Brian DiMenna

There is some talk that the Knicks will shuffle the starting lineup, inserting Kurt Thomas instead of Chris Copeland, to shuffle Carmelo Anthony to small forward and give Thomas a chance to not smile. We’ll update as that speculation trickles in.

UPDATE: And the curve ball has been thrown, James White will get the start in place of Chris Copeland as Mike Woodson looks to get White’s athleticism into the starting five.

The Knicks have not played since Monday’s loss to the Brooklyn, a layoff that to me feels a month and a half, so it will be nice to see them back in action tonight, and against the loathsome Celtics, no less.

The last time these two teams met it was filled with some sort of intrigue, though who can really remember, something to do with Cracklin’ Oat Bran if I recall correctly. From all accounts, Iman Shumpert will be able to stretch his playing time out to around 26-27 minutes, hopefully allowing the Knicks a better chance to contain Rajon Rondo from getting into the teeth of the defense.

Ray Felton will still be sidelined, but Pablo Prigioni may be able to give it a go, despite nursing an injury to one of the five piggies.

But let’s face it, we’ll all be keeping tabs on that Garnett/Melo confrontation, as the Knicks head to Boston in desperate need of a win against a quality opponent, especially one as hated as this particular brand of Celtics.

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