If this shocking win over the world champs isn’t the confidence-builder to get the Knicks back on track, nothing will.
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Mike D’Antoni preaching the Knicks eventually would become a good team that will compete for a playoff berth reached fruition last night.
The Knicks stunned the defending NBA champion Celtics in a 100-88 pounding before a sold-out Garden crowd that showered the winners with a thunderous standing ovation across the final minute.
The Knicks (13-19) broke their eight-game Boston losing streak with good old-time Garden defense – a brilliant game plan that erased Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo.
The Knicks also got fiery nights from Wilson Chandler, who racked up a career-high 31 points, and Al Harrington, who came off the bench to score 30. It was the Knicks’ first Garden victory since a Dec. 7 win over Detroit.
“I don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves, but that was a great win and we will try to get better, which we are trying to do on the defensive end,” D’Antoni said. “If we can have that effort and learn how to finish, which tonight we did, we will see if we can keep building on it.”
The Knicks’ defensive domination of the Celtics, who shot 40.5 percent (29.5 percent in the second half), sparked a lengthy team meeting by the Celtics, who fell to 29-6. The Celtics are 2-4 since Christmas after failing to cut it on Broadway.
“The blood hasn’t been great between the two teams the last year and a half,” said David Lee, who scored 14 points with 14 boards. “They’ve built one of the better teams assembled in a long time. For us to defend our home court against these guys is a sign the team is getting better.”
After losing twice in Boston this season, D’Antoni outcoached Doc Rivers, using 6-foot-11 Jared Jeffries to defend Rondo, the point guard who killed the Knicks in the prior meeting Dec. 21.
When the ball was fed into the post for Garnett, Jeffries rushed over to double-team the Celtics’ superstar center.
“Jared took Kevin out of his rhythm,” D’Antoni said.
Hounded by two or three Knicks whenever he touched the ball, Garnett scored a sickly six points on 1-of-6 shooting. Ray Allen was 0-for-9 from 3-point land, scoring 16 points, none in the fourth quarter. Paul Pierce racked up 31 points, but with two-thirds of the Boston Big 3 ineffective, Rondo was needed and he scored 3 points on 1 of 7 shooting while getting no help from the bench.
No wonder Celtics brass has a pang to add banished Knick Stephon Marbury to the roster.
“I’m [ticked] off we lost,” said Garnett, who endorsed Marbury’s potential arrival. “They were ready from the giddyup.”
The Knicks clinched it with 2:11 left when Allen bricked his final 3-pointer, Lee grabbed the rebound, threw deep for Chandler for a fast-break layup and foul. Chandler made the free throw to put the Knicks ahead, 97-86.
Lee had another huge play just as the Celtics were making the final charge early in the fourth. Pierce scored three straight buckets, getting it to 84-79 with 6:21 left. But on the next possession, Lee caught Chris Duhon’s driving air ball, laid it in and the Celtics folded for good.
The Knicks now head on a four-game Southwestern trip with confidence, winning two of three games after their six-game slide. They’ve held opponents in the 80s in both wins.
The Knicks surged ahead 73-62 with 3:02 left in the third when Harrington hit a 30-foot, 3-point bomb near the halfcourt circle.
“I just saw the shot clock said 3,” Harrington said. “I knew if I dribbled he’d block it. Guys really responded after that. We rode the wave the rest of the game.”
Garnett picked up his second foul six minutes into the game, sending him to the bench just as Harrington entered. Harrington scored 20 points in 14 first-half minutes, compensating for Quentin Richardson’s 1 for 12 first-half woes. D’Antoni wants to keep Jeffries and Richards in the starting lineup for defense.
“We’d like to be better defensively,” D’Antoni said, explaining the alignment.
And so they were.
Knicks 100 Celtics 88