The New York Knicks received a nice Christmas Day gift Sunday, as Boston Celtics star forward Paul Pierce will not play in the NBA-season opener at Madison Square Garden (noon on TNT). Pierce missed most of training camp with a bruised right heel and will be replaced by Sasha Pavlovic. SB Nation Boston's believes that Marquis Daniel will come off the bench.
The Knicks are hoping to get some slight revenge on the Celtics, who knocked New York out of the 2011 NBA playoffs with a four-game sweep. After the game, the Knicks will head to the West Coast for a three-game swing against the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers and Sacromento Kings, respectively.
For more on these two teams, visit the Knicks blog Posting And Toasting and CelticsBlog. SB Nation New York ran a four-part season preview of the 2011-12 New York Knicks, if you missed it here's a link to each part.