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New York State of Mind: Celts Seek Win at MSG

	VS.
6-9	Record	5-10
98.5	PPG	92.2
100.9	PPGA	95.3
46.8	FG%	43.5
45.5	Opp. FG%	43.9
40.9	Rebounds	42.8
22.5	Assists	18.6
17.7	Turnovers	17.6
7.1	Steals	7.5
6.1	Blocks	4.1
1	Season Series	0

The Celtics tip-off a five-game road trip Sunday as they travel to New York to take on Atlantic Division rival Knicks for a matinee at MSG. The Celtics and Knicks first met on opening night in Boston, when the Celtics defeated the Knicks, 114-100, in overtime. In that win the Celtics outscored New York 20-6 in the extra frame. All five of the Celtics' starters scored in doube figures, with Paul Pierce leading the way with 30 points and 12 boards. Stephon Marbury led the Knicks with 22 points.

The Knicks have switched things up since that first contest, adding rookies Channing Frye and Nate Robinson to the starting lineup, and both have repsonded.

Both teams enter the contest Sunday coming off Friday night loses. The Knicks fell to the Pistons in Detroit, with Stephon Marbury dropping 11 points and 11 assists in for New York. Meanwhile the Celtics lost at home to Chicago despite a 43-point, 11-rebound and five-assist effort from Paul Pierce.

POINT GUARD
Delonte West Points: 8.7 Rebounds: 4.2 Assists: 4.4	Nate Robinson Points: 7.7 Rebounds: 1.9 Assists: 1.5
This should be a fun matchup as two of the youngest point guards in the NBA go head-to-head. Robinson has electified the Madison Square Garden crowd and early, and it will be up to West to keep him from making the big play that gets the fans on their feet.

SHOOTING GUARD
Ricky Davis Points: 21.3 Rebounds: 4.9 Assists: 5.7	Stephon Marbury Points: 17.3 Rebounds: 3.5 Assists: 6.8
If the Knicks stick with this starting lineup there will be mismatches all over the court for the Celtics to try to take advantage of, and Ricky Davis vs. Stephon Marbury is one of them. Davis should be able to get his shot off on the smaller Marbury, so expect a lot of Davis' patented mid-range jumpers. On the other end of the court, Davis is one of the few shooting-guards who posses the speed and quickness to defend Marbury.

SMALL FORWARD
Paul Pierce Points: 26.9 Rebounds: 9.1 Assists: 4.3	Malik Rose Points: 4.3 Rebounds: 3.7 Assists: 0.8
It could be a long night for the Knicks if they use Rose to defend Pierce, who went off for 43 Friday night. It will be very difficult for Rose to stay in front of Pierce, so it could be one of those nights when Pierce racks up a lot of free throw attempts and assists. The Knicks will have to give Rose help, so there should be plenty of open teammtes.

POWER FORWARD
Raef LaFrentz Points: 12.4 Rebounds: 5.2 Assists: 1.1	Channing Frye Points: 14.7 Rebounds: 5.9 Assists: 1.1
Channing Frye has been one of the biggest rookie surprises in the NBA, and entering New York's game Firday night he averaged 17.2 points and 6.8 boards over the Knicks last five games. The good news for the Celtics is that if Frye defends Raef LaFrentz, then LaFrentz should be able to take advantage of the rookie and find plenty of open spots on the perimeter. He could be the recipient of plenty of Paul Pierce kick-outs.

CENTER
Kendrick Perkins Points: 2.5 Rebounds: 4.4 Assists: 0.7	Antonio Davis Points: 4.9 Rebounds: 5.1 Assists: 0.8
Antonio Davis should be a tough matchup for Kendrick Perkins. Davis is a rugged veteran who knows all of the tricks in the book. Perkins will have be careful as Davis will most likely try to flop, drawing the young center into cheap fouls. It won't be easy against Davis, but if Perkins can once again dominate the boards then it could mean the Celtics first road win of the young season.

BENCH
Orien Greene Points: 1.6 Rebounds: 1.6 Assists: 1.8	Jamal Crawford Points: 14.3 Rebounds: 2.6 Assists: 3.0
Expect the Knicks go small at some point with Robinson, Marbury and Crawford in the game at the same time, which could mean a lot of minutes for rookie Orien Greene. Greene played well in the Celtics' win over Philadelphia Wednesday, as he was often matched up with Allen Iverson, and his defense could once again have a big impact on this game.