It’s unknown if either Amar’e Stoudemire or Chauncey Billups will return for Game 3 between the Knicks and Celtics tomorrow, which means the Knicks could face rotation issues.
In their 96-93 Game 2 loss to the Celtics on Tuesday, the Knicks played without either player for the final 27:22. So coach Mike D’Antoni has a sample of how the Knicks looked and played without Stoudemire and Billups. The question is whether he will change his usage rotation for Game 3.
There are a few issues in particular:
* Will Bill Walker get the same playing time he received in Game 2? In the second half, Walker played more minutes (almost 19 of the 24) than any Knick other than Carmelo Anthony and Toney Douglas. Walker was a miserable 0-for-11 from the field, though he did pull down eight rebounds.
“I just missed some shots,” he said. “It’s not frustrating. You have to worry about the next shot.”
With Landry Fields struggling, Walker is needed. In Game 1 he was solid, scoring seven points in 17 minutes. But his playing time could be curtailed in Game 3, especially if he’s not shooting well.
* Is Roger Mason Jr. the new backup guard? With Billups out and Douglas starting Game 2, Anthony Carter went in as the primary backup point guard. But the veteran only saw 7:52 of playing time, zero in the second half. And while Douglas played almost 21 of the 24 second-half minutes, Mason ran the point when he was out, not Carter. Mason also played two-guard for the entire fourth quarter, with Fields on the bench.
Mason is a better shooter than Carter, so if the Knicks are missing Billups and Stoudemire, they may feel Mason’s offense provides more than what Carter delivers. Still, Mason wasn’t overly impressive either, scoring three points on 1-of-4 from the field.
* How will Anthony’s rest work? The Knicks star played the entire second half of Game 2, but can he be expected to log all 48 minutes in Game 3? That probably is excessive.
When he’s out, if Stoudemire and Billups are also out, the Knicks barely will have anything on the floor. The Anthony trade did hurt the Knicks’ depth, since Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler all played significant minutes.
“My teammates, they feel very, very confident right now heading to New York,” Anthony said after Game 2. “For [some] guys, this is their first time in the playoffs and for them to be stepping up to the plate like that, taking on the challenge against a championship team like the Celtics, we’re doing great.”