Final: Knicks 121, Celtics 113 - Tatum injured, Celtics on brink of elimination

(1) BOSTON CELTICS at (3) NEW YORK KNICKS

Eastern Conference Semifinals, Game 4 (Knicks lead 2-1)

Madison Square Garden, 7:30 p.m. - ESPN

Line: Celtics -6.5

INJURIES

BOSTON

OUT: Sam Hauser (ankle)

NEW YORK

NONE

THINGS I’M LOOKING FOR

1. Another hot start: The Celtics have started each game pretty well, especially Game 3 when they took the crowd out of the mix early. 

The Knicks offense hasn’t been good enough to hang with Boston making shots and going on runs. Also, Knicks fans are a bit on edge after watching the Celtics put together a full game on Saturday, so the Celtics getting up big again in the first can be very deflating for everyone in blue and orange. 

2. Messing with Mitchell Robinson: I have never seen a guy react to missing free throws as demonstrably as he did. Joe Mazzulla must have LOVED that moment. If there's anything he loves, it’s winning a mental battle, and he’s clearly won it with Robinson. 

That makes me wonder about how he’ll be used in Game 4. They could just go with the same rotation and dare Mazzulla to keep fouling. They could bring him in earlier as a way to get into the penalty faster. Or they could try phasing him out, or at least out of certain situations. 

This back-and-forth will be fascinating. 

3. Payton Pritchard: He was a big key to Boston’s success. His speed and ball handling allow him to get deep into the teeth of the Knicks defense and force them to make decisions. He’s a big reason why the Celtics were able to build and hold a 30 point lead for a while. I’d like to see more of him, especially in those early-to-mid fourth quarter spots where New York tends to make runs. 

4. Kristaps Porzingis: One of these days he’ll be his normal self … I think. His defense was pretty good in Game 3, so at the very least I’ll take a repeat of that performance. But it would be nice if he can attack some mismatches and score some fourth quarter points for Boston. 

5. A star stepping up: One of these star players is bound to have a big night. This might just boil down to which star on which team has a monster game. 

Follow along with my thoughts as the game goes on. They’ll show up below and in the comments section, so hop in and share your opinion as well.