NEW YORK To a degree, the Celtics have conceded that scoring champion Carmelo Anthony and Sixth Man of the Year J.R. Smith are going to get their points in this first round playoff series against the Knicks. That has proven to be the case in the first two games, as Anthony is averaging 35 points and Smith is adding 17 points per contest.
But the Celtics have to put their foot down somewhere, and Raymond Felton would be a good place to start. Labeled the X-factor by Kevin Garnett, Felton is averaging 14.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists in two Knicks wins.
Hes killing us, Cs coach Doc Rivers said. Hes getting into the paint, hes attacking us. We have to do a better job on him. I wish I could make a better statement than that, except for we have to keep him out of the paint.
Feltons line in Game 2 16 points, seven rebounds, two assists doesnt do justice to his impact. He repeatedly broke down the Cs defense with his penetration, and other times he simply beat them down the court in transition.
Raymond is a big piece of this puzzle because when hes pushing the pace and doing the things I know he can do on the floor, were a better basketball team for that, Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. That third quarter, I thought Raymond was the difference-maker in terms of his play and pushing the ball up the floor and getting it where it needed to go.
Felton started Game 2 alongside fellow point guard Pablo Prigioni. That forced the Celtics into an uncomfortable matchup with Paul Pierce trying to stick with a quicker player six inches shorter and seven years his junior.
The Knicks further exploited the mismatch by running Felton through pick-and-rolls. When one of the Cs big men switched onto Felton, he took at as an invitation to attack the rim.
Thats what hes supposed to do. I think when teams switch bigger guys on our point guards, youve got to make them pay, Woodson said. Its OK if you make a play for yourself, but youve got to make them pay where you can possibly make a play for your teammates as well. Raymond has been pretty good in that regard. Its kind of hard to switch a bigger guy on Raymond and Raymond not take advantage of the mismatch.
On a team with Anthony and Smith, Felton is never going to be the first option. But hes showing the Celtics if they dont show him the proper attention, hes more than capable of making them pay.
Im not trying to come out and score 30 points each and every game, Felton said. My biggest thing is really trying to get everybody else involved, get guys shots, and then when theres an opportunity for me to start being aggressive, thats what I do.