Boston, MA: The Knicks opened their series against Boston on Monday with an inspiring win. It looked like it was going the Celtics’ way early in the third, but the Knicks made a big push and won it in OT. It was a thrilling win; the kind I wasn’t sure this team could pull off. They showed the Celts they came to fight and we might have a series on our hands.
I didn’t give the Knicks much chance in this series or this game. And when the Celts started to pull away in the second and were up 20 in the third, I thought I knew where this one was headed.
But the Knicks went on a run led by OG Anunoby and got within striking distance heading into the fourth. Helped by two injuries to Boston bigs, the Knicks kept the pressure on in the final frame and even took a six-point lead with three minutes left. But Boston fought back, and the Knicks had the ball with 5 seconds left with the game tied at 100.
Brunson got a great look but missed a short floater and this one went to OT. If the Knicks went on to lose the game and the series, this missed gimme would have hurt.
But the Knicks got it done in overtime, with Mikal Bridges leading the way. He had a brilliant steal and save that lead to a three-point play dunk by OG, then hit a big three of his own. Though Bridges had a poor shooting game in regulation, he played a whopping 51 minutes. He sealed the game by ripping the inbound pass away from Brown in the final seconds with the Knicks up three. Bridges ripped the ball from Brown and the Knicks had ripped this game from Boston. Let’s go.
It was a gritty comeback from a team that mostly beat up on mediocre teams this year. The type of win we haven’t seen all year. Until now.
And suddenly the Knicks look like they have a chance. The Celts have a huge depth advantage going in, but if Porzingis and Hauser miss more time, that advantage would obviously take a hit. The Celtics missed a whopping 45 three-pointers, which is not happening again, so the Knicks had to have this one.
A Conference Finals matchup between the Cavs and Celts seemed all but inevitable. Well, both teams are now down a game. The smart money is still on those teams advancing, but let’s not print those tickets just yet. Maybe a Knicks Pacers rematch is in play.
That’s it for me. Come back tomorrow for Angry Ward.
