Garnett's jumper at OT buzzer beats Knicks
Photo credit: AP | Boston Celtics' Kevin Garnett shoots over Larry Hughes (0) to put the Celtics in the lead 98-96 in the fourth quarter. (Nov. 22, 2009)
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Nov. 22: Celtics 107, Knicks 105
For 52 minutes and 59 seconds, the Knicks went toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the NBA Sunday at Madison Square Garden. They hit shots that made Boston coach Doc Rivers leap up and down. They played unexpectedly tight defense, forcing Celtics stars Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett into miserable shooting.
But when it mattered the most, something again went horribly wrong for the Knicks. In the final seconds of overtime, after setting a pick, Garnett was left alone at the top of the key - and he took a pass from Paul Pierce and hit an uncontested 20-foot jumper to give the Celtics a 107-105 victory.
The disappointment was so fierce, so unexpected, that the stunned fans just stood there in disbelief as the Celtics ran to their bench in celebration.
"We had convinced ourselves that we could win,'' said Al Harrington, who had 30 points and nine rebounds. "This is tough.''
What was toughest about the loss is that the Knicks (3-10), who were coming off back-to-back wins over the Pacers and Nets, were playing their most exciting basketball of the season. They fell behind by 14 points with 7:49 to play in the third quarter but tied it at 75 five minutes later when Harrington hit his third three-pointer in a two-minute stretch. He also hit two free throws with 4.7 seconds left in regulation to tie it at 98.
Harrington wasn't the Knicks' only hot player. Nate Robinson, who ended the first quarter Saturday by foolishly throwing up a three-pointer at the wrong basket that went in but didn't count, regained his sense of direction and shot 5-for-6 with 11 points in the first half. He finished with 19 points, shooting 7-for-11.
Eddy Curry, in his first home game since March 2008, also had some impressive moments. Though he had only six points and four rebounds in 15:50, he drew a decent amount of defensive attention. He also lost his composure once and was called for a flagrant foul after shoving Rajon Rondo (14 points, 10 assists, nine rebounds) in the back.
The one player the Knicks couldn't slow was Pierce, who had 33 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Kendrick Perkins had 16 points and 13 rebounds, but Allen (13 points) shot 3-for-13 and Garnett (10) was 4-for-15. "Our defense is a lot better than it was earlier in the year,'' Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said.
The defense did leave something to be desired at the end, though, especially given that the Knicks had a foul to give. They were supposed to use it if Pierce drove, but he didn't, instead setting up the winning basket.
After David Lee (22 points, 15 rebounds) took a bounce pass from Larry Hughes and dunked to tie it at 105 with 9.3 seconds left, Garnett (guarded by Lee) set a screen for Pierce (guarded by Wilson Chandler) with about four seconds left. Lee picked up Pierce, so he swung the ball back to the unguarded Garnett at the top of the key.
As Lee watched, Harrington desperately ran out at Garnett from near the basket, but there was nothing he could do to stop the winning jumper.
Nearly everyone in the arena thought it was going to be Pierce who took the final shot. Nearly everyone, that is, except for Pierce and Garnett.
Said Garnett: "I hadn't made a jump shot all night. I was missing the shots I usually make. I knew Paul was going to draw a lot of attention and that I was going to have to make the shot.''
