Boston Celtics/New York Knicks: Game 5
– Before the game, Charles Barkley was saying how he wanted to root for the Celtics because of what J.R. Smith did to Jason Terry and how Smith was saying the Knicks would have swept if he was playing. I am going to jump on that bandwagon.
– I really would have thought Boston would come out strong in this game. The pressure is on New York to win tonight. Celtics should be loose. Instead they start down 11-0.
– Should we chalk up Smith’s slow start to karma or rust?
– The Knicks are an old team, but the Celtics are a veteran team. There is a huge difference, mainly in mental maturity, but that is why you cannot write off the Celtics in this series yet. They are focused and determined and that makes them dangerous.
– A 12-point lead with 2:23 to go, yet you still feel like the Celtics could somehow collapse.
– The Knicks did make it interesting, but the Celtics manage to hold on in the end.
– Back home to Boston for Game Six. You can bet that crowd is going to be pumped knowing the history that is at stake. How much do you think Boston wants to do “the impossible” to the Knicks again?
For Kyle's thoughts on Wednesday's other games, click after the jump.
Atlanta Hawks/Indiana Pacers: Game 5
– Home team has won every game in this series so far. Anyone betting it will not happen again?
– Will not be catching as much of this game live because of the other two being more appealing to me.
– David West is finally getting it going in this series. If him and Paul George are both on their game and everyone else contributes a little bit, the Pacers should be able to close out this series on the road.
– Atlanta likes to go with a bigger lineup, but they are getting absolutely crushed on the boards.
– Just an awful shooting night for the Hawks (33.3 percent shooting, 21.4 percent from beyond the arc). This has to be frustrating after they were just draining three-pointers at home.
– Still no single-digit wins in this series. Crazy.
Houston Rockets/Oklahoma City Thunder: Game 5
– Just like the Celtics series, the longer the Rockets can push the Thunder, the more pressure falls on Oklahoma City.
– With Jeremy Lin out, the Rockets get a point guard rotation of Patrick Beverly and Aaron Brooks. I call this a positive.
– The Rockets are just going to let it fly, and whatever happens, happens. Twenty three-pointers in the first half.
– The Thunder are going to let it fly, and they might kill somebody tonight. 1 for 12 from behind the arc in the first half.
– Eight minutes left in the third quarter and the Oklahoma City crowd just seems dead. I know it will only take a small run to get them back into it, but the Thunder can’t seem to make it happen.
– The Rockets just seem to have an answer every time. They are so composed. Not what I thought I would be saying about Houston, but you can’t argue with what they’re doing.
– Kevin Durant is playing point guard. He’s either going to have to take pressured shots or hope his teammates start hitting their open ones.
– James Harden: Dagger thrower.
– Hack-Asik! “That’s a bold strategy Cotton, let’s see if it pays off for ‘em.”
– It did not. Cannot believe the Rockets held off every Thunder run. Back to Houston we go. All the pressure on Oklahoma City.
