POST GAME NEW YORK

GAME STATS

Rebounds - Celtics 46 / NYK 49 ........ Offensive - Celtics 7 /NYK 11........Defensive - Celtics 39/ NYK 38
Points In The Paint - Celtics 50 /NYK 32
Fast Break Points - Celtics 14 / NYK 10
FG - Celtics - 31/76 (40.8%) NYK 32/83 ( 38.6%)
3PM - Celtics 3/18 (16.7%) NYK 8/28 ( 28.6%)
FTM - Celtics 21/28 (75 %) NYK 17/20 (85%)
TO - Celtics 12 / NYK 10
Assists - Celtics 18 / NYK 12
STL - Celtics 6 / NYK 7
BLK - Celtics 3 / NYK 5
PF - Celtics 23 / NYK 23
Bench Points - Celtics 24 / NYK 30
Total Team Turnovers (Points off turnovers) – Boston 12/19/ NYK 12 /8


NEXT GAME FRIDAY - AWAY - AT ATLANTA - 7:30PM - CSNE/NBA LEAGUE PASS


POST GAME RECAP


ESPNBOSTON.COM

Rapid reaction: Knicks 89, Celtics 86

By Chris Forsberg | ESPNBoston.com

Rajon Rondo posted his fourth triple-double of the season on Thursday at TD Garden.

BOSTON -- Rapid reaction after the New York Knicks defeated the Boston Celtics 89-86 on Thursday night at TD Garden:

THE NITTY GRITTY
Carmelo Anthony scored a game-high 28 points on 11-of-28 shooting to go along with nine rebounds, three assists, and two steals over 41 minutes. Amare Stoudemire added 15 points and nine rebounds off the bench, while JR Smith -- iced cold for much of the night -- hit a monster 3-pointer with 1:11 to go as New York secured its first win in Boston since 2006 (snapping an 11-game losing streak). Rajon Rondo produced his 27th career triple-double of his career, registering 23 points (on 10-of-19 shooting) with 11 assists, and 10 rebounds over 40:24. It was Rondo's fourth triple-double of the season and 20th in a nationally televised game. Paul Pierce scored a season-high 19 points in the first half, but finished with 22 overall. The Celtics had no other scorer in double figures as Kevin Garnett finished with eight points and 12 rebounds over 36 minutes.

TURNING POINT
The Celtics trailed by as much as 10 early in the fourth quarter, but leaned on their defense to chip away at the lead. Rondo took over and -- after feeding Avery Bradley and Garnett for layups -- he produced consecutive buckets to make it 84-82 with under four minutes to play. Bradley missed a potential go-ahead 3-pointer and Garnett missed a short jumper with a chance to tie it soon after. Smith, who had missed 13 of his previous 15 shots, made it sting when he drilled a 3-pointer from the right wing to put the Knicks out front 89-84 with 71 seconds to play. Boston got back within three, only to turn the ball over with a final chance to tie the game.

A MELO OLIVE BRANCH?
After Garnett spilled to the floor trying to complete a third-quarter alley-oop, it was Anthony -- of all people -- who offered a hand to help pick him up. After all the hoopla in New York, the two played nice on Thursday and Garnett actually got under the skin of Tyson Chandler more than Anthony on this night.

A NO CHEERIOS ZONE
On the heels of the KG-Melo circus in New York, TD Garden did its best to limit the Honey Nut Cheerio references in the crowd, removing posters and T-shirts depicting the breakfast cereal. One fan held up a "Honey Nut Carmelos" T-shirt on the JumboTron and was promptly told to keep it out of sight or be removed from the game. Any time a reference to the cereal appeared on the JumboTron, the camera quickly panned away. Clearly the arena was trying its best to prevent any carryover this time around.

MORE GARDEN CHATTER
And if the Cheerios crackdown wasn't enough, the Celtics bizarrely responded to a comment made on TNT's national broadcast suggesting the arena piped in fake noise. The Celtics Tweeted: "Regarding comments on tonight's @NBAonTNT broadcast, the @Celtics have never used artificial crowd noise."

WHAT IT MEANS
The Celtics (20-22) have now dropped a season-high five games to fall two games under .500 and seven games back of the Knicks in the Atlantic Division. Boston yet again endured some maddening offensive lulls, essentially spoiling the solid defensive effort (the Knicks shot 38.6 percent overall and a mere 28.6 percent beyond the 3-point arc). Alas, Boston shot only 40.8 percent and really struggled to consistently put points on the board. The Celtics fly to Atlanta after the game for the second night of a back-to-back on Friday against the Hawks. Boston is back at TD Garden on a Sunday for a matinee against the rival Heat in Ray Allen's first game back in Boston.
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CSNE

A. SHERROD BLAKLEY

Celtics lose fifth straight, fall to Knicks, 89-86

BOSTON — There was more passion, more fire, more of everything that Doc Rivers has been imploring the Boston Celtics to bring to the floor for weeks.

Sadly, it still wasn't enough as the New York Knicks pulled away in the second half for a 89-86 win.

New York pulled ahead 80-70 in the fourth, looking as though they were ready to put the C's away and the Celtics at that point, seemed more than willing to oblige.

But the Celtics started making shots, which as we've seen, is usually followed by better defense.

It shouldn't be that way, but it is what it is.

With Rajon Rondo leading the way, the C's went on a 12-4 run to come within two points.

A tip-in by New York's Tyson Chandler made it a four-point game, only for Rondo to come back with a pair of free throws to cut New York's lead to 86-84.

Rondo was getting it done on the defensive end as well, drawing an offensive foul against Carmelo Anthony with 1:53 to play.

The C's couldn't capitalize on the turnover, as the Knicks eventually got a 3-pointer from J.R. Smith with 1:11 to play to lead, 89-84.

Smith's shot was huge, but the hero for New York was Anthony, who just used and abused the Celtics defenders most of the night with either the pull-up jumper or driving to the basket before finishing with a game-high 28 points.

Even with Anthony having a big game, Boston had its chances afterward.

A Rondo jumper followed by a Jason Kidd miss, gave the Celtics a chance to tie the game with 13.1 seconds to play.

Following a Celtics timeout, Paul Pierce lost the ball out of bounds with 7.1 seconds to play.

Making matters worse, the C's could not get close enough to any of the Knicks players as time expired, a sequence that reinforced the fact that the C's continue to fail at executing effectively in late-game situations.

Pierce led the C's with 22 points -- only 3 in the second half -- while Rondo collected his 27th career triple-double with 23 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists.

Boston (20-22) has now lost five straight for the first time this season, and just the third time (twice last season) since the 2008 title run.

With so much attention paid to the post-game events in their Jan. 7 matchup involving Anthony and Kevin Garnett, it took much of the attention off what was a game that both teams desperately needed for different Knicks.

New York (26-14) came in atop the Atlantic Division by half a game, with the Brooklyn Nets nipping at their heels. The Celtics came in having lost four in a row and were looking to avoid a five-game losing skid.

Both teams delivered the kind of high intensity play that kept the game relatively close in the first quarter which ended with the Celtics ahead 24-20.

One of the keys to Boston's slim lead was what turned out to be a near-perfect quarter with the C's committing zero turnovers.

The second quarter did not go quite as well for the Celtics, with the Knicks going almost exclusively with multiple zone coverages.

Rather than attacking the interior of the zone, the C's relied on what they have relied on all season -- jumpers.

And has been the case often this season, those shots were off the mark which allowed the Knicks to spend a good chunk of the second quarter with a lead.

Boston eventually snapped out of his jump-shooting trance and began to try and score around the basket, or penetrate and kick out for what were open shots.

That was hit and miss for the C's, but the driving to the basket led to a surprisingly high number of free throw attempts.

But it was New York's work from the free throw line that proved to be the difference in the half, which ended with three made free throws by the Knicks which put them ahead, 50-48, at the half.

For Boston, Pierce was having a big night with 19 points in the first half, which was more points scored by the Captain than he had in each of the C's previous four games - all losses.

Boston pulled ahead 66-65 on a Jeff Green 3-pointer in the third quarter, but the Knicks closed out the third with a 7-0 run and the C's spent the rest of the game playing from behind.
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WEEI 93.7 FM

FAST BREAK: RAJON RONDO’S TRIPLE-DOUBLE CAN’T KEEP CELTICS FROM FIVE-GAME SKID 01.24.13 at 10:43 pm ET

By Ben Rohrbach

Give them this: At least the Celtics played with heart, but the Knicks still handed them their fifth straight loss, an 89-86 defeat made even more discouraging by J.R. Smith‘s wide-open 3-pointer and Paul Pierce‘s turnover with several chances to tie the game in the final minute. Here’s what else went wrong (and right).

WHAT WENT WRONG

Terry dry: Since his return to the bench, where he’s been most comfortable during his career, Jason Terry continues to slump. He entered the game shooting under 40 percent from the field and 30 percent from 3-point range in 22 minutes a night this month, and those numbers didn’t get any better. After getting off to an 0-for-4 start in his first six minutes, Rivers limited his playing time. Terry finished 1-for-6 in 14 minutes, including a costly fourth-quarter turnover.

Brain farts: As well as the Celtics played in stretches, they still took their foot off the pedal at times. The Knicks started the second quarter on a 9-0 run made up of a couple Amar’e Stoudemire buckets around the basket, a J.R. Smith layup and a Pablo Prigioni 3-pointer. In the third quarter, the Celtics committed five turnovers, including three that directly led to layups and New York’s 72-66 lead after three quarters.

Off the mark: While the C’s defense held the Knicks below 40 percent shooting on the night (38.6 FG%), their offense wasn’t much better (40.8 FG%). Despite getting a ton of open looks, the Celtics missed jumper after jumper. They combined for 3-of-18 shooting from beyond the arc, including an 0-for-5 night for backup guards Terry, Courtney Lee and Leandro Barbosa. Compounding that fact, the C’s didn’t tally a single point off their misses, getting outscored 16-0 on second-chance points.

WHAT WENT RIGHT

Secondhand: Celtics coach Doc Rivers pledged to experiment with lineups, and he got started on that promise early, finishing the final four minutes of the first quarter with Lee, Terry, Jeff Green, Jared Sullinger and a combo of wild cards Barbosa and Jason Collins. Pleading for his second unit to run the floor and attack the basket, Rivers watched that group finish the frame on an 8-4 run for a 24-20 lead.

Inspired ball: Whether it was the TNT cameras, Knicks rivalry or threats from their coach, the Celtics came to play, which is more than can be said during their previous four games. By halftime, Kevin Garnett already eclipsed his season average in rebounds, Paul Pierce did the same in points and Rajon Rondo was headed for the 27th triple-double of his career. Even Rivers seemed please with the effort, leading cheers off the bench during breaks.

Defending their honor: Included in that effort was the C’s defensive play. They held the three most productive Knicks — All-Stars Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler as well as almost star J.R. Smith — to combined 15-of-46 shooting. New York shot 39.2 percent as a team and just 8-of-28 (28.6 3P%) from 3, but Smith made his when it mattered most, giving the Knicks an 89-84 advantage in the final minute on his first make from long distance.

112288

What showed me that the killer spirit is gone from the Celtics........they never even fouled with 6 sec. left..........you would never see that in prior teams!

112288

Ouch! They tried to turn it on, but it's not that easy. I was waiting for that last second foul, too. IMHO, if we drive five more times instead of jump shoot, we win. If we have an athletic 7-footer like Fab in the middle when KG's out (and occasionally when he's in), we win. If we play Green 8 more minutes and Pierce 6 fewer, we win. But will we? Hawk

Celtics analyst Gary Washburn is delusional. In his video wrap-up of the game he said, "There's reasons for hope, 39 games left, Celtics still have a chance to steal the Atlantic Division and get a high playoff seed."

http://cinesport.boston.com/nba-boston-globe-celtics/celtics-losing-streak-hits-5-games/

Steal the Atlantic Division?? Boston is 8 games back in the loss column with 40 to go (not the 39 to go that Washburn stated).

Not making up 8 games in half a season. Sorry. Atlantic Division is going to NY or N.J. No chance for us now.

Washburn is crazy. How can he make a stupid statement like that.

It's like the guy getting beat up in a fight and he utters ..........now I got you where I want you!

112288

We are way too small when KG goes to the bench, got to play Green more and Pierce less, this all star break hopefully will refresh Pierce. My son was really sad that Pierce didn't make the all star team and I said he'll probably never make one again....Father Time never loses.

Longterm, Doc has to get this lineup down Rondo AB Green Sully and Melo, get rid of Bass and Jason Terry.

We need a sniper! And Ray Allen was not the answer. Ray is the past not the future with the Celtics and it was time he moved on. However, the Jet is not the answer either and with his play, frankly he should be grounded.

If we can get JJ Reddick ...there is your next role player for the Celtics....and a nice one at that.

Yes we need a center and yes Sully needs to be moved out of center and to the power forward position.
112288

Couple of observations.

-First Off....Marv Albert accusing the Celtics of piping in crowd noise, and then going on and on about it for 5 straight minutes - was mind blowing. This panty wearing, hooker biting jerk off is an utter disgrace. He doesnt even TRY to disguise his hatred for the Celtics. Hey if my team hadnt won their own division (let alone one single meaningful game) in two decades - I would be upset too....but this one took the cake. Tool

-Dick Bavetta....GIVE IT UP already. Guy cant keep up with the game, makes BS fantom calls over and over. Time to hang it up old man. Crawford isnt much better....but at least he calls it bad both ways.

-Pierce must be tired, as he started out really strong - and started the 4th really strong - but simply has nothing left down the stretch in most games. Doc even gave Jeff Green more minutes than usual, and still the captain bumbled TWO PLAYS in the final few minutes that sealed the loss.

-Barbosa got minutes in the first half and did ZERO with them. Hope he keeps getting a chance, but he is in the game to drive...not to brick 3pt shots.

-Chris Webber made a great point about Rondo (wait did I just accuse Webber of making a good point....hold the phone...lol), he said Rajon is more important to his team than any other PG in the NBA....because he is the only player on the Celtics that can consistently get his own shot. He must create open shots for everyone else with his movement and driving - and so if he slows down on a play, the team grinds to a halt.

I think he is right on the money, and this IMO is why Rondo isnt playing as well on D. The kid is exhausted from doing everything else. Jeff Green needs to start to step up and take over his role as future starting SF - and Lee and Bradley need to keep pushing the ball when they are in the game.

-Bradley must be hurting as his shot is way off. His D is still around 90% of usual, which is still enough to frustrate JR Smith - but hope AB can get back to 100% soon.

-This game was there for the taking and the Celtics D was solid for most of the game. If they hit even 40% of their shots in the 3rd quarter, they win. But they keep hitting long lulls when they go to sleep.

I have to throw this one out in the sense that I think they came out ready, they played better D - played with intensity for a lot of the game. This wasnt really the same as the Cleveland or Detroit games. This one was down to just not hitting shots.

Onward.

112288 wrote:Washburn is crazy. How can he make a stupid statement like that.

It's like the guy getting beat up in a fight and he utters ..........now I got you where I want you!

112288

112288,

It's like that scene in the movie "Raging Bull", where Robert DeNiro playing Jake LaMotta says to Sugar Ray Robinson "You never knocked me down, Ray, you never knocked me down". Meanwhile, LaMotta is a bleeding pulp while Robinson is untouched and a winner.


bob


.

MK,

Spot on!

Albert is a jerk and it was a cheap shot taken at the Celtics as Albert will always be a diaper sniffing jerk! If other teams do it...why hasn't he raised the issue. I've been in Boston Garden a long time and I know Boston Fans...you don't need artificial noise to get that place rocking!

Another point....Boston fans......unlike the animals in New York...are classy and very astute sports fans that know their sports. It must have been eating Albert that the Boston fans treated Melo with a Ho Hum attitude rather then booing him ....so it did not give Albert, the punk, the ability to knock Boston Celtic Fans for that.....so he went to the piped in noise! What as Axx Hole.

112288

Bob,

Great analogy ....and as I can recall the scene .......very graphic! How can a guy make that statement unless he had too many beers! As I said in another post....we swap out some of our role players for new role players that perform...we would not be having this discussions as we probably would have another 10 wins.

112288

Mrkleen, Actually it's Rondo and Paul Pierce who are the only Celts capable of making their own shots. Way too few...

worcester wrote:Mrkleen, Actually it's Rondo and Paul Pierce who are the only Celts capable of making their own shots. Way too few...

Pierce is able to do this...less and less. And rarely in the 4th quarters any longer.

Sometimes a game can be won or lost due to who makes the most bad decisions and/or loses focus. In this case, we had Rondo doing his flying, jump pass from just inside halfcourt that was a turnover (completely unnecessary) and Pierce's two fumbles on easy handoffs. Statistically, we won this game in every statistic except the one that counts, the win column.

We came out with energy. We attacked. I can't fault them for this. We ran a lot, although it seems like we ran a lot less in the 2nd half. Our defense was good. We only took 76fgas. That is way too few. Our inconsistency in this is baffling. We'll have stretches where we take a ton of fgas, and then we're here. With only 12 TOs it's not because we keep giving it back to them without at least having a chance to shoot.

Marv Albert, for many years, was called "the voice of the NY Knicks". Old habits die hard. At 71 years old, he and 73 year old Dick Bavetta should relax and enjoy their golden years more, as in "don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out". Maybe we could even pipe in some applause for him at his retirement party.

1. Other than some bad decisions by Rondo (there were more than the one mentioned above) he played great on both ends of the court. In the first half, he ran (or at least jogged) on just about every possession. He also played solid defense, not as much gambling as we've seen in the recent past.

2. KG had a poor offensive night, 3-9, but he was a monster on defense. He wasn't just blocking shots, sending them into orbit 4 rows up and baying at the moon at his stupendous achievement like most players, he was inhaling them. A Knick would go up for a shot inside and KG would just suck the ball right out of the ball out of their hands and then turn for a quick outlet pass to start a fast break. Only then, knowing KG, did he probably bay at the moon in four-letter prose.

3. Is it just me, or has Pierce made serious mental errors in the final seconds of the past few games? The kind you see coming from rookies or from fatigue. Well, Paul Pierce is no rookie. He needs to sit more and Jeff Green has to step up. Now, not later, now. Sorry Jeff, but it's all hands on deck now and your honeymoon is over. The future is now.

4. Jason Terry sucks. I'm tired of talking about all the things he should be doing but isn't.

5. Barbosa played 9 minutes and was 0-3 (a missed layup, one of his scoops in the lane (personally, I thought he got tripped going into the lane) and a missed 3). He should have gotten at least an assist on a drive into the paint and a kick to Lee in the corner for a wide-open 3, but Lee missed. It was that kind of night for Barbosa.

6. Melo shoots 11-28, 39%, and the media is claiming this was a "Melo-led victory". He took 34% of the Knicks fgas. 39% shooting while hogging the ball is leadership? He hit some big shots towards the end, true, but it was strictly hero ball.

7. Jared Sullinger, meet Amar'e Stoudemire. The rook struggled against a future HOFer. He doesn't have the mobility to keep up with Amar'e, even with Amar'e's (is this how you would spell an Amar'e possessive?) diminished mobility. When he got some offensive rebounds Amar'e just stuffed him like a turkey.

We need a gunner. Badly. How many times have we been below 45%fg% this year? It is a chronic thing. Our defense is coming along but our offense isn't putting the ball in the hole. The rumor is that our interest in JJ Redick is growing. He can shoot, that's for sure.

I hate relying on Chris Wilcox, who seems to spend more time on the IR than off it, but I'm seeing our lack of dependability of our perimeter shooters (because of you, JET) as the more immediate need. The problem is that nobody will take a 35 year old player making $5M/year for 2 1/2 more years off our hands. That might mean we have to give up someone we really don't want to give up. I'm open to suggestions, as long as the Untouchables I mentioned in the post Cleveland thread aren't included.



bob


.

Yes, and Paul bobbles the ball way too much in critical situations. Still, I watched him play great so many times that I irrationally think he has a switch to flip to become a great clutch player once again. I also still believe in Santa Claus.

Worcester, I believe Lee should be added to that list of Celtics able to create their own shots.

Sam

Sam, You are right about that. I really like his play. He RUNS and defends. I like ghis moves to the basket as well.

When are you coming to FL?

I liked Blakely's comment that the Celtics' defense improves when the offense improves. Precisely what I've been saying. So much of defensive play is predicated on energy, and a nice offensive run stimulates energy.

So, while I agree that the Celtics defense needs improvement, and I believe another defensive-minded big man would help, I still believe that the priority should be on bolstering the offense, which should be not only a weapon but also a catalyst for the defense.

Sam

Good recap Bob...but did you just call Amare a hall of famer?

I guess if you consider Pau Gasol, Chris Bosh or Shawn Marion hall of famers...then he is as well, but I dont consider any of those guys HOF material.

Sam, Agreed that good offense helps the defense. However an anomaly to that postulate are the present LA Lakers, who rank 7th in offense but have no defensive presence at all. Typical of a Mike D team.

Right Sam!

Good offense...keeps the other team on their heels and preventing them from running back on their offense.

I'LL SAY IT AGAIN ROLE PLAYERS ............ROLE PLAYERS DO A SWAP!

112288

Hi,
Yes this game was, from the team's morale standpoint, much, much better than the games with Cle and Det. Unfortunately, the result was the same.

As for TNT moron-announcers - Marv and Kerr, I think they're on the same level as the local Cle super-moron Carr.

AK

mrkleen09 wrote:Good recap Bob...but did you just call Amare a hall of famer?

I guess if you consider Pau Gasol, Chris Bosh or Shawn Marion hall of famers...then he is as well, but I dont consider any of those guys HOF material.

mrkleen,

http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/hof_prob.html

I'm not hanging my hat on this completely, for example it lists Amar'e as having a slightly better chance of making the HOF than Steve Nash, but it's an indicator.

Maybe "6x All-Star" might have been a safer statement.


bob


.

Yeah, I looked at the same list. It has Elton Brand, Gilbert Arenas and Baron Davis in close proximity to Amare. None of those guys will even get a sniff of Springfield.

mrkleen, If there's a correctional facility in Springfield, Arenas may get a sniff of that.