Knicks look to Break-Out against Celtics

The Boston Celtics were supposed to be this good according to NBA experts and basketball handicappers, but the New York Knicks are surprising everyone. The Knicks have won 13 out of 14 games after what seemed to be a devastating 6 game losing streak back in mid-November. Whatever was said or done to get this team motivated is working as New York is not only right back in the hunt, but are leading the NBA in scoring average.

It’s hard to believe that a team with Amare Stoudemire and a bunch of average players could put up that many points per game, but this is how Mike D’Antoni lead teams roll. Stoudimire is having a tremendous season as would be expected from the highly regarded off-season acquisition. Averaging 26.2 points is outstanding, but it’s Amare’s 9 rebounds and 2 block shots per contest that are leading this team to wins.

The fact that Raymond Felton is the 2nd leading scorer on this Knicks squad should be more than enough to show you how thin they are in terms of “star-power”, but D’Antoni has them believing that they are one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari are combining for almost 33 points and over 12 rebounds per game despite the fact that this is their very first season as starters. These 2 forwards may not be recognized yet, but they will certainly be on NBA handicappers radars by seasons end as they are contributing to many covered point spreads.

We are only through the first quarter of the season, but Wednesday night’s match-up with the Boston Celtics will be a big one for this young and confident Knicks squad. Boston currently has the best record in the East by 2.5 games over the surging Miami Heat, and will be a good barometer for New York to judge where they are at.

The Celtics are loaded in terms of talent, and play a relentless style of defense that can be devastating to teams that are used to having open shots throughout the course of a game. Most NBA predictions are based on how big of an advantage the home court advantage is. Madison Square Garden is a huge advantage for the Knicks. New York will push the pace and force the Celtics to run and gun. Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett have the ability to score with any team in the league, but whether or not they can maintain that pace for 4 quarters is uncertain due to their age. Rajon Rondo may be the difference in this one, but he can’t do it alone

Tune in Wednesday night as the red-hot New York Knicks do their best to show the rest of the Eastern conference that they are here to stay!

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