NBA Playoffs 2013: Knicks vs. Celtics Recap
By Phil Watson
Carmelo Anthony saved the New York Knicks with a couple of huge late buckets in Game 6. The Knicks beat the Boston Celtics 4-2 to advance to the conference semifinals for the first time in 13 years. Photo Credit: Mark Runyon, Basketball Schedule
It took a little longer than expected, but the third time was the charm for the New York Knicks, who eliminated the Boston Celtics from the NBA playoffs with an 88-80 win in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference first-round series on Friday, May 3.
The Knicks had lost their first two attempts to close out the series after taking a 3-0 lead. It wasn’t without some moments of terror for Knicks’ fans, however. New York blew most of a 26-point lead in the fourth quarter, but survived when Carmelo Anthony hit two big baskets down the stretch—a pullup jumper and then his first 3-pointer in 20 attempts. It was the Knicks’ first series victory since 2000.
For the Celtics, it might be the end of an era. It was the first opening-round elimination for the C’s since Kevin Garnett came to town in 2007.
Let’s take a look at the series in review:
Game Scores (New York wins series 4-2)
Game 1 at New York: Knicks 85, Celtics 78
Game 2 at New York: Knicks 87, Celtics 71
Game 3 at Boston: Knicks 90, Celtics 76
Game 4 at Boston: Celtics 97, Knicks 90, OT
Game 5 at New York: Celtics 92, Knicks 86
Game 6 at Boston: Knicks 88, Celtics 80
Series MVP
Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony averaged 29.2 points a game in the series. Photo Credit: Scott Mecum, Flickr.com
Anthony did what he did all season long—he scored a ton of points in the series and, when Game 6 was in danger of slipping away, it was Anthony who righted the ship by scoring five points in consecutive possessions.
Anthony averaged 29.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in the series and, after receiving a lot of criticism for only handing out six assists through the first five games, was much more of a facilitator in Game 6, logging five assists.
His shooting was dismal—just 38.1 percent for the series and 26.5 percent from deep. A lot of that could be attributed to his abysmal performances in Games 4 and 5 (Game 5, also known as the premature funeral game), when Anthony was just 18-for-59 (30.5 percent) and missed all 12 of his 3-point attempts.
But that’s how it was all year for the NBA’s leading scorer—much of the Knicks’ offense is predicated on “’Melo, see what you can do.”
For the Knicks, however, this was the play of the series:
Biggest Surprise
Jeff Green was the first Celtic besides Paul Pierce or Kevin Garnett to lead Boston in scoring int he playoffs since 1995. (NBA.com photo)
Even in defeat, Jeff Green showed he is capable of being “the guy” for the Celtics. Green had never been more than a role player in the postseason, making six starts for the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2010, when Oklahoma City was eliminated in the first round by the Los Angeles Lakers, and averaging 11.8 points and 4.7 rebounds in 37.3 minutes as the third option behind Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
In the 2011 playoffs with the Celtics, after he was acquired from the Thunder along with Nenad Krstic, cash and a 2012 first-round pick that turned out to be Fab Melo in exchange for Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson, Green was a bench player, logging 19.2 minutes a game and averaged 7.3 points and 2.7 rebounds in nine games as the Celtics swept the Knicks before being bounced by the Miami Heat in the conference semifinals.
Green made a quantum leap forward toward the end of the 2012-13 season and continued that roll into the playoffs. Green led the Celtics with 20.3 points per game and also posted averages of 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists while playing 43 minutes a game.
It was the first time since 1995 that someone not named Kevin Garnett or Paul Pierce led Boston in scoring during the playoffs. It shows the aging of the remainder of the Big Three in Boston, but it also shows that Green is capable of being the next in line in the Celtics’ lineage of great players.
Green also had a big hand in Boston’s 20-0 run that got them back in the game late in Game 6:
Biggest Disappointment
Avery Bradley had more turnovers than assists in the series. (NBA.com photo)
Avery Bradley had a tough series as the responsibility of running the point for a playoff team seemed to overwhelm him at times.
Bradley has a reputation for being one of the best backcourt, on-ball defenders in the NBA, but Knicks point guard Raymond Felton abused him for much of the series. Felton averaged 17.2 points and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 46.9 percent from the floor, with much of the damage coming against Bradley.
The offensive struggles Bradley went through in the series seemed to translate to a weaker-than-expected effort on the defensive end. Bradley, starting in place of injured point guard Rajon Rondo, played 31.9 minutes a night in the series, but averaged just 6.7 points per game on 40.5 percent shooting.
Worse still, Bradley had more turnovers (11) than assists (eight) in the six games—a serious no-no for a point guard.
He did have one highlight in the series, when he stripped Carmelo Anthony and streaked downcourt for a monster dunk to pull Boston to within four points late in Game 6.
What’s Next
vs. Indiana Pacers
The Knicks and Pacers open their Eastern Conference semifinals at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, May 5, with a 3:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time tip on ABC.
Indiana closed out the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night with an 81-73 win in the ATL, the Pacers’ first win in Atlanta in 14 tries.
The teams split the season series this year, with each team winning at home. New York won at the Garden 88-76 on Nov. 18 and 90-80 on April 14, while the Pacers won in Indianapolis 81-76 on Jan. 10 and 125-91 on Feb. 20.