NBA

Terry’s OT effort gives Celtics hope

BOSTON — Jason Terry was on the receiving end of J.R. Smith’s boneheaded Game 3 elbow. That was just one reason Terry and the rest of the Celtics, facing elimination, were ticked at the Knicks. Terry stressed being angry was one thing, doing something about it was another.

Yesterday, Terry did something about it.

“You’re down 3-0,” Terry said. “That angered me. Looking at that reality that it’s over. Like, the season’s over. Everything you’ve worked hard for is done,” said Terry, who claimed Smith’s elbow “maybe made us have a sense of urgency, which we’ve been lacking.”

Terry and the Celtics knew the danger going in: One more loss to the Knicks in the first round playoff series meant the summer would begin in April. After a disappointing regular season, Terry realized redemption could be found on a big stage. And here the stage was biggest.

“He was huge, bigger than anybody,” teammate Kevin Garnett said of Terry.

Terry scored nine of his 18 points in overtime, including a transition 3-pointer and a 2-point jumper 42 seconds apart, and the Celtics averted a sweep by holding back the Knicks, 97-90.

“I had every intention of trying to make an impact on the game some way or another. If I wasn’t making shots, I wanted to get a steal. I wanted to get a rebound. Just any little thing to prolong this season,” Terry said.

He kept it going. Maybe Smith’s elbow was motivation.

“It hurt. I mean, it hurt. It still hurts right now. As long as I feel that, I guess I’ll be thinking about it,” Terry said.

And talking about it.

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“He was definitely vocal,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “Someone said it [Saturday], maybe that elbow — who knows? — changed the events for all of us. Definitely Jason Terry was angry that it happened. He let his teammates know… but he’s just a fighter.”

Terry chose the biggest stage to throw his biggest punches of the season.

The season in which he averaged fewer minutes (26.1) and fewer points (10.1) than in any season since his rookie year was forgotten in one overtime session. With the score tied in OT, Terry took an outlet from Jeff Green and pulled up for a 3-pointer at 1:32. The Knicks responded but then Terry worked off a pretty Garnett pick on Raymond Felton and hit from 13 feet. Later, he boxed out Steve Novak, drew a foul, hit two free throws and then added a final breakaway layup as the final seconds counted down.

“It wasn’t really the elbow,” Terry said. “It was more, ‘This is it. This is over.’ You can leave it all out here tonight and go home for a long summer or you can live to play another day. It honestly felt like a Game 7 to me.”