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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.

J.R. Smith and Raymond Felton have picked up their play down the stretch this season.

Is Tyson Chandler next? The numbers suggest he is.

Chandler's increase in minutes and rebounds from Games 1 to 4 prove he's returning to form after losing weight and stamina from battling the flu near the end of the regular season.

The starting center is also showing signs that his neck, which had a small bulging disk before the postseason, is feeling better, as he's experiencing less soreness in the area. All in all, that's great news for the Knicks as they look to close out the Celtics in Game 5 on Wednesday night.

"Oh yeah, I feel that Tyson would turn it on for the playoffs," Iman Shumpert said. "He's a big-time player. The playoffs are here and I expect a lot out of Tyson."

If they advance past the Celtics, the Knicks will need Chandler to be 100 percent healthy in the later rounds. He's arguably the best of the mobile centers in the NBA, and he'll have to do the most court coverage.

In many ways, Chandler is the anchor of the Knicks' defense, acting as the last line of protection, and offense because of the attention he demands setting screens and rolling to the basket.

"Offensively, he's one of the very best pick-and-roll guys to the rim, where he collapses your defense if you don't put bodies in front of him, and he has those lob dunks," Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told ESPNNewYork.com.

In Game 4, for the first time in the series against the Celtics, Chandler had two of those kinds of dunks. He also had his first double-figure rebounding game on Sunday (11). In the second half alone, he had five offensive boards (some tap-backs), which led to second-chance points and the Knicks coming back from a 20-point deficit to force overtime.

"I felt great tonight," Chandler said after the game. "I felt real lively, was moving around real well. I thought I gave my team an opportunity."

Felton added afterward: "Tyson's starting to look great. He got us a lot of key extra possessions down the stretch to really keep us in the game, and give extra possessions to get shots. That was something that was really helpful to us early in the season, so for him to be able to continue to do that will be big for us."

Based on Chandler's progression, consistent double-doubles are likely approaching. Just a few weeks before his neck ailment in mid-March, he had four games with at least 20 boards in February, including a franchise-record three in a row at the start of the month.

The other day, when asked if a 20-rebound performance was nearing, he flashed his big smile. With his team one game away from moving on to the second round, Chandler will be needed to play big on Wednesday night.

He's ready.

You can follow Jared Zwerling on Twitter.

Will J.R. Smith be the missing "piece to the puzzle," as Mike Woodson likes to say, to help the Knicks close out the series against the Celtics? The sixth man will play in Game 5 after serving a one-game suspension for throwing an elbow into Jason Terry's chin in Game 3. The Knicks also return to the Garden, where they've only lost 10 games all season.

Here are three things the Knicks need to do on Wednesday (7 p.m. tipoff) to move on to the second round.

1. Get the Celtics in early foul trouble. While Carmelo Anthony has shot 31 percent in isolation during the series, that doesn't take into account all of the times he's drawn fouls. In Game 2, he was 10-for-11 from the line, and in Game 4, he was 16-for-20.

Kevin Garnett is the key guy to attack. Case in point: In Game 2, after the center picked up his fourth foul in the third quarter and took the bench, the Knicks capitalized more in the paint and built a big advantage in the period. The Celtics' defensive anchor played cautious the rest of the game, not exerting his usual physical defense.

In Game 5, the Celtics will leave it all on the line, knowing they're down 3-1 and that this could be the end of their successful run since winning a championship in 2008. Therefore the Knicks will need to be prepared for an all-out battle and take advantage of the added pressure by drawing fouls. The Knicks will be at a luxury down the stretch with the Celtics' bigs in foul trouble.

2. Contain Paul Pierce's penetration and Jeff Green's transition game. In Game 4, Pierce took advantage of his size matchup against Raymond Felton and backed him down into the paint and scored, or passed the ball out to open teammates. Felton, Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni were forced to guard Pierce more with Smith out of the lineup.

In fact, because of Smith's absence, Kenyon Martin had to stick Green during a stretch and was scored on a few times. With Smith back, that should benefit the Knicks' lineups because he can can match up with Pierce or Green.

While the Celtics haven't had Rajon Rondo, they've had a transition threat in Green. In Game 4, the Celtics scored seven more fast-break points than the Knicks (15 to 8) with help from Green. The Knicks need to be more aware of him when he's leaking out to the wing. In addition, the Knicks need to cut down their turnovers -- they had 15 in Game 4 -- to limit the Celtics' breakaways.

3. How about some 3s? The Knicks, who made the 3-pointer a thing of beauty in the regular season, have only shot 33.7 percent from downtown in the series. Give credit to the Celtics for running the Knicks well off of the 3-point line. A key for the Knicks is to continue to push the pace off of defensive rebounds, and there should be some opportunities for transition 3s. Those could be the dagger in Game 5.

You can follow Jared Zwerling on Twitter.

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- In the Knicks' Game 4 loss to the Celtics, Carmelo Anthony tied his career-high for most attempts in a game (35), and he only made 10 of them.

That didn't sit well with Melo.

"I haven't missed 25 shots in a long time. I don't think I'll have another day like that," he said on Tuesday. "35 shots is a lot of shots for me, kind of out of character for myself."

While Anthony liked that he got to the foul line on Sunday (16-for-20), he felt that his offensive rhythm was off and he forced too many shots.

"I felt like I was just one step slow, but I was speeding a little bit at the same time," he said. "So [in Game 5], I just want to relax and let the game come, continue to do what I've been doing the first three games, being aggressive."

The Knicks will need to be careful of falling into a Anthony-will-save-the-day mentality in Game 5. That was the case in Game 4, and while J.R. Smith will return on Wednesday, the Knicks still haven't avoided heavy one-on-one play through Melo in the series. In fact, he's been in isolation on 43 percent of the Knicks' plays that ended with the ball in his hands. And he's shot just 31 percent from the floor in that setup.

The Celtics have had some success guarding Anthony in isolation because of their size and physical nature, effective strategy packing the strong side where Melo operates, and then rotating quickly to cut off the Knicks' 3-point shooting (33.7 percent in the series).

In Game 5, the Knicks will continue to work the ball through Anthony in isolation and the low post, because as Melo mentioned, he's drawing fouls in the series. That will be a big key in Game 5. He's been able to beat the Celtics' bigs with his quicker footwork and fool them with his head fakes.

But there needs to be more of an offensive balance in Game 5, and that starts with Melo because of the attention he demands.

"For me, it's just working everybody back into the play, getting guys shots where they need to be at," he said.

How about Anthony running more pick-and-rolls to facilitate plays? That's where the bigger-sized Celtics have been most exposed defensively. While Smith and Raymond Felton have been pretty much unguardable running off of screens, that's especially been true for Anthony, who's averaging a playoff-best 2.1 points per play in the few pick-and-rolls he's run.

In fact, during the regular season, Anthony was the NBA's best scorer in pick-and-rolls -- better than even LeBron James and Chris Paul. Melo was the only player, with a minimum of 100 plays, higher than one point per play (1.1). That's a credit to his offensive threat, strength to ward off defenders and efficient, quick-release shooting ability.

Anthony ran increased pick-and-rolls with Tyson Chandler and Kenyon Martin in the second half of Game 4, and he got it going, helping his team overcome a 20-point deficit. He'll need to bring more of that two-man game to the first half on Wednesday.

It also won't hurt that Smith will be returning to the lineup for extra offense.

"It’s very important to have him back," Mike Woodson said.

You can follow Jared Zwerling 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."

Click here for the full news story.

You can follow Ian Begley on Twitter.

Former Knicks coach and current ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy says the Knicks need to keep their cool if they want to make a run to the NBA championship.

"I think poise under pressure is an incredibly importantly part of winning it all," Van Gundy said Monday in an interview on ESPN 98.7 FM's "The Michael Kay Show."

"I think, having been a apart of some teams that have gotten into some skirmishes, the ability to take what you think are unnecessary shots at you or not getting calls that go your way and ... to continue on and press on and not get distracted by those things, I think is an incredibly important part to winning it all."

The Knicks have lost their cool in several instances this season.

The most recent example is J.R. Smith's elbow to Jason Terry in Game 3 of the Knicks-Celtics series.

Smith was suspended for Game 4. The Celtics won the game in overtime and seemed to benefit from Smith's absence.

The Knicks' bench scored just seven points. Carmelo Anthony shot 10-for-35 and seemed to miss Smith, who draws attention from opposing defenders.

The Knicks have another chance to close out Boston in Game 5 on Wednesday.

"If your goal is to win it all, which the Knicks certainly have the right to think that they are in that conversation [to do], then I think they really have to keep their intensity high but also up their level of toleration for what they may perceive to be missed calls or overly aggressive play," said Van Gundy, who coached the Knicks in 1997 when a Charlie Ward-P.J. Brown fight led to suspensions and cost the Knicks a series win over Miami.

This year's Knicks have also lost their cool a few times in the regular season.

They melted down in the third quarter of a loss to Memphis early in the season; three Knicks received technicals in a pivotal run. Three Knicks were ejected in an ugly January loss to the Bulls. And, of course, there was was the Anthony/Garnett incident in January.

Three incidents over 82 games isn't significant, but other teams certainly took note.

"They've got to be able to stay in that moment and not put themselves in harm's way for unnecessary technical fouls or ejections," Van Gundy said.

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 -- New York Knicks guard J.R. Smith has been suspended for Game 4 of the Knicks-Celtics playoff series for throwing an elbow that struck the chin of Boston's Jason Terry in Game 3, the NBA announced Saturday night.

Smith was ejected in the fourth quarter of the Knicks' win against Boston on Friday after hitting Terry in the face with an elbow. Referees ruled it a flagrant foul 2. The league reviews all flagrant fouls in the regular season and postseason and has the option to reclassify the foul, impose a fine or suspend a player.

In a statement, the NBA said it suspended Smith for "throwing an elbow and striking the chin" of Terry.

Smith said on Friday 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 because 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.

For the full news story, click here.

You can follow Ian Begley on Twitter.

BOSTON -- The Knicks have a chance to win their first playoff series in 13 seasons on Sunday afternoon. They're up 3-0 on the Celtics and can complete a sweep with a win in Game 4 at TD Garden.

Here are a few things to keep an eye on; tipoff is at 1 p.m. ET (ABC):

NO J.R.: The Knicks' bench has outscored the Celtics' reserves, 90-33, this series. But Boston may be able to close the gap Sunday because the Knicks will be without sixth man J.R. Smith.

Smith was suspended one game without pay by the NBA for striking the chin of Jason Terry in the fourth quarter of Game 3.

Smith, the Sixth Man Award winner this season, is New York's second-leading scorer in the playoffs. He averaged 16.3 points per game in New York's first three wins over the Celtics.

It's unclear who will fill the void left by Smith but Chris Copeland is a candidate to get more minutes on Sunday.

Copeland started Game 1 for the Knicks but has not scored in 24 minutes on the floor in the series.

MELO'S SHOW: Carmelo Anthony said sweeping the Celtics on Sunday would be a "dream come true."

If Anthony can score on Sunday like he has in the first three games of this series, his dream may become a reality.

Anthony's averaging an NBA playoff-high 32 points per game this postseason. He's shooting 46 percent from the field and has hit 50 percent of his 3s (8-for-16).

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Anthony is on pace to set a franchise record for scoring average in a series against Boston.

Patrick Ewing averaged 31.6 points in the Knicks' first round win in 1990 over the Celtics. Bernard King poured in an average of 29.1 points per game in the Eastern Conference semifinals against Boston in 1983-84 (a Knicks win). Willis Reed averaged 27.5 points per game in the Knicks' loss to the Celtics in the 1967 Eastern Division semifinals.

DEE-FENCE: There's been a combination of strong defense by the Knicks and awful offense from the Celtics so far in this series.

Boston has scored just 225 total points thus far. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, that is the Celts' fewest point total over any three-game span in a single postseason in franchise history. The Celtics' franchise low for a four-game span in the postseason is 325 points. Boston would need to reach 100 points in Game 4 to prevent from setting a new 4-game low.

New York has held Boston to 39 percent shooting and forced an average of 17 turnovers per game in the series.

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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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Of the many reasons the Knicks became one of the most dangerous offensive teams this season, perhaps the most overlooked was the screening ability of Tyson Chandler, Kenyon Martin and the team's veteran big men.

With their experience and old-school toughness, the Knicks' bigs treat each screen as a potential scoring opportunity -- not just a robotic court movement. They put effort and intelligence into each screen, and they've helped facilitate Carmelo Anthony's jump shots, Raymond Felton's and J.R. Smith's drives into the paint, and the team's ball movement to open shooters.

Now that the Knicks are in the playoffs, where play becomes more physical, Chandler and Martin's screening ability will help ward off the close contact. In games where each possession matters, their attention to detail with screens will be invaluable.

"Coaches cannot emphasize screening enough. It's crucial in the playoffs," a veteran NBA scout said. "Chandler and Martin are great screeners, so playing against physical, in-your-face defenses is right up their alley. When you have bigs that set solid screens, the offense is a lot more fluid and scorers move around easier."

In the first quarter of the Game 1 victory over Boston, Chandler's and Martin's screening helped account for four different scores: Felton's layup off a pick-and-roll, (Chandler); Anthony's 3-pointer in transition (Chandler); Felton's jump shot off a pick-and-roll (Chandler); and Smith's one-handed dunk down the middle of the lane (Martin).

Because Chandler and Martin are effective screeners, they're able to free themselves up for roll opportunities to finish at the rim.

"[Martin] sets really good screens," Smith said, "so whenever he sets screens, he's the majority of time going to be open."

So what is the science that goes into setting a great screen? A few essential factors are the speed to setting one, holding a strong and stable base, and making sure contact is made. Any unnecessary movement could lead to an offensive foul, but Chandler and Martin are hardly ever called for one.

Most importantly, it's about timing and reading the defense the right way, which leads to setting a screen in a certain direction that throws the opponent off. Chandler is especially good at that in transition, as he first applies his agility to get up the court, finds the closest shooter's defender, and if the shot isn't there, he quickly slips to the basket for the feed.

"Stance is a big key as well as knowing when and where to set it," a scout said. "If Melo's defender is trying to force him left, Chandler can set the screen where it allows Melo to go right. Chandler is really good at changing the screen angle. He could probably put on a screening clinic."

Martin, who learned some screening tips from 17-year veteran Marcus Camby and ex-Knick Kurt Thomas, said establishing contact is everything.

"A lot of times, guys slip a lot of screens," he said, "but I'm trying to make sure I get a piece of him, no matter what -- whether it's making him go around me or just to let him know that I'm there. So if you set a good screen, nine times out of 10, guys are going to be open."

NBA teams typically harp on screening formations in practice, and that's especially been the case with the Knicks. During the season, Mike Woodson unveiled more creative double- and triple-screen sets for shooters to get open, and his veteran roster has had the basketball knowledge to retain new information quickly.

Chandler and Martin aren't the only Knicks to excel at setting screens. Even the point guards, Felton, Pablo Prigioni and Jason Kidd, have thrown their bodies well into much larger defenders.

As the Knicks continue their postseason journey, the art of screening will be a major part of their success.

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