Knicks-Celtics Preview

By MATT BEARDMORE
Posted Feb 03 2012 12:34AM

Despite Rajon Rondo nursing a sprained right wrist, the Boston Celtics have moved back above .500.

With the struggling New York Knicks coming to town, the Celtics could continue their climb even if their All-Star point guard can't go.

Boston continues its five-game stretch at TD Garden on Friday night when it tries to beat the Knicks at home for a 12th consecutive time including postseason.

Rondo has been sidelined for the last eight games, but the Celtics (11-10) have won six of them. Boston began its five-game homestand Wednesday with a 100-64 rout of Toronto - a contest lopsided enough that coach Doc Rivers rested all five of his starters for the entire fourth quarter.

The Celtics moved above .500 for the first time since Jan. 4, when they were 4-3.

"We've gone through a lot. So has everyone else in the league," Rivers said. "To start out slow like we did and get over that number, it's good for us. We've just gotta keep doing it."

Rondo would obviously be an upgrade from Avery Bradley and rookie E'Twaun Moore, but those two young guards have more than held their own. Bradley is averaging 6.8 points and 2.6 assists while starting in Rondo's place, while Moore is averaging 7.2 points in his last six contests.

"Maybe it's a blessing in disguise, because you never know down the road if anybody else gets hurt, you need guys to come in and step in and fill that role," said Celtics forward Paul Pierce, who missed the first three games this season - including a 106-104 season-opening loss at New York on Dec. 25 - with a bruised right heel.

Rondo led the Celtics with 31 points, 13 assists and five steals in the Christmas Day matchup, but Carmelo Anthony's 37 points helped the Knicks (8-14) snap an eight-game overall skid in the series, including a first-round sweep in last year's playoffs.

The last time these teams met in Boston, Anthony equaled a playoff career high with 42 points and grabbed 17 rebounds - a postseason best - but the Knicks fell 96-93 loss in Game 2 on April 19.

Anthony sat out a 112-102 loss in Boston six days earlier to conclude the regular season, so this will be his first regular season appearance at TD Garden in a Knicks uniform.

New York could definitely use a big game from Anthony as it continues its first back-to-back-to-back series of games since 1999. The Knicks began the stretch of three games in as many nights Thursday with a 105-102 home loss to Chicago.

Amare Stoudemire had 34 points and 11 rebounds. Anthony chipped in 26 points, but he missed a desperation 3-pointer as time expired in New York's 10th loss in 12 games.

"For the most part, we played extremely hard (Thursday)," Anthony said. "We've got to pat ourselves on the back for something."

The Knicks, who host the New Jersey Nets on Saturday, are trying to avoid their first four-game road losing streak since an 0-5 stretch March 10-26.

New York has not won in Boston since a 101-77 victory Nov. 24, 2006.

Pierce, Allen carry Celtics past Knicks 91-89

Posted Feb 04 2012 12:27AM

BOSTON (AP) Boston stayed close enough until the New York Knicks failed again. This time, it was because of the Celtics' defense.

Paul Pierce scored 30 points and Ray Allen had nine of his 14 in the final quarter to lift the Celtics to a 91-89 win over the struggling Knicks on Friday night.

Hanging close until they finally caught New York midway into the final quarter, Celtics coach Doc Rivers kept telling his team that it would be defense that would make the difference.

It was. On the Knicks' final two possessions, it was someone other than Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire that were forced to take the final two shots.

"I just said, `Guys, our defense is bailing us out. This is going to be a defensive win,"' Rivers said. "You rarely say you `steal a game' at home, but that's how it felt."

Kevin Garnett finished with 15 points and eight boards for the Celtics, who won for the seventh time in eight games.

Anthony scored 26, Tyson Chandler had 20 with 11 rebounds and Stoudemire had 16 with 11 rebounds for the Knicks. New York lost for the 11th time in 13 games.

"They were doubling and doing a good job. That's why other guys had to step up and make shots." New York coach Mike D'Antoni said about his team's final two shots.

Boston got the win despite shooting just 38.9 percent in the second quarter and 31.8 in third.

"It's good when you find way to win," Pierce said. "Things really weren't going our way."

Garnett grabbed his 10,000th career defensive rebound early in the second quarter, becoming the third player in NBA history to reach that mark. He's behind former Celtic Robert Parish (10,117) and Karl Malone (11,406).

Boston point guard Rajon Rondo returned after missing the previous eight games with a right wrist injury, but was ineffective, scoring just seven points and getting seven assists.

After Iman Shumpert's jumper from the right corner closed the score to 85-83, Allen nailed a 3 from the right wing. Following a putback by Chandler, Allen caught the ball in the right corner, drove the baseline and hit a left-hander that rolled in, giving the Celtics a 90-85 lead with just under 2 minutes left.

But the Knicks battled back, closing the gap to one after an alley-oop layup by Chandler and a steal and breakaway layup by Landry Field with 1:26 left.

Following a miss by Pierce, Anthony missed a drive, but the ball went out of bounds off Brandon Bass' hands, giving New York another chance.

But the Knicks turned it over. Pierce had what appeared to be an off-balance 3-pointer with 14.4 seconds left as the shot clock expired. But the officials overruled it following a reply review.

Fields missed a 3 from the left corner with 6 seconds left and Pierce grabbed the rebound and was fouled. He hit the first, but missed the second.

"It's right there. It's just the moment you get over that hump." Fields said. "Just got to get over it. Nothing much you can really say about it."

Steve Novak airballed a desperation 3 and Garnett batted the ball down the floor as time expired.

On Thursday, Stoudemire missed a shot from beyond his normal range - a 3 with 11.9 seconds left that would have tied the score in a 105-102 loss to Chicago.

"It's definitely not a great feeling right now," he said. "Winning is always what we play the game for. It brings joy when you win. Right now we're not winning, so it's a little bit difficult to deal with."

Boston, which trailed since late in the opening quarter, tied it at 77 on Chris Wilcox's two free throws with 7:13 to play. The teams traded baskets and remained tied until Allen nailed a 3 from the right side with 4:24 to play. It was his first basket of the second half.

New York had a six-point halftime lead and increased it to 67-55 on Anthony's off-balance jumper midway into the third quarter. Both teams then played sloppily, turning the ball over numerous times and missing jumpers as the Knicks maintained at least a nine-point edge until late in the quarter.

Boston scored the final seven points of the third, cutting it to 72-69 after three when Wilcox had a putback of Pierce's miss at the buzzer.

With the crowd a little extra excited with the Patriots playing in the Super Bowl on Sunday, it appeared to help get the teams energized early, with both teams appearing to play tough defense from the start.

Notes: Stoudemire had a season-high 34 points in a loss at home against Chicago on Thursday. ... Rondo was hit in the face with an elbow early in the game and had a welt under his right eye. ... With his team struggling to get wins, D'Antoni wasn't worried before the game about minutes with his team playing the second of three in three nights. "We'll see how everybody responds, but we need to win this game," he said. The Knicks host New Jersey on Saturday. ... Boston reserve G/F Marquis Daniels missed the game with a foot injury. ... Rivers joked about the Boston-New York rivalry. "A lot of love," he said, smiling, before talking about the Super Bowl matchup between the Patriots and Giants. "These two cities have a pretty good game coming up on Sunday, too." ... Rivers was given a technical in the second quarter and Stoudemire got one midway into the third after being called for an offensive foul.

Notebook: Celtics 91, Knicks 89

By Brian Robb, for NBA.com
Posted Saturday February 4, 2012 1:05AM

THE FACTS: The Boston Celtics fought back from a 12-point second half deficit behind 30 points from Paul Pierce to defeat the New York Knicks 91-89 at TD Garden. Carmelo Anthony had a team-high 26 points for the Knicks who hung tough down the stretch and had multiple chances to close the gap in the closing moments. The Knicks squandered their opportunities, missing the all four of their shots over final two minutes, including a Steve Novak jumper with just two seconds remaining. Rajon Rondo's return to action also highlighted the evening for Boston, as the rusty point guard finished with seven points and seven assists. With the victory, the Celtics have won seven of their last eight games, while the Knicks have dropped 10 of their last 12 contests.

QUOTABLE: "It's good when you find ways to win. Things weren't really going our way, we didn't put our heads down, we just kept grinding. The defense started to kick in late, that was key."
-- Pierce.

THE STAT: Despite a second half offense that lacked any real rhythm, Boston managed to turn the tide against the Knicks thanks to their offensive rebounding. The Celtics, who came into the game as the worst offensive rebounding team in the league statistically, grabbed 11 of their season-high 15 offensive rebounds in the second half. Those extra opportunities enabled Boston to post 14 second chance points, which accounted for one-third of their scoring in the second half.

TURNING POINT: Trailing by just one with under a minute remaining, New York had a tremendous opportunity to re-take the lead from Boston. However, after Anthony dished upon driving the lane, Iman Shumpert missed a wide-open three-pointer from the corner, squandering the team's best chance down the stretch.

QUOTABLE II: "It's definitely not a great feeling right now. Winning is always what we play the game for. Right now we are not winning so it's a little bit difficult to deal with. We just have to make sure we stay together and keep striving to get better."
-- Amar'e Stoudemire on his team's recent struggles.

HOT: Ray Allen - With under five minutes remaining and the game tied at 79, Allen erupted for nine points over a crucial three-minute stretch. The sharpshooter nailed two baskets from downtown and hit the eventual game-winner on a nifty up-and-under move with just over two minutes remaining, giving Boston just enough of a cushion to hold on.

NOT: The Knicks three-point shooting -- After the Celtics turned up the defensive intensity in the second half, New York struggled from beyond the arc, missing all 10 of their attempts from downtown over the closing 24 minutes.

QUOTABLE III: "We just hung in. It was one of those games, I told our guys, two weeks ago we absolutely lose. We never established rhythm on either end. But we just hung in there."
-- Celtics head coach Doc Rivers.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Tyson Chandler -- The marquee free agent signee continues to put up phenomenal numbers during his first season in New York. The big man finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds and is now averaging a double-double on the season. He is also shooting a career high 70.9 percent from the field.

BAD MOVE: With a chance to tie the game with five seconds remaining, the Knicks inbounded the ball to Novak, who had not appeared in the game all evening. The shooting specialist was put into a tough spot entering the game cold, and was forced to attempt a 20-foot fadeaway jumper from the corner that missed badly.

ROOKIE WATCH: Shumpert -- The rookie struggled while playing a career-high 41 minutes for the Knicks on the second night of a back-to-back. The hybrid guard missed seven of his ten shots and mustered just seven points and five assists in the losing effort.

NOTABLE: Rondo had missed the past eight games with a sprained right wrist. Marquis Daniels was a late scratch for Boston with a right ankle injury. Kevin Garnett finished with 15 points and eight rebounds. He also passed the 10,000 defensive rebound mark for his career. Garnett is now the third player to do that since the NBA began tracking defensive rebounds in 1973. Only six Knicks players played double-digit minutes. With the loss, New York has now lost 12 straight times in Boston. Their last win at TD Garden came in November 2006. The chippy affair featured four technical fouls, including one from each head coach. Stoudemire posted his 10th double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds. New York plays their third game in three consecutive days Saturday night at home vs. New Jersey.

UP NEXT: For the Knicks, Monday @ Dallas, Tuesday vs. Toronto, Friday @ Portland. For the Celtics, Sunday vs. Memphis, Tuesday vs. Charlotte, Thursday vs. LA Lakers.

• Knicks: Davis, Harrellson
• Celtics: Daniels, Dooling

• Knicks: D'Antoni, Stoudemire
• Celtics: Bass, Rivers

• Lead Changes: 6
• Times Tied: 9

• Arena: TD Garden, Boston, MA
• Officials: #13 Monty McCutchen, #74 Curtis Blair, #75 Eric Dalen
• Attendance: 18624
• Duration: 2:44