NEW YORK MAGAZINE have called it ‘The Knicks’ loss you will never forget‘.
Deadspin, typically, simply headline their story on the Celtic’s second series win last night: ‘How four guys who can’t play basketball let New York down.’
The Big Apple ain’t happy.
But, the talismanic Amare Stoudemire didn’t play in the second half and Chauncey Billups didn’t play at all, and still Boston needed more late heroics from one of their Big Three to beat the Knicks in Game 2 of their first-round series.
“We were lucky to win,” coach Doc Rivers said after Boston overcame Carmelo Anthony’s 42 points in a 96-93 victory last night.
Kevin Garnett sank the go-ahead basket with 14 seconds left then stole the ball with four seconds remaining as the Knicks gave the Celtics all they could handle in falling into an 0-2 hole in the series.
“I probably (have) never been more proud of a team and how they battled the circumstances,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said, “how hard they played and how tough they played.”
Billups had a strained left knee and his status for Game three on Friday night at Madison Square Garden is uncertain. Stoudemire had back spasms but expects to be back when the best-of-seven series resumes.
Rajon Rondo led the Celtics with a career playoff-high 30 points, 14 of them in the first quarter when he kept driving to the basket.
“I tried to attack Game 1,” he said, “It’s just (that) my lanes were getting blocked.”
Anthony matched his career playoff high for points and set a new high with 17 rebounds as the Knicks held a 53-37 advantage on the boards. Toney Douglas had 14 points in place of Billups.
Paul Pierce had 20 points after missing his first five shots, and Ray Allen, who hit the game-winning 3-pointer in Boston’s 87-85 win in the opener, scored 18.
Now the sixth-seeded Knicks, who have tested the third-seeded Celtics, must win at least one of two at home to bring the series back to Boston.
“The Celtics didn’t do anything special,” Anthony said. “They won two games on their home court. Now it’s our turn to go to our home court and try to do the same thing.”
Here’s a full recap of the action:
- additional reporting AP
