This is part of the Sameer Jhaveri NBA Special – a column that will bring you the latest news and highlights of the NBA season. This edition focuses on tonight’s divional game between the Celtics and Knicks where Kevin Garnett and Carmelo Anthony will go head to head once again.

By Sameer Jhaveri ’15                                              

Tonight at 8 p.m EST, TNT will air the much anticipated contest between the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks. Though it is being held in Boston, the Knicks are heavily favored by 83%. 

I can’t help but disagree with this statistic though, knowing that Knicks point guard Raymond Felton will be out with a finger injury, which he has been nursing since Christmas Day.  

But fans will be observing more than just the final score tonight. Everyone is anxious to see how Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony and Celtics center Kevin Garnett will perform around each other for the first time since their incident in the last meeting at Madison Square Garden. 

Carmelo was said to have been restrained from confronting the Celtics’ locker room after the game. Carmelo was punished with a one game suspension, while Garnett completed his task and brought home a win without any consequences.

The 102-96 victory was won without point guard Rajon Rondo who was serving a one game suspension. He should be a very big help in tonight’s game, averaging 19.3 points and 13.1 assists in the Celtics’ last 7 games against the Knicks.

In the Celtic’s last game against Cleveland, Rondo was just 2 assists shy of recording another triple-double, and looks fresh and ready to go as he hopes to be a big help for the C’s tonight.

Carmelo is well aware that he will not be given a warm welcome when he arrives at the garden, telling ESPN “It’ll be a hostile environment. I’m expecting that,” he said. “It’ll be a fun game just knowing what’s at stake as far as us playing Boston in a divisional game” 

But his focus is on getting the win tonight and putting whatever “beef” he might have with KG behind him. But I don’t think it’s a doubt in anyone’s mind that things could easily get out of hand. But, let’s keep our fingers crossed that it doesn’t get ugly tonight in the Garden.