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Knicks try to even series in Boston

Apr 19, 2011 - 2:40 PM (Sports Network) - The New York Knicks hope to bounce back from a heartbreaking loss in the opener of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals when they take another crack at the Boston Celtics in Game 2 at TD Garden.

Ray Allen buried a three-pointer with 11.6 seconds remaining on Sunday, lifting the Celtics to an 87-85 victory over the Knicks.

A Carmelo Anthony offensive foul set the stage for Allen, who hit nothing but net on his shot from the left side.

"Sometimes the shot goes in, sometimes it doesn't," said Allen, the NBA's all- time three-point king.

Anthony, trying to give the Knicks their first postseason win in nearly 10 years, then clanked a three-pointer off the front of the rim in the final seconds to end the game.

Allen scored 18 of his 24 points in the second half to lead the Celtics as they battled back from a 12-point deficit in the third quarter. His go-ahead three capped a mini 5-0 run to end the game.

Paul Pierce added 18 points and Kevin Garnett scored 15 with a game-high 13 rebounds for third-seeded Boston. Jermaine O'Neal, starting for the injured Shaquille O'Neal at center, scored six of his 12 points to spark a key third quarter run.

"Regardless of how bad we were shooting or how bad we were playing defense I thought down the stretch we found a way to win and that was because of our experience," said Pierce.

The sixth-seeded Knicks -- in the playoffs for the first time since 2004 -- still haven't won a playoff game since 2001. They were led Sunday by their three newest stars. Amare Stoudemire had 28 points and 11 rebounds, while Anthony scored 15 and Chauncey Billups chipped in 10 before leaving the game in the final minute after coming down hard on his left leg under the basket.

Despite blowing the lead, the Knicks were in good shape to win down the stretch.

"It's a tough loss. Anytime you lose with a few seconds left it's never a good feeling," said Stoudemire. "But we did play extremely hard, we did a great job defensively for most of the game, and just couldn't get the win."

Stoudemire was 12-for-18 in his first postseason game in a New York uniform, including a pair of key buckets late in the fourth before New York, inexplicably, stopped going to its hot-hand.

Billups, meanwhile, was unable to practice Monday although the Knicks refused to rule him out.

"He's sore," Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said. "He's very questionable. They'll ice him, do everything they can and hopefully he'll be OK, but questionable much more probability Friday (Game 3)."

If Billups can't go, reserve guard Toney Douglas is expected to start. Douglas averaged 16.8 points and 6.8 assists in the six games as a starter in early March when Billups was sidelined with a left thigh bruise.

"It's really sore today," Billups told the Boston Globe on Monday. "But we're going to treat it all day today and tomorrow and see how it goes. At this point in the season, this is the worst thing that could possibly happen, getting hurt in the first game of a tough series. I know my team needs me and it's just frustrating."

Meanwhile, Shaq, who appeared in only 37 games this season for Boston, missing all but five minutes of the last 34 regular season games with Achilles and calf injuries, has already been listed out again by the C's.

The Celtics have dominated the Knicks in recent years, winning 16 of their last 18 regular season games versus New York, including a four-game sweep this season that included a 112-102 win in the regular season finale for both clubs on Wednesday.

In the playoffs, this rivalry dates all the way back to 1950-51 when New York swept Boston in a three-game Eastern semifinals set. The Knicks also won a five-game set the last time the two hooked up in the postseason, 1989-90. Overall the clubs have met 13 times, with the Celtics taking seven of the series.

The series shifts to New York and Madison Square Garden on Friday for Game 3.