NEW YORK – Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks are up 1-0 in their series against the Boston Celtics, but Anthony and his teammates are still looking at Game 2 as a must-win game.
“We’re approaching this game as a must-win here on our home court,” Anthony said of Game 2. “We want to win this basketball game. We don’t want to go back to Boston 1-1.”
Kevin Garnett and the Celtics believe every playoff game is a "must-win."
Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty Images
That mindset is apparently one of the differences between the Knicks and the Celtics. The Knicks are looking at this game as a must-win. The Celtics, on the other hand, attack every playoff game with that point of view.
“Every game is a must-win game. It’s the playoffs,” said Jeff Green, who is playing in his second postseason with the Celtics. “That’s the only way you move on is if you win. So we go into every game thinking it’s a must-win game.”
Green isn’t the only Celtics player who thinks that way. This is a team mindset. Kevin Garnett, however, went into a bit more depth as to why Boston approaches each playoff game as one that the team needs to stash in the win column.
“I think every game up to this point is a must-win, because you create an advantage (with each win),” said Garnett. “I think both teams are trying to do that.”
KG also didn’t take offense to the Knicks calling this a must-win game for them. He understands exactly where New York is coming from.
“They’re at home,” he said. “They figure they have to take advantage of home court while still available.”
Likewise, the Celtics figure they have to take advantage of their opportunity to steal home court advantage while it’s still available.
The term “must-win” may be thrown around lightly at this time of the year, seeing as the only true must-win games are elimination games. However, this is still a game that both of these teams desperately want to win. That scenario usually leads to a fantastic basketball game.