NBA

Pearl says Knicks can ‘roll’ past Celtics

A Pearl of wisdom? The Knicks hope so.

Knicks legend Earl “The Pearl” Monroe has watched the Celtics struggle down the stretch and believes his former team got an ideal first-round matchup.

“They just seem as though they are playing a little lethargic and they certainly aren’t the team we saw in the beginning of the year,” said Monroe, who will be serving as a guest analyst for MSG throughout the Knicks postseason run, which opens in Boston on Sunday night.

“When the Celtics traded Kendrick Perkins to bring in Jeff Green, the dynamic of the team changed because of how other teams played them. They don’t seem to have the same confidence or toughness without Perkins. They are still a dangerous team, but I was happy to see that the Knicks drew them as their first-round opponent, and the Knicks could conceivably roll right through in this series.”

KNICKS-CELTICS PREVIEW

BERMAN SERIES PREVIEW

VECSEY’S EASTERN CONFERENCE PREVIEW

COMPLETE KNICKS COVERAGE

While New York was still in the afterglow of the Carmelo Anthony trade, the Celtics made a deadline deal that sent Perkins, their most important big man, to the Thunder for Green, who was brought in to add perimeter relief for Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. The Knicks, who sent four players that were mainstays in their rotation to Denver for Anthony and Chauncey Billups, suffered through a six-game losing streak before rallying to take seven straight, a streak broken by Tuesday night’s loss to the Bulls. The Celtics, who beat the Knicks 112-102 Wednesday night in a meaningless game, still have not found their way, finishing the season losing 11 of their final 21 games.

“Everybody was very, very upset,” said TNT play-by-play man Marv Albert, who called the Celtics’ first game after the Perkins trade — a loss in Denver. “Perkins was a very popular guy in the locker room, plus he added toughness. . . . To this point, Green has not fit in yet. He’s only had a few good games. But the Celtics are sensational defensively and that will be crucial, especially against the Knicks. It’s going to be a very good opening-round playoff series.”

But not one Albert sees going the Knicks’ way. The former voice of the Knicks watched Mike D’Antoni’s Suns teams fail in the postseason and doesn’t see why D’Antoni’s Knicks team will be an exception for the offensive-minded coach.

“It’s very difficult to win in the playoffs without playing solid defense on a consistent basis,” Albert said. “It’s just very hard to do it. When D’Antoni was in Phoenix, they did it to a point, but that was a much better team. In the playoffs, you can’t just run up and down and put up points. You might do it for a game or two, but it’s tough to do it against a team like Boston over a seven-game series.”

But Monroe points to the Knicks’ potentially potent offense as a way to overcome the Celtics stingy defense. During their seven-game winning streak, the Knicks scored more than 110 points in every game but one — a 97-92 victory over the 76ers.

“They just have to keep playing the way they have been playing by getting more guys involved in the game,” said Monroe, who was on the last Knicks team win a title in 1973.

“You got Billups and people forget he’s a guy who understands the game, has a certain toughness and can be very influential in helping out the other guys. You’ve got guys who are starting to believe in themselves and the mark of a good team heading into the playoffs is guys believing in each other and that’s what they have right now.”

justin.terranova@nypost.com