Knicks rely on defense to defeat Boston

KNICKS 85, Celtics 78 

A superb defense effort by the New York Knicks in the second half of their playoff opener proved to be the difference as New York prevailed against the Boston Celtics 85-78 at MSG. The Knicks held the Celtics to only eight points in the fourth quarter, and 25 points overall in the second half -- a record low for Boston in their illustrious history.

The Knicks needed their defense in this one, because offensively New York just didn't have it. They struggled from down town in the second half, especially J.R. Smith who missed six consecutive three-point attempts, and other than Anthony's 36 points, no one really stepped up on the offensive end.

In the first half, the Knicks had a lot of trouble handling Boston power forward Jeff Green, who was deadly whenever the Celtics dialed up his number in a big spot. When Boston needed a three, Green hit it. Whenver Boston needed a jumper -- Green was there. He hit consecutive three pointers to give the Celtics a 32-28 lead in the second quarter, and later hit a key jumper to get Boston to within in one, 37-36.

Overall, Green was 7-of-10 in the first half with 20 points, and was the main reason the Celtics had a 53-49 lead at the break.

However, the Knicks ratcheted up the intensity on defense in the second half. They held Boston scoreless in the first 3:12 of the third quarter thanks to an emphasis on front court pressure, and an appetite for causing turnovers.

With 9:59 to go in the third, Anthony forced a turnover on an attempted pass by Paul Pierce and turned it into a 24-foot three pointer to get the Knicks to within 53-52. After Pierce missed the ensuing three point jumper, the Knicks answered when Smith hit an off-balance jump shot to make it 54-53, New York.

Still Boston had a run in them. The Knicks started to get sloppy with their shooting, as Smith missed three long distance shots, and Martin and Anthony missed shots of their own. Boston took advantage, as Pierce hit a couple free throws, Green hit and layup, and Pierce came back with a three-pointer to give the Celtics a 70-63 lead. It looked like Boston could be on their way to a Game One upset, but the Pierce three-pointer would be their last shining moment.

The Knicks became much more aggressive on both ends of the floor in the fourth quarter, especially defensively where they forced eight Boston turnovers. Kenyon Marton's steal on a loose ball from Jeff Green soon resulted in free throws from Martin on the other end of the court, giving the Knicks a 72-70 lead, was only the beginning -- they would never trail again.

Even though the Knicks didn't turn all of the turnovers into points, they kept Boston off the board because of them. Jason Kidd, Smith, and Anthony each had a couple of steals to preserve the Knicks rather slim lead. The nail in the coffin came on Anthony's second steal of the quarter, when he jumped in front of a pass by Paul Pierce and went coast-to-coast for the bucket to give the Knicks an 81-76 lead.

The Knicks lead the series 1-0 and get set for Game Two on Tuesday night at the Garden. If New York hopes to take a commanding lead heading into Beantown for games three and four, they need to pick it up offensively, especially from long distance. The main reason the Knicks are here in these playoffs as the number two seed has a lot to do with their reliance on hitting three-point shots.