Knicks-Celtics Preview

By BRETT HUSTON
Posted Mar 03 2012 3:39PM

The Boston Celtics have been finding their past-their-prime label hard to shake while carving out a reputation as the NBA's streakiest team over the first two months.

Right now, they're on a run they'll happily accept.

The Celtics try to make it four consecutive wins Sunday at TD Garden in their first extended look at Jeremy Lin, whose New York Knicks showed off some impressive depth in their return from the All-Star break.

Boston started the season with three straight losses, including one at New York on Christmas Day for its lone defeat in the past 11 meetings, and has suffered two five-game skids in the same season for the first time since 2006-07.

It's also put together three four-game winning streaks, and it's on the verge of another after heading into the break with five straight defeats. After returning with consecutive tight wins over Cleveland and Milwaukee, the Celtics (18-17) rolled past New Jersey 107-94 on Friday despite missing Ray Allen.

"We were mentally kind of worn down going into the break those last couple of weeks. Playing so many games and having so many inconsistencies," said Paul Pierce, who had 27 points and eight assists. "It just gave us a chance to go into the break, refresh ourselves, and come back with a positive outlook on the second half. And it's showing out there on the court."

The last time Boston saw the Knicks (18-18) was Feb. 3, a 91-89 home win that was the second two-point contest between the Atlantic Division rivals this season.

That also was the last game before New York became caught up in Linsanity, as the point guard from Harvard came off the bench to lead the way to a victory over New Jersey the next day.

Lin's worst game since his emergence came immediately before the break, an eight-point, eight-turnover effort in a loss to Miami on Feb. 23, but he bounced back with 19 points and 13 assists in a 120-103 win over Cleveland on Wednesday.

The Knicks trailed by 12 at halftime but outscored the Cavaliers 71-42 in the second half. Thirty-eight of those points came from a bench that's suddenly looking much deeper and healthier with the addition of J.R. Smith, the return of Baron Davis and the rise of Steve Novak.

"I think our second unit did an awesome job," Lin said. "I think we've been talking a lot about our depth and tonight we definitely got to see the depth, and so that's going to be a strength of ours and we need to continue to use that."

New York's second unit has provided very little against Boston. The Knicks' bench has been outscored 55-24 in the two meetings while shooting 23.5 percent.

After averaging just 15.0 points in his first three games after returning from a groin injury, Carmelo Anthony had 22 on Wednesday.

There's a good chance he'll fare even better against the Celtics. Anthony has averaged 31.5 points in the teams' two meetings this season, getting to the foul line 25 times.

Allen, who had flu-like symptoms Friday, is expected to return Sunday, but center Jermaine O'Neal (wrist) is out. Guard Avery Bradley, who sprained his ankle Friday, says he'll be ready to play.

If Bradley is limited, Rajon Rondo may have to play particularly heavy minutes - not that Doc Rivers would necessarily mind. The Celtics have averaged 29.3 assists since the break, including 11.3 from Rondo, and had a season-high 35 Friday.

"Two games in a row the offensive execution for Rondo has been off the charts," Rivers told the team's official Twitter feed.

Including last season's playoff series, Rondo has averaged 20.8 points and 11.8 assists in his past five games against the Knicks.

Lin stalls back in Boston, Celtics beat NY 115-111

By JIMMY GOLEN
Posted Mar 04 2012 7:56PM

BOSTON (AP) Linsanity in the fourth quarter.

Rondomania in overtime.

Rajon Rondo had his second triple-double in three games, finishing with 18 points, 20 assists and a career-high 17 rebounds, the Celtics ruined Harvard grad Jeremy Lin's return to Boston with a 115-111 victory over the New York Knicks on Sunday.

Rondo played a part in every Celtics point in overtime, collecting five points, five rebounds and two assists in the extra period.

"I know we're all in this together, but it's great when he takes over like that," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "He's the smartest point guard I've ever been around. He's a brilliant player like that."

Paul Pierce scored 34, including a 3-pointer with 4.9 seconds left in regulation. Kevin Garnett had 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Ray Allen gave the Celtics the lead for good with a 3-pointer to make it 108-105, then followed it with a fast-break layup - both on assists from Rondo.

Rondo also had two baskets in overtime, and he even made the pass to Brandon Bass before he was sent to the line for two free throws.

It was Rondo's fourth triple-double this season and the 17th of his career.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the last player to record a triple-double with at least 17 in each category was Magic Johnson, who had 24 points, 17 assists and 17 rebounds on April 18, 1989. The last player to exceed Rondo's performance in each category was Wilt Chamberlain, who had 22 points, 25 rebounds and 21 assists on Feb. 2, 1968.

"That's the Rondo we like to see, playing with all that energy," Pierce said. "He got the guys the ball in open spots; he did everything for us tonight. He rebounded, he passed, he got the clutch rebound there in overtime and got the layup. That's the Rondo I like to see."

Lin picked up two fouls in the first three minutes and struggled to 14 points in 32 minutes. He had five assists, four rebounds and six turnovers while shooting 6 for 16 from the floor.

Carmelo Anthony scored 25 for the Knicks, six of them in the final 100 seconds of regulation as they twice took the lead. Amare Stoudemire had 16 points and 13 rebounds, and Tyson Chandler grabbed 14 boards, but New York still fell a game below .500 and 1 1/2 games behind Boston in the Eastern Conference.

"It was a big win for us," Rondo said. "We're trying to get a little separation."

The Celtics and Knicks entered with 18 wins each. Boston now leads the season series 2-1, with one game remaining in New York on April 17.

"The biggest thing is they were getting confidence," Rivers said. "I didn't want that to grow against us."

An undrafted point guard from Harvard who was released by Golden State and then languished on the Knicks bench, Lin led New York to seven straight wins after finally cracking the rotation last month to give birth to the Linsanity phenomenon.

He had one stretch at the end of regulation to remind his fans in Boston what the fuss is all about.

Boston led 94-89 with 3:35 left in the fourth quarter when Lin sank the second of two free throws, stole the ball and took it in for a layup and then hit a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to one point.

Anthony took it from there, making the next three Knicks baskets and giving them a 101-100 lead with 36 seconds left. Pierce missed one attempt at a game-winner, but after Steve Novak made a pair of free throws the Celtics captain sank a long, off-balance 3-pointer to tie it at 103.

"I don't know if that's execution. That's having a horseshoe up your rear," Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said. "That's what Paul Pierce does, though. We hit a hard shot ... then Paul hits one. He hit a dagger."

Anthony missed at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.

Once there, Rondo took over.

He found Allen on the wing for a 3-pointer that gave Boston a 108-105 lead and, after Lin's driving layup bounced around and off the rim, Rondo wound up with the ball on the fast break and dropped it to Allen for the layup.

Lin's last trip to play the Celtics, on Feb. 3, he scored just two points in under seven minutes. The next night, he came off the bench to score 25 points against the New Jersey Nets. He has been in the starting lineup ever since, sparking a seven-game winning streak that rejuvenated the Knicks.

The phenomenon has been felt back in Cambridge, too.

Harvard president Drew Gilpin Faust met with Lin before the game, and Crimson coach Tommy Amaker was also at the game one day after the Crimson beat Cornell to clinch at least a share of the Ivy League title.

The rest of the crowd greeted Lin rudely in the first quarter, but two fouls in the first three minutes seemed to eliminate the chance that it would be another big game.

"Obviously, Boston is a great defensive team," Lin said. "I didn't have a great one today. I didn't have a great one here last time. Maybe it's the arena. I don't know. ... I was a little more comfortable but still not to where I want to get to."

Pierce scored 15 points in the third quarter when the Celtics went on a 19-2 run to turn a five-point deficit into a double-digit lead.

NOTES: Allen and J.R. Smith picked up matching technicals after jawing under the basket early in the fourth quarter. ... Celtics F Brandon Bass rolled his left ankle in the third quarter and went to have it taped. He returned. ... Jeff Green, who is out this year after surgery to repair an aortic aneurysm, sat on the Celtics bench in street clothes. ... Doc Rivers spent Saturday night watching his son Austin play for Duke against North Carolina in Durham, N.C. ... The Knicks shot 62 percent (13 for 21) in the second quarter while holding the Celtics to 8-for-22 shooting.

Notebook: Celtics 115, Knicks 111

Posted Sunday March 4, 2012 6:40PM

By Brian Robb, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Rajon Rondo had a historic triple-double as the Boston Celtics fought back from a late deficit in regulation to beat the New York Knicks 115-111 in an overtime thriller. Boston's All-Star point guard had an incredible stat line of 18 points, a career-high 17 rebounds, and 20 assists, captaining the Celtics offense to a season-high point total.

It was only the third time in NBA history that a player has recorded at least 20 assists and 17 rebounds in a game. Magic Johnson did it in 1983, with 17 rebounds and 21 assists against the Hawks, and Wilt Chamberlain had 25 rebounds and 21 assists against Detroit in 1968.

Paul Pierce added a game-high 34 points during Boston's fourth straight win, including a game tying three-pointer with just four seconds remaining in regulation. Carmelo Anthony had 25 points for the Knicks in setback, as the visitors could not overcome 22 turnovers to get the road win. With the setback, New York has now dropped 13 consecutive games at TD Garden, dating back to November 2006. Boston also extended their lead to one and a half games over their division rival for the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference.

QUOTABLE: "I'm just playing. The biggest thing is we got the win. Paul made that shot to send us into overtime and that was big for us. You know, if you get those type of numbers and you lose, it's kind of irrelevant."
-- Rondo on his triple-double.

THE STAT: The Knicks could not mount any sustainable offense in the overtime period against Boston, hitting just 3-of-16 shots (18.8 percent) during the five-minute period.

TURNING POINT: After the Celtics squandered a nine-point fourth quarter edge, they found themselves trailing by three with 18 seconds remaining and no timeouts. A broken play consisting of weaving and handoffs gave Pierce an open-look over Knicks rookie Iman Shumpert with just 4.2 seconds remaining. The C's captain drilled the three-ball, his fourth of the night, while Anthony missed a jumper on the ensuing possession pushing the game to overtime, giving Boston a second life.

QUOTABLE II: "He's just unconventional, but like I said before the game he's one of the best in the league. There aren't many guards, maybe no guards who can put up numbers like that. We didn't do a good job of containing him and he obviously controlled the tempo of the game."
-- Jeremy Lin on Rondo

HOT: Pierce -- 24 of his 34 points came in the second half for the ten-time All-Star as the veteran has broken out of a lengthy shooting slump in a big way over the past two games. Over those contests, the small forward has averaged 30.5 points a game, on 62 percent shooting from the field.

NOT: Lin -- The second-year sensation had his return to Boston spoiled as he struggled late in this one against the vaunted Celtics defense. The former Harvard star missed six of his seven shots in overtime and also turned the ball over six times in just 31 minutes of action.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Kevin Garnett -- The 35-year-old continues to turn back the clock with his play on both ends on the floor over the past five games. He posted his third straight double-double Sunday afternoon with 20 points and 10 rebounds, and is averaging 20.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game on 53 percent shooting since returning from a two-game personal absence on February 22nd.

BAD MOVE: Despite leading by three with the final seconds in regulation ticking off the clock, the Knicks elected not to foul a Celtic on the team's closing possession and eliminate the chance for Boston tie the game with a three-pointer. "We don't do that," Mike D'Antoni said postgame. Sure enough, Pierce hit a long jumper to push the game into overtime.

ROOKIE WATCH: Shumpert -- The rookie out of Georgia Tech had one of the best games of his young career for the Knicks, leading New York's offensive charge off the bench with 14 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. The strong effort combined with the guard's 30 minutes of play could foreshadow a return to the starting lineup over Landry Fields (15 minutes).

NOTABLE: Ray Allen returned to the starting lineup after missing Friday's win over New Jersey. Jermaine O'Neal did not play again with a sprained left wrist. He continues to consult with hand specialists as he weighs surgery to correct the lingering injury. Brandon Bass added 18 points, but rolled his left ankle in the third quarter. He left the game to have his ankle taped, but returned to action in the fourth. The Knicks announced before the game that Bill Walker would miss the next 4-6 weeks due to left elbow surgery. New York's 22 turnovers were just two short of their season high. Rondo's triple-double was the fourth of the season and 17th of his career. Rondo's 20 assists were also a season-high for him. Amar'e Stoudemire had a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Boston now leads the season series 2-1 over New York.

UP NEXT: For the Knicks, Tuesday @ Dallas, Wednesday @ San Antonio, Friday @ Milwaukee. For the Celtics, Tuesday vs. Houston, Wednesday @ Philadelphia, Friday vs. Portland.

• Knicks: Jordan, Walker
• Celtics: Moore, O'Neal

• Knicks: Shumpert, Smith
• Celtics: Allen

• Lead Changes: 7
• Times Tied: 5

• Arena: TD Garden, Boston, MA
• Officials: #48 Scott Foster, #42 Eric Lewis, #50 Olandis Poole
• Attendance: 18624
• Duration: 2:53