Letdown for the Celtics

["Stephen Beauregard" <sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Letdown for the Celtics
By Shira Springer, Globe Staff, 11/18/2003

NEW YORK -- When asked his opinion of the Knicks before last night's game, Jim
O'Brien talked in coachspeak. Or so it seemed. He mentioned how New York had
struggled with "some hard luck with some close basketball games." He commented
that in many cases the Knicks were playing "good enough to win against good
basketball teams." There was a 1-point loss to Indiana, a 5-point loss to the
Nets. The Celtics coach believed the Knicks were one confidence-building win
from getting on "good footing." And they desperately wanted that win after
four straight losses.

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The Knicks (3-7) were due for a win like the one they earned last night at
Madison Square Garden, coming back from a 17-point deficit to claim an 89-86
victory over the Celtics. New York snapped an eight-game skid against Boston.
Listening to O'Brien, it was almost as if Boston (5-5) saw it coming. The
Celtics certainly couldn't miss signs in the second half that strongly hinted
it was the Knicks' night.

It certainly wasn't Paul Pierce's night, as the Boston captain attempted a
3-pointer with 7 seconds remaining that could have given his team back the
lead it held for most of the game. The Boston bench watched anxiously as the
ball went in and out. Then Pierce (17 points on 6-for-20 shooting) fouled to
put Michael Doleac on the line with 5.4 seconds left, allowing one of New
York's second-half saviors to seal the game. Pierce attempted a desperation
3-pointer with 1.6 seconds left, but it fell short.

"That's a tough loss to swallow," said Pierce. "I told [my teammates] this is
a team that could easily be a .500 team. They've lost a lot of close
ballgames. They're not going to lay down. They're going to get in and fight in
the third quarter. We let them jump all over us [in the second half], get
offensive rebounds, get second and third opportunities, and it cost us the
game. We didn't come out with the same hunger in the second half that we had
in the first half."

The Celtics shot 29 percent (10 for 34) in the second half. Boston was
outrebounded, 36-16, as New York grabbed 15 offensive rebounds. As a result,
the Knicks scored 12 second-chance points. New York shot just 39 percent from
the field, but Howard Eisley and others moved the ball well enough to record
14 assists. More than half those assists came during the 25-10 run the Knicks
staged during the third. The Celtics posted just five assists in the second
half, after racking up 17 in the first half.

"The way we played in the second half is the way we're going to need to play
all the time," said New York's Allan Houston. "We have to realize that we need
to get in the habit of doing that. We took care of the ball better and our
defense was solid. We made the right plays at the end of the game."

Entering halftime behind, 54-38, the Knicks were booed off the court by the
17,128 fans. But it took a little less than eight minutes for the Knicks to
play themselves back into the game. They opened the third with the 25-10 run
that featured a barrage of 3-pointers from Keith Van Horn (3), Houston (1),
and Eisley (1). Van Horn collected 13 of his 21 points in the third quarter.

The Celtics failed to contain dribble penetration, while the Knicks moved the
ball to find open players on the perimeter. With 4 minutes 10 seconds left in
the third, Van Horn capped the spurt with a 3-ponter that brought New York
within a point, 64-63. Boston built its advantage back to 9, but New York
again came back.

Michael Doleac hit a 10-footer with 7:05 remaining in the fourth to produce
the first tie (76-76) of the second half. Then, Van Horn found Houston for a
16-footer with 3:45 left that gave the Knicks their first lead since the
opening minutes of the game. The Celtics took the lead for the last time on a
pair of Pierce free throws. With 2:13 to go, a costly turnover by Pierce
(traveling) led to a 14-footer by Doleac that pushed New York ahead for good.
After misses by both sides, Pierce did have a shot to play the hero, but his
quick 3-pointer didn't fall. With Pierce having an off night on offense, Vin
Baker (20 points, 8 rebounds) led the Celtics in scoring for the fourth time
this season.

The ending was doubly disappointing considering how the Celtics dominated the
first half. Although they shot only 43 percent, they moved the ball well
enough, defended well enough, and rebounded well enough (28-17 advantage) to
finish the first quarter with a 10-0 run and a 28-18 lead. Boston stretched
its advantage to 17 late in the second on a pair of Eric Williams free throws
that capped an 8-2 spurt.

"It was a tale of two halves," said Williams (17 points). "We came in the
first half and played very aggressive. It's not to say we didn't come out
aggressive in the second half. They just came out a little bit more
aggressive. That team played like they were desperate for a win. We knew they
needed this win. They really played in the second half like they wanted to win
the game and they went out there and proved it."

Thanks,

Steve
sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx

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