The New York Knicks went back to New York in a 0-2 hole in their series with the Boston Celtics. The Knicks welcomed back Amar’e Stoudemire who missed game 2 with back spasms. Chauncey Billups missed his second consecutive game with a knee injury. Shaquille O’Neal also missed the game due to his calf injury.
This was a heartbreaking lost for the Knicks who came out flat and out of sorts. They never were in the game for the most part as the Celtics blew them out on the Knicks home floor. The Celtics shot the ball really well and got excellent contributions from all of their players. Paul Pierce took the Knicks heart in the first quarter as he scored 16 in the first quarter. He would score 38 points for the game as he also hit six three-point field goals. The Celtics are a tough team to beat when all of their shots are going in. This marked the worst lost for the Knicks against the Celtics this season.
Ray Allen scored 32 points in his teams win. He is really lighting up the Knicks with his unbelievable shooting and ability to get open. His presence on the Celtics makes them a tough team to beat. His health is vital to his team going far in the playoffs.
Rajon Rondo recorded a triple-double as he scored 15 points, dished out 20 assists, and grabbed 11 rebounds. This was his first triple-double against the Knicks in this series. He is an excellent point guard who can get the ball to the open guy. He has excellent court vision and made the Knicks defense look terrible.
The Knicks didn’t have anything going for them. Amar'e Stoudemire only contributed 7 points in 33 minutes. That is inexcusable considering his injury. If he was going to play that bad he should have just sat out. If anything Amar’e just made the team struggle.
Carmelo Anthony struggled as well, but put forth a nice effort as he scored 15 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and dished out 6 assists. He is the key to the Knicks winning on Sunday. They need him to just take over and put the team in a position to win the game.
Shawne Williams had a nice game as he scored a team-high 17 points and 6 rebounds. He really had a nice game, but the team wasn’t able to get the job done.
The Knicks will need to play a whole lot better if they plan on winning on Sunday. Also, Landry Fields is playing terrible and needs to be replaced in the starting lineup. He is hindering the progress of the Knicks at this point in the season. The Knicks will have a tough assignment on Sunday to beat the Celtics. The status of Chauncey Billups is in the air and it looks as if he may play.
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