This game smelled like a playoff game, and it didn't disappoint. The Knicks looked strong with a 10 point lead in the first quarter, but the Celtics battled to hang in the game. After giving up a 35-point second quarter, the Celtics limited the Knicks to 16 third-quarter points.

New York shot 6-of-17 overall and missed all three 3-pointers it put up in the third. The Knicks made 10 three's in the first half, and the Celtics cooled them off.

Boston owned a four-point lead going to the fourth quarter, where it doubled its lead before a back-and-forth battle developed.This was a chippy game at best, and the battle between Melo, and KG set the tone for the rest of the game.

Boston didn't just hit big shots, it had different players step up in key situations. Bass nailed a jumper, and Bradley was huge with 4 key points that kept the Celtics in front in the 4th.

Pierce inserted the dagger with a tough little step-back 21-foot jumper over Tyson Chandler for a six-point lead with 45 seconds to play. The Celtics beat the Knicks 102-96.

The Celtics look like their back, but it's all about one game at a time. Pierce had 13 of his 23 points in the 2nd quarter. Without the Pierce going off, Knicks would have run away with the game. Without Jeff Green the Celtics would have lost this game. Green was solid on "D", and he put up 16 big points. I'll have plenty more on this game.