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The Knicks had it all planned out:

Bring black clothing to Game 5. Win the game, eliminate the Celtics and have a little fun afterward by wearing all black in the locker room to mimic a funeral.

Didn't exactly work out that way, though.

"We were going to a funeral," J.R. Smith said, "but it looks like we got buried."

And Smith helped the Knicks dig their own grave on Wednesday.

Coming off a Game 4 suspension, the Knicks' sixth man was a no-show against Boston in Game 5. He missed his first 10 shots and finished 3-for-14 with 14 points and two turnovers.

"It was a struggle for him pretty much the whole game," Mike Woodson said. "We got to get him in a position where he’s not struggling like that. We need him to score the basketball for us."

The Knicks' reliance on Smith has burned them in the last two games.

Smith was suspended in Game 4 for hitting Jason Terry with an elbow to the face in Game 3.

Without their sixth man, the Knicks' offense stalled.

Carmelo Anthony missed a career-high 25 shots and the Knick bench produced just three points in an overtime loss.

On Wednesday, Smith hurt the Knicks again. Only this time, he was in uniform.

New York jumped out to an 11-0 lead on Boston before Mike Woodson summoned Smith off the bench.

He checked in with 6:38 to go in the quarter and proceeded to miss his first five shots. It was no coincidence that the Knicks trailed, 45-39, at the half.

One reason for Smith's shooting struggles?

Pre-game anxiety.

Smith said he was "extremely anxious" before hitting the floor.

"Coming into the game a lot of fans got me hyped," he said. "I really couldn't wait to play."

Some of those same fans were booing him off the floor when Smith missed a 3-pointer with 34 seconds to go and the Knicks down nine.

By then, it was clear that Smith and the Knicks would be heading to Boston for Game 6 instead of celebrating their first playoff series win since 2000. It was also clear that the Knicks wouldn't be attending any funerals.

"We'll take that. It's all a part of being humbled," Smith said. "Basketball is a very humbling game."

Smith was anything but humble the day before Game 5. He said that the series would have ended in a sweep had he played in Game 4 ("I'd have been playing golf today," he said). He also playfully claimed to not know who Jason Terry was.

But Terry made sure Smith knew his name on Wednesday.

The Celts' sixth man poured in 17 key points in Game 5, including a 3-pointer with three minutes to go to give the Celtics a 12-point lead.

"We can't take nothing away from them," Smith said. "They're a championship ball club."

That's something the Knicks aspire to be. But they've looked like anything but in the last two games.

"Nobody said it was gonna be easy, but now it’s a series," Woodson said.

Smith, to his credit, accepted full blame for the Knicks' last two losses.

"Yeah, without a doubt," he said. "From the absence of Game 4 ... and then [to] come out today, stink it up.

"I can't have a game like this," he added. "I can't have another one like this."

He's right. Because if he and the Knicks continue to struggle, they might have all summer to hit the golf course.

You can follow Ian Begley on Twitter.

WHAT IT MEANS: Time to get nervous, Knicks fans.

The Knicks missed their second chance to close out the Celtics on Wednesday night, falling 92-86 to Boston at Madison Square Garden.

A series they once led 3-0 is now 3-2 heading to Boston for Game 6. No team in NBA history has ever rebounded from a 3-0 series deficit. But, as most New Yorkers can tell you, it happened in baseball in 2004 when the Red Sox came back on the Yankees.

The Knicks hope to avoid that inglorious fate.

On Wednesday, their offense failed them. Carmelo Anthony finished 8-for-24. J.R. Smith, back from a one-game suspension, finished with 14 points on 3-for-14 shooting.

Smith hit a 3-pointer with 1:05 to play to cut the lead to five points, but Boston's Kevin Garnett shook off Tyson Chandler to hit a 20-footer to put Boston up six, helping seal the win with 48 seconds left.

New York will need better performances from its scorers on Friday night if it hope to close things out and win its first playoff series since 2000.

JET STREAM: Jason Terry, the Knick agitator, poured in 17 key points, including a 3-pointer with three minutes to go to give the Celtics a 12-point lead. He had five 3s on the night.

Smith answered Terry's 3 with a 3-pointer of his own but Jeff Green (18 points) hit a 3 to put Boston up 88-76 with 2:24 to play. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce each had 16 points. Garnett had 18 rebounds.

Brandon Bass defended Anthony well and chipped in 17 points.

ANOTHER OFF NIGHT FOR ANTHONY: Speaking of Anthony, he struggled all night against the Celts' physical defense. He went 2-for-10 in the second half. He finished with 22 points, but needed 24 shots to get there. In Game 4, he missed 25 of 35 shots.

Anthony may have been affected in the second half by a left shoulder injury. He got tangled up with Kevin Garnett and appeared to tweak his shoulder. He did not leave the game.

THREE-EALLY? The Knicks went a debilitating 5-for-22 from 3-point land. They went 3-for-14 in the second half and hit just two of their final eight. Yikes. Anthony went 0-for-5 and has missed his last 12 3s. Smith went 3-for-8.

For a team that relied so heavily on 3s, the misfires from deep buried the Knicks.

The Knicks shot just 23 percent from behind the arc on the night and lost for the first time at home in 13 games.

BAD BLOOD? Raymond Felton appeared to get into a skirmish with Jordan Crawford and D.J. White as the teams left the floor after the game -- another example of bad blood between two teams that don't like each other.

NO NOVAK: Steve Novak left the game in the third quarter and did not return. He had two points in three minutes.

3-0 HISTORY: Entering the 2013 postseason, only 10 of the 103 teams that fell behind 3-0 forced a Game 6, according to Elias.

Only three of those 10 teams forced a Game 7.

WHAT'S NEXT: The Knicks will travel to Boston to play the Celtics in Game 6 on Friday.

You can follow Ian Begley on Twitter.

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Mike Woodson and the Knicks don't want to go back to Boston.

Both the coach and his players are urgent to close out their first-round series with the Celtics in Game 5 at home on Wednesday.

"It's big-time urgency on our part. We played the regular season for this," Woodson said after Tuesday's practice. "It should be a nice, loud gym in our favor and I'm expecting our guys to step up and play."

The Knicks had an opportunity to close out the series on Sunday, but lost in overtime to the Celtics.

They did not have J.R. Smith in Game 4 due to a suspension. Smith will be back in Game 5. And the Knicks will be back at the Garden, where they went 31-10 in the regular season, the best record in the Eastern Conference.

They are 2-0 at home in the playoffs. New York beat the Celtics by an average of 11.5 points in the first two games at the Garden and held them to 48 second-half points in two games.

"I feel good about playing in front of our fans and these guys do, too," Woodson said. "It's going to be a loud arena tomorrow night and I'm hoping we can get everything finished off so we can get ready for Round 2."

WHAT'S NEXT FOR STAT? The Knicks and a source close to Amar'e Stoudemire believe the power forward will return to action in the second round, if the Knicks beat Boston. He's recovering from right knee debridement done in early March.

Stoudemire was present at Tuesday's practice, going through some drills with his teammates. Afterward, he worked on his post-ups with assistant coach LaSalle Thompson, who guarded him and applied physical contact. Stoudemire's moves were aggressive and somewhat quick, and after shooting free throws, he ran up and down full court a few times.

While Stoudemire looked fluid on the court, he'll have to adjust to 5-on-5 scrimmages, while getting his wind up. His conditioning is still not there yet.

ANOTHER RAY DAY? Yes, Smith and his 18.1 points per game are returning for Game 5, but Raymond Felton can't take his foot off the gas. His series averages of 17.8 points, 5.3 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals have given the Knicks a different, effective dimension beyond Smith's and Anthony's scoring.

"He has been huge," Kenyon Martin said Tuesday. "He is keeping Avery Bradley and [Jason] Terry and those guys honest so they can't load up on Melo or J.R. I think [Felton's] aggression will open up the floor that much more."

How huge has Felton been? When he has been on the bench during the series, the Knicks have a negative-22.1 plus-minus, but a plus-13.6 when he's playing. Anthony said he hasn't been surprised by Felton's progression. He credited the point guard's play on Sunday for helping the team force overtime.

"He spearheaded that whole comeback in Game 4, making shots, putting the pressure on them," Melo said. "In the second half, we only had two, three [turnovers], and we got back to playing the way we know how to play. ... He's been our guy. He's been making great decisions for himself and everybody else. He's stepped up this playoffs."

COPE-ING WITHOUT: Some of the Knicks were surprised that Chris Copeland didn't play Sunday, despite Smith's absence.

"I just decided to go with [Steve] Novak, and it's tough right now to play him and Novak together," Copeland said. "If I find a spot in between somewhere where I can throw Chris in there, I'll do that. The fact we're up 3-1 right now, I like our position and where we are, and he might have to sit and wait. I don't know."

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- J.R. Smith thinks the New York Knicks would have swept the Boston Celtics if he had played in Game 4 of their first-round 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 Sixth Man Award winner 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. Terry scored nine points in overtime.

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

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You can follow Ian Begley on Twitter.

BOSTON -- After the Knicks' Game 2 win, Kevin Garnett called Raymond Felton "the X-factor" in the first-round series.

After Game 4, even though the Knicks lost 97-90 in overtime, Felton was one of the best scoring point guards on the planet, putting up 27 points on 10-for-21 shooting.

It was needed without the team's second-leading scorer, J.R. Smith (18.1 points per game), who was serving a one-game suspension after throwing an elbow into Jason Terry's chin in Game 3.

"[Felton] was huge in this game for us, especially missing J.R.," Kenyon Martin said afterward. "We needed someone else to make shots for us, and he did that for us. Ray is a professional. He's the ultimate competitor, and that's what we need from him each and every night."

Felton's biggest impact came in the third quarter, when the Knicks outscored the Celtics, 30-14. Not only was he making shots, but he was also active boxing out Avery Bradley and grabbing boards, and aggressively halfcourt trapping. He finished with threes steals.

Overall in the game, Felton consistently got deep into the paint -- "That's one of the things that we've been able to do this whole series," he said -- and he was money from downtown, finishing 4-for-9 from that range.

"For him, it's just always mentality," Steve Novak told ESPNNewYork.com. "Is he looking for other guys more, is he shooting? I think with J.R. out, I think he knew he had to be a little bit more aggressive. It just shows that he can be the other scorer."

COPING WITH IT: In a curious coaching decision, Chris Copeland did not play in Game 4.

With J.R. Smith out, the team may have benefited from Copeland's offense. But the rookie was glued to the bench for all 53 minutes of basketball on Sunday.

Copeland said afterward that he was healthy enough to play (he's dealing with an injured shoulder). He did not know the thinking behind his DNP but did not take issue with it.

With Smith out, Woodson went with Jason Kidd as his first guard off the bench. He also played Quentin Richardson for 2:46 in the second quarter. The Knicks were outscored by six points with Richardson on the floor.

For the series, Copeland is scoreless in 24 minutes. He has attempted five shots.

TYSON FEELS "LIVELY": Tyson Chandler was on the floor for a playoff-high 31 minutes on Sunday and said afterward that his conditioning is improving day by day.

"I'm starting to get my legs back, get some spring," Chandler said after pulling down 11 rebounds and blocking a shot in Game 4.

Chandler missed 16 of the Knicks' final 20 regular season games lost weight due to an illness late in the regular season. So he didn't quite look like himself in the first two games of the series. But he was encouraged by Sunday's outing.

"I felt great tonight. I felt real lively, was moving around real well. Thought I gave my team an opportunity," he said.

BOSTON -- Entering Game 4, the Knicks had only one come-from-behind win this season after being down 20-plus points. That happened against the Cavaliers on March 4, when the Knicks' deficit was 22 points.

On Sunday, the Knicks could've had their second big comeback after trailing 59-39 near the start of the third quarter. That was the largest lead of the game, in which the Celtics pulled out in overtime, 97-90.

The Knicks' veteran approach and relentless attack were all over the second half -- two common factors that have kept the Knicks in many games no matter who's in uniform. And as the Knicks' embark on Game 5 back in New York on Wednesday, their close-out mentality and playoff experience should come in handy, especially at home, where they only lost 10 games all season.

"We have a bunch of guys who are not going to quit. We're going to play," Jason Kidd told ESPNNewYork.com. "We're a veteran ball club, so we don't panic."

On Sunday, the Knicks' second-half momentum started in the locker room.

"At halftime, we were all just preaching, 'Where do we want to be?'" Iman Shumpert said. "We're up 3-0, they made a run and they made their push, so we're going to make our push in the second half and put ourselves in a position to win at the end of the game."

After halftime, all five players on the court were in unison defensively. The guards set the tone, reading passing lanes well and pushing a faster pace -- a key that's overwhelmed the Celtics in the series. The Knicks finished with 10 steals -- their third game in the series with at least that amount.

"We knew we needed some energy and get something to happen for us, and we did," Steve Novak said. "We got big steals, we got big stops."

The guards also extended their aggressiveness to the boards, especially Iman Shumpert, who finished with four offensive rebounds.

"I've just been watching a lot of film going into the playoffs, and I knew I could help out a lot on the boards," he said. "I found myself standing a lot when I saw shots got up."

In addition, Chandler's trademark tapbacks led to several second-chance points for the team down the stretch.

"Just an effort thing honestly," the center said. "I’m starting to get my legs back, getting some spring. I was just able to get a couple extra opportunities."

While the Knicks fell just short to the Celtics, their fight in Game 4 was there until the end -- even with Shumpert and Raymond Felton filling in offensively for Smith's absence. The team is confident in closing out the first-round series on Wednesday.

"We knew [today] was going to be a dogfight, and the fact that we came back from a 20-point deficit shows a lot about our team," Felton said.

Carmelo Anthony added: "I take my hat off to my guys for fighting back ... We look forward to bringing this game back home to the Garden Wednesday. The Garden will be rocking Wednesday. We'll be prepared for it."

You can follow Jared Zwerling on Twitter.

BOSTON -- Carmelo Anthony's dream didn't come to fruition on Sunday. Not even close.

In fact, Game 4 turned into a bit of a nightmare for the Knicks' star.

Anthony missed 25 of his 35 attempts on Sunday, including several in crunch time, and the Knicks lost in overtime to Boston, 97-90.

Leading up to Sunday's game, Anthony said it would be a "dream come true" to complete a first-round sweep of the Celtics on Sunday. Now the Knicks have to win a home game on Wednesday to finish off their longtime rivals.

"We have to be confident going back home. We were confident here," Anthony said after scoring 36 points. "We felt like we gave ourselves a shot to win the basketball game."

Early in Sunday's game, it looked like the Knicks would have no such shot.

New York hit just 29 percent of its attempts in the first half and trailed by 19 at the break. Anthony went 3-for-15 and turned it over five times. But he didn't have much help. The Knicks clearly missed J.R. Smith's scoring in the first half. All Knicks not named Anthony shot a combined 8-for-23.

It seemed like Anthony at times was trying to compensate for the absence of Smith, who was suspended for his Game 3 elbow to Jason Terry's chin.

"I missed him out there," Anthony said. "But J.R. being out there doesn't change the way I shoot the basketball. I just normally hit those shots. I’ve been taking them the whole series, they weren't falling tonight."

Shots started to fall in the third quarter. Not for Anthony, though. For Raymond Felton.

Felton poured in 16 points in the third as the Knicks cut a 20-point deficit to just three entering the fourth quarter. Anthony seemed to get on track, hitting three of six shots to supplement Felton.

But he lost touch in the fourth quarter and overtime, misfiring on 10 of his last 14 shots.

"He missed some shots," Woodson said of Anthony, who entered play Sunday averaging an NBA playoff-high 32 points per game. "As a team [though], we couldn't make shots."

Woodson was diplomatic in deflecting the blame from Anthony. But it was hard to ignore the way Melo struggled in crunch time.

All seven of his misses in the fourth quarter came with the Knicks trailing Boston by five points or fewer. Anthony missed three straight shots with the score tied at 82. He also went 2-for-5 from the free-throw line in the fourth, including two misses with 1:50 to play that could have snapped the 82-all tie.

"I was trying to do whatever I can to win the basketball game. I was just trying to be aggressive, but I missed a ton of shots," Anthony said.

Credit goes to Brandon Bass, who bothered Anthony all afternoon. But you also have to wonder if the Knicks forced Anthony into too many isolation sets, or vice versa.

New York had great success with Felton running the pick-and-roll in the third but seemed to lean on isolation plays in the fourth quarter and overtime.

For the game, Anthony operated in isolation on 49 percent of his possessions, according to data compiled by ESPN Stats and Information. It's worth noting that the Knicks were outscored by 10 points with Anthony on the floor.

Compared to Game 2, when Anthony was in isolation on 26 percent of his plays and the Knicks were plus-22 when he was on the floor, Sunday's ratio seems counterproductive.

Especially when you consider that Anthony's isolation sets late in the game seemed to come at Felton's expense. Coming off of a brilliant third quarter, Felton attempted just six shots combined in the fourth quarter and overtime. He had 16 points on eight shots in the third.

"At the end of the day you're going to live and die with your go-to guy," Felton said. I was able to get in the paint and hit some big shots, but when the game is on the line you're going to be getting the ball to No. 7. That's what we've been doing all year. There's no need to change it now."

The Knicks went to No. 7 again and again in overtime, but to little avail. Anthony missed three of his four attempts in the extra session, including a 3-pointer with the Knicks down three and 20 seconds to play.

"We as a team didn't shoot the ball well. I didn't shoot the ball well. But we look forward to Wednesday. I can tell you that," he said.

You can follow Ian Begley on Twitter.

WHAT IT MEANS: The good news for the Knicks is that no team in NBA history has rebounded from a 3-0 deficit.

The bad news is that they missed a chance to close out their first-round series with the Celtics on Sunday.

The Knicks rebounded from a 20-point third-quarter deficit and forced overtime, but Jason Terry scored nine points in the extra frame to help the Celtics prevail in a 97-90 Game 4 thriller.

It had to be a sweet moment for Terry, who was elbowed in the jaw by J.R. Smith in Game 3. Smith was suspended for Game 4 for the incident.

Raymond Felton scored 27 points to help the Knicks erase their deficit. Carmelo Anthony added 36, but missed 10 of 14 shots in the fourth quarter and overtime. No other Knick had more than 12 points.

Paul Pierce had 29 to lead the Celtics. Jeff Green added 26.

THRILLING THIRD: The Knicks trailed by as many as 20 points in the third quarter and were down 18 with eight minutes to go in the period.

The momentum seemed to be completely on Boston's side, but then the Celts got into foul trouble. Brandon Bass picked up his fifth foul, Kevin Garnett picked up his fourth and Green picked up his fourth in a three-minute span.

From there, Felton took over. He scored 10 points during a 17-7 run to end the quarter, cutting the Celtics' lead to three entering the fourth.

Felton had 16 points in the third quarter.

He added a big jumper with 1:18 to play to give the Knicks their first lead of the game. Garnett tied the score with a jumper and the teams eventually went to overtime.

FORGETTABLE FIRST HALF: The Knicks found themselves down 20 in the third, thanks to an awful performance in the first half.

The Knicks trailed by 19 at the half after shooting just 30 percent from the field and being outscored 17-6 in the final 5:16 before intermission.

Anthony struggled mightily in the first half. He missed his first six shots, finished the half 3-for-15 and turned it over five times. The Knicks entered the game averaging just 11.7 turnovers per game in the playoffs but committed 12 in the first half.

They clearly missed Smith. All Knicks not named Carmelo Anthony went 8-for-23 in the first half.

SUNDAY IS SHUMP'S DAY: Shumpert was key for the Knicks late in the game. He had five points and six rebounds in the third quarter and seven points in the fourth, including a steal and layup to tie the score at 74 and a 3-pointer to pull the Knicks within two (82-80).

WHAT'S NEXT: The Knicks will face Boston in Game 5 at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.

You can follow Ian Begley on Twitter.

BOSTON -- Carmelo Anthony is aiming for the first playoff series sweep in his 10-year career. But he's missing shots -- shooting 3-for-15 from the field -- and his scoring sidekick, J.R. Smith, is serving a suspension for throwing an elbow in Game 3.

At one point in the second quarter, the Knicks featured a lineup of Pablo Prigioni, Jason Kidd, Quentin Richardson, Steve Novak and Kenyon Martin, and they couldn't generate points. And defensively, the Knicks were more mismatched. Without Smith, Martin had to guard Jeff Green consistently for the first time in the series, and the Celtics forward scored on him with ease.

That has been the story of the first half, as the Celtics shot 51.3 percent from field and the Knicks were only at 28.9 percent.

Here are four other main observations at the half:

1. A whole lot more Melo. Without Smith, the Knicks went to their star an increased amount in the post. Melo put in more work, battling against Paul Pierce and Brandon Bass, and he didn't have his usual quick moves to his trademark midrange jump shot. That extra grind, coupled with the Celtics' further zoned-in pressure, limited Melo.

2. Celtics' improved penetration. It all started with Pierce being able to break down the smaller Raymond Felton off of the dribble and get into the paint. That left the baseline corner from 3-point range wide open for the Celtics, and Avery Bradley and Jordan Crawford both connected from that spot.

The Celtics had 12 assists and eight turnovers, and the Knicks had only five assists and 12 turnovers. The ball is stalling through Melo, and future Hall of Famer Jason Kidd made two uncharacteristically poor passes as evidence of their poor play.

The Celtics were also effective getting into the paint in transition. While the Knicks controlled the tempo in the first three game, it's now the Celtics playing at a faster pace and scoring in the open court.

3. Tyson Chandler's liveliness. In the series, the starting center has worked his way back to full health after battling a flu, and he had pep in his step on Sunday. He looked quicker off of screens and skied high for two alley-oop dunks in the first half.

4. Where's Cope? With no Smith, you would've thought it was a great opportunity for Chris Copeland to play. But Mike Woodson gave the nod to Steve Novak, who was 1-for-2 from downtown. The coach also played Quentin Richardson three minutes in the first half, and he missed both of his shots.

BOSTON -- With J.R. Smith suspended for Game 4 against the Celtics, after throwing an elbow that struck the chin of Jason Terry in Game 3, the Knicks will be minus 18 points.

"You're going to miss his scoring, but it gives somebody else an opportunity to come up," Mike Woodson said before the game. "This is not a one- or two-man show on this team, and it gives other guys an opportunity to step up and make plays. That's what I want to see."

So what does that mean for Woodson's roster management?

"Next guy up," he said. "We've got James White, we've got Quentin Richardson, [Chris Copeland] is still sitting over there, so we'll shuffle our lineup and go from there."

The Knicks had balanced scoring in the first quarter in Game 3 -- all five starters scored -- and that continued throughout the game. Pablo Prigioni's and Raymond Felton's ability to get deep into the paint off of pick-and-rolls has been a key in the series. They're also getting defensive stops and battling for boards, and then pushing a faster, more effective pace than the Celtics.

Prigioni's play has really caught the attention of Woodson.

"Pablo puts a lot of time in the gym," he said. "I think the fact that he's watched a lot of tape and he's examined guys after the first go-around, he's grown. He's a totally different player now, plus he's getting more minutes, too, so that helps. And then when you're winning, he's been a big part of it. We couldn't be more happy with the play of Pablo because he's been great."

Pick-and-roll playmaking has also come from Smith. Now that he's sidelined, Woodson could call for Carmelo Anthony to operate more screen sets with Tyson Chandler and Kenyon Martin to facilitate more scoring and ball movement.

Melo will also have to continue to be effective making quick reads out of double-teams. Woodson has liked his passing in those defensive formations.

"Melo's been solid like that all season," he said. "He's seeing double-teams and guys running at him when he's isolated, and he's going to have to continue to sacrifice the ball. A lot of the players around him have benefited from it because if the ball's moving, they're getting wide-open looks. We've been pretty good in that area in terms of knocking down shots."

Chandler is also improving health-wise, gaining more strength from his recent flu. His increased movement offensively, rolling to the basket and running the floor to set transition screens and finish as a trail man, should help the Knicks in Game 4.

"He's getting better," Woodson said. "I mean, each game has gotten better from Game 1 to now. He's playing much better. We're not burning him in terms of minutes because Kenyon is right there, too, playing almost half the minutes. I've been trying to go with whoever's playing pretty decent down the stretch. That's who's been in the game."

The Knicks have shown this season they can cope with players out of the lineup. Can that happen again on Sunday?

You can follow Jared Zwerling on Twitter.

BOSTON -- The New York Knicks may have to take the floor in Game 4 without their sixth man.

J.R. Smith was ejected from Friday's win over the Boston Celtics because he hit Jason Terry in the face with an elbow.

Smith was assessed a Flagrant 2 foul by officials and ejected from the game. The league will review the flagrant and can opt to suspend Smith. If he's suspended, he will serve the suspension on Sunday.

Per playoff rules, if Smith gets one more flagrant 2, it will trigger an automatic suspension.

Smith said he was trying to draw a foul on Terry on the play, which occurred with seven minutes to play in the game and the Knicks ahead by 19.

"That was a bad basketball play on my behalf, just cause I got kicked out of the game and my team needed me," said Smith, who won the NBA's Sixth Man Award earlier this week.

Smith was asked if he thought his actions warranted a Flagrant 2 call.

"I don't really know, I'm not really the judge of that. I'm gonna let [referees] do what they do," Smith said. "I really try to stay away from getting into it with the officials, so I gotta keep my head."

Terry was incensed after the play and charged after Smith. Smith walked to the Knicks' bench before the incident escalated further.

Doc Rivers was visibly upset when asked about the play after the game.

"I wish I was playing," he said. "I didn't like that. You're up [by 19 points]."

Rivers then declined to elaborate at the risk of being fined by the league. He'd already been docked $25,000 for criticizing officials after Game 2.

"I've already given up money," he said.

Mike Woodson said he would discuss the incident with Smith, who was whistled for two Flagrant 1 fouls in the regular season.

"He'll learn from it," Woodson said. "I don't think he was trying to hurt the kid. I thought he was trying to clear space. They saw it differently and he had to exit the game. That's something he will learn from and I'm going to stay in his ear and make sure he learns from it."

With the Celtics one loss away from going down 0-3 -- which no NBA team has ever come back from -- and playing in front of an emotionally-charged fanbase affected by the Boston bombings, the Knicks know a hostile environment awaits them at the TD Garden on Friday night.

But Mike Woodson is confident in his guys, saying this week, "This is the best team I've coached as a head coach from a road standpoint." In fact, the Knicks won in Boston both times they played there during the regular season -- the first time they've done that since 2006.

Here are three things the Knicks need to do on Friday (8 p.m. tipoff) to take a 3-0 series lead:

1. Raymond Felton's early-game involvement. The point guard has been more of a factor during the course of each game in the series, saving Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith a bit from over-extended isolation play. Early on in Game 2, Pablo Prigioni was playing more point guard, but offensively he wasn't making the Celtics' defense work. (Woodson said Thursday that Prigioni is still not 100 percent healthy since he sprained his right ankle at the end of the regular season.)

When Felton has taken over the point-guard duties, he's jump-started the Knicks' offense with his speed and aggressiveness, blowing by the Celtics' bigger lineups. On the flip side, the Celtics don't have a seasoned point guard who can break down the Knicks' defense, scoring and making plays for others. They clearly miss Rajon Rondo on both ends of the floor. Perhaps Woodson should have Felton facilitate more pick-and-rolls in the first quarter to inject more ball flow into the Knicks' offense, making the Celtics scramble even more defensively.

2. Tyson Chandler's bigger impact. If the starting center is livelier in Game 3, which he predictedwith his conditioning improving, he could be more of a threat as a roll man, aiding Felton's penetration. As of now, Felton's been mostly scoring on his own off of screens, but having Chandler as an alley-oop sidekick would put the already shorthanded Celtics at a bigger disadvantage.

With Kevin Garnett planning to play through a hip pointer and bone spurs, Chandler needs to go right at the Celtics center. The same goes for Kenyon Martin. When Garnett picked up his fourth foul at the start of the third quarter in Game 2, the Knicks were able to score more consistently in the paint, and subsequently ran away with the game.

3. A knockout punch from Melo? The Knicks star looks to send messages in big games with his scoring, and he's done that several times this season. He could have that same mentality Friday, to dig a team he "takes it personal with" (according to James White) into a 0-3 situation that has never been overcome. While Melo could be looking for a monster first quarter, and game, he can't lose himself in one-on-one situations, separating from the team approach. His passing and rebounding will come in handy, and Smith and Felton will have to support him like they did in Games 1 and 2.

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Carmelo Anthony calls Game 2 a must-win, adding, "We don't want to go back to Boston 1-1." The Celtics were just 14-27 on the road in the regular season but a solid 27-13 at home.

Here are three things the Knicks need to do Tuesday (8 p.m.) to take a 2-0 series lead:

1. More ball movement. The offense slowed at times in Game 1; Mike Woodson said the Knicks missed Pablo Prigioni, who sat out with a sprained ankle. (He is probable for Game 2.) The ball remained on the strong side too often, in Anthony's hands. The Celtics contested 19 of Melo's 29 field goal attempts, and he had to work extra hard to get his 36 points. In addition, the Knicks shot only 36 percent from 3-point range.

With Prigioni, Raymond Felton and Iman Shumpert on the court, the Knicks can establish more kickout opportunities because all three players can attack lanes off pick-and-rolls. The extra penetration from different angles could force the Celtics to scramble more. But the Celtics like to pack the paint, so when the Knicks' guards drive baseline, their 3-point-shooting teammates need to be squared up in the corners.

Could sharpshooters Steve Novak and Chris Copeland play more? They logged a combined 18 minutes Saturday. While they're weaker defensively, they could be called upon to throw off the Celtics' defense. The pressure to stay up on Novak and Copeland, who have exceptionally quick releases, could create more spacing.

2. Control tempo. While the Celtics are at a big loss without their one-man fast break, Rajon Rondo, the Knicks have a deeper offensive and defensive presence in the backcourt. Prigioni, Felton, Shumpert, J.R. Smith and Jason Kidd can all facilitate breakaways off backcourt steals and defensive rebounds. On Monday, Shumpert talked about the importance of pushing the pace against the Celtics' bigger lineups.

"We want to get out, we want to pressure early, we want to pressure them full court. ... Make sure we run the shot clock down on them and force them to take tough shots, and when they take tough shots and we get rebounds, we've got to run," he said.

3. Individual defensive stops are key. It all starts with Felton on Paul Pierce and Shumpert on Jeff Green (if Prigioni plays). While Felton and Shumpert will be challenged, they need to be as aggressive as possible with the Celtics -- make their catches difficult, force them baseline, fight through screens.

Tyson Chandler will need to be communicative and provide pressure behind Felton and Shumpert. Kevin Garnett is a load to deal with in pick-and-rolls because of his toughness and ability to step out and shoot.

Speaking of Garnett, Celtics coach Doc Rivers said he is preparing to give Garnett more touches. Could that be a verbal decoy or truth? Either way, Garnett will be ready to go. But will Chandler? His conditioning was down in Game 1, playing only 20 minutes. The Knicks have Kenyon Martin as insurance off the bench.

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Every weekday throughout the season, ESPNNewYork.com will tackle a burning question about the Knicks in our "Opening Tip" segment.

Today's Burning Question: Can the Knicks create an advantage with a smaller lineup against the Celtics?

On Sunday, Mike Woodson said Pablo Prigioni will start at point guard when healthy, moving Raymond Felton and Iman Shumpert to the 2 and 3 spot, respectively.

Many coaches would counter with a bigger lineup against a Boston starting five of Avery Bradley, Paul Pierce, Jeff Green, Brandon Bass and Kevin Garnett. But Woodson is confident in the Knicks' smaller lineup strategy, which should pay off offensively.

With the extra point guard on the court, the Knicks can look to score more off the pick-and-roll, which should force the Celtics to scramble to rotate. The Knicks would also be more likely to make the extra pass. Woodson said the offense in Game 1 became too stagnant at times with Felton as the sole point guard on the court. While Felton played well, the coach said Prigioni was "definitely missed."

But here's the question: Can a smaller Knicks lineup contain the Celtics? With Felton on Pierce and Shumpert on Green, Doc Rivers could call more isolation plays on the perimeter and in the low post. Woodson would likely have to send an extra defender at the Celtics' two best scorers, which means the Knicks' perimeter rotations need to be on point.

Rivers-coached teams play smart basketball, and his players have a knack for reading the defense well and finding open creases to score. For example, three times in Game 1, Bradley capitalized off backdoor cuts. Pierce, Green and Garnett complicate matters because they're skilled passers out of the low post.

Do you think the Knicks can beat Boston with their smaller lineups? Leave us your comments below.

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On Sunday, Mike Woodson said Pablo Prigioni was "definitely" missed on both ends of the floor in Game 1 of the Knicks' first-round series against the Boston Celtics. The coach noted the offense became too stagnant at times, and Celtics starting point guard Avery Bradley had one too many easy backdoor cuts.

That's why when Prigioni, listed as day-to-day, returns from a sprained right ankle, Woodson will continue to start him at point guard, and the Knicks coach will have Raymond Felton guard Paul Pierce and Iman Shumpert stick Jeff Green in the Celtics' bigger-sized starting five. It will arguably be the biggest size difference the Knicks have faced this season, and Woodson is aware. But he's confident in Felton and Shumpert's defensive abilities. He also wants to maintain the two-point-guard lineup he's used all season.

"It gives us an opportunity to have two point guards on the floor that can run a team," he said. "And they both are defensive-minded type guys, too, so that doesn't hurt. I know there is a size difference there, but we never have concerned ourselves with size ... We still match [Carmelo Anthony] up at the 4 because at the other end they have to match up with him."

Felton and Shumpert's defensive pressure and quick instincts could come in handy against Pierce and Green. The Knicks' duo also plays passing lanes well, and that was key on Saturday at MSG, where the Knicks converted 21 turnovers into 20 points. With the Celtics missing their one-man fast break, Rajon Rondo, the Knicks' smaller lineup has the speed advantage, which should enable them to control the tempo in the series.

Most importantly, the Knicks need to improve their perimeter rotations from Game 1, as Woodson will continue to call for an extra defender at times on Pierce, Green and Kevin Garnett. A few times in first half on Saturday, the Celtics quickly swung the ball around the perimeter to an open 3-point shooter, as a Knicks guard scrambled to cover. The Knicks' defensive positioning could also improve, as the team occasionally turned their back to the ball when it was in the post. Piece, Green and Garnett, who are underrated passers out the post, made the Knicks pay.

THE CLOSER: In the regular season, the Knicks were the second-best team in average fourth-quarter margin (plus-2.2). For the Knicks, it's been their best defensive quarter, and it was in Game 1 when they outscored the Celtics 18 to 8. The Knicks had five steals in the final period, led by their veterans Jason Kidd, J.R. Smith and Kenyon Martin. In addition, Anthony manned up to guard Green, the Celtics' hottest hand of the game, whose only points in the final 12 minutes came from two free throws.

On the Knicks' strong finish, Woodson said, "That's what good teams are supposed to do."

"We've been solid in that area all year," he added. "That’s when you have to step up and make plays. We've done that. I thought that third and fourth quarters we were probably more solid than we have been all season, in terms of locking in and rotating and doing what we're supposed to do from a defensive standpoint."

In addition, the Knicks have an advantage in closing out the Celtics because of their deeper bench. That enables the Knicks to pick up their aggressiveness later in games, which Green referenced after Game 1. On the flip side, the Celtics looked a bit winded in the fourth quarter and their offense suffered. Coach Doc Rivers said his team's spacing was off and they made uncharacteristically forced passes into the post from beyond the arc. He said his guys need to make the extra pass in Game 2 to increase their efficiency.

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