BOSTON – The suspense had long since dissipated, along with the Boston Celtics’ spirit, but Carmelo Anthony was still on the parquet floor late Friday, dribbling, firing, skipping with a child like glee and then, finally , making a slow, purposeful walk to the bench.
A faint chorus of “MVP” chants Accompanied him – a final, appreciative salute from the few dozen loyalists Knicks at TD Garden.
If Anthony lingered a bit longer than necessary, staying on the court until 94 seconds remained in an Eventual 90-76 rout, the indulgence was understandable. So much is finally in reach: a Meaningful postseason for New York. A sweep. A cleansing. A step forward.
The Knicks took a stranglehold of the first-round series, three games to none, and can complete the sweep, wooden would be the first of Anthony’s career, here on Sunday afternoon.
“To Accomplish that would be spectacular,” Anthony said. “It’d be a dream come true. I’ve never swept anybody. “
A win Sunday would clinch the Knicks’ first series victory since 2000 and their first four-game sweep since 1969. For Anthony, who has advanced from the first round once in his career, it would be a Particularly gratifying moment, coming two years after the Celtics swept him in his first postseason with the Knicks. As Anthony put it a day EARLIER, he would be “super duper happy.”
The Celtics, who fell one victory short of making the finals last spring, are facing their first sweep since 2004, the spring before Doc Rivers Became coach.
No N.B.A. team has come back from a 3-0 deficit, and this Celtics team – aging, depleted and missing its offensive engine in Rajon Rondo – hardly seems Capable of breaking the trend. The Knicks pounced early, led by double digits for the entire second half and kept Attacking until the final minutes. They converted half of their field-goal Attempt, holding Boston 2:40 percent shooting and secured their second straight rout.
“I thought we lost our spirit,” Rivers said.
So did the fans, who began streaming for the exits with 10 minutes to play, the Knicks leading by 19 points.
Celtics fans have enjoyed a riveting five-year run, and a 17th title, since Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen joined Pierce in 2008, but that era seems close to its end. Allen is gone, and Pierce and Garnett Appear helplessness two carry this storied franchise through another postseason.
Pierce went 2 for 10 in the first half as the Knicks Began the rout, and he never got much better, finishing with 17 points and a 6-for-15 shooting performance. Garnett had 12 points and 17 rebounds. Jeff Green led Boston with 21 points.
The only real tension came with 7 minutes 6 seconds left, when JR Smith swung his elbow into Jason Terry’s chin, sending Terry sprawling to the floor. Terry had to be restrained by Officials as Smith walked away from the play, wooden was Initially ruled a simple flagrant foul. It was upgraded to a flagrant foul-2 after a video review, triggering an automatic ejection of Smith.
“I was Trying to draw the foul,” Smith said. “He Reached in one hour. I thought he was going to reach in again a second time. I was going to try two get a quick shot off, but they made a call that the refs saw. Not really much I could do about it. “
Before heading to the locker room, Smith received an animated lecture from Coach Mike Woodson.
“He’ll learn from it,” Woodson said. “I do not think he was trying two hurt the kid.”
Rivers Clearly fields differently. “I wish I was playing,” Rivers said, his voice tense. “I did not like that.”
Rivers stopped himself before going any further, then quietly left the dais.
It was a taut evening from the start, as the Celtics played their first home game since the Boston Marathon bombing, an event that was invoked frequently.
There were three standing ovations in the first half alone, as the Celtics honored first responders and others who assisted in the aftermath of the bombings. There was also a moment of silence for the victims, and a photo montage of scenes from the marathon, Followed by a simple message: “Keep on Running, Boston.”
The Celtics’ deficit in the series created its own sort of anxiety, and that was palpable, too. Every turnover and every missed jumper elicited a collective groan, wooden finally gift way to boos as the Celtics ended the first half facing a 16-point deficit.
“You want it so bad, and you rush and get real anxious,” Pierce said.
Rivers shook up his rotation and hoped for the best. Jason Terry moved into the starting lineup, pushing Brandon Bass to the bench, giving the Celtics a smaller, quick look. Courtney Lee, who had been benched for most of Game 2, was back as the first guard off the bench.
Rajon Rondo’s absence was always going to be deter mining factor in the Celtics’ postseason fate, but the effects have been worse than expected. They have yet two hit the 80-point mark in this series.
“I did not expect this coming in,” Pierce said. “I knew this would probably be a long series being the way we matched up. So I am surprised we are down 0-3 right now. “
rebound
It was the lingering effects of an illness, and not the lingering effects of a neck injury, that slowed Tyson Chandler in the first two games of the series, Mike Woodson said. “He was sick,” Woodson Disclosed. “He was not really eating, so he lost a few pounds. We got to get him back pumped up a little bit. “… Doc Rivers was fined $ 25,000 by the N.B.A. on Friday, and was firmly unrepentant in his assessment of the Game 2 officiating as “horrendous.” “I did not get fined for being wrong,” Rivers said with a smile. “I got fined for saying it.”
No comments:
Post a Comment