defenders in the league and is often near the top of the league in steals. He isn’t the same All-Star type quality player he was with Charlotte, but Wallace doesn’t have to be the go-to-guy on a Nets team that features players such as Deron Williams and Joe Johnson.

8. Luol Deng- Chicago Bulls

Luol will have to be the man in Chicago until MVP Derrick Rose returns from injury after the All-Star break. Deng has always been second fiddle but now he’ll get a chance to shine while Rose is sidelined. He has always struggled staying healthy but has shown up to camp at 100 percent for the first time in a long time. Look for Deng’s numbers to spike this year as he sees more shots with D-Rose out.

7. Danny Granger- Indiana Pacers

Granger is considered the “star” of the Pacers, even though his numbers aren’t “star” quality. He is still an above average player though and has come into his own as the leader of an Indiana team that will be near the top of the Eastern Conference this year. Granger’s three-point shot has steadily improved and he is a solid defender. His scoring production should increase this year as well.

6. Rudy Gay- Memphis Grizzlies

Gay leads the upstart Memphis Grizzlies who have proven to be a tough playoff team the past couple of seasons. When healthy, Gay is an athletic wing who can score, rebound and defend. His three-point shot can be inconsistent at time but make no mistake about it, Gay is the Grizzlies go to guy down the stretch and has proven he can hit clutch shots late in games. He was highly touted coming out of Connecticut and  is finally proving his superstar quality.

Oct 13, 2012; Hartford, CT, USA; Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce (34) dribbles the ball against New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) during the second half at XL Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-US PRESSWIRE

5. Paul Pierce- Boston Celtics

Despite being 34 years old, the Truth is still one of the best, most clutch fourth quarter players in the game today. Despite not being the player he once was, everybody knows that Pierce will still take the big shots in the fourth quarter for Boston and be one of the key pieces in determining whether the Celtics can stay in the upper class of the Eastern Conference.

4. Andre Iguodala- Denver Nuggets

Iggy has turned into quite the ball player. Once just considered a freak athlete, he has polished his game and turned himself into a viable offensive threat. He is one of the premier defensive stoppers in the league today and showed the world that he can now shoot the rock during the Olympic games in London. I think his first season away from Philadelphia will be a huge success. This team and their style of play fits Iguodala’s game perfectly. He is a guy who likes to run and play a high volume game, just like teammate Ty Lawson.

3. Carmelo Anthony- New York Knicks

The time is now for Carmelo. His draft partners (LeBron,Darko,Bosh,Wade) all now have rings, leaving him as the lone top five pick of the 2003 draft who hasn’t won the big trophy yet. Carmelo is a top five offensive player in this league, no doubt about it. He can shoot from the outside, drive to the basket, post up smaller players, and he finally looks to be in good shape.

The knock on him has always been his defensive skills. ‘Melo is a bad defensive player who has no interest in buckling down and making a big stop when he needs too. The other problem with ‘Melo is how he co-exists with teammate Amar’e Stoudemire. The two have yet to click and if it doesn’t happen this year, one of them might be on their way out of New York.

2. Kevin Durant- Oklahoma City Thunder

Never before has the league seen a player as unique as Kevin Durant. The 6″10 small forward is virtually unguardable. He can take it inside or light it up from behind the arc. His length makes it impossible to block his shot and he is arguably the most clutch player in the game right now.

Durant is already a three-time scoring champion and is only 24 years old. He will make a run at Kareem’s scoring record if he remains healthy and he just might break it. KD has taken the once laughable Oklahoma City Thunder and turned them into a powerhouse that game up just short in their first NBA Finals appearance. Don’t be mistaken though, it shouldn’t be long before Durant gets his first ring.

1. LeBron James- Miami Heat

No surprise here. LeBron James is not only the best small forward in the game, but he is unquestionably the best player in the game today. Period. The three-time MVP and now NBA champion might go down as one of the top five players to ever play the game. He can do it all and then some- score, rebound, pass, and defend. He is the ultimate total package. Hate him or love him, there is no denying his greatness. A player like LeBron hardly ever comes around, so cherish the time we have to watch him play the game.

On one hand, there is the Miami Heat: the NBA’s top villains; the team that finished the Knicks’ 2011-12 season.

On the other hand, there is the Boston Celtics: a cruel, crafty, conniving group that loves to break the Knicks’ collective hearts in dramatic fashion. They also finished the Knicks 2010-11 season with a sweep in the playoffs.

May 28, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) works for position against Boston Celtics small forward Paul Pierce during the first half in game one of the Eastern Conference finals of the 2012 NBA playoffs at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

It’s a battle of evil vs. evil; Darth Vader vs. Voldemort; Freddie Kruger vs. Jason; Hannibal Lecter vs. … another cannibal.

So who are we, as Knicks fans, supposed to root for?

For some, the Miami Heat is the answer.

Often times, fans – and even players and coaches – take solace in seeing the team that eliminated them, advance further into the playoffs; letting them know they lost to the best team. As if the five-game defeat the Knicks suffered at the hands of the Heat wasn’t pride-shattering enough, imagine if Miami didn’t even make it to the Finals. Furthermore, if the Heat lost to a team that the Knicks had beaten twice in the regular season – the Celtics – , what would that say about the Knicks?

On the opposite end of the spectrum, however, fans might take comfort in seeing their most recent assassins sent packing, and once again, failing to live up to the lofty, (self-proclaimed) championship goals. Likewise, the Celtics haven’t wronged the Knicks since March, while the Miami Heat have done so four times in the past month.

(I would like to use this space to remind you, though, that the Boston Celtics have made a habit of ripping our hearts out in front of us. Paul Pierce game-winner. Ray Allen Game 1 game-winner. Game 2 fumbled play. Paul Pierce game-tying basket, and ultimate overtime win. OK, remember? Sorry, I had to do that.)

However, if you’re like me, you’re rooting for the best basketball to be played. Whichever team advances will play the San Antonio Spurs or Oklahoma City Thunder in a sure-fire good vs. evil matchup. Watching the humble, plodding, machine-like precision of the Spurs face the high-flying Heat would be a delight. Some fans might enjoy watching the NBA’s two old guards – the Spurs and the Celtics – play each other in one last grasp at a championship. The Thunder vs. the Heat would be the NBA’s dream matchup – a display of young, athletic, star-fueled action that would surely boost TV ratings to a new high.

However, there is no doubt that the winner of the Eastern Conference Finals will draw some pain for Knicks fans. I would prefer not to watch Paul Pierce’s smug, patchy-haired face bow to opposing crowds in blazes of bravado, or watch Kevin Garnett bark around the court like a rabid, admirably unwavering dog. At the same time, watching the Miami Big Three flex and flop and dance and dunk their way around the court for another two series would make my stomach churn.

Consider me a San Antonio Spurs fan for the remainder of the season.

Mike D'Antoni was dejected after our last loss, but maybe it's us fans who should be dejected with him.

Josh Sage gives his second, more in-depth, view of the New York Knicks’ loss to the Boston Celtics:

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Amar'e Stoudemire is the new King of Broadway (Source: Yardbarker.com)

After attending last night’s heartbreaker to the Celtics, I figured it would be a good time to add my initial contribution to the site .I don’t want to get too much into the nuts and bolts of the game, but just add a few observations of the scene at MSG before during and after the game. I’ll start out by saying that this is my 7th season covering the Knicks so I have witnessed some dark days at the World’s Most Famous Arena.

• Stephon Marbury anointing himself “the best point guard in the NBA” before the 2005 New Year’s Day tilt with the Jason Kidd’s Nets. We all know how that proclamation turned out.
• Nate Robinson’s circus act leading to a vicious brawl with the Denver Nuggets in December of 2006.
• Jerome James. Enough said.
• The poisonous atmosphere that existed during Isiah Thomas’ last days at the helm with the continuous “Fire Isiah” chants booming down from the rafters. The fact that two Italian dudes constructed this rap song just about says it all.

Last night, all of the darkness seemed to have drifted far away from that hallowed cathedral of hoops. There was life again in Madison Square Garden, the kind of life not seen since Latrell Sprewell roamed the court more than a decade ago.  It was the most pregame anticipation I had ever felt at that place. There was a tangible buzz in the crowd and the place erupted when the lights dimmed and the Knicks were introduced. Amar’e Stoudemire, the new hero on Broadway, got the loudest ovation any Knicks player has gotten in years. I’d say the guy deserves it with the way he’s been playing.

Ronny Turiaf then did his now customary twirling dance, circumventing the the rest of the Knicks players as they huddled under the basket. It almost like he’s a witch doctor casting some kind of voodoo on the opposing team. Pretty cool to see in person. Unfortunately on this night, there wasn’t quite enough voodoo to hold off what I would consider the best team in the Eastern Conference if not the entire NBA. Paul Pierce is a cry baby and gets phantom fouls a aplenty, but the guy is a cold-blooded killer in the 4th quarter. The second best closer in the NBA behind Kobe Bryant in my book. He stuck the dagger in the Knicks, but that does not temper the positive vibes I took from their performance last night.

Mike D’Antoni, Amar’e and Raymond Felton all expressed their disappointment in not being able to close the Celtics out during their postgame meetings with the press. Sometimes, you hear guys talk about no moral victories in losses, but you could tell each one of these guys was proud of the effort the Knicks put forth and you could see and hear a confidence and swagger continuing to build, even in defeat. Here is a little sampling of what I heard:

“Everybody has their own opinion. Real basketball players and people who understand the game know we have a good team and we can play with anybody. We lost a tough one against possibly the best team in the league.” -Raymond Felton

“I guarantee you that Boston respects us. We are not slouches. They know how good we can be and how good we are. We’ll see them again.” -Amar’e Stoudemire

Before I close up shop, here are few scenes I witnessed and heard while moving between the media room and the two locker rooms:

• Nate Robinson hooting and hollering and spitting out more obscenities than Rex Ryan as the Celtics left the court and headed to the visitor’s locker room. Pipe down Nate. Your act was one of the reasons this franchise was such a joke the past few years. Once a punk, always a punk I guess
• A smiling Kevin Garnett and the huge rocks in his ears talking to a small gathering in front of the media room after I left the Knicks locker room. He was chatting with a blond-haired woman about two feet shorter than he was and said something to the effect of, “Whew boy, did you feel the electricity in here tonight? [The Knicks] thought they had us but we are bunch of champions. Not gonna argue that one.
• Amar’e Stoudemire walking toward the exit leading out to the where the Knicks park their shiny vehicles next to Amber Rose. You may want to click on the link provided. Check out Amar’e's tweet from Dec 5th at 10:41 PM. That my friends is a bird call. It appears as if we may be seeing a lot more of Ms. Rose at MSG in the coming days

Bring on LeBron and crew. It appears these Knicks are not afraid to tangle with anyone.

STAT - Standing Tall And Talented. Maybe that should be the nickname for the whole team, not just Stoudemire.

Stan Chin gives his view on last night’s Knicks game against the Boston Celtics:

Hey Knicks fans,

Big game last night… scratch that HUGE game last night. Win or lose, this game was a measuring stick, to see where the Knicks stand against one of the elite teams in the NBA.

Quarter by Quarter Thoughts:

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Anthony Randolph, still figuring out the game of basketball, apparently didn't know that you're not supposed to lift up the other guy and carry him to the basket. Talk about embarrassing. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

Sorry this didn’t come out earlier, but here are my belated thoughts on Knicks-Celts pre-season game #1 (they play again on Sunday in the neutral territory of Hartford, Connecticut):

-Many questioned whether Amar’e Stoudemire was worth the $100 million contract, and so far he’s been a man amongst boys.  He had another insane evening where he shot nearly 70% from the field, plus he got to the free throw line an impressive 15 times.  In just 27 minutes.  However, again the rebounds were anemic at just 5.  But he did also get 2 blocks, so at least he’s looking to protect the basket a bit more than he has the last couple of years.  Warning, most of the rest of this post is negative after this.

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Is Philly's drafting of Evan Turner enough to compensate for the rest of the Sixers' mostly stagnant summer? Probably not. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

Okay, with all the big names off the board, it’s time to look at how each team fared during the off-season.  Here are the rules:

1. Rather than a standard A through F grade or going for a scale of 1-10, we shall use a system that my friend Noriko loves: -5 through +5.  It helps differentiate things a bit more, ‘cuz like if a team gets a C-, it’s better than an F, but is it good?  With this scale, you can instead give the team a +1, which shows that they improved the team, but only marginally.  Or maybe they get a zero ‘cuz they didn’t hurt the team or help it.

2. These grades are not, I repeat, NOT, about how good teams will be.  It’s purely about how good their summer moves were.  For instance, the Sacramento Kings may get a higher grade than say the Orlando Magic, but that doesn’t mean I’m insane and think the Kings will be better than the Magic.  It simply means I like the Kings’ draft of DeMarcus Cousins more than the Magic’s signings of Quentin Richardson and Chris Duhon (although I haven’t fully examined those teams yet, so I dunno what grades they’ll get).

3. The grades are not just based on how good the players are, but also their contracts.  Joe Johnson is definitely a top 30 player, but with Atlanta giving him $120 million/6 yrs, the largest contract of anyone this summer, his signing turns into a negative.

4. Grades will be scaled based on what each team could have done.  Meaning the Lakers, a team over the salary cap, get major kudos for snagging Steve Blake, Matt Barnes, Theo Ratliff and bringing back Shannon Brown with their limited financial flexibility, but if say the Knicks, with all their cap space, had only made those moves, I’d pan ‘em.

5. Fit matters.  I like Kirk Hinrich a ton, and had he gone to the Pacers (a team that desperately need a point guard before yesterday’s Collison trade), I would’ve raved about the move.  However, Washington acquiring him is a bit odd considering they already have PGs in John Wall and Gilbert Arenas.

The upcoming parts will look at the Central Division, Southeast Division, Pacific Division, Southwest Division and Northwest Division. Okay, so without further ado, here’s Part I, where we start out in our own backyard, examining…

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Don't think Shaq can still be a force down low? Looking at the expression on Noah's face, I think Joakim feels otherwise. (source: Yardbarker.com)

Earlier today my colleague Chase Thomas rated the Boston Celtics’ signing of Shaquille O’Neal as somewhere between Incredibly Stupid and Less Significant Than An Afternoon Cleaning Belly Button Lint.  Okay, probably it’d actually be an intriguing saga if you had enough lint in your belly button that it took a whole afternoon to clean that sucker up, but that’s a different, far nastier, story.  Me, I’m just here to give my own somewhat sunnier take on the deal, doing it Boston-style where I discuss whether each aspect is “smaht” or “not smaht” (for non-Bostonians that translates roughly into “smart” or “highly unintelligent”).

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Dirk, who like Pierce could’ve signed for a four-year max of $96.2 million, accepted $80 million to stay with Dallas.  The Mavericks now expected to be able to re-sign Brendan Haywood, plus of course the always dealing Mark Cuban will continue to look for a trade for a top player.  Meanwhile, Pierce, taken just one pick away from Nowitzki when they both joined the NBA, took even less to stay with the Celtics, just $61 million over 4 years, so that Boston can retain free agent Ray Allen’s services.

Due to the fact that they’ve been in the league longer than players like LeBron James, Dwayne Wade & Chris Bosh, they could’ve signed for higher max starting salaries (the above trio start at $16.5).  However, because of an over-age-36 clause, they also were unable to sign for more than 4-year contracts (versus the trio can sign for 6-years with their current teams or 5 with a new one).  That’s why Pierce & Dirk’s maxes were four years at $96.2, while LeBron, et al., would only get I believe around $98 million over five years (or around $128 mill over six with current teams).

Regardless, these two players showed that they cared more about winning (and loyalty to their current teams), and they sacrificed money to prove it.  Both would’ve made over $21 million next season had they not agreed to opt out and take lower salaries.

End of an Era?

http://twitter.com/stein_line_HQ

According to Marc Stein’s twitter Boston Celtics SF Paul Pierce has opted out of his current contract and has become an unrestricted free agent.

What does this mean? Nothing really other then Pierce is looking to get a new deal before the new CBA hits.

Kobe's so darn good, Alvin Gentry's fine with losing to him. Elsewhere, Stan Van Gundy and Mike Brown still can't sleep, wondering what they did "wrong" to lose to the Celts. (source: Yardbarker.com)

Many have already talked about how the Lakers and Celtics have taken two different paths to the Big Show. It’s more than just a West Coast/East Coast thang, or offense versus defense. It’s also about the psychological effects they’ve left on those in their wake. Kobe, the self-proclaimed Black Mamba, has been an unstoppable force since Game 5 in the first round against the Thunder (by the way, I kinda love self-proclaimed nicknames. They should be totally illegal, but I find it so humorous that someone would decide to make up their own nickname that I loooove to ironically call them that. Thus I’m thrilled that Sasha Vujacic’s started getting playing time so I can yell out “The Machiiiiiiine” every time he touches the ball. Of course the true irony is that I’ve now used the Black Mamba tag so much that it no longer seems ironic to me when it comes out of my mouth. …Wait, what am I talking about? Oh yeah, Celts/Lakes.)

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Don't let the open arms confuse you. If you say something David Stern doesn't like, he'll fine you. No, there's no truth to the rumor that The Beatles wrote "Back In The USSR" about him. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

First off, please, please, please don’t confuse me for a whiney Boston Celtics fan. I actually was excited for them two years ago when they got Kevin Garnett because I felt like KG and Paul Pierce were two guys who deserved a shot and I wanted to see what they could do. Then they both, particularly KG, turned into jerks. So now I’m staunchly anti-Celts. I hope they lose this series, and I’m psyched that the Magic won last night. But Orlando shouldn’t have been helped out so egregiously by the refs.

No, I’m not a conspiracy nut either who thinks the “League” told the refs to extend the series. I just think that the refs and the NBA honchos have let the power go to their heads. It’s insane how afraid the league is of dissention. For those who didn’t watch last night’s game, Kendrick Perkins, the one guy in the league who can do a decent job defending Dwight Howard solo, got two technicals and was tossed. The first happened when he was helping Paul Pierce up, but their grip slipped so his arm went back a bit into Orlando’s backup center Marcin Gortat. Gortat responded, slapping the ball away, and they got hit by double technicals. I understand that one. At the time, particularly from certain angles, it looked like Perk just maliciously elbowed Gortat on purpose. But upon video review, you can see it was more of an accident.

To read the rest of this, go to my original post on the main FanSided page.

After Game #1 it seemed like Mo Williams would be a Major X-Factor. After Game #2 and Rajon Rondo's defense, we're downgrading Mo to a mere Minor X-Factor. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

After last night’s game, it’s clear there are 5 Major X-Factors in the Cleveland Cavaliers/Boston Celtics playoff series, 3 Minor X-Factors, and 1 Under-Reported Straight-Out Factor.  What do I mean by Major, Minor and Straight-Out Factors?  Well, first a Straight-Out Factor versus an X-Factor is something you know is going to happen versus something that may or may not happen.  Like it’s obvious now that Rajon Rondo is a force who’s gonna bring it every night. Earlier in his career that wasn’t the case, and he was an X-Factor. Now he’s a Straight-Out Factor, but he’s an Over-Reported Factor (or rather a Justifiably-Frequently-Reported Factor), so we ain’t gonna go into him.

In terms of Major X-Factors or Minor ones, a Major one is a change that will effect the whole series, while a Minor X-Factor effects just one game.  For instance, Doc Rivers has said that he hopes Nate Robinson can come in at some point during the playoffs, get hot, and help them win that game.  However, Nate clearly isn’t gonna be a major X-Factor who’s gonna suddenly be a force who leads them to victory in every single remaining battle.  Honestly, I don’t even have him as a minor X-Factor, but who knows?

The Five Major X-Factors:

To read the rest, click here.

Don't let Oakley's refined dapper look fool you: He ain't someone with whom ya wanna get into a feud. (source: Yardbarker.com)

Inspired by Quentin Richardson and Paul Pierce’s recent war of words, SB Nation put together a fun little Haters’ Guide On NBA Feuds in recent years.  Amongst the list:

Charles Oakley and Tyrone Hill

Easily the most hilarious of any NBA feuds and a good lesson to all of us. After Sixers’ forward Tyrone Hill failed to pay a gambling debt of $54,000, then-Raptor Charles Oakley waded into the 76ers shootaround in Toronto and pegged a basketball at Hill, nailing him right in the head. Pretty insane, right? Charles Oakley showing up out of nowhere, no doubt spewing expletives, and probably throwing multiple basketballs at Hill (no way he hit him on the first shot).

[...] Oh, and what’s the lesson? DO NOT. MESS. WITH OAK.

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Al Harrington passes out exhausted after setting a Guiness Record for "Most Bad Shots In A Minute" (source: Yardbarker.com)

In last night’s game, the Utah Jazz came out not just on fire, but darn near explosive.  In the first quarter they shot 7-for-7 from the three-point line, whipping up 44 points in just 12 minutes.  It seemed like another blowout.  However, the Knicks kept fighting, miraculously tying the game in the third.  In fact, they even had a shot at taking the lead when Tracy McGrady was fouled on a three-point shot “attempt.”  I use quotes there ‘cuz it was one of those annoying plays where the defender has their arm sticking forward, so the star player forces contact, pretending to shoot.  Yes, I shouldn’t sound bitter ‘cuz it was our star player who got the shots, but I hate that rule.  Players like Kobe, Paul Pierce and Reggie Miller always do this lame move.  And actually Danilo Gallinari’s done it a bunch and will likely continue to incorporate it into his game.  I think they’ve gotta get rid of both that rule and the one where you get your defender to jump into the air on a pump-fake, then jump into him for the foul.  I don’t get why they can’t just tweak the rule slightly so that it’s only a foul if the defender initiates the contact.

Wait, wait, how’d I get into this diatribe?  Oh yeah, the point was that TMac had 3 free throw attempts with the Knicks down by one at the end of the third.  He hit the first to tie it, then just had to hit one of the remaining two to give the Knicks’ the lead for once.  He missed ‘em both.

It was a fitting omen, ‘cuz bizarrely enough what cost us this game wasn’t our defense for once, but our inability to put the ball through the hoop.  In the fourth quarter we only managed 11 points.  The Jazz struck for just 16 points, and those five points were the deciding margin.  What happened?  Well…

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Joe Johnson – Atlanta Hawks

As we discussed after the recent Knicks/Hawks game, JJ has a nice relationship with Coach Mike D’Antoni from their time together in Phoenix, plus the Knicks have somehow managed to look competitive this year in the three games he played against us.  When JJ was on those D’Antoni Suns teams, although he was huge for them, at the time he was considered to be at best their fourth most important player (after Steve Nash, Amar’e Stoudamire & Shawn Marion).  Joe rightly felt he could be more, a centerpiece, and he wanted to be paid accordingly.  Having achieved all that with the Hawks, he now has reached the point most vets get to: the main thing he wants now is the chance to play for a championship.  He is even one of the few stars who has literally put his money where his mouth is and has stated he’d be willing to take a bunch less money to be on such a team.

Now don’t misunderstand: he knows he has a very good thing going with the Hawks and that they are a really, really good team.  He’s not gonna just leave them to play on a mid-level Knick team.  So ignore this quote in the NY Daily News:

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After playing so well, Gallo felt like he was sitting on air. (source: yardbarker)

This year the Atlanta Hawks picked up former Knick Jamal Crawford, who is second on the team in scoring and is the likely winner of the Sixth Man Of The Year Award for the most valuable player off the bench.  In addition, their should-be-All-Star power forward, Josh Smith, aka JSmoove, has taken his game to the next level by no longer settling for hoisting up three-pointers, thus greatly improving his field goal percentage (& shot selection).  As a result, the Hawks have taken that next step to where they’re almost up there with the big boys in the league.  No one would likely pick them to beat Cleveland or Orlando in a seven game series, but they’re no longer the gimmes they used to be.  And if the Cavs or Magic came out with less than their A game, the Hawks could easily come out as victors. All of which makes it more amazing that the Knicks beat the Hawks yet again last night.  Particularly right after losing to one of the historically worst teams ever in the Nets.

To further highlight the difference, in the Nets game the Knicks made negative NBA history by attempting the most threes (18) without hitting one (aka 0).  Against the Hawks, the Knicks came out and went four-for-four from out deep to start the game.  Of course they didn’t keep up that insane pace, but they still finished off hitting 10 of 15, for a whopping 66.6%.  Teams would kill to shoot that well from two-point range, so to do that from beyond the arc is just downright amazing.  And don’t kid yourself into thinking that it has anything to do with the other team’s defense — the Nets are one of the worst teams at defending from the three-point line.

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"Dude, you said the Knicks sucked!" "Yeah, well you said TMac was done!"

The Oklahoma Thunder have made one of the most remarkable turnarounds in NBA history.  After winning only 21 games last year (or in a glass half-empty view, losing 61 games), they now are 5th in the ultra-competitive Western Conference.  They are in the middle of the longest current winning streak in the league (nine games), and they have third-year phenom, Kevin Durant, a legit MVP candidate.  It could be argued that Durant is second in the MVP race to only LeBron.  Plus, he’s in the middle of a streak of having scored 25+ points in 27 straight games.  At first that last statement didn’t seem that impressive to me, ‘cuz after all like LeBron and Carmelo are averaging nearly 30 a game, while others like Kobe and Allen Iverson have averaged that much (or more) for a whole season too.  However, in the last 35 years there is only one person who has ever accomplished that feat: Michael Jordan.  Yup, no other active player has done it.  Not LeBron, Kobe, Wade, Shaq, AI or even the Knicks’ newbie, TMac (a man who’s lead the league in scoring a couple of times).

All of which goes to say that after the way the Knicks have been playing, it was pretty darn remarkable we almost won this game, let alone played well.  The big story, as everyone’s already heard, is Tracy McGrady’s big game.  That he’s back.  Not to be glass-half-empty again (what am I, thirsty or something?), but I’m skeptical that he can bring that kind of production regularly.  What I do think that he can help keep bringing back is the energy in the Garden.  The crowd was more alive than they are on Free Taco Night.  Okay, there’s no Free Taco Night (the correct question here is: why the hell not?), but Madison Square was rocking Saturday night.  For once, people came to see the Knicks, not the other team, or just to be “seen.”

McGrady's most athletic play of the night: When a Thunder-ite goes to block his shot on the right, mid-air Tmac does a loopedy-loop and scoops it in lefty

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New Yorkers, rightfully, are worried that this is an all-or-nothing proposition.  Basically, unless we get LeBron James or Dwayne Wade, we’ll just be a slightly above average team.  Kinda like how we looked with Crawford & Randolph.  While there are other studs available this summer like A’mare Stoudamire, Chris Bosh, Joe Johnson, Carlos Boozer, none of ‘em are mega-stars who ensure you’ll have a legit shot at winning a championship.  Those second-tier guys just assure that you’ll make the playoffs.  Even if you do get two of ‘em.

So if we don’t get Plan A, does that mean Plan B is doomed to fail?  Not necessarily.  Most Knicks fans are worried about Plan B, but that’s ‘cuz they assume it means not just that we sign two lesser talents, but that we sign them to more than they’re worth.  The fear is that we do something like the Pistons did this summer, when they had a bunch of cash and felt compelled to spend it, thus overpaying for Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva, both of whom are currently coming off the bench for Detroit.  Likewise, several years ago a few teams cleared cap space to sign Tim Duncan and Grant Hill.  After Duncan stayed with the Spurs and Hill went with Tracy McGrady to Orlando, Chicago paid a bunch of money to some scrubs just to say they got someone.

Now if Isiah was still in charge, sure, we all know he would definitely follow that path, but doesn’t Donnie Walsh deserve the benefit of the doubt?  Besides the remarkable salary dumping job he did for us, he had quite a run with the Indiana Pacers.  Not only did he assemble enough talent for them to constantly be in the top of the east during the late 1990s, but he even got that team to Finals against the Lakers in… what was it, 2000?  And after that within a year or two he had completely rejuvenated that team, getting rid of Rick Smits, Mark Jackson, Dale Davis, Antonio Davis, Jalen Rose, and turning them into a young Eastern Conference contender around Jermaine O’Neal, Brad Miller, Ron Artest, Stephen Jackson, Jamaal Tinsley, and the still effective Grandpa Reggie Miller.  This was a team that seemed poised to make it to the finals for the next few years until the unfortunate Malice At The Palace, players-and-fans-scuffle.  Has a team ever been turned around that quickly with a completely new cast?  The Lakers new team is still built around Kobe, one of their two supernova stars from their earlier three-peat.  The old-time Celtics won like 11 championships with various supporting stars, but they all centered around Bill Russell.

Fine, you say, we’ll give Walsh a chance.  But if he doesn’t get LeBron or Wade, what can he reasonably do to get the rest of the cream of the crop?  The key is getting some supporting parts at reasonable prices.  Houston has been excellent at that, getting solid unflashy guys like Shane Battier, Trevor Ariza, Luis Scola, and Carl Landry on the (relative) cheap.  Get Chris Bosh and Joe Johnson to agree to slightly less than the max, and then try to snag Ray Felton, Brendan Haywood, Josh Childress, Shannon Brown, Rudy Gay, Manu Ginobili, Kyle Korver, or Mike Miller on the cheap.  Maybe David Lee or TMac will agree to a lesser deal.  It would be pretty solid to have a line-up of Bosh, Lee, Gallo, Chandler, and Felton with Childress, Brown, Miller & TMac coming off the bench.

Yes, that’d still probably only get us to 4th or 5th in the East, but here’s the thing: it also would keep us out of the tax.  Since you personally don’t have to pay the tax as a fan, you probably don’t care, but it matters a bunch.  Why?  It means that the following summer, 2011, when Eddy Curry’s $11.3 million salary comes off the books, we can use that full amount to sign someone else.  If we give out excessive contracts this summer, we’ll go over the cap and won’t be able to add anyone new after we get rid of Curry.

With that $11+ mill, we could have a real shot at such 2011 free agents as Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Greg Oden, Jason Richardson, Samuel Dalembert, Jeff Green, David West, Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol, Mike Conley, Troy Murphy, Mike Dunleavy Jr., Shane Battier, Aaron Brooks, Tayshaun Prince, Rodney Stuckey, J.R.Smith, Nene, Caron Butler, Joakim Noah, Boris Diaw, Kendrick Perkins, Jamal Crawford, Al Horford, and some guy named Carmelo Anthony.  Adding just one of those guys to the above roster would probably elevate the team to one of the East’s elite.  Adding Melo would bring a very real possibility of winning multiple championships.

By having a few reasonable, desirable smaller contracts, we could also trade Curry’s expiring contract in the middle of next season, so we wouldn’t even have to wait for 2011.  Like by next year the Celtics will finally have to accept that Kevin Garnett is so half-dead he’s practically a zombie.  They realize they need to blow up the team, so they decide to get rid of Paul Pierce for an expiring contract.  He makes more than Curry, but we throw in Mike Miller to make things work.  Using those contracts would also help if say someone like Melo wants more than that $11 mill.  We basically give a Mike Miller to a team for free (like only getting a second round pick in return), and then we have like another $3 mill available to pay Anthony.

The point is that it’s not LeBron/Wade or mediocrity.  It’s about not returning to the ways of Scott Layden & Isiah Thomas (& honestly lots of other GMs), and overpaying mid-level players.

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Let me explain.

The Boston Celtics are likely to advance as Stern just will not have a Magic/Cavs ECF matchup because of the ratings, but Celtics/Cavs is going to be heated and physical. Watching the Celtics get through each round is painful because I’m having to watch one of the most unlikeable teams in NBA history (I went there) advance with players like Kevin Garnett making a fool of himself on the bench, Rondo decapitating wiggers, and Paul Pierce being Paul Pierce. Oh, and who could forget Glenn “Big Baby” Davis and his immature antics on a nightly basis, he certainly has filled in well for KG in that sense. So if the Celtics repeat, I’ll be sick to my stomach.

The Cavs winning a championship is the last thing we need to have happen because once LeBron gets that ring that drops his likelyhood to bolt to New York significantly. He wants rings and if he gets one in Cleveland then you can expect he’ll stay unless we can lure another superstar to NY to join him. So a Cavs/Celtics ECF is a huge loss in my mind.

The Magic aren’t even relevant anymore as there is no chance of them winning games 6 and 7. Stan Van Gundy is one of the most annoying coaches in the game and for his horrible play calling they deserve to be eliminated. You live and die by your jumpshot in Orlando, even though you have the best post player in the game today. Van Gundy doesn’t fit with Howard and must be gone at the end of the season.

Then we have the Denver Nuggets, the team I’m pulling for, really emerging this postseason as contenders. Melo has played out of his mind, Billups has been his playoff self, and the post presence has put them over the top. This team is scary when they’re hot and with each win you have to like their chances over the shaky Lakers. But how soon do people forget George Karl is their coach, and I really don’t want to see Karl get a ring. I’ve never thought highly of him as a coach and I don’t believe he has been the reason this team is succeeding, it’s Chauncey Billups and his leadership. Maybe I’d be ok with them getting a ring if Karl gives his to Iverson for bringing in one of the best playoff players ever.

The Lakers finish off my list. Oh how confusing this team really is. With Bynum back in the starting lineup they look rejuvenated, but for how long? This team is too inconsistent to consider them the favorites. This team really hasn’t shined like I expected them too thus far and feel this team hasn’t lived up to their potential. Kobe’s window is closing quickly and he must realize this is do or die time and if he doesn’t get his title this season then he may never get his ring without Shaq.

Well, there you have it. My playoff thoughts all discombobulated into one post.