Given the physical and emotional condition of An thony and the Immaterials coming into Game 3, was there really any doubt Knicks fans would wake up yesterday with tears on their pillows and pain in their hearts?
Given the results in the first two games every time Boston coach Doc Rivers had a time out to strategize, it’s scarcely startling what the Celtics accomplished in two practices and lots of chalk talk leading up to the Frightful Friday crucifixion.
Given that Mike D’Antoni was unsuspecting in each critical situation, it’s hardly unexpected the Knicks were unprepared for their opponents’ amended coverage of Carmelo Anthony or clusters of shields that sprung Ray Allen and Paul Pierce for a glut of unmolested 3-balls.
D’Antoni could either deal this or he could deal with that. He could either deal with the Knicks’ offense or he could deal with their defense. He could devise tactics to put Anthony in more advantageous positions to score against predictable double teams or he could rustle up techniques to clamp down on Boston’s marksmen. He could cut Rajon Rondo off at the pass or make him a shooter.
Do. Da. Dippity.
D’Antoni did none of the above.
If nothing else, say this much for D’Antoni, he is consistent. He had no answers during the game and he had no answers after it.
Granted, Chauncey Billups was out of service. Granted, Amar’e Stoudemire’s body was inflexible; so why hurt the team by pretending he’s able to play, as if the Celtics were fooled by his early bravado. And, no affront to the competitiveness of the Immaterials, who cannot be expected to give what little they’ve got.
Still, considering the Celtics many question marks and vulnerabilities, for them to commandeer control coming out of the locker room — 9-0 and 22-5 to start; 25-12 to begin the second half — shrieks “no adjustments” and that’s overtly the fault of the coach.
“I’ve never seen a guy with such a highly regarded reputation do nothing,” e-mailed a team executive during the game.
Instead of benching the bulk of the first unit after falling behind early, D’Antoni kept it mostly intact far too long. Worst of all, he stayed with Stoudemire as if the game could be won then and there. So, later on when it mattered, Stoudemire already had broken down.
Cutting the deficit to eight by intermission gave the Knicks false hope and Rivers time to correct problems that surfaced late. D’Antoni should’ve shaken up his lineup (Shawne Williams or Bill Walker replacing Landry Fields, for sure) to counteract revisions you had to figure would occur and possibly catch the Celtics by surprise, perish the outlandish notion.
Yeah, once the Celtics got past the trauma of almost losing their two home games, and regained their wits enough to concentrate on exploiting the Knicks’ numerous defects, the series’ outcome was definitely decided. That went without saying.
Everybody understood the dimensions and the magnitude of the impediments the Knicks needed to overcome to compete for 48 minutes, much less shoplift a victory. But essentially D’Antoni did nothing creative other than transforming Anthony into a pointless guard by simultaneously removing Anthony Carter and Toney Douglas, who sees the rim and not the court.
I take that back: D’Antoni did try utilizing a zone to combat Rondo’s trespassing and hold him to below a triple double, as well as keeping hands in the faces of Allen and Pierce. The tardy brainstorm failed miserably.
The Knicks never honestly challenged the Celtics. They showed up slack at tipoff like the Heat did in Game 3 against the 76ers, as if they owned a 2-0 lead.
The difference, of course, is that the Heat can lock down defensively when pushed or embarrassed. The Knicks never obliged Allen to play defense. His legs were as bouncy at the end of the game as they were at its outset. The same was true of Rondo, who wasn’t forced to stop anybody for more than a possession or two.
Consequently, the offensively challenged Celtics had their way from all angles and area codes, filling up the stat sheet like those locked-out NFL players are filling up rap sheets.
How could they have missed? They were so unattended it would have been criminal not to convert. Allen (8-11 in bonus balls) has been better defended during All-Star weekend’s long-distance shootout. As for Pierce (five misses in 19 attempts), the lone hand up was the overpaying customer’s in disgust.
Make whatever you want about any or none of the aforementioned, it comes down to this: If you’re in the playoffs, and you’re questioning effort and planning, then, boys and girls, we have issues . . . but more about that on the next insipid edition of “The Mike D’Antoni Show.”
A week ago, I was convinced the Knicks had the potential to take out the Celtics — and I was on the money until Billups’ body betrayed him and last-second decision-making was left to Douglas. Given what transpired in Game 3, the Knicks owe it to themselves, for what was nearly achieved in Boston, to show the equivalent character in today’s series finale.
The Knicks’ only chance to win is if Shaquille O’Neal plays.
In closing, given all that was riding on their first home playoff game in seven seasons, for the Knicks to suck the life out of the Sexual Harassment Hacienda more than the dullard who owns the joint really says something.
Feel free to fill in the blank regarding what it says.