Schedule and 2012-13 Results
Regular Season Records: New York 54-28, Boston 41-40
Game 1 on Saturday, 20 April: Boston loses at New York, 85-pts-78
Game 2 on Tuesday, 23 April: Boston loses at New York, 87-pts-71
Game 3 on Friday, 26 April: New York wins at Boston, 90-pts-76
Game 4 on Sunday, 28 April: New York loses at Boston, 97-pts-90 (OT)
Game 5 on Wednesday, 01 May: Boston wins at New York, 92-pts-86
Game 6 on Friday, 03 May: New York wins at Boston, 88-pts-80

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 6: The New York Knickerbockers visited and defeated the Boston Celtics 88-pts-80, thus achieving a 4-games-2 win in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1204. With the series 1204 victory, the New York Knickerbockers improve their best-of-7 NBA playoff series record to 18-25 overall and 1-3 in the Preliminary round. With the series 1204 loss, the Boston Celtics’ best-of-7 NBA playoff series record becomes 62-23 overall and 6-3 in the Preliminary round. The win order for the victorious New York Knickerbockers in series 1204 was WWWLLW: Series 1204 thus becomes the first NBA Preliminary-round series, the eighth NBA series (all rounds), and the 20th MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow that win order to completion. The Boston Celtics scored only ten points in the first quarter of series 1204 Game 6: Those ten points were the fewest in a best-of-7 NBA playoff series game first quarter by one team since the Dallas Mavericks notched only eight points in the first quarter of series 1109 Game 6, in San Antonio against the Spurs in their 2010 NBA Preliminary-round series.

After Game 5: The New York Knickerbockers hosted and lost to the Boston Celtics 92-pts-86, thus seeing their lead fall to 3-games-2 in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1204. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-2, the New York Knickerbockers have a 7-3 series record and a 2-8 Game 6 record. When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-2, the Boston Celtics have a 5-12 series record (with an active five-series losing streak) and a 10-7 Game 6 record. Prior to 2013, the last time that an NBA team once trailing a best-of-7 playoff series three-games-nil won Game 5 on the road was in series 1013, in which the Chicago Bulls defeated the Pistons in Detroit in their 2007 NBA Quarterfinals series (Chicago lost Game 6 at home). The last time that an NBA team once trailing a best-of-7 playoff series three-games-nil won Game 5 on the road and then won Game 6 at home was in series 894, in which the Portland Trailblazers did so against the Dallas Mavericks in their 2003 Preliminary-round series (Portland lost Game 7 in Dallas).

After Game 4: The New York Knickerbockers visited and lost in overtime to the Boston Celtics 97-pts-90, thus seeing their lead fall to 3-games-1 in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1204. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-1, the New York Knickerbockers have a 7-1 series record and a 6-2 Game 5 record. When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-1, the Boston Celtics have a 2-8 series record (with an active three-series losing streak) and a 6-4 Game 5 record. Series 1204 marks the second best-of-7 NBA playoff series in which the team trailing 3-games-nil won Game 4 in overtime: In series 1116 Game 4, the Orlando Magic defeated the Celtics in Boston in overtime in their 2010 Semifinals series; Orlando then won Game 5 at home before succumbing to Boston in Game 6. So it is that the 2010 Boston Celtics set a favorable precedent for the 2013 New York Knickerbockers . . . against the 2013 Boston Celtics.

After Game 3: The New York Knickerbockers visited and defeated the Boston Celtics 90-pts-76 for a 3-games-nil lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1204. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-nil, the New York Knickerbockers have a 3-0 series record and a 2-1 Game 4 record. When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 3-games-nil, the Boston Celtics have a 0-4 series record and a 1-3 Game 4 record (with an active three-Game 4 losing streak). The Boston Celtics thus become the 310th MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff team to fall behind 3-games-nil, and will attempt to become the fifth team and first NBA team to come back for a 4-games-3 victory. The 225 points tallied by the Boston Celtics through series 1204 Games 1-3 are the 17th-fewest Game 1-3 total points by a team in best-of-7 NBA playoff series history, the fewest since series 933 (when the Indiana Pacers tallied 223 points in Games 1-3 of their 2004 Semifinals series), and the fewest in the Preliminary round since series 924 (when the New Orleans Hornets tallied 219 points in Games 1-3 of their 2004 Preliminary-round series).

After Game 2: The New York Knickerbockers host and defeat the Boston Celtics 87-pts-71 for a 2-games-nil lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1204. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-nil, the New York Knickerbockers have a 9-2 series record (with an active three-series winning streak) and a 3-8 Game 3 record. When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 2-games-nil, the Boston Celtics have a 1-9 series record (with an active eight-series winning streak) and a 6-4 Game 3 record. In the history of best-of-7 format NBA playoff series from 1947 through 2012, inclusive, teams winning Game 1 by a single-digit margin and Game 2 by a double-digit margin have a 47-3 (.940) series record (the three losers: the Chicago Bulls, in series 942 to the Washington Wizards in the 2005 Preliminary round; the Philadelphia 76ers, in series 335 to the Portland Trailblazers in the 1977 Finals; the New York Knickerbockers, in series 243 to the Baltimore Bullets (II) in the 1971 Semifinals).

After Game 1: New York hosts and defeats Boston 85-pts-78 for a 1-game-nil lead in MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1204. When leading a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 1-game-nil, the New York Knickerbockers have a 13-6 series record and an 11-8 Game 2 record. When trailing a best-of-7 NBA playoff series 1-game-nil, the Boston Celtics have a 10-17 series record and a 17-10 Game 2 record. In the history of best-of-7 format NBA playoff series from 1947 through 2012, inclusive, teams winning Game 1 by 7 points have a 14-0 series record.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2012-13 NBA regular season, New York finished 12.5 games ahead of Boston. From 1947 through the 2012 NBA Finals round, inclusive, when NBA teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by 12.5 regular-season games, they have posted a 0-0 (---) best-of-7 series record in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1204 is the 85th best-of-7 NBA playoff series for Boston, and the 43rd for New York. In best-of-7 NBA playoff series, Boston has a 62-22 series record, a 6-2 Preliminary-round series record, and a 57-27 Game 1 record, while New York has a 17-25 series record (with an active four-series losing streak), a 0-3 Preliminary-round record, and a 19-23 Game 1 record (with an active six Game 1 losing streak). Series 1204 is the seventh best-of-7 NBA playoff series meeting between Boston and New York; Boston leads 4-2 with an active three-series winning streak in its best-of-7 NBA playoff series against New York.