Mark L. Baer-USA Today Sports
The New York Knicks could not ask for a better situation surrounding Game 5 of their opening round playoff series against the rival Boston Celtics, set to be played on Wednesday night. In fact, the game is New York’s to lose.
Not only do the Knicks have a 3-1 series lead, but the game is set to be played on their home court at Madison Square Garden, where they went 31-10 during the regular season. More importantly, recently crowned Sixth Man of the Year J.R. Smith will be back in uniform after being suspended for Game 4 following his elbow to Boston guard Jason Terry‘s face.
In the playoffs, Smith is averaging 16.3 points per game while shooting 43.5 percent from the field and 31 percent from long range.
Though New York did a decent job of coming back from a wide deficit in Game 4, it was clear how much Smith was missed. With team star Carmelo Anthony having trouble finding his shot and Jason Terry essentially having his way on offense, the lack of Smith’s spark nature truly did hurt the team.
But Game 5 will give the Knicks every opportunity to earn a spot in the Conference Semifinals. The rowdy Madison Square Garden crowd will be cheering the team on from start to finish, and Smith will be there to provide instant offense in case the scoring attack stalls for any reason early on.
More importantly, this is a series that New York just wants more. Their comeback in Game 4 proves that the team is refusing to back down from any battle, and anything but a series win is unacceptable.
So long as head coach Mike Woodson has his men taking advantage of each and every situation that could swing the pendulum in their favor for Game 5, New York can win this game easily. Otherwise, it’s back to Boston for Game 6.
