ESPN

BOSTON -- Rapid reaction after the New York Knicks defeated the Boston Celtics 90-76 during Game 3 of an Eastern Conference first-round series at TD Garden. Knicks lead the series, 3-0.

THE NITTY GRITTY
Go ahead and pick your favorite adjective: Pathetic, unsightly, embarrassing? They all work to describe Boston's effort in this one. A so-called "desperate" Celtics team, its season hanging in the balance, shot 35 percent (14 of 40 overall) while mustering a measly 31 first-half points, barely an upgrade over its 49 points worth of total second-half output in the first two games of the series. Jeff Green scored a team-high 21 points on 8-of-17 shooting with nine rebounds, while Kevin Garnett added 12 points and 17 rebounds. Paul Pierce labored through 6-of-15 shooting with five turnovers (Green had the same number of giveaways) for 17 points over 41 minutes. Not even a new-look starting unit with Jason Terry (14 points) was able to wake Boston from its postseason slumber. Carmelo Anthony scored a game-high 26 points on 12-of-25 shooting while Raymond Felton continued to toy with Boston, putting up 15 points and 10 assists. JR Smith added 15 points before getting ejected in the fourth quarter (more on that below).

TURNING POINT
It was a one-possession game early in the second quarter before the Knicks embarked on an 8-0 run highlighted by 3-pointers from Pablo Prigioni and Smith (with a Kenyon Martin layup in between). Later in the frame, with Boston's offense sputtering, the Knicks put together an 11-0 burst that featured three straight buckets from Anthony before a Felton 3-pointer pushed the lead to 18 (47-29) with under a minute to play in the half. Boston was booed as it left the court at the intermission.

SMITH EJECTED FOR FLAGRANT-2
Smith floored Terry with an elbow with 7:06 to play in the fourth quarter and was ejected after the foul was classified a flagrant-2. Celtics coach Doc Rivers prevented a potential confrontation, stepping in front of an enraged Terry and bearhugging him as Smith walked away. With the game out of reach, the refs made the easy decision to maintain the flagrant-2 classification (which comes with automatic ejection). At least Game 4 will have one intriguing storyline.

LITTLE VICTORIES
Some of the only cheers from Celtics fans in the second half came when a trio of Knicks fans were booted from the arena early in the fourth quarter. One New York fan in an Anthony jersey blew kisses to the Boston fans applauding his departure. You can do that when your team is up 20 points and about to put a stranglehold on the series.

WHAT IT MEANS
Unless the Celtics plan on making some history (someone get Kevin Millar on the phone!), this series is over as early as Sunday's Game 4 at the Garden (and probably no later than Tuesday's Game 5 in New York if Boston somehow musters the pride to keep its season going). Friday was just an embarrassing effort for a team that pledged to show signs of desperation after two uninspired second-half efforts in New York. Playing their first game at TD Garden in 16 days and in the aftermath of the marathon bombings, the Celtics rarely showed any fight -- something that's dogged them this entire series when adversity bubbles up. There's at least 48 minutes of basketball left in the season, but it's likely the offseason chatter will start to dominate the conversation after a disappointing, injury-plagued 2012-13 season sits on the brink.

BOSTON -- The Boston Celtics honored members of the community who assisted in the aftermath of last week's marathon tragedy during their "Heroes Among Us" program after the first quarter of Friday's Game 3 of an Eastern Conference first-round series against the New York Knicks.

Here's the list of honorees that were honored on the floor and serenaded with a long standing ovation by the capacity crowd:

Massachusetts Governor Deval L. Patrick, Lieutenant Colonel James Hanafin Deputy, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, FBI Special Agent in Charge Boston Division Peter Kowenhoven, FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Boston Division Jeffrey Sallet, Watertown Police Chief Ed Deveau, Brigham and Women’s Hospital Dr. Heidi Kimberly, Dr. Michael Weaver, Dr. Christian Sampson, R.N. Janet Gill, R.N. Dennis Sullivan, R.N. Erin Emerling, R.N. Brenda Craig, Boston Medical Center Dr. Liz Mitchell and Nurse Jennifer Kelley, Boston Children’s Hospital Dr. David Mooney and Nurse Jessica Sexton, Massachusetts General Hospital R.N. Megann Prevatt, Tufts Medical Center M.D Charles Cassidy and R.N. Julie Compton, Members of the Mass State Police, Boston Police Department, Watertown Police Department and Cambridge Police Department, Youth Violence Strike Force, and Volunteers from Boston Athletic Association.

Here's more on the ceremony from the Celtics:

Following the tragic events surrounding last week’s Boston Marathon and its aftermath, the Boston Celtics will honor several local heroes as part of the team’s “Heroes Among Us” program. These selfless individuals will be presented at half court following the end of the first quarter of Friday night’s game against the New York Knicks.

All of these brave men and women, from those who treated victims of the bombings, to the law enforcement officials who worked tirelessly all week and to the governor of our great state, will be recognized for the their heroism. On behalf of their fans and the entire organization, the Boston Celtics thank them.

Before lineup introductions, the Celtics held a moment of silence (slightly interrupted by a few overzealous fans screaming players' names), followed by a pregame recognition of the marathon tragedy. The national anthem was performed by The Voices of Freedom.

Before the game, Celtics coach Doc Rivers said the ceremony would be good for everyone in the building.

"It'll be nice. They've been through a lot and I think they can't get enough support, they can't get enough love," said Rivers. "So I think it'll be absolutely wonderful, for them and for the fans as well. You don't get a chance a lot of times to say thank you to firemen and policemen -- my dad was a cop -- so it's nice that people have a chance and want to thank them, so I think it's terrific."

BOSTON -- Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley said he wasn't feeling when he was tardy for the start of Thursday's practice, but suggested he's ready to go for Game 3 of an Eastern Conference first-round series against the New York Knicks.

"I just wasn't feeling that good yesterday," said Bradley. "But I'm good now. Just a stomach ache. But I'm fine now."

Celtics coach Doc Rivers, however, expressed some concern about Bradley's health, particularly given what the team is asking him to do as their primary point guard.

"He didn’t practice much," said Rivers. "He wasn’t feeling well, so we gave him a Tums, and we told him to sit there. Honestly, I’ve had this for three years now, when guys are feeling flu-ish or anything, I don’t really want them near any other guy. I just think that’s pretty sound advice."

Rivers hinted that -- without naming names -- he'd consider potential lineup changes that could ease the burden on some of his overwhelmed players, which could include Bradley as the top-unit ball-handler.

The Celtics ultimately elected to move Jason Terry into the starting lineup alongside Bradley, moving Brandon Bass to a reserve role.

"I don’t mind the pressure on Paul [Pierce], honestly, I want to take pressure off a couple other guys," said Rivers. "I think there are some guys who were are just asking them to do things they can’t do. We gotta relive the pressure from them. Paul, actually likes pressure, he doesn’t mind. Carmelo [Anthony] -- they don’t mind. That’s what they do. That’s why they make all that money. But we’re asking other guys right now to do way too much. We don’t have a lot of choices in the matter. We can add more guards on the floor at times with them. I just think it’s too much, obviously. We have to figure out a way of relieving some pressure."

As for Kevin Garnett and the hip pointer suffered in Game 2, Rivers said he limited him in practice on Thursday, but only to preserve his health.

"He looked good," said Rivers. "To the point where I had to keep taking him out and I had to keep hearing him. I always look at that as a good sign, when he’s screaming at me for taking him out of practice."

Before the game, the Celtics handed out Boston Strong t-shirts for fans in attendance and wore special green warm-up shirts adorned with the Boston Marathon logo. Hop HERE for more on the team's plan to honor members of the community that assisted in the aftermath of last week's marathon tragedy.

[Note: Updated at 7:57 p.m. to note that Jason Terry has moved into the starting lineup.]

Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge, Rajon Rondo, and Jared Sullinger made a surprise visit to a Boston hospital and met with victims of the Boston Marathon tragedy. In this photo, from the team's Instagram account, they met with with Jarrod Clowery (you can read more on him, HERE):

The Boston Celtics host the New York Knicks in Game 3 of an Eastern Conference first-round series on Friday night at TD Garden (8 p.m., ESPN). Here's what to watch for:

* NOBODY LOVES RAYMOND: Entering the series, Boston's defensive worry list was topped by the likes of Carmelo Anthony and JR Smith. The one player the Celtics really need to stop at the moment? Raymond Felton. From our friends at Elias Sports Bureau: The Knicks have outscored the Celtics by an average of 22.8 points per 48 minutes with Felton on the floor, but have been outscored by 45.1 points per 48 minutes with Felton on the bench. That 67.9-point swing is the largest for any NBA team with-and-without a particular player on the court in this year’s playoffs. Said Celtics coach Doc Rivers: "He’s killing us. He’s getting into the paint, he’s attacking us... And 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."

* CHANGE UP THE HALFTIME SPEECH: No secret here, the Celtics have been excellent for the first 24 minutes of Games 1 and 2 in this series, but have flat out disappeared in the second halves. To hammer that home, The Celtics are shooting 54.2 percent from the field in the first half in this series -- the highest such percentage for any team in this year’s playoffs -- and 22.2 percent in the second half -- the lowest for any team in this postseason, according to Elias. Celtics coach Doc Rivers has noted the trouble doesn't lie solely on the offensive end as both sides of the floor are connected and getting stops will ease some of the offensive struggles for Boston by giving them more transition opportunities.

* COMING HOME: No one knows how Boston will respond to playing in its gym for the first time in 16 days, at least emotionally given that this is its first game in the aftermath of the marathon bombings. But the Celtics have always received a spark from playing at home and absolutely need to feed off the energy in the building. The Knicks will have confidence after winning two games in this building during the regular season. The question is can they get over the mental hurdle of having lost their last eight playoff games on the road. New York's last road win on the road? A victory in Toronto on April 29, 2001, according to Elias.

* NUMBERS NUMBERS NUMBERS: A few more of the stats and nuggets that jumped out from Elias' preview package: The Celtics have scored only 48 points in the second half during the first two games of the series. That is the fewest second-half points scored over any two-game span in NBA playoff history (previous low was 49 points by the Washington Capitols in the 1947 postseason)... In the history of the NBA playoffs, teams that have won the first two games of a best-of-seven series have gone to win the series 94 percent of the time (233 of 248)... In the history of the NBA playoffs, there have been 57 teams that have lost the first two games of a best-of-seven series against an opponent that finished with at least 13 more wins during the regular season, as the Knicks did over the Celtics in 2012-13 (54 to 41). None of those 57 teams came back to win the series.

WALTHAM, Mass. -- The Celtics are still determined to establish Kevin Garnett on offense early in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series with the Knicks on Friday, but doing so can't come at the expense of Jeff Green.

As important as Garnett and Paul Pierce are to the Celtics' offense in this series, Green is the potential difference-maker on that end of the floor for Boston. As he exhibited in the first half of Game 1 -- 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting -- Green can carry the Celtics for prolonged periods of time.

But Green failed to find the same rhythm offensively in Game 2, and foul trouble contributed to an 0-for-6 shooting effort in the second half, as Boston mustered a mere 23 points as a team over the same stretch.

Celtics head coach Doc Rivers said he wasn't happy with the shots Green was getting in the second half of Game 2, as Boston's sluggish offense left him in too many isolation situations, sometimes late in the shot clock.

"Not the same shots (in the second half of Game 2). Not even close," Rivers said of needing to get Green better shots. "It’s (isolations), it’s clog, it’s standing around. His second half shots -- and it’s not because of him -- have been pretty much awful for him and it’s because of the way we play. We have to create space for Jeff Green. If you going to have a Westbrook or Jeff playing, you want to create space for them to be athletic and we’re not doing a very good job of that."

Green didn't want to make excuses for his poor shooting performance in Game 2, saying he needs to remain aggressive, regardless of what the shot clock looks like when he gets the ball.

"It’s just how we run our offense," Green acknowledged. "I’ve just got to try to make a play. I can’t take it as getting the ball too late, it’s hard to make a play. I’ve just got to be aggressive and find a way. I can’t rely on every time down the floor to try and get the ball early. Whenever the ball comes to me, I have to be aggressive."

(Read full post)

Jackie MacMullan says the good news is that the Celtics will likely win Game 3 in Boston on Friday night. After that? Let's be honest for a minute:

The Celtics enter Game 3 against the Knicks looking for answers, primarily on the offensive end.

In the first two games of the series, the Celtics have scored a total of just 149 points. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it’s the Celtics’ second-fewest points scored over a two-game span in a single postseason in franchise history. They scored just 146 points over the last two games against the Lakers in the 2010 NBA Finals, both resulting in losses.

The Celtics’ offensive deficiencies this series have been due to their inability to score in the half court. During the regular season, Boston ranked eighth in the NBA in half-court efficiency, averaging 0.91 points per play. In two games this series, the Celtics average just 0.75 points per play and are shooting just 36.5 percent in the half court.

The Celtics, however, haven’t struggled to score over the full 48 minutes.

In fact, they’ve looked good in the first half, taking leads into halftime in both games. Boston has shot over 54 percent from the field and outscored the Knicks by 10 points in the first half this series.

It’s the second half that’s been the problem.

The Celtics have scored 48 combined points in the second half in the two games this series and have posted a dreadful half-court scoring rate of 0.49 points per play. The Celtics set a franchise record low with 25 points in the second half in Game 1. That record stood for just three days, as they scored just 23 points in the second half in Game 2.

The Celtics, in fact, are the first team in the shot-clock era (starting with the 1954–55 season) to score 25 or fewer second-half points in consecutive games, in the regular season or postseason, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Boston is shooting just 22.2 percent from the field in the second half this series, by far the lowest percentage by any team in any half this postseason. The next-lowest shooting percentage is by the Rockets, who’ve shot 34.8 percent in the second half in their series against the Thunder.

The Celtics have struggled to make shots from all areas of the court, including near the basket. The Celtics have made just six of their 17 field goal attempts from inside the restricted area and have made just four of their 12 layup attempts in the second half this series.

History isn’t on the Celtics’ side after dropping the first two games. In the 10 times in franchise history they’ve trailed a best-of-seven series 2-0, the Celtics went on to lose the series nine times. Their only best-of-seven series comeback after dropping the first two games came in the 1969 NBA Finals, when they defeated the Lakers in seven games.

There is some history on the Celtics’ side going into Game 3. The Celtics are 23-10 all-time at home against the Knicks in the postseason, winning 11 of their last 12 meetings in Boston.

However, the most important number for the Celtics is zero. No team in NBA history has ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit in the postseason.

Quick hits following Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge's weekly appearance on Boston sports radio WEEI (93.7 FM) Thursday.

On whether he expects Kevin Garnett to be limited, physically, in Friday's Game 3: "No, listen, I think KG expects to be at his best tomorrow night. I don't know, he looked good in practice (Thursday), he's moving well, and I expect KG to be good (Friday)."

On whether not having a true point guard is hurting the Celtics right now: "I think those are just excuses. We've known this. We've been preparing for the playoffs for a few months. I think that we have what we have and we've got to do the best with it. I guess that right now I just don't think that we've played like we were capable of playing. I mean, it's one thing to lose to a team that deserves to beat you and is a better team. But I feel like we've come out ready to play, and for whatever reason, I have no idea, but the beginning of the third quarter in the last two games has not been good."

On whether the Celtics are unsure of what plays to run without Rajon Rondo: "Well we've had an opportunity to play a lot of games without Rondo. But, listen, if you just look around, this has been going on for 30 years. It's no secret. Great players at this time really step it up and our guy that was our best player last year in the playoffs, a guy that had 44 at Miami, that got us to the position that we were, that has been the MVP of multiple playoff series over the last handful of years -- not just playoff games, but playoff series -- he's a guy that's certainly capable of being the best guy on the court on any given night. He's a terrific player and we certainly miss him. We've been saying that all year long."

Pressed on whether the Celtics are unsure of what plays to run without Rondo: "Right, but, you know, I think that that's a little blown out of proportion, just because, hey, we had these same challenges before. I mean, losing double-figure leads in the fourth quarter of games is not something that has just happened. This has been going on for three or four years and I wish I knew. Sometimes I think we put such an effort and emphasis on defense that our guys don't have the energy to keep cutting and moving and so forth without the ball in the fourth quarter. I don't know what it is, but it's not just a Rondo issue. Missing Rondo, like I said, he has the ability to take over games, as we've seen him do, against the elite players in the world, and we don't have a player like that. That hurts us. But, not knowing what to do or what plays to run, every team goes through that a little bit, but we should not be having that problem, no."

On whether the Celtics need to be tougher on offense or defense: "To me it's all an attitude. I think when you try to define whether your offense wins or your defense wins, it's attitude that wins. Your perspective and the way you play the game, and I think that offense takes care of itself, sometimes. So, both is the answer. You've got to create offense sometimes with your defense if you're struggling, and you've got to find a way. I'd liken it to a pitcher who doesn't have his best stuff. You've still got to get guys out. And we've got to find a way to get stops and get in the open court as much as we can. But, offensively we need to assert ourselves, we need to be more physical offensively."

On whether Paul Pierce is being asked to do too much and others need to contribute more: "Yes. I mean, I think Paul has taken four charges in two games. I'm not sure anyone else on the team has taken any. Paul is our leading scorer, he's carrying an offensive burden. Paul is, right now, our best player and our best scorer and he needs help. He needs other guys stepping up and he can't do it the whole game. It's a grind for him, and Paul, still, shows signs of being a great player. He's not as consistently great as he was five years ago, but he still is a fantastic player in this league and he's showing that in this playoff series."

On what the Celtics need to do to come back and win the series: "We've got to make shots. I mean, we've got to have contributions out of a lot of people. We can't do it with one or two guys like New York has done. We don't have that kind of scoring power, we don't have the leading scorer in the NBA on our team right now. So, we've got to get contributions out of a lot of people."

WALTHAM, Mass. -- A quick film session probably confirmed what Celtics head coach Doc Rivers already knew: Paul Pierce isn't Superman, even if Boston had been guilty of asking him to try to be during the opening two losses of its first-round playoff series with the New York Knicks.

In a series that has so far been defined by the Celtics' inability to score in the second half of games, Pierce has been asked not only to get his own points, but to initiate offense for his teammates as well as work on the defensive end against Carmelo Anthony and even the smaller and faster Raymond Felton. It's too much, according to Rivers, and it needs to change as the series shifts to Boston.

"We can be more creative, I have to be," Rivers said before practice on Thursday. "Because that’s just asking Paul to do too much. We're asking him to guard Carmelo at times, asking him to bring the ball up the floor at times, we’re asking him to be our post-passer, it’s -- listen, he’s Paul Pierce. He’s not Christopher Reeves."

In the opening two games in New York, Pierce averaged 19.5 points 5.5 rebounds and 6.5 points over 38.5 minutes, but shot just 41.2 percent from the field and a very un-Pierce-like 16.7 percent from 3-point nation. Rivers has worried that fatigue has played a role in Pierce's poor shooting percentages, particularly in the second half of games when Boston's offense has suffered the most. When he hasn't been defending Anthony, he's had to deal with the Felton matchup at times.

The Celtics knew there would be a trade-off if the Knicks went with a smaller lineup and Felton got the assignment on Pierce, but they haven't been able to exploit it as well as they would like to. Not only has Pierce been unable to take advantage of Felton as a smaller defender, but Felton has made him work extra hard on the defensive end as well.

"I don’t like (Pierce chasing Felton on defense), honestly, that’s hurt us a little bit, and we haven’t taken advantage of that on the other end because we don’t have the ball-handling to take advantage of it," Rivers said. "We’re getting it to him -- we’re getting the ball to guys, but it’s late and it’s off-target. Which throws them off, and so you’re really not getting it to them. That’s not being the way we’ve wanted it so far."

But Pierce having to worry about Felton at times, in addition to Anthony, hasn't stopped the Celtics from leaning on him for an offensive spark in the second half. The Celtics, as a team, averaged an appalling 24 points in the second half of their opening two games, and as the offense broke down, the focus shifted to Pierce to try to rectify the situation.

But Pierce shot a combined 6-of-17 from the field in the two second halves, and the team's production, or lack thereof, is proof that he alone cannot carry such a heavy burden.

Pierce knows the Celtics have a better chance if they can do a better job of taking advantage of his matchup with Felton.

"We've got to do a better job of taking advantage of it on the other end," Pierce said of Felton guarding him. "We have the advantage, we feel like, on that end with the smaller guys, but, at the same time, the Knicks are doing a good job of sending two or three guys and trapping, clogging up the lane, and it's working for them right now."

As for being asked to do too much in the first two games, Pierce, always the competitor, downplayed that idea on Thursday, suggesting he'll continue to try to do whatever the Celtics ask of him.

"I mean, that all comes with the job," Pierce said of being asked to do so much. "I wouldn't be asked of it if I wasn't capable. ... You understand that winning isn't easy. And I understand that part, so I expect hard."

But Rivers knows the Celtics can't lean on Pierce to bail them out of a team-wide issue.

"We're not going to put all that pressure on Paul," Rivers said. "If we’re asking Paul to score, to start the offense, and pass the ball, we’re going to struggle scoring. I mean one of our guys, he even gave me a list of guys who should throw the post pass and it was two guys, and I laughed and said, ‘Well, one of them is a post guy.’ I said, 'That narrows our choices a little bit.' "

WALTHAM, Mass. -- Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley was not on the floor with his teammates as they gathered for the start of Thursday's practice and was spotted soon after leaving a medical area of the team's training center. A Celtics spokesman said only that Bradley participated in the afternoon session and offered no explanation for his tardiness.

While Bradley's late arrival raised eyebrows, all indications are he's still expected to be on the floor for Game 3 of an Eastern Conference first-round series against the New York Knicks on Friday night.

Bradley underwent surgery on both shoulders after being forced out of the playoffs due to injury last season. Despite missing the first 30 games of the 2012-13 campaign, he played in the final 50 regular-season contests.

Bradley is averaging 10.5 points and 3 assists over 34.5 minutes per game this postseason. Before Thursday's practice session, Celtics coach Doc Rivers talked about the difficult position that Bradley has been thrust into as top-unit point guard since Rajon Rondo was lost for the season in late January with a torn ACL.

"It’s a hard role for Avery," said Rivers. "We talk about [increased responsibilities for] Paul [Pierce], but we’re asking Avery to pressure, pressure, pressure, and then try to do something that he’s not. Avery’s a good basketball player, but we never wanted him to be in the position of facilitating offense, seeing that guys aren’t set, and trying to get guys in the right spots, delivering the pass on target -- a lot of that. We’re asking a lot, we understand that."

The Celtics are the first team in the shot-clock era (starting with the 1954-55 season) to score 25 or fewer points in the second half of consecutive games in either the regular season or playoffs, according to Elias Sports Bureau. What's more, Boston's two-game output of just 149 points is the second-fewest points they've scored over any two-game span in their postseason history (topped only by the 146 points in Games 6 and 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals vs. the Lakers). Boston will need at least 89 points in Game 3 to avoid their lowest three-game postseason total of franchise history (235 total points in 2002).

Rivers said his team's defense is connected to its offensive success.

"Well, we’ve come out flat twice [in the second half]. I don’t know why that is," said Rivers. "But they put a lot of pressure on us. Game 2... they scored a ton of points, 32 in the third quarter. We took the ball out and they pressured us. But we're not organized offensively the way we should be, in my opinion. And that’s what we have to be. You’re going to have to play some halfcourt in the playoffs and we knew that going into the series, we just haven’t handled it very well."

Read on for a few more notes from Thursday's session:

(Read full post)

WALTHAM, Mass. -- Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers was fined $25,000 for public criticism of officiating, NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson announced on Thursday.

After Celtics center Kevin Garnett ran into early foul trouble during Tuesday's Game 2 loss, earning two whistles in an 18-second span early in the first quarter, Rivers voiced his displeasure in his postgame press conference.

"I thought the fouls on Kevin were horrendous and had a huge effect on us," said Rivers.

Rivers hinted during a conference call on Wednesday that his words might have raised the league's antennae.

"I didn't think I said much and that could be a problem," said Rivers. "Because all I basically said was, Kevin getting into foul trouble had a huge impact on the game. That's not criticizing officials. So I've just got to make sure I focus on our stuff."

Rivers signed a five-year, $35 million contract extension with Boston after the 2010-11 season.

Garnett was fined $25,000 earlier this season for his role in a dust-up with the Brooklyn Nets, while Chris Wilcox earned a $25,000 for an obscene gesture on the JumboTron during a game in Philadelphia.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers on playing back in Boston for the first time since the marathon tragedy:

The crowd always provides [energy], that’s why they call it a home-court advantage. They always provide you with energy. There’s no better crowd in the NBA than ours. There’s no better crowd in sports than this city. They are actually really invested. And that is the difference, and I’ve always said that. There’s a lot of crowds that, they’re winning now [and then] they come, and then you see all the hats, [and hear] all the mouths when you’re walking the city. But, Boston, when you’re winning or losing, you still hear the people talking trash. And that’s just the way they are, the way they’re built. And we expect them to be very much that tomorrow.

Celtics center Kevin Garnett noted at Thursday's practice, "We haven't been home since all the current events and everything and that alone, so, yes, we're anticipating it being very emotional, very inspiring, and we're looking forward to coming out and trying to get this Game 3."

Hop HERE to read our story on Boston's emotional return to TD Garden on Friday night.

WALTHAM, Mass. -- Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers said he planned to limit Kevin Garnett's activity during Thursday's practice with the goal of having him on the floor for Friday's Game 3 of an Eastern Conference first-round series against the New York Knicks.

Garnett suffered what Rivers has compared to a hip pointer during Tuesday's Game 2 loss. Garnett didn't address the injury specifically when talking before Thursday's session, but said simply that he's 'confident' he'll be healthy enough to play.

"I didn’t ask [the training staff]. That’s my rule, I try not to ask. Because they may give you the answer you don’t want to hear," Rivers joked about Garnett's status. "Right now, we’re planning on him practicing. I’m not going to let him go through the entire practice, even if he’s feeling good. I know a hip pointer, all you need is someone to bang into you or something. I don’t even know if it’s that, so we’re going to be careful."

Garnett sat out 10 of Boston's final 13 games, including eight straight due to left ankle inflammation. He also missed two games before that due to a left adductor strain.

Asked if he felt physically ready for Friday's Game 3, Garnett offered, "We're a confident group." He then repeated that same answer when pressed on his health.

Rivers said he doesn't remember exactly when the injury occurred during the second half of Tuesday's loss, but was initially concerned it was a stomach issue.

"I asked him two or three times if he could keep going, because at the time, I didn’t know what it was. I thought it was the stomach and when you see someone grabbing there you immediately think stomach muscle, which is the worst," said Rivers. "That’s why in our era, we didn’t do sit-ups, so we could never hurt that muscle, but that was my fear, and that’s a bad injury. And it wasn’t that. So after [team trainer] Eddie [Lacerte] told me it wasn’t that, I was good."

Garnett was limited by foul trouble in both Games 1 and 2. With the Celtics down 0-2 to the Knicks, he knows how important Friday's game is.

"When you're down 0-2 to a good team that's playing really well, that has a rhythm, desperation is definitely in play," said Garnett. "We can't afford to think otherwise. This is it. We cannot go down 0-3 to any team, I feel like in the postseason. It'd be a very difficult situation to put yourself in."

Garnett does expect to get a lift from being back at TD Garden, playing at home for the first time in 16 days, and the first time since the marathon bombings.

"I'm looking forward to tomorrow -- being home, back in Beantown. Very much so," he said. "We haven't been home since all the current events and everything... so, yes, we're anticipating it being very emotional, very inspiring, and we're looking forward to coming out and trying to get this Game 3."

The Celtics are one of six teams facing 0-2 deficits in the first round of the playoffs. ESPN's "5-on-5" crew shares some thoughts on what each of those teams needs to do in order to have a chance.

For example, ESPN.com's Kevin Arnovitz says this of the Celtics:

Find some more economical ways to create a few decent shots. The Knicks aren't an exceptionally quick team defensively, so if the Celtics can move the ball side to side and execute some of those rotating pick-and-rolls on both sides of the floor they've run in the past, that could jump start the offense.

To read the full story, CLICK HERE.