Celtics Fall 88-80 To Knicks In Game 6, Let The Breakup Begin

Listen, we all knew this day would eventually come. There is a reason no team has ever rallied from a 3-0 hole in the NBA playoffs. Likewise, as much as we want them to be, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett won't be Celtics forever. It seems only right that in possibly their last game together, the Celts fell 88-80 to the Knicks in one of the most bizarre contests tonight at TD Garden in Game 6 of the first round.

The Knicks move on to face the Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals beginning on Sunday afternoon. Go Indiana! New York won its first playoff series since 2000 while Boston lost in the first round for the first time since KG (15 points, 10 rebounds, 2 steals) came aboard in 2007-08 (when they won the NBA title). The Knicks should have won this game by about 40 points since the Celts managed 10 points in the first quarter and 27 in the first half. Ugh, seriously. That will be one of the lasting memories of this series, the wretched offensive performances by the C's in almost every game.

The Knicks led by as much as 26 (75-49) early in the fourth quarter before the Celtics hit them with a 20-0 run. Yes, that really happened. Suddenly, Boston cut it to a four-point game (79-75) after Avery Bradley's (10 points, 3 steals) dunk with 3:31 left in regulation. To quote KG from five years ago, "Anything's possible!" Unfortunately, that wasn't the case this evening though as Iman Shumpert (17 points, 6 rebounds) and J.R. Smith (13 points, 7 rebounds) made plays down the stretch while Carmelo Anthony (21 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals) continued to be the most unclutch superstar in the NBA. Hell Pablo Prigioni (14 points, 5 rebounds) played better than him, Raymond Felton had 11 points, seven assists and two steals while Tyson Chandler added 9 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks.

Jeff Green (21 points, 5 rebounds) showed plenty of heart (no pun intended), going to the line a whopping 14 times (two less than New York as a team). Whenever Garnett and Pierce leave, this will quickly become Rajon Rondo and Green's team. That is a scary proposition but at least this season, Green proved that when he puts his mind to it, he has the potential to be a star. I'd love to see Pierce return, if for no other reason than to erase the memory of one of his worst games as a Celtic: 14 points on 4-of-18 shooting, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals. Crap like guys retiring with a certain team usually doesn't mean much to me but in this case, I think he's earned that right. However, Celtics GM Danny Ainge has to do a much better job of surrounding Pierce (1 year left on his deal) and KG (two years left) with more talent.

Jason Terry had 14 points and he sounded like he's not ready to retire quite yet. He was a bust for most of the season but maybe with another season in Green and White, he would become more comfortable. Of course, one could argue that the biggest domino in this whole scenario is head coach Doc Rivers. In the emotional aftermath of this loss, he sounded very unsure of his future in Boston. Obviously, they'll have him here as long as he wants to stay. Still, like Garnett and Pierce, he is too good to have to go through another rebuilding mode. Who could blame him if he wants to leave (assuming KG and Pierce also walk out)?

I feel like I wrote the exact same thing last June after Boston lost to Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals, and I'm too tired to look it up, but I can say with certainty that this will truly be a fascinating summer. Does Ainge go for it one more time with this nucleus plus a healthy Rondo, Jared Sullinger and a better supporting cast and bench? Or does he blow it up completely and start to move on? Tough decisions, that's presumably why he gets paid the big bucks and I'm just a lowly blogger.

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If Any Team Can Blow A 3-0 Series Lead In The NBA, It's Gotta Be The Knicks

My how things can change over two games in the NBA playoffs or roughly 12 days. The Knicks had a chance to sweep the Celtics on Sunday but lost 97-90 in OT. No problem, everybody knew they'd come back to Madison Square Garden tonight with J.R. Smith and get rid of the C's once and for all. Well it turns out that didn't happen either as Boston beat New York 92-86 to cut the series lead to 3-2.

This is where I remind you that no team in NBA history has ever rallied from an 0-3 deficit. All I said on Sunday is that I wanted to see what would happen in a Game 6 in Boston. I got my wish, the series returns to TD Garden on Friday (7 p.m., CSN). Enough can't be overstated about the heart, competitiveness and desire of Kevin Garnett (16 points, 18 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks) and Paul Pierce (16 points). Jeff Green had 18 points for the Celts, Brandon Bass (17 points, 5 rebounds) kept them in it after they were down 11-0 to start the game while Jason Terry (17 points) was clutch for the second game in a row.

The Knicks are frontrunning clowns who cared more about playing dress up (showing up in all black clothes for a "Celtics funeral") than winning a basketball game. Carmelo Anthony had 22 points on 8-of-24 shooting and seven rebounds. Believe it or not, Raymond Felton (21 points, 6 rebounds) has been New York's steadiest player throughout this up and down series. Iman Shumpert added 12 points, six rebounds and three steals while Tyson Chandler grabbed 11 rebounds. Smith had 14 points but he was a Melo-esque 3-of-14 from the floor.

Other than the very ugly beginning, this was a game that Boston controlled for the final three plus quarters. They pulled to within 22-20 after one and led 45-39 at halftime. The Celtics outscored the Knicks 25-22 in the third and opened up a 15-point lead early in the fourth (75-60) before hanging on for dear life.

This was the team we loved to watch after they pulled together following Rondo's injury, they're tough, smart and don't back down from anyone. Boston shot 6.2% better from the field than New York (45.7%-39.5%) and they beat the Knicks at their own game by hitting six more 3-pointers (11-5). If that wasn't enough, the C's managed to dish out seven more assists (20-13) than the all-iso Knicks.

Now the Celtics have all the momentum in the series and this loss has to put some serious doubt in the Knicks' heads. Suddenly, all the pressure is on New York who FYI hasn't won a playoff series since 2000. So yeah, there is still plenty of work to do but the C's could actually pull this off.

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Celtics Pride Is Alive, Well Sort Of

It was long overdue (say 3 games) but the Celtics finally should some fight with stretches of solid execution mixed in and they were able to avoid getting swept by the Knicks. Boston beat New York 97-90 in overtime this afternoon in Game 4 of their first round playoff series at TD Garden.

Paul Pierce (29 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists), Jeff Green (25 points, 6 rebounds) and Kevin Garnett (13 points, 17 rebounds, 6 assists) carried the Celts while Jason Terry (18 points) picked a good time to show up for one of the first times this season.

Of course the C's had to make things way more difficult on themselves than need be since J.R. Smith was suspended for Game 4 and they led by 20 points in the third quarter (59-39). Carmelo Anthony scored 36 points with seven rebounds as only he can: on 10-of-35 shooting from the floor and 16-for-20 on free throws. HHaha my man was 0-for-7 on 3-pointers. The Knicks rallied and nearly stole this one since Raymond Felton (27 points, 3 steals) had the NBA game of his life. Iman Shumpert added 12 points, 12 rebounds, two steals and two blocks while Tyson Chandler grabbed 11 rebounds.

Boston had nothing to lose and they played like it from the start. The Celtics outscored the Knicks 22-17 in the first quarter and took a 54-35 halftime lead. New York crawled back into it since KG, Green and Brandon Bass all picked up four fouls early in the third quarter thanks to the usual crooked NBA refs. The Knicks outscored the Celtics 30-14 in the third quarter to cut it to 68-65 heading into the fourth quarter. New York took the fourth quarter 19-16 as Pierce missed a last-second game-winner for the millionth time in the last few seasons.

I couldn't believe it with my own eyes but Terry took over in the extra session, hitting a huge 3-pointer, layup, two free throws then the garbage time layup to seal it. I didn't think there was any chance the Celts would get it done once it went to overtime but I'm happy that they proved me (and many others) wrong.

Boston's defense was outstanding as they held New York to 34.4% shooting while the Celts shot 44.7%. The Knicks made it very interesting by owning the boards (54-40 total, 16-3 on offensive rebounds). The Celtics had 12 more assists (22-10) as they remembered how to play team basketball against Melo's one-man team. Boston had seven more fast break points (15-8) while New York scored eight more points off Boston's turnovers (18-10).

History is still squarely on the Knicks' side since no NBA team has ever come back from down 3-0 in a series. Game 3 is Wednesday (time TBA, CSN) at Madison Square Garden and all I'll say is that if the Celts can somehow win that one, then it'll get interesting. However, I'm not counting on that by any means.

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The Night We All Lost Any Remaining Hope In The Celtics This Season

It is going to be a very short stay in the 2013 NBA playoffs for the Celtics. Boston lost 90-76 in Game 3 to New York tonight at TD Garden, giving the Knicks a 3-0 series lead in the first round series with the chance to sweep the Celts on Sunday afternoon (1 p.m., ABC).

Boston has still yet to crack 80 points in a game as their half-court offense without Rajon Rondo is gone. Ironically, their defense has been good enough to win for most teams (holding NY to 90 or less in each game) but when you haven't topped 78 points, you won't win any games in the postseason.

Carmelo Anthony had a game-high 26 points, Raymond Felton added 15 points and 10 assists while J.R. Smith notched 15 points off the bench. The only real intrigue to Game 4, since the outcome feels like a forgone conclusion already, is whether Smith will play since he was ejected in the fourth quarter after catching Jason Terry (14 points) with an elbow in the face.

Jeff Green led the C's with 21 points and nine rebounds, Kevin Garnett had 12 points and 17 rebounds and Paul Pierce put up 17 points and five assists. The problem for Boston (among many other issues) is a lack of depth. I'd say that getting only 12 total points from the rest of the team in Game 3 would be tough to overcome. Green, KG & Pierce have been OK in this series, the problem is that nobody else can consistently help them. Avery Bradley is a puddle, Courtney Lee barely plays and Brandon Bass is also MIA. Yeesh.

I'm certainly not rooting for it but nothing happened tonight to make me change my mind that I feel like the Knicks will end this in four painful games. We knew it at the time that Rondo went down the knee injury that this season was going nowhere fast. However, the Celtics found a way to play decent for a while which gave us some false hope that they could turn it on in the postseason and make this a competitive series at the very least. Not so much, New York has been the better team by a mile and Boston can't get out of their own way without puking on their sneakers.

UPDATE 4/28: Smith was suspended for Game 4.

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The Celtics Are In A World Of Trouble Without Rajon Rondo

Capping off this night of suck for Boston sports teams (3 games, 3 blowout losses), the Celtics clocked in for the most costly setback of all since they are the only ones in the playoffs at the moment. The Knicks beat the Celtics 87-71 in Game 2 tonight at Madison Square Garden, giving New York a commanding 2-0 lead in the first-round series.

If you thought only scoring 25 points in the second half of Sunday's loss was pathetic (and it really was), Boston somehow sunk even lower with 23 points in the second half this evening. This was almost a carbon copy of Game 1: Boston led 48-42 at halftime and seemed in control. That is until New York hit them with a 32-11 third quarter. Game over.

The Knicks might have the most predictable and boring offense in the NBA-give the ball to Melo and J.R. Smith then get out of the way-but it is doing more than enough against the overmatched Celts. Anthony had a game-high 34 points, 6th Man of the Year Smith added 19 points off the bench (including a crazy 3 from nearly midcourt at the end of the 1st half) while Raymond Felton scored 16 points and Kenyon Martin (who Boston could have signed during the season) posted 11 rebounds and four blocks.

Paul Pierce was decent with 18 points, six rebounds and six assists but Kevin Garnett (12 points, 11 rebounds) was in foul trouble all game so he could only play 24 minutes. Where's Eddie F. Rush when you need him or Kenny Mauer? Jeff Green had 10 points, Jordan Crawford added 10 points off the bench and Brandon Bass grabbed 10 rebounds. Call off the search party because Jason Terry reappeared with nine points (after going scoreless in Game 1) but of course he did all his damage in the first half.

Our only hope is that David Stern wants this series to go more than four games since right now, the C's don't appear capable of winning once. That means, he has to send some crooked refs (like the ones mentioned in the previous paragraph) because Boston needs a victory on Friday (8 p.m., CSN) or the dream is over. It should be a great atmosphere at TD Garden for Game 3, the question is if the Celts can beat the Knicks without Rajon Rondo?

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You Win This Round Carmelo

Celtics Games Without Kevin Garnett In The Lineup Are Unwatchable, There I Said It

I suspect that if you're reading this, you have already figured out what my keen eyes have noticed about the Celtics these last few games: they are hopeless without Kevin Garnett so there is basically no reason to watch them lose. Tonight, the Knicks (46-26, 27-10) didn't break a sweat in a 108-89 blowout of the C's (108-89) at Madison Square Garden.

New York has won eight games in a row while Boston had their modest two-game win streak snapped. This closed the season series with the Knicks ahead 3-1 over the Celtics, Boston won the first meeting but lost the last three in progressively worse fashion. They've dropped four of six without KG but apparently he could come back sooner than they thought (I doubt it). The good news is that there are only nine games left in the regular season for Boston. I can't take many more of these preseason-esque scrimmages.

Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 24 points, 10 rebounds and two steals. Something called Chris Copeland had 22 points and five rebounds off the bench, Raymond Felton scored 18 points, J.R. Smith had 15 points, 12 rebounds and two steals while Steve Novak and Iman Shumpert both notched 10 points.

Boston basically had two guys show up: Paul Pierce (24 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists) and Jeff Green (27 points) unless you count 10 points apiece from Jordan Crawford and Courtney Lee.

The Celts are in Minnesota tomorrow night (8 p.m., CSN) to face the Timberwolves (26-46, 5th in Northwest Division). Normally I would say this game will suck but Celtics head coach Doc Rivers hinted tonight that Pierce is going to sit out so yeah, avert your eyes kids from this dumpster fire.

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This is why the Celtics are damn good

There were a million reasons why the Boston Celtics should have lost to the New York Knicks last night at Madison Square Garden.

Shaq and Jermaine O'Neal were out, Rajon Rondo sprained his ankle badly and oh by the way, with Amar'e Stoudemire (39 points, 10 rebounds, 3 blocks) the Knicks (16-10) are a legitimate team for the first time in more than a decade.

New York showed why they came in riding an 8-game winning steak as they led virtually the entire game. However, when it counted (are you listening Bruins?) Paul Pierce (32 points, 10 rebounds) hit a patented jumper over Stoudemire with 0.4 seconds left giving Boston (20-4) a 118-116 win, their 11th straight victory.

Sure Stoudemire hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer but even Spike Lee (who has suddenly reappeared now that the Knicks are relevant again) couldn't possibly believe his new boy could hoist a shot in 0.4 seconds, it's impossible!

So there we go, the Celtics survived and it was thanks to their veteran moxie oozing from Kevin Garnett (20 points, 13 rebounds), Ray Allen (26 points), Rondo (10 points, 14 assists) and Glen Davis (11 points). Even Nate Robinson (9 points) made some plays in his return to MSG, but undoubtedly his most lasting contribution will be the face plant he took after he jumped on Pierce following the Truth's game-winner.

Since they've been down for so long, it is honestly nice to see the Knicks be important again in the NBA. New York is a great basketball city and they deserve a worthy franchise, not the smoldering wreck they've been for the last decade.

Stoudemire's MVP caliber play has led to the emergence of Raymond Felton (26 points, 14 assists) and Wilson Chandler (18 points, 12 rebounds). Danillo Gallinari is also a budding star, dropping all 20 of his points in the second half.

New York led 32-24 after one quarter after a hot start and 58-51 at halftime after Felton's running 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Both teams scored 32 points in the third quarter and the Celts got it done in the fourth quarter (35-26).

The Knicks shot 53.1% to the Celtics' 52.3%. New York hit more 3-pointers (9-7) and they each hit 21 free throws. Boston had four more rebounds (39-35), seven more assists (26-19) and six more steals (11-5).

The only thing that will hold New York back is their allergy to defense. Sure Mike Dantoni's style is fun to watch but when they get to the playoffs, it's been proven time and again that tempo doesn't work (Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors).

Bad news today that Rondo could be out for weeks with the ankle sprain. The Celts host the Hawks tonight in a TNT game.

Tommy Points all around: Celts pull out gutty double OT win vs. Charlotte

With the bad news the other day that Kevin Garnett will be out at least until April 12 against the Cavaliers (and most likely until the playoffs), the Boston Celtics circled the wagons and put in some serious work last night, beating the Bobcats 111-109 in double overtime at the Garden.

It was a game the C's (57-19) had to have as they try to get the No. 2 spot in the East while on the other side, it was a crushing loss for the Bobcats (34-41) as they try to slide into the eighth seed and the franchise's first playoff spot.

It was a game that Charlotte choked away as they led by as much as 12 points in the fourth quarter before Boston staged a nice comeback.

Rajon Rondo (21 points, 9 assists, 4 steals, 4 rebounds) even had a chance to win it as Celtics coach Doc Rivers drew up a nice inbounds play at the end of the game: Paul Pierce (32 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists) passed to Rondo, Rondo gave it back to Pierce and then he handed it off to Rondo who had an open lane to the hoop. His runner was too strong and rimmed out.

Ray Allen (22 points) was the hero of the overtimes as he hit a tying 3-pointer in the second overtime and the game-winner with 2.1 seconds left (putting the Celts up by two points). On the latter shot, Pierce drove and drew multiple defenders before kicking to Ray in the corner.

Eddie House (18 points) also had a great game off the bench in the win.

Charlotte saw seven players score in double figures, led by the always underrated Gerald Wallace (20 points, 10 rebounds, 4 steals). Boris Diaw (17 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds), Raymond Felton (14 points, 12 assists) and Emeka Okafor (12 points, 10 rebounds) were all good. Raja Bell added 12 points while D.J. Augustin (14 points) and Vladimir Radmonovic (10 points) were solid off the bench.

The Celts host Atlanta tomorrow night.

Is it time to panic yet?

After such a ridiculous start, no game seems to be a given for the Boston Celtics at this moment in time.

A 114-106 overtime loss last night to the Charlotte Bobcats-one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference-proved that point.

The offense wasn't the problem for the C's (29-7) as Paul Pierce led Boston with 28 points and six rebounds. Ray Allen had 20 points and Kevin Garnett posted a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Rajon Rondo had 16 points, six boards, four assists, three steals but nine turnovers. Kendrick Perkins had nine points and 10 boards in the loss.

Once again, Boston's bench was the issue as they were outscored 34-19.

The Bobcats (13-22) combination of young, athletic players seemed to uncover the Celts' biggest matchup problem (just like the Hawks). Raymond Felton (25 points, 8 assists, 7 turnovers) and Gerald Wallace (23 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals) led Charlotte.

They also got solid contributions from Boris Diaw (15 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists) and Emeka Okafor (13 points, 17 rebounds, 3 blocks).

Adam Morrison (with short hair) had 13 points off the bench but the key of the game was rookie D.J. Augustin, who had 20 points and five assists off the bench, including 12-of-12 from the line.

As a team, the Bobcats had nine more steals (25-16) than the Celtics.

The Houston Rockets come to the Garden tonight in an early season must-win for a Celtics squad looking to reestablish its identity.

Rondo is my Dad

It's a proven fact in sports that for whatever reason, some teams always seem to give you trouble, even when they have less talent. Such is the case with the Boston Celtics this season and the Charlotte Bobcats. The Celts (45-12) held off the pesky Bobcats (19-39), 108-100 at the Garden.

It was the third time the teams have met this season. Boston won the first on a Ray Allen buzzer-beating 3-pointer and lost the rematch in the Garden.

Charlotte only had nine players last night since Gerald Wallace and Sean May were out. The C's were up all game, by as much as 17 but they had a hard time putting the visitors away.

Rajon Rondo had one of the best games of his young career with nine points, a career-high 16 assists, six rebounds and two steals. Kendrick Perkins added 19 points, nine boards and five blocks. Ray Allen scored 23 points and pulled down five rebounds.

Boston led 33-28 after the first quarter and 61-46 at the half. Jason Richardson had a game-high 30 points and six rebounds for the Bobcats and Raymond Felton flirted with a triple-double: 22 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds. Richardson joined LeBron and Corey Maggette (really?) as the only guys to have 30+ points two times against the Celts this season.

Charlotte took the last two frames, 26-25 and 28-22. Former Big East standouts starred for Charlotte as Matt Carroll had 16 points and Emeka Okafor contributed 11 points and seven boards. Rookie Jared Dudley from BC even got into the action with nine points, seven rebounds and three steals.

For the C's, Kevin Garnett had 17 points and nine boards while Paul Pierce's cold-streak continued as he managed just 13 points. Leon Powe scored nine and Glen Davis tossed in seven.

The Celts shot 47.7% for the game to the Bobcats' 40.2%. Charlotte made a few more 3-pointers (11-9) and free-throws (23-17). Assists were the story thanks to Rondo's remarkable performance, the Celts had 11 (33-22) more dimes.

Up next, the Hawks come to the Garden tomorrow night. The Celts haven't seen Atlanta yet this season and there's a decent chance they could see each other in the first round of the playoffs (don't laugh).