“Let defence be your best offence.” That was said by Walt Clyde Frazier during the fourth quarter of the Knicks/Boston playoff game tonight, as New York scored a three off a steals from Boston. The three pointer in the final 10 minutes of the game extended the Knicks lead by 21 points, paving the way for what would eventually be a commanding win by New York.
Game 3 of the first round against Boston was played in Boston. But having the home court advantage turned out to be no advantage for Boston, as New York played one of the best defensive games they’ve played in a long time. The game ended with the Knicks stealing the ball from Boston a total of 14 times, and their suffocating defense caused Boston to turn the ball over 17 times.
The final score was Knicks 90, Boston 76. The game really wasn’t as close as the score suggests.
Carmelo Anthony led the scoring for the Knicks with another great effort, putting up 26 points in 37 minutes. Point guard Felton had an all round productive game, scoring 15 points in 35 minutes of play. He also had 2 rebounds, 10 assists and just 3 turnovers. J. Smith also had 15 points, but received a flagrant Type 2 foul and received an automatic ejection after throwing an elbow at Boston’s Jason Terry. Smith’s absence resulted in a four point play for Boston, but shots by Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler kept Boston at bay.
For Boston, J. Green led the team with 21 points in 44 minutes. Paul Pierce had 17 followed by J. Terry with 14.
New York now leads the series 3-0, with game 4 scheduled for Sunday. In the history of the NBA, no team has ever come back from being down 3 games to win a series, so chances that the Knicks will win this series are very high. Game 4 will be played in Boston at 1PM Eastern.
