Preview capsule on the Boston-New York Eastern Conference semifinal series that starts Monday:
No. 2 Boston Celtics (61-21, 4-1) vs. No. 3 New York Knicks (51-31, 4-2)
Season series: Celtics, 4-0.
Schedule: Game 1 at Boston, Monday; Game 2 at Boston, Wednesday; Game 3 at New York, Saturday; Game 4 at New York, May 12; Game 5 at Boston, May 13 (if necessary); Game 6 at New York, May 16 (if necessary); Game 7 at Boston, May 19 (if necessary).
How they got here: Boston shook off some injuries in the first round to beat an Orlando team even more weakened by injuries to win in five games. Jayson Tatum missed a game after injuring his wrist in a fall but was superb after returning. The Knicks had a much tougher time with No. 6-seeded Detroit, finishing off the Pistons on Jalen Brunson's series-clinching 3-pointer in Game 6 of a series in which every game after the opener was close.
Story line: The Celtics began their NBA title defense by beating the Knicks and now have to do it again to extend it. Boston's 132-109 rout on opening night was its first of four victories in four games against the New York this season, and the first three were easy, with the Knicks not leading by more than one point in any of them. This is the first playoff meeting between the longtime rivals since 2013, when the Knicks beat the Celtics in the first round of what became Boston's final games with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.
Key matchup: Tatum and Jaylen Brown vs. New York's OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges. When the Knicks sent the Brooklyn Nets a package of five first-round picks for Bridges and re-signed Anunoby to the largest contract in team history, the moves were viewed as their quest to have two top wing defenders to match up with the championship duo of Tatum and Brown. They even picked up the nickname “Wingstop.” But there might not be any stopping Tatum, who averaged 31.5 points in the first round, and Brown, last year's NBA Finals MVP, four times in a series.
X-factor: Boston's health. The Celtics are too deep and have shown to be too good for the Knicks at full strength, or at least close to it. But if Jrue Holiday, who missed the final three games of the first round with a strained right hamstring, or Brown, who battled right knee pain late in the regular season, are limited or forced to sit, perhaps it becomes a fairer fight.
Prediction: Celtics in 5.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
Brian Mahoney, The Associated Press
