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With momentum reversed in Boston's first-round playoff series with the Knicks, could the Celtics make history by coming back from a 3-0 deficit and advancing to the next round?

ESPN's Tom Haberstroh says it's entirely possible. His insider piece on the unlikely turnaround by the Celtics and Rockets in their respective playoff series lays out reasons why Boston fans should fan that flicker of hope.

Here's an excerpt from Haberstroh's piece:

The Knicks have cut down on their 3-point attempts a tad in exchange for long 2s by Carmelo Anthony. That's not good. Lately, they've reverted back to the notorious "give the ball to Melo and hope for the best" strategy of yesteryear, which would be OK if Anthony was a metronome of efficiency. Instead, he was the most volatile scorer in the NBA this season, according to his game-by-game variance in the points column. For a guy who relies so heavily on contested jumpers, the Knicks have been needlessly handcuffed to Anthony's brand of basketball.

Consider this: Anthony has shot an NBA-high 69 midrange jumpers so far in the playoffs, according to NBA.com/stats. The second-place guy? Carlos Boozer with 38. Yes, Anthony has almost doubled the number of midrange jumpers than the next-highest player. In fact, Anthony has taken more midrange jumpers (69) than the Heat (67 in four games), Bucks (66 in four games) and the Rockets (46 in six games).

This bears repeating: Anthony has taken 23 more midrange shots than the entire Rockets team. Maybe it shouldn't be a surprise that the stat-head Rockets have been allergic to the most inefficient shot in the game. For a favorite like the Knicks, it's not a sustainable strategy to hang your hopes on whether a low-percentage shot goes in or not.

To read the full insider article, click HERE.

Everyone wrote off the Celtics with the Knicks up 3-0, but things have changed:


And a look at how things are playing in New York:

NEW YORK -- Based on the way things had already unfolded, perhaps it shouldn't have been surprising that Brandon Bass hit what head coach Doc Rivers deemed the "biggest shot of the game" in the Boston Celtics' 92-86 Game 5 victory over the New York Knicks in their first-round playoff series Wednesday.

Boston had built a 75-60 lead with just over nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, but it then sank into one of its dreaded offensive droughts, as the Knicks clawed back within eight over the next three minutes. The C's were coming off of back-to-back turnovers when Bass took a Terrence Williams pass in the right corner, dribbled hard toward the lane against Tyson Chandler, spun back to his right, and put in a fading bank shot over Chandler's outstretched arm.

The shot restored order for the Celtics, who closed out the Knicks from there and cut New York's series lead to 3-2.

"I thought Brandon Bass -- I thought the bank shot he made was probably the biggest shot of the game, because we were leaking a little oil in that stretch, and that kind of settled us down," Rivers said.

But that shot wasn't the only instance of Bass bailing Boston out on Wednesday.

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NEW YORK -- Boston Celtics reserve guard Jordan Crawford instigated a postgame flare-up by jawing at New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony after Boston's Game 5 triumph over New York on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.

Crawford could be seen shouting at Anthony as the two teams crossed paths on their way off the floor following Boston's 92-86 win in an Eastern Conference first-round series. Celtics reserve D.J. White initially stepped in to move Crawford along, but tempers flared when Raymond Felton approached in defense of his teammate. Players, coaches and security from both sides stepped in to defuse the situation.

For his part, Anthony said, "I'm not thinking about no Jordan Crawford. Not at this point in time, I'll tell you that. I don't think he deserves for you to be typing [his name] right now."

Anthony had a much-publicized postgame run-in with Kevin Garnett during a regular-season game here in January. Crawford could have stoked that fire with his postgame comments.

Neither Crawford nor White cared to elaborate on the matter, but Terrence Williams, who tried to play peacemaker by bearhugging an angered Felton, downplayed the situation.

"If you watch the replay, I was just the guy to try to separate the teams, I don't know what happened," Williams said. "I was talking to [assistant coach Ty Lue], then I just turned around to see guys pushing and I don't know. I don't know how that started. The good thing is no punches and all that. And we'll see them on Friday."

Celtics coach Doc Rivers said he didn't see what happened, but wasn't thrilled with it, either (though it did afford him the chance to playfully jab former Knicks teammate -- and occasional pugilist -- John Starks).

"I wasn't happy with it," Rivers said. "[Knicks coach Mike Woodson] wasn't happy with it. Let's play basketball. Let's play real physical basketball and let's walk off the floor. I don't know what happened. I'm glad Starks wasn't there."

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NEW YORK -- To truly understand the significance of Terrence Williams logging valuable (nay, critical) floor time in the Boston Celtics' Game 5 triumph over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night, you have to understand just how far he's come since joining the team.

During his Boston debut in late February in Los Angeles, Williams committed a double-dribble, the sort of elementary miscue that typically rears its head in youth basketball games. Fast-forward two months and here is Williams on the NBA's playoff stage, being called upon to be a steadying presence for a Celtics team devoid of a pure ball-handler.

"When I came back from China, I was at home for probably 2½ weeks, I didn't touch a basketball when I was at home," said Williams, the former lottery pick (11th overall, 2009 draft) who signed with the Guangdong Southern Tigers at the start of the 2012-13 season with no viable NBA option.

"Let's be honest, I ran, but I didn't touch a basketball. I don't know if you guys remember, I played in the Lakers game and I double-dribbled because I wasn't used to dribbling the ball again. That's why I carry my ball everywhere now. That's how it happened."

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NEW YORK -- Analysis from the Boston Celtics' 92-86 defeat of the New York Knicks in Game 5 of an Eastern Conference first-round series on Wednesday evening at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks lead the series 3-2:

The nitty gritty: Jeff Green scored a team-high 18 points to pace five Celtics players in double figures, including Jason Terry with 17 points (five 3-pointers) off the bench and Paul Pierce with 16 points after overcoming early struggles. Kevin Garnett finished with 16 points and a team-high 18 rebounds. Carmelo Anthony scored a game-high 22 points on 8-of-24 shooting, while Raymond Felton added 21 points, six rebounds and four assists. J.R. Smith, back after a one-game suspension for elbowing Terry in Game 3, was a nonfactor for much of the night (and maybe even a liability) as he missed his first 10 shots. Smith finished with 14 points on 3-of-14 shooting after hitting a trio of late-game triples.

Turning point: In a one-possession game midway through the third quarter, the Celtics embarked on a 16-4 run spanning into the fourth frame. Pierce and Terry hit 3-pointers late in the third as Boston stretched its lead to nine, but the Celtics opened the fourth on a 6-0 burst that culminated with a vicious one-handed flush by Green that pushed the Celtics out front 75-60 with 9:05 to go. A feverish late-game rally saw the Knicks pull within five (88-83) with 65 seconds to play, but Garnett hit a tough jumper to help fend them off.

I'm still standing: The Celtics reserves typically stand until Boston's first made basket of the game. Still standing four-plus minutes in as the Knicks built an 11-0 run, the backups settled for when Brandon Bass -- the early hero of the game for Boston -- made a free throw to break up the shutout with 7:32 to play in the first quarter. The Celtics managed to trim their deficit to two at the end of the frame, and a more inspired second quarter had them up six at halftime as the momentum swung in their favor.

Technical difficulties: Smith and Terry -- involved in the Game 3 dust-up that got Smith ejected and later suspended for Game 4 for a flagrant foul 2 elbow -- renewed pleasantries and were assessed double technicals with 6:45 to play in the game. Earlier in the game, referees initially assessed Kenyon Martin with a flagrant foul for hammering Garnett. Upon video review, it was downgraded to a personal foul.

What it means:
Well, we appear to have a series again. With their backs to the wall after losing the first three games, the Celtics responded with back-to-back wins. As Doc Rivers will certainly point out now, this is as close as a series can be after five games. Boston has to like its chances of evening things up when the series returns to Boston for Game 6 on Friday night at TD Garden. But it's still an uphill climb for the Celtics and one that will require winning in New York again on Sunday if they can force a Game 7. But Boston is playing with renewed confidence after these two wins and has put New York on its heels.

NEW YORK -- Following the advice of veteran center Kenyon Martin to wear funeral attire, the New York Knicks arrived at Madison Square Garden with most players decked out head to toe in black suits before Game 5 of an Eastern Conference first-round series with the Boston Celtics.

Informed of their coordinated efforts to wear all black, Celtics coach Doc Rivers quipped about his own attire, "Me, too."

The Celtics had already downplayed the Knicks' plan earlier in the day at shootaround with Paul Pierce noting, "This is basketball. I'm not going to be dead after the game." And Kevin Garnett said he had not paid any attention to New York's "shenanigans."

Many of the Knicks wore all black to Sunday's Game 4 and the Celtics avoided the sweep with a win at TD Garden. With his team still facing an uphill climb with the Knicks owning a 3-1 series advantage, Rivers said his message to his team was simple.

"Win. Really, I don’t think you need to get deep when you’re down, you just want to make sure everybody wants to win," said Rivers. "Like I said before the last game, seventh games are easy; everybody wants to win a Game 7. I’ve always thought, not everybody wants to win when you’re down 3-0 or 3-1. You just want the right guys to want to win. That’s what we have to be; we’ll be ready."

Asked if he thought any team would rally from a 3-0 hole, Rivers said he wouldn't mind his team being the first.

"I think that would be wonderful," said Rivers. "Someone’s going to do it. And I want it to be us, obviously, since that’s the situation we are in. But someone will do it. I really want to be a part of that."

As for what he's seen on film that has hurt his team, Rivers offered, "The clear thing that is obvious is when we start turning the ball over, and, in that stretch, give up offensive rebounds, then force shots, we usually lose leads or get down further. And that’s been pretty much obvious to anybody this year."

The Boston Celtics visit the New York Knicks on Wednesday night in Game 5 of an Eastern Conference first-round series at Madison Square Garden (7 p.m., TNT). The Knicks lead the series, 3-1. Here's what to watch for:

* WINNING ON THE ROAD: Back in a hostile New York environment, the Celtics know the Knicks will be searching for an early knockout punch on their home turf. "We just have to come out ready to play," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "They are at home, they are going to try to feed off their crowd and all that. But at the end of the day, it's going to be between the lines. And it's going to be what they do, it's not going to be what anybody out in the crowd says or does. It's going to be between the lines." Echoed captain Paul Pierce: "They're going to amped up, their crowd is going to be emotionally into it. They feel like they've got an opportunity here at home, so I think that's going to be the early focus, is to withstand their early run. We know that we're going to take hits, but we've got to be able to hit back in the early stages, and we've got to maintain that through the four quarters."

* J.R. IS BACK: The Celtics took advantage of the absence of J.R. Smith during Sunday's Game 4 victory, but he's back after a one-game suspension for elbowing Jason Terry. Asked what kind of impact he expects Smith's return to have on New York, Terry said, "Hopefully none. If he comes out here and gets hot early, then it's going to be a long night for us. I'm looking forward to the challenge, as are my teammates." Smith, the league's Sixth Man of the Year, is averaging 16.3 points on 43.5 percent shooting in three games this series.

* IGNORE THE NOISE: From Smith's brash prediction that this series would be over if he had played in Game 4, to Kenyon Martin telling his teammates to wear funeral attire, Celtics center Kevin Garnett said he's tried to ignore all the noise. "I have not paid attention to none of the shenanigans," said Garnett. Pierce downplayed Martin's fashion advice, noting, "This is basketball. I'm not going to be dead after the game."

* ONE POSSESSION AT A TIME: Rivers has preached a one-game-at-a-time philosophy after his team lost the first three games. But now he's stressing an even narrower focus: One possession at a time. "Really, I think that's what you should do every game," said Rivers. "Obviously, it's easier to do in the playoffs, because you do have single-game focus. But I do think, to be really great, you have to get to not only one quarter, but one possession at a time. And play forward, and not play in reverse. I think that's where players get lost -- if they have a couple bad possessions and they are thinking about that, or thinking about the last game and the team made a run on them. You can't do that. It's hard, but you just can't. You have to play to the next possession, then the next possession, then the next possession. And that's difficult to do, but it's what you have to do."

NEW YORK -- Boston Celtics captain Paul Pierce said he hasn't spent too much time pondering his future, but with his team fighting to keep its season alive, he acknowledged a murky summer lies ahead.

One thing Pierce knows for sure is that he wants to play at least one more season and he'll examine his future from there. The question is whether he'll be back in Boston for the 2013-14 campaign.

Pierce is scheduled to make $15.3 million in the final year of a four-year, $61.3 million extension inked in 2010. But only $5 million of that is guaranteed, which makes it no guarantee the Celtics bring him back for a 16th season with the team. Boston could also ponder using its amnesty clause if it desired to initiate a roster makeover.

"Truthfully, I haven't put too much thought into [the future]," Pierce said at the team's morning shootaround at Madison Square Garden. The Celtics and Knicks clash in Game 5 of an Eastern Conference first-round series on Wednesday night.

"The organization is going to do what they're going to do. There's nothing that's stressing me out. That's what it is. Every year they've got decisions to make and those are their decisions. So I'll leave it to them."

Pierce said he'll take a hands-off approach with Boston's decision and is at peace with whatever his future holds.

"I've always been a guy that said, 'Things happen for a reason,'" said Pierce. "I was the No. 10 pick [in the 1998 draft], I didn't anticipate that. I've just always felt like, throughout my whole career, everything is going to fall into the right place for me. So I don't really put much thought into after the season. But I know at the end of the day, whatever they do, whatever I do, it's going to fall in the right place for me."

Pierce reaffirmed a desire to play his entire career in Boston and said it's likely that -- one way or another -- he'll finish his career in green.

"Well, I always said I want to end my career as a Celtic," said Pierce. "But they're the ones -- I have a contract for next year, but it's not guaranteed. So the decision is in their hands. Whatever decisions they make, maybe if they trade me somewhere or I end up somewhere else, maybe it can be a situation where I come back for a one-day deal and retire a Celtic."

Pierce's more immediate focus is on Game 5. Boston staved off elimination by winning Game 4 at TD Garden, but the Celtics know New York, which owns a 3-1 series lead, will be looking for a knockout punch Wednesday night on its home turf.

"They're going to amped up, their crowd, they're going to be emotionally into it," said Pierce. "They feel like they've got an opportunity here at home, so I think that's going to be the early focus, to withstand their early run. We know that we're going to take hits, but we've got to be able to hit back in the early stages, and we've got to maintain that through the four quarters."

With the Celtics' season on the brink, Kevin Garnett is battling age as much as the Knicks:


And a look at how the C's responded to former teammate Jason Collins' revelation that he is gay:

WALTHAM, Mass. -- A handful of practice leftovers after the Boston Celtics met with the media on Tuesday before a morning session and afternoon flight to New York in advance of Wednesday's Game 5 of an Eastern Conference first-round series against the Knicks:

* C'S ARE COLORBLIND: Informed that Kenyon Martin told his teammates to wear "funeral colors" to Wednesday's Game 5, Jason Terry brushed off the suggestion that Boston's season will end then. "That's good. I thought they wore that last game, too," said Terry. "I mean, for us, it doesn't change. Whether they wear white, pink, blue, black, green -- it's Game 7 for us. So we know what mindset we have to be in and if you lose you're going home. That's what it is."

* KG NOT THINKING ABOUT HIS FUTURE: Asked if he had considered that Wednesday's Game 5 could be his last NBA game, Kevin Garnett said retirement isn't on his mind at the moment. "I'm thinking about the game Wednesday and pretty much that. I haven't thought about post, after -- I'm focusing on what it's going to take to get to the next game."

* FAITH IN BASS: Celtics coach Doc Rivers said it was Brandon Bass' success guarding LeBron James during the Eastern Conference finals last season that gave him the confidence to put him on Carmelo Anthony in this series. And why has he been so successful, particularly on the perimeter? "[Bass] has a lot of size. Shooting over size, I jokingly said in 2009 or 2010, one of those years we were playing the Lakers, we were getting a lot of wide-open shots, why are we missing them? And then you watch the film, a lot of 7-footers are standing in front of them and you have to shoot over them, and, even though it’s not a tight, contested shot, it’s still a 7-footer. In Brandon’s case, he’s not that, but he’s bigger than guys that normally guard Melo."

* EYE-OPENING PERFORMANCE? Asked if he thought the league might take notice of his play, particularly given his exploits this round against the Knicks, Jeff Green offered, "I hope so. I’ve been working hard. The playoffs are where players are made. Hopefully people are starting to take notice of what I can do. I mean, I know what I can do. I don’t care what other people think. It doesn’t matter to me. I’m just trying to win games and win for my team."

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- J.R. Smith thinks the New York Knicks would have swept the Boston Celtics if he had been playing in Game 4 of the division rivals' playoff series.

"Oh yeah, it would've been over," Smith said after Tuesday's practice. "I'd have been playing golf today."

The NBA suspended Smith for Game 4 after the star guard threw an elbow at Jason Terry's chin late in Game 3.

Smith watched on television Sunday as the Celtics defeated the Knicks, 97-90, in overtime to avoid elimination and extend the series. Smith also watched Terry score nine points in overtime.

Asked about Terry on Tuesday, Smith said, "Who? I don't even know who that is."

The Knicks' bench scored just seven points in the loss, a clear indication that they were hurt by Smith's absence. Carmelo Anthony shot just 10-for-35 and seemed to miss Smith, who draws attention from opposing defenders.

"It was very tough to watch," Smith said. "Especially that first half. I mean, from the turnovers to missing shots. ... It wasn't the easiest thing ever.

"I wasn't pleased with it. My teammates wasn't either. I'll get the chance to make up for it tomorrow."

WALTHAM, Mass. -- The Celtics still have a ways to go before they hope to force a Game 7, but the team is taking a winner-take-all mindset to Wednesday night’s Game 5 against the Knicks in New York.

"Like I told them, what’s the difference between being down 0-3 and being in a Game 7?" asked coach Doc Rivers, whose team is down 3-1 in the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series and is facing elimination for the second straight game. "It’s no different. It’s an elimination game. The difference is your mindset. In a Game 7 you’re thinking, 'Let’s win it to win it.' When you’re down 0-3, you never know. You may have a couple guys making vacation plans, thinking you can’t do it. It’s all about the mindset. And that’s what I told our guys before the game the other night and that will be the message still. Each game you win, it is a Game 7. If you advance, you just advance to another game instead of to the next round. That’s got to be our mindset.

The team stressed the importance of consistency and execution heading into Game 5, but also the sense of urgency that will be needed to prolong the series.

"It's more about us and how we approach the game," Jason Terry said before Tuesday’s practice. "We've got to come out, again, Game 7. It's every possession, it's every shot, it's every defensive stop. I mean, it means that much. And so if you come in with that approach, you're going to put yourself in a position to win."

Added Kevin Garnett: "You know, Game 7s are all out. It's just what they are. They're your last opportunity to survive and your mentality can't be anything different. ... We have no pressure at this point. It should be an all-out mentality and you should play with a free mind and an aggressive mind and take this thing one game at a time and see what happens. Other than that, we put (ourselves) in this position. Can't (complain) about too much."

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The Boston Celtics are asking Avery Bradley to be something that he's not and he hasn't been himself on the court because of it:


And a look at offday headlines from our friends at ESPN New York:

Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers released the following statement on Jason Collins, who revealed in Sports Illustrated that he is gay:

"I am extremely happy and proud of Jason Collins. He’s a pro’s pro. He is the consummate professional and he is one of my favorite “team” players I have ever coached. If you have learned anything from Jackie Robinson, it is that teammates are always the first to accept. It will be society who has to learn tolerance. One of my favorite sayings is, 'I am who I am, are whom we are, can be what I want to be it's not up to you, it’s just me being me.'"