Knicks Dethrone Champs in Impressive Fashion
Oct. 17, 2008 The New York Knicks made a strong statement Friday night, defeating the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics on their own home court, 104-97, in preseason action.
Just as important as winning the game was how the Knicks won it. New York led Boston by as many as 12 points in the third quarter, dominating the Celtics? ?Big Three? of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce before they were removed as both teams benched their starters in the fourth quarter.
While the preseason game didn?t count in any standings, the Celtics entered Friday night with an impressive 4-1 record in tuneup games, and they played much of the night as if it was a regular season match. New York was up for the task, however, improving to 2-2 in the preseason under new head coach Mike D?Antoni.
Leading the charge was Nate Robinson, who finished with a team-high 19 points, as well as Chris Duhon and Wilson Chandler, who both propelled the team in the pivotal third quarter when the Knicks claimed the lead.
Behind the stellar play of Duhon and Chandler, New York outscored Boston 28-20 after finishing a first half that featured 15 lead changes tied at 56 apiece.
Wilson Chandler continued to impress, especially on the glass and defensive end where he had a game-high in rebounds (9) and blocks (3).
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Duhon led the team with eight points in the frame, and he also took command on the court, directing the team?s offense while playing stalwart defense.
Overall, Duhon continued to show why he was such an important off-season acquisition for the Knicks, finishing the game with 10 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals. Equally impressive, he didn?t commit a single turnover in 25 minutes of play.
Chandler, meanwhile, scored three points, grabbed two boards, rejected two shots and added an assist for good measure in 5:28 of playing time in the third. The second-year pro out of DePaul also frustrated Garnett throughout the quarter, especially on a ferocious block in the paint where he swatted the ball back into the former MVP?s face.
Chandler, who has earned the praise of his coaches and teammates finished the game with five points, a game-high nine boards, three blocks, two assists and two steals in 26 minutes.
?I watched him a lot last year,? said Duhon, and working out with him in the summer, I knew he was going to be a big asset for us. We?re excited about him. He?s very instinctive on the defensive end, and he?s been working on his shot so he will be even better on the offensive end.?
In addition to his team-high 19 points, Robinson finished with a solid stat line as well, recording five boards, two steals, and one assist. Along with Stephon Marbury, who finished with 12 points, they provided energy off the bench to ignite New York after a sluggish start to the game.
?We started out a little slow,? said Duhon. ?The first six minutes, we didn?t compete at all. Then, Steph and Nate came in off the bench, gave us a big lift and we took off from there.?
Knicks fans got another treat on Friday Patrick Ewing Jr. made his pro debut two minutes into the fourth quarter with outstanding results.
The son of the legendary Knicks Hall of Famer finished the game with four points, four boards and one steal. Ewing also brought the crowd, and the Knicks bench, to its feet with a scintillating putback dunk, showing off his tremendousathleticism by elevating over the 6-foot-9, 290-pound Glen ?Big Baby? Davis.
Equally impressive, he made a nifty steal to seal the game in the final moments as the Celtics made a furious comeback late in the game,
Overall, the Knicks continued to show improvement in areas considered a weakness last season.
One key factor in Friday?s victory was the team?s ability to draw fouls, and then convert from the line -- two areas in which the Knicks struggled mightily last year. On Friday in Boston, New York was successful in both areas, outscoring the Celtics 34 -12 at the charity stripe on 79.1 percent shooting.
They also continued to improve defensively, putting the clamps on Boston?s big three by limiting Pierce to 15 points, Garnett to 11 and Allen to just 10.
New York now has two days off before the Knicks head down the turnpike to face Vince Carter and the New Jersey Nets on Monday night at the Izod Center.