Celtics control Knicks in 4th, 103-94

Last time, the boisterous Knicks came into Boston and left with a victory. This left a sour taste in Boston's mouth, and once the players met at center court for the tip off, the action exploded once again!

Whenever the Celtics blocked a shot, another Knick was there to shove it back in their face by throwing the ball down with a monstrous dunk. Carmelo Anthony (32 points) was in top form and so was Amare Stoudemire (22 points, 10 rebounds). New York was absolutely deadly on the fast break and Raymond Felton (17 points) dished out 12 assists to his speedy teammates.

Initially, it looked like another upsetting loss for the Celtics, the signs being poor shooting by KG, Pierce & Rondo and continued struggles by their forwards, Kenyon Martin & Charlie Villanueva, who've lost their shot as of late.

But Boston wasn't going to surrender so easily. Displeased by his shot not falling, Rajon Rondo (10 assists) reverted to what he does best, driving to the rim for 16 points and infuriating Marcus Camby with 4 personal fouls, all of which gave Boston free points at the free throw line. And the free throw line was one of many things that kept Boston in the game, along with adequate defense (minus a few lapses on the boards) and patient sharing of the ball.

Roy Hibbert was a heavy presence for Boston, scoring 14 points inside and leading both teams on the glass with 17 rebounds. All the same, both teams were in each other's faces all night and it wasn't until Boston pugnaciously clawed their way to a 9 point (65-56) to end the 3rd quarter that things began to change in Boston's favor.

Once the final period was underway, Boston surged to a 15 point lead, courtesy of splendid shooting by Kevin Martin (10/17 for 24 points) and Josh Howard (15 points). In fact, Josh Howard and Carmelo Anthony had a mini-dunk contest with each other for a few possessions before things got serious again.

In the paint, KG heeded Rondo's solution and scored 16 points off dunks and close shots at the rim, including 6 free throws. Paul Pierce reeled in 15 points as well, and even Charlie Villanueva hit a big three-pointer (his only shot in the game). The rest of the contest was spent by New York chipping away at Boston's commanding lead that was a testament of their hard work to outplay the visiting Knicks.

While New York (especially Anthony and late heroics by Jason Kidd) stayed relevant on the score board, time was simply not on their side and they'd been blitzed by Boston.