POST GAMR NEW YORK GAME #5

GAME STATS

SCORE – CELTICS -92 /NYK- 86
REBOUNDS - CELTICS 41 /NYK 39.....Offensive - CELTICS 5 /NYK 9 ......Defensive - CELTICS 36 /NYK 30
POINTS IN THE PAINT - CELTICS 28 /NYK 42
FAST BREAK POINTS - CELTICS 10 / NYK 11
FG - CELTICS - 32/70 ( 45.7 %) NYK 32/81 ( 39.5 % )
3PM - CELTICS - 11/22 ( 50 %) NYK 5/22 ( 22.7 %)
FTM - CELTICS - 17/17 ( 100 %) NYK 17/20 (85 %)
TO - CELTICS 15 / NYK 8
ASSISTS - CELTICS 20 /NYK 13
STL - CELTICS 3 / NYK 8
BLK - CELTICS 3 / NYK 1
PF - CELTICS 16 / NYK 19
BENCH POINTS - CELTICS 21 / NYK 18
TOTAL TEAM TURNOVERS (Points off turnovers) – CELTICS 17 (16) /NYK 9 (4)

NEXT GAME FRIDAY - HOME - TIME (TBA) - CSNE/MSG/ESPN

POST GAME RECAP

ESPNBOSTON.COM

Rapid Reaction: C's 92, Knicks 86 (Game 5)

By Chris Forsberg | ESPNBoston.com

NEW YORK -- Rapid reaction after the Boston Celtics defeated the New York Knicks 92-86 in Game 5 of an Eastern Conference first-round series on Wednesday evening at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks lead the series, 3-2:

THE NITTY GRITTY
Jeff Green scored a team-high 18 points to pace five Celtics players in double figures, including Jason Terry with 17 points (behind five 3-pointers) off the bench and Paul Pierce with 16 points after overcoming early struggles. Kevin Garnett finished with 16 points and a team-high 18 rebounds. Carmelo Anthony scored a game-high 22 points on 8-of-24 shooting, while Raymond Felton added 21 points, six rebounds, and four assists. J.R. Smith, back after a one-game suspension for elbowing Terry in Game 3, was a nonfactor for much of the night (and maybe even a liability) as he missed his first 10 shots. Smith finished with 14 points on 3-of-14 shooting, hitting a trio of late-game triples.

TURNING POINT
A one-possession game midway through the third quarter, the Celtics embarked on a 16-4 run spanning into the fourth frame. Pierce and Terry hit 3-pointers late in the third as Boston stretched its lead to nine, but the Celtics opened the fourth on a 6-0 burst that culminated with a vicious one-handed flush by Jeff Green that had the Celtics out front 75-60 with 9:05 to go. A feverish late-game rally saw the Knicks pull within five (88-83) with 65 seconds to play, but Garnett hit a tough jumper to help fend them off.

I'M STILL STANDING
The Celtics' reserves typically stand until Boston's first made basket of the game. Still standing 4+ minutes in as the Knicks built an 11-0 run, the backups settled for when Brandon Bass -- the early hero of the game for Boston -- made a free throw to break up the shutout with 7:32 to play in the first quarter. The Celtics managed to trim their deficit to two at the end of the frame and a more inspired second quarter had them up six by halftime as the game's momentum swung in their favor.

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES
Smith and Terry -- involved in the Game 3 dust-up that left Smith ejected, and later suspended for Game 4, for a flagrant-2 elbow -- renewed pleasantries and were assessed double technicals with 6:45 to play in the game... Earlier in the game, referees initially assessed Kenyon Martin with a flagrant foul for hammering Garnett. Upon video review, it was downgraded to a personal foul.

WHAT IT MEANS
Well, we appear to have a series again. With their backs to the wall after losing the first three games, the Celtics responded with back-to-back wins. As Doc Rivers will certainly point out now, this is as close as a series can be after five games. Boston has to like its chances of evening things up as the series returns to Boston for Game 6 on Friday night at TD Garden. But it's still an uphill climb for the Celtics and one that will require winning in New York again if they can force a Game 7 on Sunday. But Boston is playing with renewed confidence after these two wins and have put New York on its heels.
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CSNE

Not dead yet: Celtics force Game 6 vs. Knicks

A.SHERROD BLAKLEY

NEW YORK — Win or go home.

It's not just a catchy phrase uttered repeatedly during the playoffs.

For the Boston Celtics, who less than a week ago trailed 3-zip in their first round playoff series, it was the only way they could approaching doing the seemingly impossible - rallying to win a series after dropping the first three games.

The C's moved a step closer to doing the unthinkable in defeating the Knicks 92-86 in Game 5 of their best-of-seven series.

With the win, Boston now trails 3-2 in the best-of-seven series with Game 6 in Boston on Friday.

Down the stretch, it was Jeff Green coming alive to score 10 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter which included a pair of buzzer-beating 3s.

To the Knicks credit, they certainly made things interesting.

Boston led by as many as 15 points in the fourth, but the Knicks came storming back and had the C's lead down to just five points with about a minute to play after a J.R. Smith 3-pointer.

Following a Celtics time-out, Kevin Garnett drained a jumper with 48.3 seconds to play that put the C's ahead 90-83.

A New York time-out followed, but there was a sense throughout the storied Madison Square Garden that Garnett's jumper - points 13 and 14 for him on the night - pretty much sealed the deal for the C's.

After the time-out, Raymond Felton's 3-pointer was off the mark and was rebounded by Green which put the game away for the C's.

Boston's victory seemed unlikely when you look back at how the game began.

A New York blowout seemed to be in the making as the Knicks opened the game with an explosive 11-0 run.

The C's gradually crept back into the game, getting an unexpected lift from Brandon Bass' 9 first-quarter points.

It was much needed not only because of the early deficit, but also because of the horrific shooting by Paul Pierce who missed all six of his shots in the first quarter.

Even with the Captain off to a horrible start, Boston found itself only down 22-20 after one quarter of play.

New York continued to do just enough to keep their lead until a 3-pointer by Pierce put the C's ahead briefly, 34-33.

Moments later, the Knicks regained the lead when Raymond Felton connected with Tyson Chandler on a lob dunk that put New York back on top, 35-34.

But the Celtics continued to claw their way through the game, and seemingly got a burst from Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett putting the C's on their backs and catapulting Boston to a 45-39 halftime lead.

The Celtics seemed to have a firm grip in the third quarter until Raymond Felton once again took over and single-handedly brought the Knicks from eight-down to within 56-54.

Coming out of a time-out, Jason Terry drained a 3-pointer to put the Celtics up by five.

A pair of free throws by Iman Shumpert had it back to being a one-possession game only for the Celtics to counter by eventually pulling ahead for their biggest lead of the night, 69-60, following a 3-pointer by Jason Terry which would serve as the final points scored in the third quarter.
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WEEI 93.7FM

DRESSED FOR SUCCESS: C’S FORCE GAME 6 WITH WIN IN NEW YORK

By Mike Petraglia

NEW YORK — The Celtics are halfway home to history.

Jason Terry drilled 5-of-7 from 3-point range and finished with 17 points while Paul Pierce was 4-of-8 from long distance and added 16 as the Celtics overcame an early 11-point hole and stunned the Knicks, 92-86, Wednesday night in Game 5 at TD Garden. Game 6 is now set for Friday night at TD Garden, with the Celtics trailing, 3-2, in the best-of-seven series.

Jeff Green scored 18, Brandon Bass added 17 and Kevin Garnett hauled in 18 rebounds and hit a key jumper with under a minute left, as the Celtics became the 11th team in NBA history to force a Game 6 after falling into a 3-0 hole. Only three have ever forced a Game 7 and none have ever come all the way back and won the series.

Boston finished 11-for-20 from 3-point range while the Knicks were 5-for-20 from distance.

Kenyon Martin and several Knicks arrived at Madison Square Garden wearing all black, making good on a promise to dress for what they predicted was a Celtics funeral. J.R. Smith, who announced the Knicks would’ve won Game 4 and swept the series if he weren’t suspended, missed his first 11 shots and picked up a double-technical with Terry midway through the fourth quarter. The game ended with a heated exchange between Jordan Crawford and Raymond Felton as the two teams walked off the court.

But early on, things couldn’t have started much worse for the Celtics. They missed their first five jumpers from the floor while the Knicks raced out to an 11-0 lead.

Bass was the only Celtics player holding things together. Bass hit his first three shots while the rest of the Celtics started 0-for-8.

Trailing 15-6, Bass’ layup started a 14-7 Celtics run to end the first quarter and Boston trailed by just two, 22-20, with Bass tallying nine points.

The Knicks were clearly frustrated and borderline shaken by Boston’s ability to fight back. Martin picked up his third foul with 9:10 left in the second quarter when he delivered a tomahawk chop to Garnett. The call was initially ruled ‘Flagrant 1′ but was rescinded after video review.

The Knicks appeared to right the ship somewhat after that, opening a 32-26 lead on a Felton layup with 7:26 left. But the Celtics again responded with a fury. Pierce hit a pair of threes that sparked a 19-7 run to end the second quarter, as Boston silenced a very nervous Madison Square Garden crowd and took a 45-39 halftime lead. Garnett was big on the glass in the first half, with nine rebounds and 10 points.

Terrence Williams was an unsung hero off the bench for the Celtics as he and Terry were the only Celtics to sub in during the first half. The only bit of bad news in the second quarter came with 2:29 left when Bass picked up his third personal foul.

The Celtics continued their aggressive play early in the third as Garnett grabbed two quick rebounds in the first minute and Green gave Boston a 47-39 lead before Iman Shumpert connected on a three. It was Felton again at the heart of New York’s attack when his layup with 6:01 left cut Boston’s lead to two, 56-54.

But the Celtics countered. Pierce nailed a long straightaway three that re-established Boston’s eight-point lead, 66-58, with 3:37 left in the third. As was the case late in the second quarter, the Knicks went ice cold while Celtics got a big boost from Terry. His fourth three of the night with 41.9 seconds left in the third gave Boston its biggest lead, 69-60, a lead they would take into the fourth quarter.

With just over 11 minutes left, Anthony appeared to get tangled with Garnett in the paint and came away holding his left shoulder. After a brief timeout, a fallaway shot by Garnett with 10:30 left put the Celtics up, 71-60. Two Bass free throws and a one-handed tomahawk jam by Green gave Boston its biggest lead, 75-60 with 9:04 left.

The Knicks then came to life, scoring seven straight points to cut the Celtics’ lead to 10 with 7:01 remaining. Anthony drove to the basket and was fouled. After a long timeout, he drained two free throws with 5:57 left and the lead was down to eight. Bass ended the run with a bank shot, putting Boston up, 77-67. Terry’s three with five minutes left gave Boston an 80-67 lead. Green hit a pair of huge threes, including one with 2:23 left to put Boston up, 88-76.

The Knicks scored the next seven points, capped by three from Smith with 1:05 left to cut Boston’s lead to five, 88-83. However, Garnett’s jumper with 48.3 put Boston ahead, 90-83, and effectively put the game safely in hand for the C’s.

112288

NOT SO FAST!!!!!!!!!!

SEE YOU FRIDAY ......... CAUSEWAY STREET!!!!!!!!

OUR HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DRESS CODE.........HOME WHITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GO CELTICS!!!!!

112288

After all that happened in Boston two weeks ago - with us burring people for real, these JERKS come out with this crap?

MrK,

You should have seen the MSG post game feed......Ewing, Wally Z...they all thought in some many words that the Knicks were ass holes for getting into the ...dress black thing.

They now seemed worried that the tide may have turned.

Hope so

112288

On TNT it was pretty much the same with Shaq, the Chukster, and and kenny openly cheering for the C's and feeling that the knicks were way out of line. It was a hoot!

Things could get very interesting

WOW!!! I saw the last half at Professor Thoms, was hard to get a drink as bar was so packed, everyone was cheering madly on every good Celtic play, in NYC, gotta love it!!

So glad T Will got a run and this kid adds so much with his athleticism and handle. Watching replay of game right now and have never seen Barkley and Shaq openly rooting for a team, there supposed to be analysts not fans....gotta love it, what a bunch of asshloes Knicks are to have so many pundits/media turn on them. These fockin punks deserve to lose.

KG was unbelievable!!! talk about the will or heart of a champion, loved the way Doc managed his minutes. PP hit some really tough shots, wish he could get his driving game going. Still see alot of stretches where its obvious how much we miss Rondo, but heroic how we still keep grinding on and on and how great was our defense!! and that was all KG, another monster board game too. T Will gave us a huge spark, hope that can continue.....and screw JR Smith!!!!!

Well now

The Knicks are a bit over their heads. How much more unprofessional can you be?

Game 5 always seems to have a profound impact in a 7 game series. While it is still unlikely that the Celtics can do what has never been done before, it is now in play.

Despite a lot of ups and downs throughout the game the Celtics hung in their and showed the mental toughness to keep the Knicks at bay.

I like seeing williams in the game but would still like to see Randolph or Wilcox get a few minutes so that KG can get a longer blow and we are not faced with being undersized in the post area.

Jason Terry has finally come alive the last two games. I have been very disappointed in his play this year but I knew he has always been a big time shot maker. Now we can see what he is capable of doing. Perhaps even more than his shot making ability his overall can do attitude is inspirational.

PP started off ice cold, heated up a bit mid way through and gutted it out to the end. but man he had little in the tank going down the stretch. I am scared everytime he has the ball in his hands...I keep feeling like he is going to turn it over.

Once the offense started to flow to Jeff Green, he was able to carry us to the end.

KG's effort was tremendous.....

This game has completely changed the series. The Celtics are deep inside the minds of the Knicks players. Game 6 should be bigtime fun... can't wait.

dboss

The future of the Boston Celtics is not as bleak as many want to think. I cannot read minds, and I really do not believe these writers can either. Who knows what DA will do in the off season. How do you tell KG, thanks but we really want to get rid of you after the numbers he has posted during this series. How do you look PP in the eye and say "See Ya"?

With Rondo and Sully back on the court next year, you will be watching Jeff Green flourish even more. You know those KG slams, they will now be Jeff's slams. Rondo will feed him nicely. I really like T Will, he is proving that he realizes that to succeed, he will have to play the kind of defense Doc requires, and has shown he is willing to learn.

So, hold the shovels, let's see what happens. I say that unless he is hurt and in need of major surgery, KG returns. PP will take a pay cut to stay here, come off the bench and be a great teammate for these young guys. Some will be gone, but I am not so sure it will be PP and KG.

I am so darn proud of the fight they put up last night. It took me hours to wind down! God, I love this team.

Rosalie

Just wanted to pop in before I took off on a 3 day walkabout.

Win or lose, and without Rondo, Sully and Barbosa it will be tough to win, we're still showing Celtic Pride! I loved the statement we made after they made their stupid dress statement. Figures it was K-Mart's suggestion to do that. He is the dumbest player in the NBA, bar none, by far. I'm surprised at Jason Kidd for going along.

I won't be back before the end of the game on Sunday, so I won't know if we're advancing.

Go Celtics! I'll try to catch a game in the next round. Now there's a statement I can live with.

If I could, I'd wear a bright red suit to the Knicks' funeral and cackle like Bill Russell the whole time, but I'd first wait until the body is cold.

bob


.

Sorry I've had to miss the last couple of games and Game On! threads. We've been up to our ears with the travel baseball thing. Friday doesn't look promising either, but I'll be looking to check in late in the game if I can. I'm sure the karma flowing from this group alone will be huge! I can't wait to see some of the video and catch what's been happening.

NY

Good luck with your son and his baseball!

112288

A red suit, a famous cackle, and let's not forget that cigar.

Fortunately Doc knows that, once you're in the playoffs, there is a core group that gets locked into the action ad a unit and can step it up as a unit. Among other things, that core group usually has far better chemistry than any other combination would have. Plug an additional guy in to that group, and the rhythm and chemistry are likely to suffer.

Doc already has taken a chance with Williams, and it may be paying off—least enough so that Bradley and Terry can focus on their strengths and not on their comparatively aimless approaches to running the team. (At least Terry shows an occasional good move in acting as the PG, although JET has great difficulty handling the ball under pressure. Avery is two degrees below rock bottom.)

Right now, the core consists of five iron men: KG, Bass, Green, Pierce and Terry, with a couple of other guys splitting a job in ways that depend on matchups, specific need, and positives versus negatives. It's no time to wail about how things might have been different. The chips are now down. They are what they are.

The simple fact is that, if any of the iron men gets into early foul trouble, especially KG, Bass or Green, the Celtics will have a monstrous hill to climb—not only because they'll be lacking a major part of the core but also because Doc will lose the last tiny sliver of flexibility he has in substitutions.

I expect the Knick to go at KG repeatedly from the outset tonight. His status is my #1 key to the game. IF he should have to leave the floor early, I won't be surprised if Doc opts to go small with someone from the core rather than trying (at this late point in the going) to perform some "instant integration" of one of the non-core players.

Who knows? Maybe he'll put Shavlik or Wilcox in there and we'll all be pleasantly surprised at how he steps up. I would love that. But the coach generally goes with the percentages. And down 3-2 in the sixth game of a playoff series is no time to change that strategy.

And claiming that it couldn't hurt to give a guy a 5 minute try is tantamount to being a little bit pregnant. A bad 5 minutes could VERY WELL hurt. It could lose the game. If the Knicks were to get on a major roll during those 5 minutes, the Celtics could spend the rest of the game looking at Carmelo Anthony's ass.

This is not "Hey, let's try this or that" time. This is when you do everything you can to maximize the performance of your playoff core, hoping that all the days between games, the respites fostered by the television timeouts, smart decisions, and the adrenalin produced by desperation will somehow offset most effects of fatigue.

Go Celtics!

Sam

Things get a little tougher for the C's as the days between games drops to one. The crowd should be electric and help carry the C's if the Knicks don't get out to an early lead and buzz kill it.

I for one am seeking forgiveness from the board as I was the first one to throw dirt on the grave for the Celtics 1st Round playoff chances. I should know better. Won't be making that mistake again.

BTW, we all know the O-fer record, but how many series have gone from down 0-3 to 2-3? Or 3-3? I would imagine we are in pretty rarified air right now as most of those historical series classified as "no team has ever come back from down 0-3 were eventual sweeps or over in 5.

Go Celtics!!

OK, 3 teams have come back to tie it 3-3 only to lose game 7.

1) 1951 Finals - NY Knicks vs. Rochester Royals
2) 1994 Western Conference Semis - Denver Nuggets vs. Utah Jazz
3) 2003 Western Conference Quarter Finals - Portland Trailblazers vs. Dallas Mavericks

12 times/teams for going from 0-3 to 2-4. Total sample space per ESPN is 100, so 85% either finished 1-4 or 0-4.