The Celtics embarrassed the Knicks 104-59. Yes, that score is correct. One hundred four to fifty nine. Tonight's game had as much to do with how poorly the Knicks played as it did how well the Celtics played. It seemed as though the Knicks just stopped playing. The Celtics played with energy from the start and never looked back while the Knicks looked like they were sleepwalking. Only a lucky heave at the buzzer by Nate Robinson prevented the Knicks from setting a record for lowest point total for a game prompting one Knicks fan to say "we can't even be the best at being bad."
The Knicks shot 30% while the Celtics shot 47% from the field. The Celtics had only 6 turnovers, which was more a sign of the Knicks playing absolutely no defense than of the Celtics having exceptional ball control. The Celtics outrebounded the Knicks 51-35. The best part of the blowout was that Doc was able to keep the starters playing time under 30 minutes. Rondo played 28 minutes, Ray Allen played 29 minutes, KG played 23 minutes, Pierce played 29 minutes, and Perk played 19 minutes. Scot Pollard sat out the game and Posey played only 13 minutes as both will be needed against the Heat. Only Big Baby played over 30 minutes.
Rondo scored 10 points in the first quarter, seemingly getting to the basket at will. He finished with 10 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 steal. Eddie House had 15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals in 23 minutes and fouled out trying to prevent a layup with the Celtics up by 50. Gabe Pruitt played 13 minutes and finished with 2 points, 1 rebound and 3 assists.
KG scored only 8 points that ended his 400+ string of games in double figures. I am sure he would rather take the wins tnan the double figure games. He added 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks. Perk played only 19 minutes and will be needed more tonight against Shaq and the Heat. He finished with 5 points, 2 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. Big Baby had his second solid game in a row. He finished with 13 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block and 1 steal in 31 minutes. It was quite a sight to watch him dive on the floor for a loose ball and fight for position on rebounds. Powe was the last player to get off the bench. I still don't understand Doc burying him on the bench. He finished with 6 points and 5 rebounds in 10 minutes.
Pierce finished with 21 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. Ray Allen also finished with 21 points on 8-14 shooting to go with 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. Scal finished with 3 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in 22 minutes. Posey was energized from the beginning. He was getting his hands on passes and being a pest on defense. At one point, he dove into the stands for a loose ball, landing on the radio announcers and only his feet were sticking up.
The Knicks looked as though they had given up early. Yes, the Celtics came out strong, but once the got behind, it didn't look like the Knicks were even trying. On the other hand, with the Celtics up by 50, KG was up off the bench and waving his towel and shouting encouragement to his teammates. I leave you with this gem from KG's post game interview.
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