The New York Knicks won their first playoff game in Boston for the first time since May 6, 1990. This was a remarkable win against a very shorthanded Celtic team.
From the start the Knicks executed their offense. That excellent flow, saw them have 23-18 lead at the end of the first quarter. From that point on the Knicks would widen their lead. And at one point led by 21 points. Their excellent play led to this big win.
Carmelo Anthony was the prime form as he scored 26 points. Anthony struggled to start the game, but was able be effective later in the game. Anthony was guarded primarily by Jeff Green, who really played Anthony well tonight.
Anthony made some very tough shots that seemed to break the Celtics back.
Overall the Knicks had great team play tonight. JR Smith scored 15 points off the bench before being ejected. Smith elbowed Jason Terry in the face. The elbow seemed to be incidental, but the referees thought it should be a flagrant two foul. That was a turning point in this game as the Celtics started to rally back. But big shots from Steve Novak and Carmelo Anthony sealed the win.
Novak scored 8 points off the bench in what was his biggest scoring output in this series. Novak really saw great opportunities and capitalized on them tonight.
Raymond Felton made some excellent plays tonight. He really has improved as the series has gone along. Tonight Felton scored 15 points and dished out 10 assists. His overall playmaking ability was a plus tonight. He was a leader and communicated well with his teammates.
The defense was also great tonight. The Knicks racked up 14 steals and four blocks. This strong defense dominated the Celtics and made them work for every shot.
This series is just about over with another Knicks win. Tonight they won a very tough game they had to take if they wanted to get this series over with. The Knicks and Celtics will play on Sunday afternoon. That game will be very tough with the Celtics backs against the wall. Knicks win 90-76.
Twitter: @CaardelEaddy and or @CaardelsBlog
Photo Credit: Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images
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