With deep emotions swirling around Boston, the Knicks want nothing to do with heading there in a deadlocked series.
With guard Pablo Prigioni ready to return tonight to make the Knicks’ starting lineup whole again, the Knicks talked of an urgency to take a 2-0 lead in the series.
Game 2 is tonight at the Garden, with the series shifting to Boston Friday and Sunday for Games 3 and 4.
“We’re approaching this game as a must-win here on our home court,’’ Carmelo Anthony said. “We want to win this basketball game. We don’t want to go back to Boston 1-1. Game 2 is just harder than Game 1. Although we took care of business in Game 1, we still want to come back and not give away this game. This game is more important than Game 1 was.”
The Knicks, buoyed by the news of J.R. Smith winning the Sixth Man Award, should be in better shape tonight with Prigioni stabilizing the lineup and allowing the matchups they want.
Iman Shumpert gets series X-factor Jeff Green, Raymond Felton dogs Paul Pierce and Prigioni squares up with Boston point guard Avery Bradley. Prigioni’s insertion into the starting lineup last month in Utah coincided with their 13-game winning streak.
“It’s huge,’’ Game 1 hero Kenyon Martin said of Game 2. “You don’t want to go up there 1-1 facing that team and that crowd. I’ve been there.
“They know what they have to do. They’re going to come here and they’re going to scratch, claw, fight. They know it’s a big game. We’ve got to be prepared for whatever.”
The Knicks survived Green’s 20-point first half and bottled up the Celtics by holding them to a playoff-record low eight points in the fourth quarter. But the Knicks’ ball movement and pressure defense should improve with Prigioni, moving rookie Chris Copeland back to the bench.
“We want to play Knicks basketball,’’ Shumpert said. “We want to get out, we want to pressure, pressure early, we want to pressure in the full court. That’s something that Pablo loves to do, so having him back would be great.’’
The Knicks are also expecting a more ferocious Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, neither of whom imposed their will on Saturday’s game, especially down the stretch.
Garnett and Pierce combined to shoot 10 of 27 in Boston’s 85-78 loss as the starry duo combined for six points in the fourth quarter. The Celtics said the intent is to get Garnett more involved. Garnett actually seemed passive — even light on trash-talking.
“Yeah, they’re going to come back,’’ Anthony said. “They’re not All-Stars, Hall-of-Fame guys, for no reason. They’re going to make adjustments. We’ve got to be prepared for that.”
When told of Boston’s plan to make Garnett a bigger factor, Martin said: “They got to make adjustments. If that’s what they’re doing, thank you. We’ll be prepared for it.’’
“I expect him to get more shots,’’ center Tyson Chandler said of Garnett. “We have to do a good job defending in the paint. And make sure he doesn’t get open jump shots.’’
The Knicks also need to make adjustments on offense, which sputtered Saturday. The team shot 40.5 percent and totaled just 13 assists on 32 buckets.
Anthony scored 36 points. Though he was just 13 of 29, he got hot late with a 4-for-5 fourth quarter. He expects to see more double teams and knows he has to do a better job moving the ball.
“I’m pretty sure that’s an adjustment they will make, double teams,’’ Anthony said. “We’re prepared for that. We’ve got to be prepared for thatGuys, when the ball comes to them, they’ve got to make plays. I have to make plays for them, they have to make plays for me. We have to make plays for each other out there.”
The Knicks will also need a more vibrant Chandler, who was benched in the fourth quarter for Martin. The center, who didn’t take a shot or record a single point, was returning from a two-week absence from a recurring neck injury and played just 20 minutes.
Chandler, with a bulging disk in his cervical spine, said he felt “a little stiff, sore’’ afterward. He said his poor play was a conditioning issue but he seemed tentative. He promises a better showing tonight.
“The more on the floor, the better condition I’ll be,’’ Chandler said. “I feel I’ll be better Game 2 than I was Game 1.
“Game 2 is just as important as Game 1. We didn’t do much yet. Game 2 is just as important as the first.’’“I feel I’ll be better Game 2 than I was Game 1.
“Game 2 is just as important as Game 1. We didn’t do much yet. Game 2 is just as important as the first.’’