Boston Celtics nail 113-96 win, take 3-0 lead over New York Knicks: NBA play-offs
On Friday evening at Madison Square Garden, the Boston Celtics took down an undermanned New York Knicks squad, 113-96. The Celtics now lead the Eastern Conference best-of-seven quarterfinal series 3-0. The Knicks, on the other hand, are well aware of the fact that no team of the National Basketball Association (NBA) has recovered from a 0-3 deficit in a postseason series.
Forward Paul Pierce scored a game-high 38 points and guard Ray Allen added 32 points to the victory. Point guard Rajon Rondo, the former Oak Hill Academy standout, was highly efficient as he handed out a Celtics playoff-record 20 assists and 11 rebounds in the victory. In addition to that, the 25-year-old had a triple-double of 15 points for the Greens.
The Boston head coach Doc Rivers appreciated Rondo’s performance and said, "When he gets in a rhythm it allows all of us to get into a rhythm, even the coaches, because we see the game through him."
Forward Shawne Williams came off the bench with a productive game as he had a team-high 17 points and six rebounds in the defeat. Carmelo Anthony finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and two steals for the Knicks, who closed the regular season at 42-40. Guard Toney Douglas also added 15 points while Jared Jeffries ended with 12 points and five rebounds for New York.
The Knicks played the game without Chauncey Billups, who missed the second consecutive game of the series with a strained tendon in his left knee. Amar'e Stoudemire seemed bothered by back spasms that have limited his movement in the series. He had just seven points, shooting 2-of-8, in the defeat of the sixth-seeded Knicks.
Match Analysis
It was a team effort for the Celtics as they totally dismantled the Knicks in the third quarter on their way to a third consecutive playoff victory.
Boston got off to a hot start, taking a 9-0 lead early in the first quarter. The Celtics expanded their lead to as much as 10 points on their way to a 27-20 edge into the second. Pierce paced the Celtics with 17 of his 38 points in the first half as they took a 52-44 lead into the break.
Boston continued to dominate New York in the third quarter, outscoring 34-19 and taking an 86-63 lead into the fourth. The Knicks tried hard throughout the fourth quarter to make the score a respectable one and outplayed the Celtics 33-27. However, Boston’s lead was too much to overcome.
Anthony said they are trying to take full advantage of the injury-riddled Knicks team. He stated, "It's tough, man, knowing that Amar'e's not 100 percent and Chauncey's not 100 percent. We are just trying to find our way on the fly right now. That is a tough situation. That would be making excuses if I sat here and say they beat us because we are not at 100 percent. I don't want to use that as an excuse."
Game 4 of the series may see the the Knicks make a push to come back from a daunting deficit.
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