LITTLE DID THEY KNOW: Knicks players congratulate Amar’e Stoudemire (center) before learning, after an officials review, his 3-pointer at the buzzer was too late (Anthony J. Causi)
Amar’e Stoudemire guaranteed after last night’s thriller the Knicks-Celtics rivalry is back, and Paul Pierce wasn’t going to argue.
No analysis is needed. The Knicks (16-10) went toe to toe with the defending Eastern champs to the buzzer — and beyond.
The Knicks suffered a heartbreaking defeat when Stoudemire’s potential game-winning 3-pointer — after catching the inbounds with 0.4 seconds left — was nullified. The shot was deemed a fraction of a tick after the horn and replays confirmed it.
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The ruling allowed Boston to escape with a 118-116 victory at the frenzied Garden, but the Knicks still held a wild celebration at midcourt, thinking victory was theirs. Even Spike Lee raced onto the court to join the mob and Pierce thought the Celtics had lost.
“Great game,” Lee said as he left the Garden.
“We had them all night,” said Stoudemire, who finished with 39 points, 10 rebounds and threee blocks and extended his record 30-point streak to nine games.
“We played great basketball,” he added. “We definitely earned our respect. I guarantee you that Boston respects us. We are not slouches. We are going to play every single night until the horn goes off and Boston knows it. They know how good we can be and how good we are. We will see them again.”
And Miami’s Dream Team might get to know it, too, when LeBron James invades the Garden tomorrow. The Knicks’ eight-game winning streak is over, but their swagger isn’t.
Pierce, who scoffed at the existence of a Knicks-Celtics rivalry on Tuesday, hit the actual game-winner as he drained a 12-foot step-back jumper over Stoudemire with 0.4 seconds left to break a 116-116 tie. Pierce finished with 32 points and gave the 20-4 Celtics their 11th consecutive win. A replay showed Pierce’s shot fell in with 0.6 seconds left, and that could have been the difference.
Off an inbounds from Landry Fields with 0.4 seconds on the clock, Stoudemire needed a catch-and-shoot. He fired from 28 feet, made it, setting off a deafening roar. But he had held the ball just long enough.
“It was a great shot,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said. “If it was .5 seconds, it would have been good.”
“That was the play designed,” Stoudemire said. “I wasn’t sure if it was good, but it felt good. It was just a second late.”
As the referees studied Stoudemire’s replay, Pierce stood on the court with a worried look.
“I actually thought Amare’s shot counted,” he said. “I was stunned there for a minute, especially after all the theatrics. I thought it counted. I was in disbelief. I was shocked. I didn’t think he could get a shot off, and he didn’t, but at that time I thought it counted.”
Raymond Felton — the Knicks other co-captain — was splendid, scoring 26 points with 14 assists.
“Tough loss, tough shot,” Felton said. “I’d rather lose by 15 points than like this. I am mad. I hate to lose.”
Felton’s wild layup miss with 1:02 left in a tie game and subsequent tumble to the court led to a Ray Allen 3-pointer on the other end.
Felton, who might have been fouled, hit the floor hard and stayed down, hurting his back, giving Boston a virtual power play. Boston whipped the ball around until Ray Allen drilled a corner trey on a 5-on-4 situation with 1:02 left as the Celtics grabbed a 116-113 lead.
The Knicks led by 12 points midway through the third quarter and four points with two minutes left. As good as he was, Stoudemire missed an easy shot in the lane, as the ball went in and out, with the score tied with 12.2 seconds left and that set the stage for Pierce, who eluded Felton and shot over Stoudemire.
After Pierce’s bucket, he preened around the rim of the court in celebration — knowing now this wasn’t just another game.
The celebrities were plentiful. Donald Trump, Fabolous, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Dylan McDermott, Woody Allen, Mo Vaughn, Jessica Szohr, model Amber Rose and John Slattery were in attendance.
“This was a great game for the fans to watch,” Pierce said. “There was a lot of hype around the game. I feel like we had our backs against the wall all night.”
“This is what everyone hopes for,” D’Antoni said. “We went through 10 years of not much fun to get to this spot.”
The smallish Knicks couldn’t keep Kevin Garnett (20 points, 13 boards) off the glass late, and he led them back from a 113-109 deficit with 2:01 left. Garnett collected rebounds of his own miss twice and got fouled, engineering a 7-0 run.
“We lost a tough one against possibly the best team in the league,” Felton said.