Final
Knicks on the brink; hope to stay alive vs. Celtics
Apr 24, 2011 - 2:38 PM (Sports Network) - If the New York Knicks hope to stave off elimination on Easter Sunday they will have to find a way to deal with Rajon Rondo.The Celtics' dynamic, ultra-quick point guard will lead his team onto the floor of Madison Square Garden for Game 4 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, hoping to sweep the upstart Knicks out of the postseason.
A resounding 113-96 Celtics victory on Friday in Game 3, also at MSG, put New York on the brink. Rondo ended with 15 points, 11 rebounds, and a franchise playoff-record 20 assists in that one for his sixth career postseason triple- double.
"He called a terrific game," Celtics head coach Doc Rivers said of Rondo. "That's a great sign for us because when he does that, he allows us to run pretty much whatever we want to run."
With Rivers' offense humming through Rondo, Paul Pierce drilled six three- pointers and scored 38 points, while Ray Allen hit eight long-distance shots and ended with 32 points. Kevin Garnett pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds and added nine points for Boston, which shot 51 percent overall
"We pretty much ran one set the entire second half," Rondo said. "Simplicity was the key word. We kept it simple. Our bigs got guys open, and obviously we executed down the stretch."
The efforts helped the Celtics record the blowout win after they had won the first two games at home by a combined five points.
Friday's game was the first NBA playoff contest at MSG since 2004, but the Knicks weren't able to use the crowd to get back in the series.
New York was at a disadvantage without its starting point guard, Chauncey Billups, who missed his second consecutive game in the series because of a knee injury.
Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire did start -- he had been a game-time decision because of back spasms -- but finished with just seven points on 2-of-8 shooting.
"The last few days, every step hurt," Stoudemire said. "Every step I took I felt it in my back."
The All-Star added that he even had a hard time putting on his socks and shoes, and said there is "no way" he'll be 100 percent healthy by this afternoon, although Stoudemire is expected to lace them up. Billups, on the other hand, is likely to remained sidelined.
"It's tough. The guy's been on a bed for two days...his heart is in the right place," Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said of Stoudemire. "He gave us everything he got. His body's a little bit dead. But he'll be ready to go on Sunday."
Stoudemire's condition in Game 3 put a lot of the scoring burden on Carmelo Anthony, who had poured in 42 points in Game 2. This time Anthony shot just 4- of-16 and finished with 15 points. Shawne Williams was New York's leading scorer, with 17 off the bench.
The Knicks, who haven't won a playoff game since 2001, when it lost a first- round matchup against Toronto in five games, also got 15 points from Toney Douglas, Billups' understudy, but couldn't stop Pierce or Allen.
New York was swept in its last postseason appearance against the Nets in 2004 and no team in NBA history has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit. Boston hasn't swept a postseason set since taking three straight from Indiana back in 1992.
"It's tough, man, knowing that Amare's not 100 percent and Chauncey's not 100 percent," Anthony said. "We're just trying to find our way on the fly right now. That's a tough situation. That would be making excuses if I sat here and say they beat us because we're not at 100 percent. I don't want to use that as an excuse."
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.
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.
Game 5 of the series, if necessary, will be back in Beantown on Tuesday.
- BOSTON: 101
NEW YORK: 89
Final
Apr 24 6:17 PM - BOSTON: 82
NEW YORK: 72
End of 3rd
Apr 24 5:44 PM - BOSTON: 55
NEW YORK: 38
Halftime
Apr 24 4:55 PM - BOSTON: 0
NEW YORK: 0
1st Quarter - 12:00
Apr 24 3:42 PM
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