Good afternoon, snoops. After a looong time away from the court, the Knicks are back in action today in Boston. It'll be their third match-up of the season with the Celtics. The previous two, as you may remember, were stomach-turningly close. The Knicks just edged Boston in the season opener, then fell short in a devastating loss one month ago. Since that game-- which, as we've been reminded, was one of Jeremy Lin's first test runs-- the Knicks have turned things around quite a bit and the C's have sorta floundered. Trends and context tend to dissipate when the Celtics and Knicks meet, though, and we're usually left with an especially grouchy, martial game that comes down to the final seconds. Especially considering that this is a nationally televised contest, we have every reason to expect a closely contested, pulse-pumping, slap-fest. (And here ends my attempt at reverse jinxing today's game. With luck, a blowout win will ensue.)
The Celtics, by the way, will have everybody healthy except for Jermaine O'Neal. The Knicks have everybody but Bill Walker.
This here is a thread for to comment along if you're watching. Celtics Blog is here. As always, please do not post photos, .gifs, illegal streams, or contact information for water fountain repairmen in the thread. Tip-off's at 1:00 on ABC (not MSG).