Full Court Press: Celtics vs. Knicks 12/22/04
by Dan Chiacchia
Celtics 114 - Knicks 109
The future is fast approaching for the Boston Celtics, and given last night’s fourth quarter onslaught of the Knicks in a 114-109 victory for Boston, it may already be here. This time, it was the “other” high school project, Kendrick Perkins, who had a startling impact on the game with 13 rebounds in 25 minutes of action, both career highs. Big Perk took full advantage of Raef Lafrentz being on the shelf with an ankle sprain and put in his most productive minutes as a member of the Celtics by giving them something they very desperately needed: someone who can rebound in traffic.
Things did not start well. The Celts came out and played an extremely sloppy first quarter that saw them make slow defensive rotations on the Knick pick and Roll, and make more errant passes than a drunken CEO at a Christmas party. The Knicks took full advantage of this by shooting nearly 60% for the quarter and racing out to a 34-23 lead after one.
It was at this point in the game that the Celtics’ younger players began to assert themselves to get the team back into the game. First, Al Jefferson reminded everyone in the building he is a star in the making with a variety of moves from his offensive repertoire; including spinning in the lane for a jump hook, beating his man off the dribble for a lay up, and a follow up dunk. He even nailed a fifteen footer when his man finally decided it might be a good idea to play off of him. On the perimeter, the threesome of Ricky Davis, Marcus Banks and Tony Allen stepped up the defensive intensity and started to fill the passing lanes on the pick and rolls, and the New York shooting percentage began to dwindle. The contrast between the defensive intensity and ability of the second unit versus the starters on the Celtics is striking. This unit is far more athletic and quick, and is really becoming one of the team’s main strengths. They managed to cut the Knick lead to one at 36-35 before the starters made their way back in.
It was this point that Jamal Crawford must have made a deal with Satan, because he started hitting from everywhere in site. Yes, it may have had something to do with the fact that Paul Pierce was now guarding him instead of Tony Allen, but the man was just flat out unconscious. Before long, the Celtics brief spurt had been erased again and the Knick lead was back up to eight at halftime.
The teams basically traded hoops and mini runs through much of the third quarter, until the Celtics onslaught began. The team forced a few turnovers and ran on the Knicks at will, constantly either taking the ball to the hoop on the break, or at least getting to the line. By the end of the third, the lead was down to four, and Boston’s dominance was just beginning.
In the fourth quarter, Marcus Banks (the other young guy from last year) took the game over on both ends of the floor with his speed and quickness. The Knicks suddenly could not buy a hoop, Kendrick Perkins was controlling the backboards, and Marcus Banks was running the floor at Mach 5 like a vintage Tiny Archibald to create a bevy of easy basket for the Celtics. In all, they went on an 18-3 run that blew the lid off the Fleet Center for really the first time this season as the leapt out in front 98-87 and coasted home to the win.
This game had a real “changing of the guard” feel to it. To put it simply, the starting unit pales in comparison to the second unit in terms of athleticism and intensity. I think a lot of this stems not only from the enthusiasm of the young players, but also from their overwhelming talent. We are quickly approaching the point where the crunch time line up will be a blending of these two units so as to combine the veteran leadership of the starting five with spark of the young guys. The inconsistency is maddening at times, but as each game passes, it is apparent this team could be a legitimate force in the East come playoff time.
