Celtics Recap: Knicks get revenge by defeating Celtics 114-88

The last time the Celtics played the Knicks at MSG, Boston defeated New York by 41 points. No such luck tonight for the green as they lost to the Knicks 114-88.

To borrow a phrase from my main man Jim Ross, this game was bowling shoe ugly from start to finish. The Celtics struggled on both sides of the ball. Offensively they could not find their rhythm and defensively they couldn’t capitalize. Early in the game, color commentator Tommy Heinsohn asked to call Julia Child to get a recipe for a win and based on this game, there was no answer at the Child's residence.

As has been the story with the Knicks all season, the game was going to go however Melo was feeling and he was feeling pretty good all night. Despite solid effort by Brandon Bass, Melo was 4-for-5 and lead all scorers in the first quarter. As a team the Knicks were 13-for-20 shooting and were running circles around the Celtics defensively.

The story stayed the same through the second half. Simply put, the rim was an ocean for New York as the Knicks shot 62 percent from the field, had 19 assists on 24 field goals, and gave up only six turnovers. Conversely, the Celtics shot 32 points and had nine assists with eight turnovers.

The third quarter has been the difference for the Celtics for most of the season and not always in a good way. Many games have slipped through the Celtics grasp in the second half so it stands to reason that perhaps the winds would catch Boston’s sails the right away for a second half turnaround. This turns out not to be the case as the Knicks were able to suppress any hope of a comeback. They didn’t need that much help as the Celtics were 3-for-15 from beyond the arc, couldn’t take care of the basketball, and couldn’t capitalize. Not a great game.

PROS:

Chris Johnson- Get this kid a real contract. He was the only part of this game worth watching tonight.

Evolution of Kris Humphries- While the Celtics are in the midst of another rough patch, Kris Humphries is playing really well. He is developing into a true asset and playing like he wants to win games.

Rondo- his time on the court is growing with each game and his next test will be seeing if he can pull off a back-to-back. As of right now he is scheduled to play against Philadelphia tomorrow night.

CONS:

Jeff Green’s bewildered look- Green looked lost all night. Despite putting up 14 points, it took him 13 shots to do it.

Rondo- The Celtics are playing like they expected Rondo to return and score 40 points a night. That’s not the case, was never the case, and will never be the case.

As usual, Tommy Heinsohn said it best.

For the full box score, click here.

The Celtics are back in action tomorrow night against the 76ers. CelticsLife will have you covered.

Follow Padraic O’Connor on Twitter @padraic_oconnor

Photo: AP Photo/Kathy Willens


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