Boston Celtics 102, New York Knicks 96, Jan. 7, 2013
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(Gallery by Star-Ledger Wire Services)
NEW YORK — The verbal exchanges peaked on the court when a referee intervened and administered double technical fouls. It was an attempt, made in vain, to quell the excessive intensity with the visiting underdogs up four, only to have it spill outside the visitors’ locker room after the final whistle.
That was where Carmelo Anthony reportedly beelined to after the buzzer sounded, skipping the cordial on-court postgame handshakes in favor of a verbal altercation with Kevin Garnett.
Now in his 17th season, Garnett found another victim for his notorious trash-talking routine as the Celtics (17-17) rattled the Knicks (23-11) in a surprising and physical 102-96 comeback victory on Monday night.
It was "more talking than anything," Knicks forward Amar’e Stoudemire said. "Words are pretty sharp. When you say certain things, it gets under your skin. It gets you a little angry. It happens to the best of us. But again, we have to make sure that we keep our composure and see if we can beat a team like Boston."
That was the challenge: after 33 games as proof that they were now the Atlantic Division's elite, the Knicks were finally afforded the opportunity to prove so on the court against the five-time defending division champions. The exam was made more elementary, on paper, when All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo, the only member of Boston's Big Three still enjoying the prime of his career, was suspended for the game hours before tipoff.
With 9:03 remaining, after Garnett and Anthony had exchanged words and hip checks and elbows over the previous series of possessions, each was called for a technical.
Eleven seconds later, Anthony, battling through a poor shooting performance, responded with a 3-pointer to cut the Celtics’ lead to one. But it was moot; the nine-year veteran Anthony had already played into the wily Garnett’s hands.
Anthony, the NBA’s second-leading scorer, missed his final four field goal attempts and shot just 6-for-26 from the field on his way to 20 points.
"I’m going to defend ‘Melo and the players on this team," Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. "In the heat of the battle, you got to hang in there and keep playing. You can’t let the officials affect how you play.
"It was heated both ways. I thought they were out of control, too."
Woodson wouldn’t comment on Anthony’s verbal postgame altercation.
Anthony was not made available to the media after the game.
The 35-year-old Paul Pierce led Boston with 23 points, adding three rebounds and six assists as he assumed point guarding duties without Rondo available. Garnett notched a double-double – 19 points and 10 rebounds — in addition to his unquantifiable psychological routine on Anthony.
"He talks a lot, but that’s pretty much to pump himself up," Knicks center Marcus Camby said of Garnett. "He’s been doing that so long that it’s amazing how guys still succumb to it."
Jorge Castillo: jcastillo@starledger.com; twitter.com/jorgeccastillo