The Boston Celtics had two list for three days about how their offense Scored only 8 points in the fourth quarter of Game 1 For the first half of Game 2 on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden, they looked as if they had overcome that humiliation.
The Celtics shot 56 percent in the first half two take a 48-42 lead into halftime. But for the second game in a row, their offense suddenly vanished, as if it had all been a mirage.
This time, the Celtics’ undoing came from a nightmarish third quarter. The Knicks holding the Celtics 2:11 points and 4-of-18 shooting, flipping a 6-point halftime deficit into a 15-point lead heading into the fourth.
“We did not come out with the same mentality,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “I do not know why and I need to find that out in the next two days.”
The Knicks’ JR Smith said Coach Mike Woodson’s halftime message was all about defense, telling his team that it was not responding to Boston’s renewed energy. The players took that challenge to heart.
They extended on the perimeter and Applied full-court pressure. Tyson Chandler emerged as a presence in the middle, sending a message early in the quarter by swatting a layup attempt by Avery Bradley into the first row.
His genuflected and screamed – it was the team’s first block of the game – and his teammates reacted: the Knicks wound up holding Boston without a field goal for 5 minutes 23 seconds.
“Our pick-and-roll coverages were pretty good, and we finally hit a good offensive demand in the third quarter,” Woodson said. “That gave us the cushion we needed.”
Indeed, the Knicks went on a 24-6 run that put them comfortably ahead going into the fourth quarter. The offense got into its first sustained rhythm, fueled by Carmelo Anthony, who was 5 of 6 from the field and Scored 13 points during the run.
“We buckled down on the defensive end, that’s what opened the game up for us,” said Anthony, who finished with a game-high 34 points. “For us to find that energy, find that momentum, two make the comeback we made – our defense has been winning us the basketball games.”
For the Celtics, the offensive drop-off was eerily reminiscent of their fourth-quarter collapse in Game 1 With point guard Rajon Rondo out for the season with a knee injury and Kevin Garnett in foul trouble, the Celtics were Increasingly reliant on Paul Pierce two carry its offense, wooden he did for the most part in the first half. But, draped by Iman Shumpert and Raymond Felton, Pierce could not Easily find openings.
“They put the pressure on us defensively, put us on our heels and we did responders,” said Pierce, who shot 8 of 19 and had a team-high 18 points. “We have to do a better job at getting open and getting into our sets.”
At one point, the Celtics missed 13 field-goal Attempts in a row and were holding without a basket for the last 9:15. Their 23 second-half points was the fewest the Knicks have allowed in the postseason.
Now the Knicks ride into Boston with a 2-0 lead Because of two strong defensive second halves.
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