We'll be using a new format for live updates throughout the Celtics' playoff run. We've replaced traditional text-only updates with our new live blog system.

This allows more voices, including yours (click the comment button in the window below), to contribute to in-the-moment coverage of the Celtics' playoff games. Boston.com's Gary Dzen will be your host throughout, and Globe Celtics reporters Gary Washburn and Baxter Holmes will contribute both directly and via Twitter. Other top sources will also be part of the live blog, and we'll be on the lookout for your content as well.

By Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff

So you're saying there's a chance.

Down 3-0 in the series a week ago today, the Celtics gave themselves a real shot to come back with a 92-86 win over the Knicks at Madison Square Garden in Game 5. The Celtics are back at home, where they're 28-14 this season.

The Celtics will be the first to tell you they don't have to try to win for games in a row. They have to try to win the game at hand. They'll make history by stringing four of those singular efforts together. Celtics guard Jason Terry is expecting a live crowd Friday night.

"It's going to be a Game 7 atmosphere," said Terry. "It's the last one at home if we don't take care of business, so I imagine our fans are ready. They're fired up, and I expect a warm welcome."

No NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit. The Celtics can make things really interesting by forcing a Game 7 Sunday afternoon in New York.

Here are the details for Game 6:

Tipoff: 7 p.m.
Series: New York leads the best-of-seven series, 3-2
Broadcast info:Television: CSNE, ESPN; Radio: WEEI (93.7 FM)
Officials: Ken Mauer, Ed Malloy and Bennett Salvatore

Probable starters:

Celtics: PG: Avery Bradley SG: Paul Pierce SF: Jeff Green PF: Brandon Bass C: Kevin Garnett

Knicks: PG: Raymond Felton SG: Pablo Prigioni SF: Iman Shumpert PF: Carmelo Anthony C: Tyson Chandler

Storylines:

Heavy minutes: The Celtics used only seven players Wednesday night; five of them played 35 minutes or more. The biggest worries are Pierce (44 minutes) and Garnett (39 minutes). Playing every other day is good for fans, but it's bad for a team using a limited rotation. It would be difficult for Doc Rivers to use a seven-man rotation again; perhaps Courtney Lee or Jamal Crawford will come off the bench in Game 6.

Adjustments: Here's an alarming stat if you're a Knicks fan:

According to Synergy, #Knicks Carmelo Anthony dropped isos from 34% of his possessions last yr to 26% this yr. Back up to 44.7% in playoffs.

— Sean Deveney (@SeanDeveney) May 2, 2013

Will the Knicks switch their offense up at all in Game 6? Will they give the ball to Anthony in something other than isolation? Will they run more pick-and-rolls with Felton and Chandler?

Pressure on the Knicks: A quick look at the New York Daily News Knicks page tells you all you need to know about how Knicks fans are feeling right now. Anthony, J.R. Smith, Mike Woodson, and New York's entire mental makeup are being questioned, and for good reason. The comparison stories to Red Sox-Yankees in 2004 are already being written. A Game 7 would put a crazy amount of pressure on New York.

@GlobeGaryDzen

By Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff

Celtics guard Jordan Crawford didn't play a minute in Game 5, but the topic of what he may or may not have said after the game was a focus of the New York tabloids Thursday morning.

What we know is that Crawford appeared to exchange words with Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony. Knicks starter Raymond Felton got involved, and Celtics backup big man D.J. White was seen holding Crawford back. After the game, Anthony said, "I'm not thinking about Jordan Crawford right now. I don't even think he deserves for you to be typing about him right now."

Folks in the business of reading lips think Crawford may have said something about Anthony's wife. Whether or not there's a shred of truth there, that story line played out Thursday. Crawford denied the allegations on Twitter:

I would never talk trash about that mans Wife. I don't him........ All I did was respond!!

— Jordan Crawford (@jcraw55) May 2, 2013

Anthony's wife, La La Vazquez Anthony, put up an Instragram photo with the words, "Strong Women only intimidate weak men." Underneath the photo she wrote, "Try again. You on the bench for a reason."

Game 6 between the Celtics and Knicks is Friday night at 7 in Boston.

By Amalie Benjamin, Globe Staff

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- In the wake of two straight losses after going up, three games to none, the Knicks still seem confident that they can win a game and close out the Celtics, even with the series heading back to Boston for Game 6.

And yet the Knicks are talking about having two games to finish off Boston -- not exactly the best sign. Because, really, do they want to come back to Madison Square Garden for a winner-take-all Game 7?

“Our goal was to host first round and get out of the first round,” Knicks coach Mike Woodson said at the team's practice facility Thursday. “That hasn’t changed. We’ve got to figure out how we can win one game -- one out of these two games -- to advance to the next round.

“There’s a sense of urgency. It’s not going to be easy by any means going to Boston and getting a win there. But, again, we still control our own destiny. We have won in Boston, so we’ve got to see what we’re made of now.

“They came in here and took a game on our floor. We’ve got to go get it back.”

Raymond Felton, who was the Knicks’ lone bright spot on offense in Game 5, said, “There’s no panic on our end. We’re up, 3-2. We’ve just got to go try to close this thing out.”

And despite the Knicks' stunt with their all-black, funeral-ready attire on Wednesday, Felton said he didn't think the confidence of his team was a problem.

“There’s no need to get cocky," he said. "I don’t think nobody is getting cocky on this team. We’re just trying to find a way to fight.”

It was a sentiment echoed by his coach.

“I think we’re still confident,” Woodson said. “We’re 3-2 in the series, and still facing a close-out game. So I feel pretty good about it, and our guys feel good. We’ve just got to go get back what we gave away last night.”

By Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff

NEW YORK -- One team is gritty, the other gutless. One is erratic, the other almost tedious in its methodical approach. The Celtics and Knicks could not be more different, and the clash of styles is beginning to bleed into the series like Curt Schilling's stitched-up ankle into a white athletic sock.

With a win in the hostile environment of Madison Square Garden Wednesday night, the Celtics proved they handle anything the Knicks throw at them. They proved they're the mentally tougher team, but we already knew that. What we didn't know, what we're beginning to find out, is that the inherent style differences between the two squads may override any difference in talent.

Frequent Celtics observers know how often Celtics coach Doc Rivers preaches sharing the ball. We need to make the extra pass. We need to trust one another. Rivers preaches the mantra to the point of boredom. But one of the greatest assets of the Rivers-Garnett-Pierce Celtics is to say something wise and cliched and mean it. The Celtics didn't share the ball in the first three games. They didn't make the extra pass, and they failed to score 80 points in each.

Through the first three games of the series the Celtics totaled 48 turnovers to 46 assists. In wins in Games 4 and 5 the Celtics turned that stat around, assisting on 42 baskets while turning the ball over 31 times. In other words, the Celtics have turned their words into action.

"I thought we moved the ball tonight," Kevin Garnett said after putting up 16 points and 18 rebounds in Game 5. "I thought we trusted each other. We put ourselves in this position, so it's what it is. We've got to trust each other at this point. We have no other options."

That trust was on display in Game 5. In some cases Celtics players waited for things to open up, the result of several extra passes finding Jason Terry or Jeff Green for one of Boston's 11 3-pointers. In others, it was a trust of the system and each other. A reverse bounce pass from Pierce to Garnett in the first half split three defenders and found Garnett for the dunk. An inch one way or the other and that's a turnover, but each player trusted the other to do the right thing. The result was 92 points on 46 percent shooting, the Celtics' highest shooting percentage of the series.

"One-on-one basketball doesn't work against this team," said Garnett. "For us to be successful we have to lean on one another, and that's what we're doing on both ends."

The Knicks, on the other hand, seem content to live and die by the jump shot. Carmelo Anthony had his second straight poor shooting game. He's now 18 for his last 59 shots from the floor. J.R. Smith missed his first 10 shots Wednesday night. The Knicks never adjusted. With a bigger, less mobile Brandon Bass on him, Anthony never went to a pick-and-roll, choosing instead to isolate on Bass and allowing Bass's size to bother his jump shot. What's worse for the Knicks, Anthony didn't seem to realize the strategy was a bad one.

"We're just not making shots," he said. "I don't think Boston is doing anything that they haven't been doing. ... We good."

That kind of bold talk is representative of New York's problems across the board. Smith started the Knicks down the path with his senseless elbow of Terry in Game 3. Kenyon Martin continued it by telling his Knicks teammates to wear black to the arena Wednesday night to prepare for the Celtics' funeral. Both acts of hubris fueled the Celtics, who are nothing if not proud.

"We're here to win games and take care of business," said Jeff Green, who had 18 points in Game 5. "Whatever shenanigans they want to pull, dressing all in black, they can do that."

On the other hand, outside of newcomer Jordan Crawford, the Celtics are saying all the right things.

"Put your hard hats on," Garnett said in yet another of his perfect postgame interviews.

Whether they're up or down, the Celtics prepare the same way, Garnett scowling his way through warm-ups, Pierce offering up wagers for pre-game trick shots. That ability not to get too high or low paid off in Game 5 after the Celtics found themselves down 11-0 early. Rather than panic, the Celtics played their game, methodically chipping away at the lead. Brandon Bass scored nine of the Celtics' first 11 points to keep his team within two points at the end of the first quarter.

"We hung in there," said Rivers. "We talked before the game that we have to fight amazing emotion to start the game, which happened there. We called a timeout and I kept telling them, 'We are fine. We are good, keep hanging in there.'"

The Celtics have used the same approach to climb back into this series. They're treating each game like a Game 7, and they actually mean it. Winning one game at a time really does add up to four straight wins. The C's are halfway out of their hole, and comparisons to the 2004 Red Sox are mounting. New York teams are now 0-6 when holding a 3-0 lead on a Boston team in a seven-game series. But "Why Not Us?", the rallying cry so fitting for the '04 Sox, doesn't fit. For these stubborn old Celtics it's more like, "See, We Told You."

The plan for Game 6 is more of the same. If the Celtics believe they've exposed vulnerabilities in the Knicks, they're not letting on.

"Our mentality has to be all out," said Garnett. "It can't be anything different than that. We're down 3-2. The next game we lose is it. I don't know what everybody's talking about getting comfortable, feeling good. We're down 3-2. It's not like we evened it up and we're going back home. No. We're down 3-2. I don't know what's comfortable about it."

Being taken out of their comfort zone has clearly rattled the Knicks, but the Celtics seem to revel in it. The setup at MSG is such that the teams have to cross over each other on the way to the court. As the teams made their way out for warmups Wednesday night, Garnett and Pierce led the Celtics through the heart of New York's layup line to get the team where it needed to be. The Knicks let them do it. It was a subtle reminder that these Celtics won't be easily pushed aside.

By Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff

NEW YORK -- Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony said his shoulder was OK after getting tangled with Kevin Garnett in the fourth quarter of Wednesday's 92-86 loss to the Celtics.

"I guess he was trying to take my arm away," Anthony said of Garnett. "I got kind of tangled up with him, kind of yanked my shoulder a little bit. I'm fine."

After the game, Celtics guard Jordan Crawford -- who didn't play in Game 5 -- appeared to have some words with Anthony as the teams were walking off the court. The setup at Madison Square Garden is such that the teams must cross over each other on their way of the floor. Crawford said something to Anthony and was held back by Celtics forward D.J. White while Knicks point guard Raymond Felton chimed in.

"Just some words," said Felton. "Nothing serious."

Anthony responded to a question about Crawford in his postgame press conference.

"Im not thinking about Jordan Crawford right now," said Anthony. "I don't even think he deserves for you to be typing about him right now."

In the Celtics locker room, Crawford and White were laughing and talking about the incident while reporters conducted interviews.

A few other notes following Game 5:

-- Wearing black to the game to prepare for the Celtics' "funeral" didn't work out so well for the Knicks in Game 5. Knicks guard J.R. Smith, who was one of the biggest trash talkers this week, shot 3 for 14 in the game.

"We were going to a funeral, but looks like we got buried," said Smith. "I'm done with the black thing."

Said Celtics guard Jason Terry, "You're only buried if the casket is closed so to speak. Us getting that win opened the door just a little bit. Tonight opened it a little bit more. If we can even this thing up then it's everybody's series."

-- Terrence Williams gave the Celtics 17 big minutes off the bench, scoring 4 points and adding 4 rebounds and 2 assists.

"He steadied the ship," said Terry. "He gives us another ball-handler who knows our offense. Defensively he's a strong defender. So he fits right in. For him it's all about confidence. He's a tremendous hard worker, he stays the gym, even often times shooting the nights of the game afterward."

-- Anthony insisted after the game that the Knicks are the cause of their own demise.

"We're just not making shots," he said. "I don't think Boston is doing anything that they haven't been doing. ... We good."

Said Felton, "We're still in a good place, we're still up three games to two."

By Gary Washburn, Globe Staff

NEW YORK – Paul Pierce realizes tonight could be his final game as a Celtic. His contract has a team option for next season, meaning the Celtics brass could pay him a $5 million buyout and cut ties with their second all-time leading scorer.

Pierce understands that possibility and discussed his future, which will be one of the Celtics' major topics this summer.

"Truthfully, I haven't put too much thought into it," he said at a shootaround in preparation for tonight's Game 5 against the New York Knicks. "The organization is going to do what they're going to do. It's nothing that's stressing me out. That's what it is. Every year they've got decision to make. Those are their decisions. I leave it to them."

When asked if it's different now that he could be part of those offseason decisions, Pierce said: "I always been a guy that's said things happen for a reason. I was a No. 10 pick, I didn't anticipate that. I just always feel like throughout my whole career everything is going to fall into the right place for me. I don't really put much thought into after the season but I know at the end of the day whatever they do, whatever I do, it's going to fall in the right place for me."

Pierce said he has no plans of retiring after this season.

"Right now it's year-by-year," he said. "I expect to play another year next year and then evaluate after that. I always said I wanted to end my career as a Celtic. But they are the ones (with the decision). I have a year contract for next year but it's not guaranteed so the decision's in their hands. But whatever decision they make, maybe, if they trade me somewhere or I end up somewhere else maybe it could be a situation where I come back for a one-day deal and retire a Celtic."

By Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff

NEW YORK – The Celtics extended their season Sunday with an overtime win over the Knicks. Wednesday night, they'll look to steal Game 5 on the road and put a serious scare into the Knicks.

We've reached the point in the series where off days are as absurd as they are informative. Knicks guard J.R. Smith and Celtics guard Jason Terry have cranked up the trash talk Tuesday, with Smith claiming he didn't know who Terry was. This follows Knicks forward Kenyon Martin telling reporters Terry was "running his mouth" during Game 4, prompting Martin to instruct the Knicks to wear black Wednesday night as if preparing for a funeral.

It's all a lot of nonsense, though the talk – and Smith's flagrant elbow in Game 3 – seemed to fire up Terry. Neither team has strung together four consecutive quarters of solid play. The Knicks need to shoot better Wednesday night than they did in Game 4. The Celtics need to do a better job of passing out of traps, and they need to get out on the break as often as they can. They need to find a way to get Kevin Garnett the ball.

The Celtics have not lost a first-round playoff series since 2005. They're in danger of doing that Wednesday night.

Here are the details for Game 5:

Tipoff: 7 p.m.
Series: New York leads the best-of-seven series, 3-1
Broadcast info:Television: CSNE, TNT; Radio: WEEI (93.7 FM)

Probable starters:

Celtics: PG: Avery Bradley SG: Paul Pierce SF: Jeff Green PF: Brandon Bass C: Kevin Garnett

Knicks: PG: Raymond Felton SG: Pablo Prigioni SF: Iman Shumpert PF: Carmelo Anthony C: Tyson Chandler

Storylines:

Bass on Anthony: Brandon Bass did as good a defensive job as you can do on a player who scored 36 points Sunday. Bass limited Carmelo Anthony to 10-of-35 shooting.

"He's tall," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said of Bass. "It's difficult to shoot over length."

Rivers likes Bass on Anthony, so look for the matchup again. Also look for Anthony to try to get Bass in the air on pump fakes and draw fouls. Anthony got himself to the line 20 times in Game 4.

Turnovers: Paul Pierce has five or more turnovers in each of the first four games of the series. Avery Bradley has more turnovers (nine) than assists (seven). If the Celtics can take care of the ball they have a shot. If not, the game could get out of hand.

Role players: Someone besides the usual suspects is going to step up Wednesday night. Iman Shumpert showed brilliant flashes for the Knicks in Game 4. Terry shined for the Celtics. Jason Kidd has been tremendous at times. Who will it be in Game 5?

@GlobeGaryDzen

By Amalie Benjamin, Globe Staff

GREENBURGH, N.Y. – There has been a lot of talk around Knicks camp about J.R. Smith's maturity, about how he has moved beyond some of the issues he had earlier in his career. At least that was the narrative when Smith won the NBA's Sixth Man Award eight days ago.

That talk changed in the wake of Smith's suspension for Game 4 of this first-round series, a game the Celtics won Sunday to extend the series. Smith was suspended for elbowing Jason Terry in Game 3, and his maturity again was questioned.

Then there was this exchange with reporters Tuesday after Knicks practice.

Smith was asked about the Game 4 performance of Terry (18 points, including 9 in overtime). His response?

“Who?” Smith said. “I don’t even know who that is.”

It didn’t stop there.

Asked another question about Terry, Smith kept up the charade.

“Who?” he said again. “Who is that?”

And so, with the Knicks up, 3-1, in the series, there has been another shot of adrenaline for Boston, courtesy of a player who seems completely confident in his own abilities and his own effect on the series.

Asked what would have happened had he been on the court for Game 4, Smith said, “Oh, yeah. It would have been over. I would have been playing golf today.”

By Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff

WALTHAM -- Down 3-1 in the series with an elimination game against the Knicks looming Wednesday night, mental focus was the key topic before the Celtics took the practice court Tuesday.

"What's the difference between being down 0-3 and being in a Game 7?" Celtics coach Doc Rivers asked. "There's no difference. It's an elimination game. In Game 7 you're thinking let's win it to win it. When you're down 0-3, you never know, you may have a couple guys making vacation plans not thinking you can do it. So it's all about the mindset."

Celtics players talked as if the series was still within their grasp.

"We're still confident, we're still riding high from last game," said Jeff Green. "So hopefully we can take that into the game tomorrow and continue to play the way we did."

Said Celtics guard Jason Terry, "I don't want to go home right now. I feel like we've got a lot of basketball left with this particular group."

Terry has reason to feel good after scoring nine points in overtime of Game 4. The Celtics, on the other hand, have some reasons to be worried about their chances in Game 5. Carmelo Anthony was 10 of 35 from the field in Game 4, sharpshooter J.R. Smith sat out due to suspension, and the Knicks still took the game to overtime. Rivers said his team needed to get into attack mode early, limit offensive rebounds, and also do better against New York's trapping defense.

"I just wish we did a better job of taking advantage of it when they do trap," said Rivers. "That's where I would say I am the most disappointed with us offensively. We work on it every day, and we really haven't taken advantage of their traps. ... All year we've done a great job of really attacking traps to the point where teams stopped trapping us. Honestly [this series] I don't think we've made the right decisions."

Today's schedule: The Celtics practiced Tuesday morning in Waltham before flying to New York. The Knicks practiced in Westchester.

Stat of the day: Not about the Celtics or Knicks, but staggering nonetheless:

Heat are 41-2 in its last 43 games, have won 12 straight overall

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 29, 2013

Useful Twitter follow: Celtics Blog, one of the best team blogs around.

compare the C's shot chart to the Warriors here (scroll down a bit):hardwoodparoxysm.com/2013/04/24/lio…

— CelticsBlog (@celticsblog) April 24, 2013

Quote of the day: Jeff Green, on going back to New York:

"It's going to be very difficult with their fans behind them, but we can't think about that too much," said Green. "They don't impact the game, we do."

View from behind enemy lines: From the New York Times: Knicks hit a bump on their road to the next round.

Series news: Knicks guard Jason Kidd won the NBA's sportsmanship award for the second straight season. One tidbit on that note: Before the series started, Kidd ran over to Celtics GM Danny Ainge and owner Wyc Grousbeck to shake their hands and wish them luck.

Have something to say about the series? Leave a comment. Follow me on Twitter.

By Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff

WALTHAM – Celtics players and coach Doc Rivers spoke in support of Jason Collins Tuesday after Collins revealed in Sports Illustrated on Monday that he was gay. Rivers said Collins called him a few days ago to share the news with his former coach.

"We had talked about it recently," said Rivers. "When he called me to tell me, you could tell he wanted to tell me. I told him before he said it, 'Jason I could care less about what you're about to tell me.' And that's how I feel. I honestly feel that way.

"It's a non-factor to me, and I know it is a factor to a lot of people. I've never understood why anyone cares what someone else does. And I told Jason that it will be a non-issue eventually, but it will not be right now."

Rivers said Collins, who played in 32 games for the Celtics this season before being traded to Washington for guard Jordan Crawford, was a good locker room presence. Rivers joked that he wished Collins could have gotten a few more rebounds while he was here. He left the door open to Collins returning to Boston next season.

Celtics players expressed support for their former teammate and surprise at the news.

"I was happy for him," said Celtics forward Jeff Green. "He's a good friend of mine. He's a good teammate."

Green said the veteran Collins played a mentor role, showing him how to conduct himself. Green said he had not considered the possibility of having a gay teammate.

"It never crossed my mind, but I'm not against it. We all are here for the same reason, that's to win. No matter if you're gay or straight, we're here to play basketball."

Green said he'd welcome Collins back on the Celtics next season.

"He was an awesome teammate," said Green. "He played the game hard. He set good screens and got me open, so that's all you can ask for."

Jason Terry took it a step further, saying that Collins could have helped this season. The Celtics had originally tried to send Chris Wilcox to Washington instead of Collins, but Collins was eventually the one traded.

"We'd like to have [Collins] in this series," said Terry. "He's one of the toughest guys in the NBA."

Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett also pledged their support for Collins Tuesday. Pierce said Collins called him Monday just before the announcement.

By Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff

The NBA has set its schedule for Wednesday night's games, and the Celtics and Knicks will kick off a tripleheader starting at 7 p.m. The Hawks and Pacers will follow at 8 p.m., and Rockets-Thunder will be the nightcap at 10:30 p.m.

By Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff

Knicks power forward Kenyon Martin cranked up the trash talk following his team's 97-90 overtime loss to the Celtics Sunday afternoon. Martin took issue with some comments by Celtics guard Jason Terry before the game.

“The guy was mouthing off before the game,” Martin told the New York Daily News. “He told me, ‘You’re not dancing at my funeral today.’’’

Martin turned Terry's comments around after the game.

"We’re ending it Wednesday,” Martin said, telling his teammates to, “Wear black. Funeral colors.’’

By Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff

Today's focus: What on earth were the Knicks doing in the first half Sunday? More specifically, what was going through coach Mike Woodson's head when he decided to stop trapping Avery Bradley and stop double-teaming Paul Pierce and Jeff Green on every catch? That defensive strategy worked to perfection in the first three games, holding the Celtics under 80 points in each and forcing them into 48 total turnovers. Why mess with what was working?

Pierce wasn't sure why the Knicks changed their strategy.

"Yeah it was sort of surprising," said Pierce. "Usually they get the ball out of my hands a bit earlier."

Pierce scored 17 points on 6-for-9 shooting with one turnover without being trapped in the first half. When the Knicks trapped after halftime, Pierce went 3 for 11 and committed five turnovers. The strategy worked. It's amazing the Knicks went away from it, even for a little while.

Today's schedule: Neither the Celtics or Knicks practice today. The Celtics will practice Tuesday morning in Waltham before flying to New York.

Stat of the day: In the first four games of the series Avery Bradley has 7 assists and 9 turnovers.

Useful Twitter follow: National Post (Canada) sports columnist. Arthur tweets about every sport, but he does so brilliantly. His own musings can be hilarious, and his re-tweets are informative.

The Celtics are the old neighbour who keeps coming back from the hospital.

— Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) April 28, 2013

View from behind enemy lines: From the New York Post: Melo's shooting sinks the Knicks.

Series news: J.R. Smith will be back on the court for the Knicks in Game 5 after serving his one-game suspension Sunday.

Have something to say about the series? Leave a comment. Follow me on Twitter.

By Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff

Pride and stubbornness can be hard to parse. You can see both on display when Kevin Garnett answers questions from the media, the disdain visible in his curling brow. Asked Sunday about the mentality of coming into the game down 3-0, Garnett feigns as if he doesn't understand the question. Asked again if facing elimination was a factor in his team's 97-90 win over the Knicks in Game 4, Garnett simply replies, "No."

The Celtics have rarely been more prideful or stubborn than they were Sunday at TD Garden. They had every reason to pack it in, having failed to reach 80 points in each of the first three games of the series. Sunday, the Garden was half-full by tip-off, and early in the game, the cheers of Knicks fans dressed in orange-and-blue matched those for the home team. No NBA team has ever faced a 3-0 deficit in a playoff series and come back to win.

Given the odds, you could have excused the Celtics for wanting to jet off to the Caribbean a few days early, but instead they came out firing on all cylinders. Paul Pierce knocked down big shots, and Brandon Bass flustered Carmelo Anthony into bad ones. The Celtics held the Knicks to 17 points in the first quarter and built a 19-point halftime lead. There was life in the building.

Then, just as quickly as it had come, the Celtics watched a 20-point third-quarter lead evaporate as Garnett and Jeff Green picked up their fourth fouls and Bass picked up his fifth.

"The third quarter for us, with the fouls, it was hard," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "I mean, we were shuffling guys in and out. I was just trying to tell them we had a three-point lead, and let’s keep playing. Let's play through the game."

The Celtics kept playing, but so did the Knicks, who took their first lead on a Raymond Felton jumper with 1:18 left in the fourth. Bass had fouled out. Pierce looked gassed. For the first time this series, we had a game in the second half. And yet the Celtics continued to fight through the fourth quarter, forcing overtime and then winning there as the much-maligned Jason Terry put up nine points in the extra frame.

“We wanted to survive," said Garnett. "This is the position we put ourselves in. To continue to play we’ve got to continue to win."

The Celtics scored just 31 points in the first half of Game 3 Friday night and were booed off the court at the break; too few fans stuck around to boo them off the court after the final buzzer.

Given a second chance to stave off elimination, the Celtics displayed the mental toughness Sunday that has made them such a tough opponent over the last few seasons. They were hardly mistake-free, committing six turnovers in the first quarter, but they fought through the errors and kept up their defense. Led by Pierce's example, the Celtics built a 54-35 halftime lead. Pierce continued to struggle with turnovers, committing five or more for the fourth consecutive game, but the Celtics veteran never stopped being aggressive or wanting the ball. He led the Celtics with 29 points

"There was a lot of pride," said Pierce. "Us as the captains of the team, we gotta instill it in these guys."

One player who has inserted himself into a leadership position this season is Terry, who had 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting after scoring 23 points combined in the first three games. He hasn't been reliable, but afterward Knicks guard Jason Kidd said of Terry, "He's a fighter. He's not going to give up, I've seen it up close."

Said Terry, "When your leaders are KG, Pierce, and myself, we have too much pride. Getting swept is something that no man that’s been in this league that long wants to do."

Terry was at his best Sunday after taking a flagrant elbow from New York's J.R. Smith in Game 3. That foul no doubt inspired Terry, who took several opportunities to ham it up to the crowd after making big baskets. Starting with Smith, the Knicks did their part to make the Celtics a prideful team again. New York looked stagnant on offense for large chunks of the game without Smith. Knicks coach Mike Woodson inexplicably went away from double-teaming Pierce and Green on every catch, and it hurt them in the first half as the Celtics built their lead. Better ball pressure might have prevented New York from being down so much in the first place.

Still, the Celtics deserve credit for refusing to fold. Despite Sunday's loss, the Knicks have shown that they're the better basketball team. They've got more room for error in each game. The Celtics are relying on their pride, their refusal to quit. After the game, Pierce and Garnett were both asked if they had given any thought to their uncertain futures in Boston. Pierce said he hadn't thought about it because he hadn't thought about losing Game 4. Before the game, in fact, Pierce said he had called some friends in New York to make plans for dinner. It was the kind of stubborn, prideful answer we've come to expect.

By Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff

Rapid reaction from TD Garden as a basketball arena disappears and a hockey arena is set up around us ...

-- Celtics coach Doc Rivers called forward Brandon Bass "the star of the game" for his defense on Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony. Bass limited Anthony to 10-of-35 shooting before fouling out.

"He just defended, and he did it over and over and over again," said Rivers. "There are a lot of guys you want to defend; I don't know if Carmelo would be the one you would pick."

Bass had four points and four rebounds, but Anthony seemed to struggle the most with the larger Bass on him. Bass said defending LeBron James, which he did during last year's playoffs, is nothing like defending Anthony.

"They're totally different," said Bass. "They're both tough covers, but they're different."

On his ability to guard smaller players with some success, Bass said, "Earlier in the season we did a lot of pick-and-rolls that had me switching on the guards. Doc saw I could move my feet so he said, 'Why not?'"

Bass has not always been known as a good defensive player, but it's a label he said he's working toward. Past criticism of his defense has motivated him.

"I thought [the criticism] was because everybody else was so good defensively, and I was the new guy," he said. "You've got to take some criticism. That's how you continue to move forward."

-- Knicks coach Mike Woodson said he was OK taking one of two games in Boston:

"I feel good about being able to come in here and get one game," said Woodson. "It would have been nice to close out today, but that's a tough team, a competitive team in that locker room."

-- Kenyon Martin on missing J.R. Smith:

"We missed him of course. We're missing 18 points off the bench, sometimes it will affect you. But other guys stepped up and made plays. We just didn't get it done tonight, but we've got nothing to hold our head about."

-- Kevin Garnett on the difference between this game and the previous three:

"Versus talking, we just came out and did it. This is it. We were down 3-0. What else is there to say?"

By Gary Washburn, Globe Staff

Rajon Rondo was draining 3-pointers from the baseline before Sunday's Game 4 between the Celtics and Knicks. He looked as if he could play, but that nasty surgical scar on his right knee is an indication that he is months away from returning.

As close as he can get to game action is dressing in warmups and taking jumpers before games. Because of his torn right anterior cruciate ligament, Rondo cannot run. He can only watch the Celtics struggle mightily against the Knicks, trailing three games to none in the best-of-seven series.

Rondo is expected to return sometime early next season but his rehabilitation is in the early stages after tearing the ACL on Jan. 25 at Atlanta.

"I like to compete, I want to play but I'm fine where I'm at right now," he said before Game 4. "I'm just trying to support my teammates. That's all I can do and that's what I am going to do. I've been watching for four months now, it's hard sitting on the sideline watching. Can't do anything about it."

No NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit and the Celtics may make some major offseason changes after a disappointing year. When asked if the Celtics could compete with Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and some roster additions along with a healthy Rondo, he said: "I would say so. It's a long ways away, a lot of things can change this summer. I'm just focused on getting healthy, that's about it."

Rondo said it's difficult to watch, especially during the postseason. Rondo has thrived during Celtics postseason runs, including 44 points in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals at Miami last season.

"That's what it's about, it's about stepping up to the plate, when the lights come on that's when you see what you're made of," he said. "I love the spotlight. I love the pressure situations and what other situation is better than the playoffs."

Rondo underwent surgery on Feb. 13 and said it's a six- to 12-month window to return.

"Every ACL surgery they say you can start running in about four to six months (after surgery)," he said. "I think that's when I'll start running. That's in the textbook of ACL rehab. I don't know how long training camp is far from my surgery. I get in between six to 12 months."

Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose has yet to return to action approximately a year after tearing his ACL during last year's NBA playoffs.

"Everybody's different," Rondo said. "I can walk. I should be walking by now and I can walk. I can't jump. I can't run but I'm walking so for me that's on schedule."

By Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff

It's a gorgeous Sunday morning in Boston's West End. Unobstructed sunshine and blooming trees providing an odd juxtaposition to the 0-3 hole the Celtics find themselves in prior to their matinee with the New York Knicks here at TD Garden. Early during the 9 o'clock hour D.J. White and Shavlik Randolph went hard through warm-ups while the Celtics dancers, dressed in their Sunday-best whites, took dozens of team photos. This could be the dance team's final game for 2012-13. The Celtics are hoping to at least extend the series back to New York for Game 5.

The Knicks didn't practice Saturday, and who could fault them? They've yet to make a single adjustment in the series because the game plan they established in Game 1 has worked out just fine: double-team Paul Pierce and Jeff Green, deny Kevin Garnett, and let anyone else try to beat them. To this point no one has. Knicks guard J.R. Smith threw an unnecessary wrench into his team's plans with an elbow to Jason Terry in Game 3. Smith is suspended for Game 4, which gives the Celtics a glimmer of hope.

Here are the details for this afternoon's game:

Tipoff: 1 p.m.
Series: New York leads the best-of-seven series, 3-0
Broadcast info:Television: ABC; Radio: WEEI (93.7 FM)
Officials: Bill Kennedy, Scott Foster, and Derrick Collins.

Probable starters:

Celtics: PG: Avery Bradley SG: Paul Pierce SF: Jeff Green PF: Brandon Bass C: Kevin Garnett

Knicks: PG: Raymond Felton SG: Pablo Prigioni SF: Iman Shumpert PF: Carmelo Anthony C: Tyson Chandler

Storylines:
Where will the offense come from?: Same first key from the last game. How on earth are the Celtics going to score enough points vs. the Knicks? They've yet to top 80 points. Smith's absence should help the defense, but he's not exactly a defensive juggernaut on the other end. If anything this gives Jason Kidd more run for the Knicks, and Kidd has given Pierce and company heck on D.

Doc's lineups: Does Doc Rivers have any more room to tinker with his lineups? Randolph playing for 30 minutes? Terrence Williams in a starting role? Terry started in Game 3 and the Celtics got off to their worst start, so that doesn't look like the solution.

Pride: We know Pierce and Garnett are prideful – Garnett played out of his mind Friday night in the loss – but the rest of the Celtics haven't been tested in the same way. Pierce talked after Game 3 about his teammates hanging their heads. If the Celtics get down early, will they have any fight in them?

@GlobeGaryDzen

By Gary Washburn, Globe Staff

The Celtics may have gotten a break in their quest to salvage at least a game of this Eastern Conference first-round series against the New York Knicks as the NBA announced at 9 p.m. (ET) that J.R. Smith (pictured on right) was suspended for Game 4 for his flagrant foul against Jason Terry with 7:06 left in the Knicks' 90-76 win over the Celtics.

Smith was immediately ejected and the league ruled his elbow was heinous enough to warrant a suspension.

"I was trying to draw the foul," Smith said after the game. "He reached in one time, I thought he was gonna reach in a second time and I was gonna try to get a quick shot off, but they made a call that the refs saw, and theres not really much I can do about it."

When asked if the call was correct, Smith said: "I don't really know, I'm not really the judge of that. I'm gonna let them do what they do. I really try to stay away from getting into it with the officials, so I gotta keep my head. That was a bad basketball play on my behalf, just cause I got kicked out of the game and my team needed me. Just gotta get ready to play Sunday."

Smith is the Knicks' second-leading scorer in the series, averaging 16.3 points and shooting 43.5 percent in the series. He has been a critical part of the Knicks first three victories.

By Baxter Holmes, Globe Staff

WALTHAM -- The locker room was quiet Friday night, Avery Bradley said.

"Everybody was real mad yesterday," the Celtics guard said before the team watched film of their Game 3 loss to the New York Knicks. "Nobody was saying anything."

There wasn't much to say. The Celtics embarrassed themselves and now sit in a 3-0 hole in the Eastern Conference first-round best-of-seven series -- a deficit from which no NBA team has ever recovered.

But the Celtics will try to, as the cliche goes, take it one game at a time beginning Sunday with Game 4 at TD Garden.

"They haven't won anything yet," Jeff Green said. "They've just won three games. The objective is to win four. So, we still have a chance to do that."

The Celtics' offense has been non-existent, as the team has scored fewer than 80 points in each of their three losses to the Knicks.

"I mean, something's gotta break," Jason Terry said. "I mean, you're not going to continue to just score 70 points every game. That's just crazy. I've played youth basketball, AAU, I mean, I've never scored this least amount of points."

Terry said "no comment" when asked about the elbow Knicks guard J.R. Smith threw that connected with Terry's face late in Game 3, earning Smith a Flagrant-2 foul and, thus, an ejection.

Terry did say he would be motivated by that elbow.

Said Doc Rivers: "Well, he should be, he’s the one who got hit. [Shoot], I’d be mad, too."

It has often been the case this season since Rajon Rondo went down that several Celtics have tried too hard to help the team win, forgoing team basketball along the way.

"It’s really important," Rivers said. "That may be the challenge for me tomorrow more than anything, because we do have the Jason Terrys on our team that want to win so bad that they may go into a game like, ‘I’m going to win this game tomorrow!’ Yeah, but it better be ‘we’ are going to win this game. That’s important, but it’s hard."

On that same subject, Rivers also said, "Offensively, we broke down on sets that we work on everyday. And so as a coach, you just keep pushing them to do it right. And it’s hard. Sometimes their pride is what gets in the way. Every single guy wants to win. They want to win so bad, they become an individual. I thought last night there was some of that as well."

But the Celtics definitely seem to be motivated by the show-boating that the Knicks were doing late in the game -- pointing at the crowd after big dunks, laughing, etc.

"Yeah, we did (sense it)," Bradley said. "That’s what made us so mad, so angry. We’ve just got to go out there and play the right way. We’ve got to not let that happen again."

"There was showboating going on out there a little bit, which I don't care for," Terry said.

"But, again, they have every right to do so. You're up 3-0. There's no pressure on them. They can pretty much come out here tomorrow and just show up and they think they've got it won."

The idea of being down 3-0 is a tough pill for the Celtics to swallow.

"It’s just frustrating that we’re down three (games)," Bradley said. "It’s just hard man. Three losses in a row. That’s just tough."

But that's where the Celtics stand, with Sunday's game possibly being their last this season.

"What we have to do," Green said, "is treat this game like it's the last game of everybody's career."

By Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff

Paul Pierce has never done easy. Not in playing for losing teams in six of his first nine NBA seasons. Not in surviving insults real (stabbing) and perceived ("wheelchair"). Not in the delayed, crooked way he's gotten himself free for drives and jumpers while amassing the second-most points in Celtics history.

Pierce has never taken the easy route, which is why his performance vs. the Knicks in the first round of this year's playoffs is fitting in a way. Led by Pierce the last few seasons, the Celtics have experienced success only matched in previous eras. Led by Pierce this season, the Celtics are quickly bringing their most recent run of success to a catastrophic close.

Just catching the ball wasn't easy for Pierce Friday night, not with two and three Knicks players slapping it from his hands. Jason Kidd, the NBA's only 40-year-old free safety, made it his mission to harass Pierce whenever possible. The strategy worked. Pierce was 6 of 15 from the field, 0 for 4 from three-point range in the 90-76 loss. He matched five assists with five turnovers. For the series, Pierce is now 20 for 49 (41 percent) from the floor with 18 assists and 16 turnovers. Pierce took a long time to address the media Friday night, spending almost an hour after the game talking behind closed doors to Kevin Garnett and the injured Rajon Rondo. Asked to characterize some specific reasons for his team's struggles, Pierce offered some veteran cliches.

"We're definitely frustrated," said Pierce. "We feel like we got a lot of good looks tonight, they just didn't fall. That's the way the ball bounces for you.. It is what it is. Can't do nothing about it until Sunday."

Anyone who's watched the first three games closely knows there's nothing about the bounce of the ball that's going to propel the Celtics to a better showing. Boston has been overmatched in three games, failing to reach 80 points in each. Pierce has been overwhelmed. You can see it in his body language after coughing up yet another entry pass. Early in the first quarter of Game 3, Knicks forward Iman Shumpert drove on Pierce and then pulled back out, sending Pierce sliding 10 feet across the floor. During the second half of Game 1, Pierce was so off his game that he sent a shot from the baseline sailing two feet past the rim, smacking an unsuspecting J.R. Smith in the face.

Pierce the player is rarely pretty, but he's usually confident. The Knicks haven't allowed him to be methodical or brash. They've taken away his swagger.

"It was tough," said Pierce. "You try to make a run and then they make a big three. Then you miss wide-open shots or miss a layup and they make a tough basket. You get yourself in those situations and it gets tough. You look at each other, you look down. Some guys lose their confidence in what we're trying to do."

Pierce has been at the center of what the Celtics have been trying to do for a long time, but he's not going to have that role for much longer. In an ideal world, he'd be the wily veteran vs. the Knicks, playing a supporting role to a blossoming Rondo, Jeff Green, Avery Bradley, and Jared Sullinger. Ideally he wouldn't have to do so much. Knicks coach Mike Woodson has done a brilliant job double-teaming Pierce the second he touches the ball and forcing him to give it up. The Knicks are daring someone else to beat them, and the Celtics don't have anyone who can.

Getting swept by the Knicks could add to Pierce's already complex legacy. He's the second-most prolific scorer in Celtics history to John Havlicek (Bob Ryan has been saying for five years that Pierce is the franchise's best scorer ever), but Pierce continues to be underappreciated among Boston legends. For a long time he didn't win. When he finally did win, he had help. He's writing one of his final chapters with some of his worst basketball. He hopes to make a sour ending a little easier to swallow with a win Sunday.

"It's definitely a difficult situation," said Pierce. "We definitely have our backs against the wall, but we've got to continue to fight, figure out a way how to get out of this rut.
But you've got to stick with it and understand that winning's not easy. It's going to be difficult. The playoffs are hard to win in, and we've got to figure out a way to grind through."

By Amalie Benjamin, Globe Staff

With 7:06 left to go in the fourth quarter, J.R. Smith was called for a flagrant 2 foul when his right elbow caught Jason Terry square in the face. That meant an automatic ejection for Smith, and it could have repercussions for Game 4 on Sunday as the Knicks try to close the Celtics out.

Terry had to be restrained by teammates.

“I was trying to draw the foul,” Smith said in the locker room after the game. “He reached in one time. I thought he was gonna reach in again a second time. I was gonna try to get a quick shot off, but they made a call that the refs saw. Not really much I could do about it.”

Both Smith and coach Mike Woodson insisted the elbow was not intentional.

“He’ll learn from it,” Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. “I don’t think he was trying to hurt the kid, I thought he was trying to clear space. But they saw it differently and he had to exit the game. That’s something he’ll learn from, and I’m going to stay in his ear and make sure he learns from it.”

Doc Rivers, meanwhile, was asked to comment on the incident. As he said, “I hate doing it, you know that.”

He paused.

“I don’t know,” Rivers said. “I wish I was playing. I didn’t like that. They were up. I’m going to stop. I’ve already given up money.”

Rivers, of course, was already fined $25,000 this week for labeling the referees’ calls on Kevin Garnett “horrendous” after Game 2 at Madison Square Garden.

Smith said he was going to prepare to play on Sunday, though flagrant 2 fouls can come with fines or suspensions after they are reviewed by the league.

“I don’t really know,” he said when asked if the ejection was warranted. “I’m not really the judge of that. I’m going to let them do what they do. I’m really trying to stay away from getting into it with the officials. I’ve got to keep my head.

“It was a bad basketball play on my behalf just because I got kicked out of the game. My team needs me. Just got to get ready to play Sunday.”

Globe Staff Photo/Jim Davis

By Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff

Do the Celtics need a J.R. Smith-like, 35-foot prayer in Game 3, or will playing at TD Garden suffice? Folks with money on the line have installed the Celtics as 3-point favorites Friday night. The Knicks were favored by 6.5 points in Game 2. Part of that 9.5-point swing is due to the house trying to get more action on the bet, but it's also an indication that a closer game is expected. The C's were 27-13 at home this season and are 14-29 on the road (including the first two games vs. the Knicks), so a close game seems in the cards.

The TD Garden crowd is the best in the league, and as much as the Celtics don't want to make this about the tragic events of last week, there's bound to be an emotional boost. The Celtics averaged 98.5 points at home this season compared to 94.6 on the road. For a team that has struggled mightily on offense in the first two games, those extra points will be welcome.

One note on Boston.com's game coverage: We'll continue to bring you pregame, postgame, and practice updates in this space, but our in-game updates have been replaced by a user-friendly live blog.

Here are the details for tonight's game:

Tipoff: 8 p.m.
Series: New York leads the best-of-seven series, 2-0
Broadcast info:Television: ESPN; Radio: WEEI (93.7 FM)

Probable starters:

Celtics: PG: Avery Bradley SG: Paul Pierce SF: Jeff Green PF: Brandon Bass C: Kevin Garnett

Knicks: PG: Raymond Felton SG: Pablo Prigioni SF: Iman Shumpert PF: Carmelo Anthony C: Tyson Chandler

Injury note: Kevin Garnett (hip pointer) practiced in a limited role Thursday and is expected to play in Game 3.

Storylines:
Where will the offense come from?: Being at home will help, but the Celtics don't have an easy solution for their lack of scoring. They aren't going to get Rajon Rondo back, and they don't have a point guard to replace him. Jason Terry keeps talking about the Celtics getting out in transition; it's the only time he can get free for jumpers. As Doc Rivers noted Thursday, transition baskets don't come often in the playoffs.

KG's touches: Kevin Garnett has made four shots in each of his first two games, attempting 21 shots in total. Boston has struggled getting him the ball on the block in positions where he can go to work. That's going to require better spacing and crisp passing, which is just about the only thing the Celtics have been working on. We'll see if it clicks tonight.

Stat of the day: Including the playoffs, the Celtics are now 41-42 on the season.

@GlobeGaryDzen

By Baxter Holmes, Globe Staff

Celtics coach Doc Rivers was fined $25,000 for publicly criticizing NBA officials after the team's loss Tuesday to the New York Knicks in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.

The league announced the fine Thursday.

After his team's 87-71 loss, Rivers was livid with some of the calls that went against Kevin Garnett, who had five fouls and was more or less a nonfactor in the game.

“Listen, I thought the fouls on Kevin, first of all they were horrendous,” Rivers said after the Celtics fell into a 2-0 hole in the best-of-seven series, which shifts to Boston for Game 3 Friday.

“And secondly, I thought they had a huge effect on us.

“Kevin had three fouls that . . . I was . . . I mean, him not being on the floor, playing 24 minutes and never getting your rhythm, where you could see, it looked like he was going to have a game, it hurt us.

“That’s just the way it goes. There’s nothing I can do about it now. I thought if it could’ve gone either way on three of those, they all went against Kevin. I think that’s tough.”

Rivers hinted during a conference call with reporters Wednesday that he might be fined for his comments.

"Even [Tuesday], I didn’t think I said much — and that could be a problem,” Rivers said. “Because all I basically said was Kevin getting into foul trouble had a huge impact on the game. That’s not criticizing officials. So, I’ve just got to make sure I focus on our stuff.”

By Amalie Benjamin, Globe Staff

GREENBURGH, N.Y. – The Knicks may be up, 2-0, in their first-round playoff series against the Celtics, but they certainly weren’t acting overconfident on Thursday. As they keep repeating, those two games were in Madison Square Garden and, so far, they’ve only held on their home court.

“Boston is a talented team,” said guard Jason Kidd. “We’ve got to find a way to win on the road, and we know that they’re going to come with their best game tomorrow night. We’re not looking to go 3-0 -- we’re just trying to find a way to win on the road.”

The Knicks will get their chance at TD Garden Friday, as the Celtics play at home for the first time in two weeks.

“After Game 1, we had to act as if we were down one,” Kidd said. “And in that second half, that third quarter, we acted as if we needed to win that game. That’s the same approach we’ve got to take in Game 3. We’ve got to act as if we’re down.”

Though no NBA team has come back from a 3-0 series deficit – something that’s all too close for the Celtics – the Knicks said they just want to get through Friday night. That’s the focus.

“We’ve got to go down there and play 48 minutes solid,” coach Mike Woodson said. “There’s no easy wins on the road. The two games here were tough games. I don’t see it changing once we get to Boston.”

****

Meanwhile, the Knicks are trying to get Tyson Chandler back to full strength, as he didn't play well in the first two games coming off a neck injury.

“Tyson is a major piece to this puzzle,” Woodson said. “The fact that he was off – he’s lost a little weight, and we’re trying to get his strength back up. When that happens, it’ll grow.

"He made some major steps the other night, I thought. He’ll continue to get better. I’m not really concerned about Tyson.”

By Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff

WALTHAM – Celtics guard Courtney Lee played just four minutes in an 87-71 loss to the Knicks in Game 2, and now we know why. Doc Rivers confirmed Thursday that Lee has fallen out of his rotation.

"I'm not playing him right now," said Rivers. "Honestly, Jordan [Crawford] has moved in front of him on the depth chart. But Courtney will have a say in this series. I believe that."

Rivers gave the answer in response to a question about Lee being instrumental in the team's fast break earlier in the season. Fast breaks are harder to come by in the playoffs, and the Celtics coach acknowledged that his team would need to get more points out of its halfcourt sets. He said Lee was OK with the demotion.

"He's handled it great as far as I know," said Rivers. "You never know. Guys move in front of him. Jordan is another guy that can give us what I just talked about offensively. For us our defense has been pretty good. The one thing Jordan does better is he can make a spot-up shot. But right now we're going the other way."

WALTHAM – Here's a rundown of the talking points following the Celtics' media availability Thursday at the team's practice facility.

Today's focus: Kevin Garnett will practice in a limited role Thursday while dealing with a hip pointer injury, according to Celtics coach Doc Rivers.

"I'm not going to let him go through the entire practice even if he's feeling good," said Rivers. "You don't want somebody to bang into you or something. We have to be careful with that."

Rivers said Garnett sustained the injury in the second half and asked Garnett if he could keep going. Rivers feared it was an injury to a stomach muscle and was relieved that it wasn't.

You have to wonder if Garnett has truly been 100 percent since his return late in the season. The Celtics big man is averaging 10 points and 10 rebounds in his first two games of the series. He's 8 for 21 from the field (38 percent). Maybe more disturbing is the fact that he's attempted only four free throws. The Celtics would like to involve Garnett more. They did it to great effect during last year's playoffs. Part of the problem is an ineffective Celtics offense, but health could be an issue as well.

Key for Game 3: Scoring in the halfcourt

The burning question after the first two games has been why the Celtics are so good in the first half and so bad after the break. Rivers thinks he knows why: The Celtics are getting points in transition before halftime and are struggling to do the same in the second half.

"We got stops in the first half, and it's transition," said Rivers. "We've gotten a lot of early baskets, transition baskets and attack. The second half we haven't had those, and we're not going to get them all the time. We're not. But we still have to be able to function.

"We're not organized offensively the way we're capable in my opinion. You're going to have to play some halfcourt in the playoffs. We knew that going in."

Rivers said it's hard to replicate New York's pressure outside of a game.

"Working on it in practice is one thing," said Rivers. "Playoff desperation pressure is a whole different ballgame."

Just where that halfcourt offense will come from is a problem. Rivers said Thursday that Courtney Lee has moved behind Jordan Crawford on the depth chart. Avery Bradley has struggled against ball pressure. Paul Pierce is being asked to do too much.

"We're not going to put all that pressure on Paul," said Rivers. "If we're asking Paul to score, start the offense, and pass the ball, we're going to struggle scoring."

Today's schedule: Both the Celtics and Knicks practiced Thursday. The Knicks are still in New York and will travel later today.

Stat of the day: The Celtics and Knicks each took 19 3-pointers in Game 2. That's New York's game. It's not Boston's.

Useful Twitter follow: Basketball Reference. As if you're not going to the site 10 times a day as it is.

Apr 25, 2004: The Pacers defeated the Celtics 90-75 in the NBA Eastern Conference First Round for a 4-0 series win. bkref.com/friv/on_this_d…

— Basketball Reference (@bball_ref) April 25, 2013

Injury update: Kevin Garnett is limited with a hip pointer injury but is expected to play in Game 3.

View from behind enemy lines: (From the New York Times): Kenyon Martin is writing a new ending for the Knicks.

Have something to say about the series? Leave a comment. Follow me on Twitter.

By Baxter Holmes, Globe Staff

Kevin Garnett suffered a hip injury during the Celtics’ 87-71 loss to the Knicks in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference first-round series Tuesday in New York, coach Doc Rivers said in a conference call with reporters Wednesday.

Rivers said the injury is not serious and that Garnett should practice Thursday and play in Game 3 Friday at TD Garden.

Garnett has battled injuries lately, missing 10 of the final 13 games of the regular season with ankle inflammation, but the Celtics have also tried to rest him to prepare the 36-year-old for a postseason run.

Rivers said the injury Garnett suffered against the Knicks was “not the hip flexor, [but] a hip pointer.

“It was very similar to having a hip pointer in football, I guess,” Rivers said. “And it was affecting him. I was concerned that he had done something else, because where he was grabbing his hip, but I thought it was his stomach, where you pull a stomach muscle or something. That’s why, I think, in a couple timeouts, I kept asking him, was he OK. And he is, he’s good."

Garnett finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds in the loss, but he played just 24 minutes because of foul trouble. The Celtics had looked to involve Garnett more in the game after their Game 1 loss, but, obviously, that didn’t happen.

By Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff

NEW YORK – The visitor's locker room at Madison Square Garden just seemed darker following the Celtics' 87-71 loss to the Knicks in Game 2. Players shuffled in and out without saying much of anything. When Avery Bradley was done talking to the media, he just kind of sat there, staring blankly ahead. Kevin Garnett was barely audible as he sat at an empty locker.

The team's problems were written on their faces and in the words of head coach Doc Rivers, who dropped several references to his team being inferior to the opponent.

"We are who we are. We can't apologize for that."

"I think Paul was playing pretty well. He started getting tired in the second half because he tried to do everything."

"We don't have 50 points on our bench."

After Tuesday's game, a member of the New York media said of the Celtics, "Their bench is the Washington Wizards."

All of these things are true. The Celtics can't score or rebound. They can't defend Carmelo Anthony or J.R. Smith. At one point the Knicks trotted out a lineup with three point guards; the Celtics don't have one on their roster.

The warning signs were there. Ten days before the playoffs I wrote that the Celtics' lack of offense was going to spell big trouble against the Knicks, that the Celtics really haven't been able to score effectively since 2009 (2009!). I predicted the Celtics would lose the series in five games. With the press box buzzing that the Celtics would get back on track Tuesday night, I mentioned to ESPN Boston colleague Greg Payne that the Celtics were going to lose by 15.

All of that is a conceited way of saying I agree with colleagues Gary Washburn and Dan Shaughnessy when they write that the Celtics look finished. If not done they're certainly overmatched. Winning four of the next five games against the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference seems like a tall task.

The Knicks have many ways to win, while the Celtics have to pitch a somewhat perfect game. But we've seen them do it before, as recently as last year. Rather than focus on the negative – while acknowledging that it won't be easy – here are some reasons the Celtics can come back and make this a series.

– Kevin Garnett has yet to be that Kevin Garnett (And in Game 2 it wasn't his fault):

Garnett averaged 19.2 points and 10.3 rebounds in a dominant 2011-2012 postseason. The minutes restriction is off the Celtics big man, but he ran into foul trouble Tuesday night and only saw 24 minutes of action. The Celtics can't afford to play KG 24 minutes and win a game. Garnett has an advantage against Tyson Chandler, who is playing with a neck injury, and KG has a definite mismatch against Chris Copeland or whomever else the Knicks throw at him.

– The Celtics are going home:

The C's were 27-13 at home this season and are 14-27 on the road. They haven't been good away from TD Garden all year, so the developments of the last two games haven't been surprising. If the C's can hold homecourt and steal one game on the road, they can win the series.

– The defense has been solid:

The Celtics keep saying that if they hold the Knicks under 90 points and 45 percent shooting they've got a shot. It hasn't worked out in the first two games, but the Celtics have also taken leads into the second half. I truly believe they're fine with Anthony getting his points so long as everyone else is limited. Their defense is keeping them in games, now they've got to work on not falling apart.

"I like the way we defend," said Pierce. "The Knicks score 100 points a game. We're holding them to under 90 for two games. I'm happy with the way we're defending. Melo is having his big games, we understand that. He's a great player, he's going to get his looks. Overall defensively we're playing at the level we want to play at. If we're able to turn the offense around a little bit I like our chances."

– The bench woke up in Game 2 (briefly):

Jason Terry and Jordan Crawford combined for 14 points in the first half of Game 2 after failing to score in Game 1. Many of Terry's points came in transition. The Celtics need to continue to push the ball ahead.

– They're mad:

Garnett and Pierce will be fired up. Courtney Lee only played four minutes in Game 2, so he's got a reason to be upset. Said Bradley, "After these two losses you definitely feel like it's payback time. Everybody's mad in here, and we can't wait until the next game."

– The schedule:

The series is set up in such a way that neither team has the chance to get any kind of momentum. The teams don't play again until Friday. Tired legs shouldn't be a factor.

– The offense can't get any worse:

From Sheridan Hoops: The Boston Celtics – the most storied franchise in NBA history –competed in 593 playoff games over an illustrious 67-year history. Just twice has Boston managed to score 25 points or fewer in the second half of a playoff game, both of which have come in just the past three days against the Knicks.

What do you think? Do the C's have any shot?

By Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff

NEW YORK -- The Celtics were stricken with a second-half offensive drought for the second straight game Tuesday night. After scoring 25 points in the second half of Game 1 Saturday Boston managed just 23 points after halftime in Game 2. The Celtics were outscored, 32-11, in a dismal third quarter.

"We've got to do a better job of not allowing the pressure to get to us," said forward Paul Pierce. "If we can hold them to 85 every night I like our chances, but we've got to be better offensively."

Pierce has committed 11 combined turnovers in the two games. The Celtics as a whole were better in that category Tuesday night, but they struggled mightily to score in the second half. Jason Terry had 9 points at halftime and didn't score after the break.

"I think they turned their pressure up and didn't allow us to get into our offense," said Terry. "We've got to do a much better job of maintaining our pace."

Terry said the Celtics would try to play more up-tempo basketball at home in Game 3 Friday night.

"I like the way we defend," said Pierce. "The Knicks score 100 points a game. We're holding them to under 90 for two games. I'm happy with the way we're defending. Melo is having his big games, we understand that. He's a great player, he's going to get his looks. Overall defensively we're playing at the level we want to play at. If we're able to turn the offense around a little bit I like our chances."

By Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff

NEW YORK -- Gratefully, we're ready to play basketball again.

The Celtics had a lot of time to think about what did they wrong in Saturday's 85-78 loss to the Knicks in Game 1. They spent a good chunk of that time watching film and preaching team basketball, but don't expect the game plan to change much Tuesday night. The Celtics liked the way they played for three quarters in Game 1. They like playing games in the 80s. They like their chances if the game goes essentially the same way, just with better execution and fewer turnovers.

The Celtics went through a closed shootaround this morning at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks didn't practice. The Celtics can give this series a dramatic turn with a win in Game 2.

One note on Boston.com's game coverage: We'll continue to bring you pregame, postgame, and practice updates in this space, but our in-game updates will be replaced by a user-friendly live blog.

Here are the details for tonight's game:

Tipoff: 8 p.m.
Series: New York leads the best-of-seven series, 1-0
Broadcast info:Television: CSN, TNT; Radio: WEEI (93.7 FM)
Officials: Rodney Mott, Derrick Stafford, and David Jones

Probable starters:

Celtics: PG: Avery Bradley SG: Paul Pierce SF: Jeff Green PF: Brandon Bass C: Kevin Garnett

Knicks: PG: Raymond Felton SG: Pablo Prigioni SF: Iman Shumpert PF: Carmelo Anthony C: Tyson Chandler

Injury note: Pablo Prigioni (right ankle) practiced Monday and is in line to start Game 2. If so, Iman Shumpert will come off the bench.

Storylines:
Lead guard: Doc Rivers said Monday that his key players were Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Jeff Green. That's obvious, but it's also telling that Rivers didn't mention any of his guards. Four of the eight players Rivers used Saturday are guards, but it's clear he isn't really thrilled with any of them. Can Avery Bradley or Courtney Lee change that tonight?

Rough stuff: The Knicks are very good at stripping the ball away from the offensive player. Pierce seemed mildly amused when asked about it this weekend, saying that Tyson Chandler was New York's only shot-blocker, and that the Celtics would need to do a better job of being strong with the ball. There could be some tense moments in Game 2 if the Celtics decide to play rough as well.

Key stat: Chris Wilcox has never gotten into a playoff game in his 11-year career. He didn't play Saturday, so the streak is intact. Rivers hinted that he'd use a big man at some point in the first half, but don't be surprised if it's Shavlik Randolph and not Wilcox.

@GlobeGaryDzen

By Amalie Benjamin, Globe Staff

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- On Saturday, J.R. Smith was one of the key reasons the Knicks beat the Celtics in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series. On Monday, Smith won the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award for his troubles.

It wasn’t always easy, as the Knicks had to get the shooting guard, in his ninth year in the league, to buy into the role off the bench. But he has done so in his two seasons in New York, and has become a key offensive force.

“It couldn’t have happened to a better guy,” Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. “I’m so proud of him, in terms of buying into what we wanted him to do earlier in the season, and it started this summer.

“I wasn’t going to start him coming into this year, and I knew that, and he bought in. He didn’t like it, but he bought in.”

The Knicks have set up a press conference for 2:30 p.m., and Smith is expected to receive the award then.

Smith had 15 points in 31 minutes off the bench in Game 1, and was the team’s second-leading scorer behind Carmelo Anthony, who had 36 points. He added 5 rebounds and 2 steals.

“He bought in,” Woodson said. “Didn’t like it at first, but he accepted his role and he walks away with the Sixth Man Award. So it all worked out.”

****

Woodson said that guard Pablo Prigioni, who missed Game 1 with a sprained right ankle, “looked good” as he aims to play in Game 2 Tuesday. If Prigioni is able to play, said Woodson, he will start.

By Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff

NEW YORK – It's a question of style.

The Celtics scored just 25 points in the second half of Game 1 vs. the Knicks Saturday. They scored eight points in the fourth quarter and shot 41 percent for the game. They didn't get a lot of easy looks.

One way to fix that is to get out in transition. That's exactly what Paul Pierce said he wanted to do before his team took the court at Madison Square Garden Monday for practice.

"Some of those easy opportunities have to come in transition," said Pierce. "Kicking the ball ahead to myself, Jeff [Green] is something we want to emphasize. We feel like if we can get the ball up and advance passes before the defense, it says it gives us an opportunity to get easy baskets. The more we get stops the more opportunities there are for that."

The Celtics have had a strained relationship with the fast break this season. On one hand, they played some of their best basketball by pushing the tempo during a seven-game win streak after Rajon Rondo went down. They averaged 105 points during the streak (two of the games went to multiple overtimes) compared with their season average of 96.5 points. The Celtics had 20 turnovers Saturday, but most of them came in the half-court, not in transition. The Celtics might do well to push the pace Tuesday night.

On the other hand, the Celtics are the sloppiest team in the league on the break. According to Synergy Sports, they had the NBA's highest turnover percentage in transition, coughing the ball up on 15 percent of their fast break possessions this season. The Knicks are the league's 11th-highest scoring team (3d in offensive rating). Do the Celtics really want to get into a track meet with New York?

The guess here is that in addition to taking better care of the ball and making the extra pass, the Celtics will look to push the ball more Tuesday night. It's worth a shot.

More notes from Monday's practice:

– Celtics coach Doc Rivers said this was not the same group of road warriors that he's had in past seasons.

"You have two guys [from those teams]," said Rivers. "Without Rondo you have Kevin and Paul. It's not that group. That's the difference.

"You tend to trust the guys you know, but I don't know any of them. I don't know a lot of them. ... You want to play your key guys as many minutes."

Rivers mentioned Pierce, Garnett, and Jeff Green as his key guys. He said he wasn't concerned about his team not being dominant away from home.

"You win one and that changes everything," he said.

– Kevin Garnett reiterated the need for his team to play unselfish basketball and to continue their tough defense.

– Jordan Crawford scoffed at the notion that he was nervous in Game 1.

– Rajon Rondo was on the floor in sweats, sporting big green headphones and rebounding for his teammates. At one point Rivers yelled over to Rondo.

"Rondo you practicing today?" he asked.

"Not today," Rondo replied.

Today's focus: On Sunday, Celtics coach Doc Rivers, as well as Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, lamented the lack of teamwork and forced shots that led Boston to commit 20 turnovers in an 85-78 loss to the Knicks in Game 1. On Sunday, the Celtics watched film and formulated a plan. Today the Celtics will get down to the business of putting that plan into action. Making the extra pass is easy to talk about but harder to do in practice.

Today's schedule: Celtics have media availability at 11:45 a.m. at MSG, followed by practice at noon; The Knicks practice at 11 a.m. in Westchester before media availability at noon.

Stat of the day:

Boston had the NBA's highest TO% in transition, coughing the ball up on 15% of their fast break possessions this season.

— mySynergySports (@mySynergySports) April 20, 2013

That stat says two things: The Celtics miss Rajon Rondo, and at this point they're better playing a controlled style than a frantic one.

Useful Twitter follow: Lakers guard Kobe Bryant. At this point you've pretty much got to follow Kobe.

Nothing worse then watching your bothers struggle and u can't do crap about it #realtalk

— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) April 21, 2013

Injury update: We're on Pablo Prigioni watch. The Knicks play much better with two point guards on the floor.

View from behind enemy lines: From the New York Daily News: Mike Woodson's work should not be overlooked.

Series news: J.R. Smith will be named the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year today, according to Howard Beck of the New York Times.

Interesting read: Allen Iverson has hit rock bottom.

Have something to say about the series? Leave a comment. Follow me on Twitter.

By Amalie Benjamin, Globe Staff

"We went back and charted our offense. We had some slow time where we just, we were very stagnant," Woodson said.

It's not known whether Prigioni will make it back for Game 2 on Tuesday. The 35-year-old guard sprained his ankle in the Knicks' final game of the season. Woodson listed him as still "day-to-day," and said the team would know more after practicing on Monday.

If Prigioni is able to go, that would change up the rotations a bit, with Raymond Felton likely to start on Paul Pierce with Iman Shumpert on Jeff Green. The Celtics' Green went off for 20 points in the first half of Saturday's game, but had only six points in the second half after the Knicks' defense clamped down on him, with Carmelo Anthony getting a large chunk of that defensive duty.

Woodson said that was what the team had envisioned before the series, before Prigioni had gotten hurt.

"I thought Melo did an excellent job on Green," Woodson said. "Green’s a tough cover for anybody."

Overall, Woodson was very happy with his team's defensive play, especially in the third and fourth quarters, saying it was more solid than he's seen his team all year in those situations.

"There was times when we had movement and we had good looks that we just didn't make shots that really could have, I thought, could have broke the game open," Woodson said. "But we didn't make them.

"And again, when you play playoff basketball, and I've experienced this over the years, it’s not going to always go pretty offensively for you. That’s probably the first thing that normally goes because everybody’s so locked in from a defensive standpoint.

"But I've always said that if you’re struggling to score the ball, you've got to make sure the other team is struggling to score as well. Then you put yourself in a position to win. I thought that’s what happened last night. ... Our defense seemed to hold in there a little bit longer than theirs."

By Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff

NEW YORK – The Celtics didn't practice Sunday, choosing instead to watch film of what went wrong in Saturday's Game 1 loss to the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. The consensus among players and Celtics coach Doc Rivers is that the problem is team-related, and that it's correctable.

"It's about our offensive concept," said forward Paul Pierce. "That's what we preach every day. Ball movement, make the extra pass. It doesn't matter who we put out there on the court or how long they've been here. That's our system. When we play that way we're successful."

The Celtics didn't trust each other in Game 1, forcing passes to Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Jeff Green that simply weren't there instead of making the easy play. Pierce put the blame on himself and also on Green, and those two combined for 12 turnovers. Pierce also acknowledged that he needs help.

"When we look at the box score we should have five, six, seven guys in double-figures," said Pierce.

The Celtics' bench combined for just four points in Game 1, so there's obviously an issue there. But Garnett is a player the Celtics would like to involve much more. There are no restrictions on Garnett's minutes for the playoffs. The big man will play for as long as he can go. He made 4 of 12 shots for 8 points in Game 1.

"We've got to get Kevin more involved," Rivers said Sunday. "There's lots of ways to do that."

Better passes are a start. Garnett also said it would take some time to adjust to playing more minutes, and that it would be "an adjustment period for everybody." The Celtics don't have much time to get it right.

The Celtics and Chicago Bulls are staying at the same Manhattan hotel. Rivers called it "a very dark place" Saturday night after both teams lost. The Celtics get a chance to redeem themselves Tuesday night.

NEW YORK – Celtics coach Doc Rivers said Sunday he was OK with how his team defended Carmelo Anthony in Game 1 vs. the Knicks.

Today's focus: Let's start with something positive. Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony was 13-of-29 from the field in Saturday's 85-78 win over the Celtics. Anthony got his points (36 of them), but he wasn't efficient about it, and the Knicks didn't run away with any burst of offense. Two Knicks starters, Chris Copeland and Tyson Chandler, didn't score. Iman Shumpert had three points. Volume scorer J.R. Smith managed just 15 points off the bench. The Celtics are going to tell us today they can play much, much better. But expect the Knicks to say the same thing.

Today's schedule: Celtics have media availability at a.m., followed by a walkthrough and film session; Knicks have a conference call at noon.

Stat of the day: The Knicks were 26-2 in the regular season when they held opponents to 90 points or fewer.

Useful Twitter follow: Paul Flannery, who now writes for SB Nation.

Melo's pass, the Knicks bench advantage and other thoughts from Game 1 bit.ly/15x0wdp

— Paul Flannery (@Pflanns) April 21, 2013

Injury update: Knicks backup point guard Pablo Prigioni is questionable for Game 2, but Knicks coach Mike Woodson said there was a decent change Prigioni would play Tuesday.

View from behind enemy lines: Tons and tons of praise for Jason Kidd after Game 1. He's 40, you know.

Today's miscellany: This is the first Game 1 win for the Knicks in the playoffs since 2001 vs. the Toronto Raptors.

Have something to say about the series? Leave a comment. Follow me on Twitter.

By Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff

NEW YORK -- Will some other Celtic please step up?

The Celtics are waiting for someone, anyone, to carry the torch passed by Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, to be the next Boston Celtics playoff hero. Rajon Rondo has had a few of those games, most recently his 44-point, 10-assist, 8-rebound outburst (Rondo's critics will call it a tantrum) in Game 2 vs. Miami in last year's Eastern Conference Finals. In a 2011 sweep of the Knicks, Rondo put up arguably his most impressive playoff triple double, amassing 15 points, 11 rebounds, and a staggering 20 assists in a 113-96 win in Game 3.

That Rondo turned in the last performance in this very same building is a reminder of how much he's missed. That Rondo is hanging around the team giving high-grade advice in a high-fashion suit without being able to suit up is somewhat upsetting.

There's no other Rajon Rondo waiting in the wings, and for the moment, no other Celtic appears ready to pick up the slack left behind by a declining Pierce and Garnett. Jeff Green did his darnedest Saturday, but he couldn't match the effectiveness of his 20-point first half later in the game. Green took five shots in the second half and one in the fourth quarter. Realizing Green was killing them, the Knicks keyed in on the versatile forward, double-teaming Green and forcing someone else to beat them. No one else did,

"Paul is our go-to guy, but we've got myself, [Jason Terry], Courtney [Lee]," said Green. "We've got to continue to be aggressive. We can't rely on Paul and KG."

It wasn't all Green's fault. The Knicks jostled Green, switching Carmelo Anthony onto the Celtics winger in the second half to rough him up a bit. Anthony made every catch difficult. Out on the top of the key Jason Kidd roamed like a free safety, making entry passes into the post themselves an adventure.

The Celtics had no good way to get the ball to Green, but Green didn't have help. Courtney Lee scored four points, which happened to be the only points scored by the Boston bench all afternoon. Jason Terry and Jordan Crawford combined to go scoreless in nearly 30 minutes of play. A Boston bench player over 6-feet-5-inches tall never took his warmups off.
The other starters weren't much help, either. Avery Bradley picked up two fouls in the first quarter and sat early. He struggled when he was in the game, committing four turnovers to four assists. Garnett was 4-of-12 from the field. Brandon Bass was a frustratingly-efficient 2 for 2, not getting the ball often enough in the right spots to continue his perfect game.

"We were just making bad passes," said Bradley. "That's not the kind of team we are. We just panicked a little bit and we don't have to do that."

The key question is whether the Celtics have the pieces and just aren't executing, or whether it's a problem of personnel. Terry gave the Celtics nothing Saturday. Bradley is better known for his defense than his offense. Both players have shown a solid scoring touch at times, and Lee and Bass can fill it up on and off. One of these players needs to step up and, like Green,and take a dominant role in the offense for a quarter or a half. Pierce and Garnett can't carry the team like they used to.
The Celtics used eight players Saturday, leaving big men Chris Wilcox and Shavlik Randolph on the bench. Maybe getting one of those bigger bodies into the game for 12 or 15 minutes will help the screen-setting. Despite his erraticism, Crawford needs more minutes in Game 2. The Celtics traded for Crawford because of his ability score, and they need to see if he can help. They won't do much worse than 78 points and 20 turnovers.

"We've got to make sure we are in the game, make sure we are helping [Paul]," said Green. "If we're aggressive it means the defense has to gear toward us and it leaves Paul open to get his shots and start making shots."

It sounds simple, and the Celtics aren't likely to throw the ball around quite as much as they did in Game 1. But they also haven't ranked in the top half of the league in offense in several seasons. This year during the regular season they finished 24th. Just where that extra scoring will come from in Game 2 is of primary concern.

By Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff

NEW YORK -- The Celtics admitted they played poorly in a loss to the Knicks in Game 1 of the playoffs Saturday afternoon, but to a man they admitted that their problems were correctable and could be fixed in time for Game 2 Tuesday.

"Twenty turnovers and 10 offensive rebounds," said Kevin Garnett. "That's too much. Playing on the road against a good team that's energized, you don't help yourself."

The Celtics absolutely did not help themselves Saturday. The turnovers began to pile up in the second half as long, listless passes into the post turned into dunks for the Knicks the other way. The Celtics scored 53 points in the first half. In the second, they managed just 25 points on an astonishing seven field goals and 11 turnovers.

"I thought each guy held the ball and tried to make their own play," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "That’s not who we are. We can’t play that way.

"If we have those turnovers in any game you should probably lose the game."

Jeff Green was a monster in the first half, scoring 20 points, but the Celtics either went away from Green or couldn't find him in the second half.

"They started to be more aggressive when I caught the ball," Green said afterward. "Double teams. I didn't get out in transition like I did in the first half. They forced turnovers. We weren't in our sets correctly. They upped the pressure."

Besides the offense in the second half, the Celtics said they were happy. Rivers dared the Knicks to score 85 points again in a game this series. He said his team's issues were more fundamental than mental, and that they could be fixed by simply making better passes. Green was pleased with forcing Carmelo Anthony into taking tough shots.

"He's a good offensive player," said Green. "He's going to get his shots. The best that we can do is try to make everything forced. He shot 13-for-29. What more can you ask for?"

By Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff

The yellow warm-up shirts Celtics players wore Saturday during their game vs. the Knicks will be sold as part of a fundraiser for the The One Fund Boston, raising money for victims of the Boston Marathon bombings.

Adidas created 2,620 of the shirts, and 100 percent of the proceeds will go to The One Fund Boston. The shirts will be available to consumers at Celtics.com/shop, NBAStore.com, adidas.com, the ProShop at the TD Garden, the NBA Store in New York as well as adidas retail locations.

The Celtics are also pledging $100,000 from the Shamrock Foundation. In addition, the team is providing ticket holders for the cancelled April 16 game vs the Indiana Pacers the opportunity to donate their refund for that game. Celtics fans may also make direct donations through the Shamrock Foundation.

By Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff

NEW YORK -- Injured Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo is with the team in New York to give insights into the series, Celtics coach Doc Rivers said Saturday. Rondo was supposed to travel down to New York Friday but was stuck in Boston with most of the city in lockdown. Rivers said he appreciated the contributions of his hobbled All-Star.

"He probably coaches as much as anybody," said Rivers. "I don't know if it helps, I think it does. As a player you tend to listen to the players in the uniforms over the suits and ties. So we'll see. He was great today in shootaround. He knew every set the Knicks were running. When we called out a set to talk through it, he was pointing where everybody should be."

"It's amazing. He's always been that way. He's not playing and yet he studied the book."

Rivers quipped that Rondo could have a career in coaching someday if not for one flaw.

"He's always been on another level," said Rivers. "I always tell him that if he wasn't so crazy he'd be a great coach.

Rivers did say he would miss having Rondo on the floor.

"I've never gone into any game or series without a point guard on the team," he said. "We don't have a point guard. That would be the concern going into the playoffs for me. Everybody's going to pressure us, it's no secret. With Rondo you have the ability to think your way out of it. No one presses Rondo. If they do, he can figure it out and run our stuff. We don't have that. That's been taken away from us, and that's a big chunk of your offense obviously."

By Gary Dzen, Boston.com Staff

NEW YORK -- We're just a few short hours away from tip-off of the NBA playoffs. The nuances of the Celtics-Knicks series will play out in front of us over the next couple of weeks, but we can at least begin to piece the puzzle together now.

Jeff Green is rightly considered one of the keys to this series for Boston, but Avery Bradley is arguably just as important to Boston's success. It's been a tale of two seasons for Bradley. On one hand, there's no question his return to the lineup rocketed the Celtics up the NBA's defensive rankings to their current position of 6th in the league. But Bradley has struggled individually. He shot just 36 percent from the field in 16 March games. He only slightly improved in April. At just 22, he's the only reasonably complete guard the Celtics have. That's a lot of pressure.

Speaking of pressure, it's somewhat shocking teams haven't put more ball pressure on Bradley and the Celtics. Without Rajon Rondo, Boston clearly struggles against full-court defense. Look for the Knicks to at least attempt to exploit that at times.

Bradley doesn't have to be the best player on the floor for the Celtics, but he has to be efficient. He can't turn the ball over. He needs to shoot better than he has of late. On defense, Bradley's task is simple but more difficult: He needs to be the team's best player. Specifically, he needs to limit New York to bad 3-point attempts. He needs to bother J.R. Smith. He needs to make it difficult for Raymon Felton to run the offense. No pressure, kid.

One note on Boston.com's game coverage. We'll continue to bring you pregame, postgame, and practice updates in this space, but our in-game updates will be replaced by a user-friendly live blog.

Here are the details for tonight's game:

Tip-off: 3 p.m.
Series: This is the first game in a best-of-seven
Broadcast info:ABC (MIke Breen, Jeff Van Gundy, Heather Cox), WEEI/93.7 FM (Sean Grande and Cedric Maxwell)
Officials: Monty McCutchen, Bill Spooner, Gary Zielinski

Probable starters:

Celtics: PG: Avery Bradley SG: Paul Pierce SF: Jeff Green PF: Brandon Bass C: Kevin Garnett

Knicks: PG: Raymond Felton SG: Iman Shumpert SF: Carmelo Anthony PF: Chris Copeland C: Tyson Chandler

Storylines:
Opening statement: I'm fascinated by the opening dynamic in this one. The Knicks have a ton to prove, but so do the Celtics, who must work Kevin Garnett back into the lineup of a team that hasn't played .500 basketball in two months. Will Garnett instantly morph into the unstoppable player he was during last year's playoffs? Will the Knicks show any kind of fragility, or will they carry the momentum from the regular season right into Game 1?

Walk the line: New York is first in the NBA in 3-pointers made and attempted and 5th in 3-point percentage. That last stat is the most important. If the Knicks can shoot threes efficiently, not just in volume, it's going to be a difficult series for Boston.

Road woes: The Celtics were 14-27 on the road this season. They need to win at least one game on the road to win this series. Garnett and Pierce seem to thrive on the challenges of playing in a hostile environment, but will they have proper backup?

@GlobeGaryDzen

By Gary Washburn, Globe Staff

NEW YORK -- NBA commissioner David Stern briefly touched on the events in Boston during a press briefing following the Board of Governors meeting in New York Friday. Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca discussed The One Fund charity effort, and Stern talked about increased security for the Knicks-Celtics playoff series that begins Saturday at Madison Square Garden.

"There was a discussion of security, of what we're doing, what we continue to do," said Stern, "and in that connection, there was a presentation by Steve Pagliuca, who is the governor from the Celtics, about what's called The One Fund, which has been established by the businesses of Boston, to which the Celtics are taking a leadership role and which the NBA is making a significant contribution to.

"Everybody was focused on what's going on in Boston, what has gone on in Boston, and at this point almost a seeming irrelevance of sports in light of the great human suffering and the tragedies that we're all glued to the television about."

"But we're touched by the outpouring of support for all of the people of Boston. We were actually briefed on the president's attendance at the Mass yesterday, or at the church yesterday, and what we could do in some way to show support for the people of Boston, and we'll see how that plays out ...particularly in the course of the Knicks-Celtics playoff series."

ELMSFORD, N.Y. -- It was all business here in Elmsford, N.Y., as the Knicks prepared for Saturday's Game 1 of their playoff series against the Celtics, with the focus on the starting lineup and guard Pablo Prigioni's sprained right ankle.

But Jason Kidd took time to address the situation in Boston.

“You look at what the city has gone through – the game of basketball is just a game," Kidd said. "We’re talking about lives.

"The emotions will be high for them, just because of what’s happened. Not just them, but for the country. Everybody is going to have emotion. Hopefully we can give people relief for two hours, but at the end of the day, what happened is tragic.”

As for his team, the Knicks are trying to determine whether Prigioni will be able to play after injuring his ankle Wednesday.

"Shot a little bit today, but I think he's doubtful tomorrow," coach Mike Woodson said. "I just don't see it."

In Prigioni's spot, the Knicks are likely to go with Chris Copeland, though they could also use James White.

The Knicks' Iman Shumpert missed practice for personal reasons. He is expected back with the team today, and will play in Game 1.