HG08 Celtics vs. Knicks: Four things to pay attention to in the sixth focus game

Shaquille, Charles and Kenny predict whether Boston's tenacity can hold on to the sixth game in New York. The Eastern Conference Semi-Finals series between the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks is a bit crazy.

Celtics lead at least 14 points in five games and netted 35 points in the series. But they were wasting huge leads in Games 1, 2 and 4, and scored only 12 points in 24 key rounds, which was a horrible sight. If they could seize a few rounds occasionally, it would be possible for them to sweep this series.

They lost Jason Tatum at the end of Game 4 but beat the Knicks in Game 5, with Jaylen Brown, Derek White and Luke Cornett playing well.

This sets the stage for the sixth major game Friday at Madison Square Garden (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).

The following are some notes, numbers and videos when the Knicks tried to defeat the championship again...

1. The Celtics have full offensive firepower

The Celtics averaged less than 1 point per leg in the first two games of the series, while in the last three games, they averaged up to 129.6 points per hundred leg. These are the three worst defense games for the Knicks this season.

Good defense (and bad defense) all starts with a conversion offense, and that has changed dramatically over the last three games. According to Synergy's tracking data, the Celtics scored just 30 points in 40 conversions in the first two games (average 0.75 points per game), while in the last three games, they have scored 80 points in 52 conversions (average 1.54 points per game).

Celtics' conversion offense, reaching the semifinals

The Celtics' 31 conversions in Game 5, almost half (15 points) were White's three-pointers or fouls against White's three-pointers, and they can't expect White to shoot so well in the next game.

However, in addition to easy scoring, continuous pushing the conversion offense can also bring two benefits to the Celtics' offense...

A) It can inspire the ball to move when the defense is not yet fully solid...

B) This can cause them to have misplaced defense, just like Al Horford switches Jaylen Brunson at the other end of the court...

B}When the Knicks take the ball, Brown defends Brunson, and if the Celtics don't give New York time to switch defenses, they may continue to get misplaced in the offense.

2. Can the Knicks play another exciting offense?

Despite the extremely efficient offensive performance in the Celtics in three straight games, the Knicks eventually won Game 4 as their offense hit the best series (94 possessions and scored 121 points) and led by a huge advantage. In the other four games of the series, the Knicks scored just 104 points per 100 possessions.

In Game 5, Josh Hart made 5 of 9 three-pointers and Mitchell Robinson made 6 of 6 free throws, but the Knicks still lost by 25 points.

Knicks' offensive difficulties began with the starting lineup, and during the 107-minute playing time in this series, they averaged only 100.9 points per percentage. Brunson obviously shouldered the heavy responsibility, and Hart made 10 of 26 three-pointers (38% shooting percentage), but when the Celtics left him a quicker shot.

The other three starters of the Knicks combined have only 46.7% effective shooting percentages. Mikal Bridges and Carl Anthony Towns combined only 8 of 37 shots (22%), while OG Anunobi's three-point shooting percentage was only 10 of 31 shots (32%). Bridges (0 times) and Anunobi (8 times) also combined for only 8 free throws in five games.

It has been difficult to keep these players open and find the rhythm, as the Celtics have not sent multiple defensive players to defend Brunson. The reason their defense is so good is that they have multiple defensive players who can defend Brunson one-on-one.

They played doubles when Brunson was singled by Luke Cornett, Christapus Porzingis or Payton Pritchard, but the Celtics were willing to put Hart in open space in these situations, allowing them to keep a close eye on the other three Knicks on the field.

At the beginning of the third quarter of the fifth game, Connet replaced Brunson. Brown double-teamed after returning to defense, and Hart got an open spot again. But Cornett quickly returned to defense, smoothing out the Knicks' advantage...

Bridges performed well in the fourth quarter twice in this series, and the offense revolved around him. But most of the time, the ball is in the hands of Brunson, who has a long lead in possession of the ball in this round (10.0 minutes per game).

Brunson certainly has the ability to play well on Friday's game, but the Knicks may need their wingers to play more to end the series.

3. The Celtics performed better with a big man

In Wednesday's game, Porzingis failed to start in the second half, and the Celtics used Connet to play as a substitute. This substitution was excellent, and Connet also scored his best career performance, scoring 10 points, 9 rebounds and 7 blocks.

But when Cornett was on the court alone, the Celtics performed better than when he played with Horford, who received his fourth foul in less than two minutes from the start of the third quarter.

The entire series, the Celtics performed better when only one of the three centers was present (scored + 16.4 points per 100 round) than when two centers were present (scored - 7.9 points per 100 round). A smaller roster and more guards give them more offensive opportunities, and with only one big man, the offense is better. But the bigger difference is defense...

The Celtics have 1 to 2 big players on the court, and a large part of the two major problems are due to Porzingis's condition. Of the two major issues in the 80 minutes, 48 ​​minutes were Porzingis partnered with Horford or Cornett, while the Celtics netted 15.4 points per 100 rounds in these 48 minutes.

Horford and Cornett performed well (scoring +3.7 per 100 rounds), and we will surely see more of this in Game 6. But we may also see the Celtics use more small squads, with only one big player on the field. If Porzingis (not currently on the injury list) performs poorly or fails to play, it doesn't necessarily mean we'll see the fourth big man in the rotation (Nemias Quita).

4. Can Towns play well in front of the Celtics defender?

If the Celtics really play in a small lineup, Towns will likely be defended by a defender; the Celtics have always allowed the center to mark Hart. With Tatum missing in Game 5, Towns' main defensive candidate is Ju Holiday. The Knicks didn't really take advantage of the game until the middle of the fourth quarter, when they were more than 20 points behind. Towns scored three consecutive goals in a one-on-one fight with Holiday, including a breakout layup, a short jump shot and two free throws.

The Celtics then sent a double team and he made a mistake...

The Knicks can certainly explore the matchup in Game 6 more. If the Celtics double-team, Hart will definitely be the one who is open. But if Towns runs without the ball and the Knicks advance quickly, the breakout route may be opened.