WHEN the New York Knicks visited Cleveland last Friday night, they encountered little resistance from an overwhelmed and undermanned Cavaliers team that lost badly, 120-103. But Sunday afternoon's road trip to Boston told a starkly different story. The Celtics, the 2008 NBA champs, weren't as welcoming at the TD Garden with their suffocating defense and multiple offensive weapons in full display.
The Knicks, who struggled from the get-go and trailed 21-12 in the opening quarter, somehow made the duel an entertaining, high-scoring battle. But in the end, there was too much Paul Pierce. And way too much Rajon Rondo.
Pierce drilled 34 points, including a clutch 3-pointer that knotted the count at 103 and forced the game into overtime when the Knicks failed to convert in the final 4.9 seconds of regulation. The Celtics then took full advantage of their new lease on life and dominated the overtime period to score the 115-111 win.
And while Pierce had his fingerprints all over this match-up, the game clearly belonged to Rajon Rondo, who easily outplayed Knicks point guard and current NBA sensation Jeremy Lin.
Rondo, the subject of trade rumors all week, waltzed his way to 18 points, 20 assists and 17 rebounds. If the Celtics want to contend for an NBA title for years to come, they might want to keep Rondo, a 3-time All-Star who is only 26 years young and already a 5-year NBA veteran.
As Rondo soared, Linsanity was curbed.
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