Rajon Rondo, Celtics Outlast Jeremy Lin, Knicks In OT, 115-111

BY JIMMY GOLEN, THE ASSOCIATE PRESS

BOSTON — Rajon Rondo had his second triple-double in three games, spoiling Harvard grad Jeremy Lin's return to Boston on Sunday and leading the Boston Celtics to a 115-111 overtime victory over the New York Knicks.

Rondo had 18 points, 20 assists and a career-high 17 rebounds, and Paul Pierce scored 34 – including a 3-pointer with 4.9 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime. Kevin Garnett scored 18 with 10 rebounds, and Ray Allen gave the Celtics the lead for good with a 3-pointer to make it 108-105, then followed it with a fast-break layup – both on assists from Rondo.

Lin picked up two fouls in the first three minutes and struggled to 14 points in 32 minutes. He had five assists and four rebounds while shooting 6 for 16 from the floor.

Carmelo Anthony scored 25 points for the Knicks, six of them in the final 100 seconds of regulation as they briefly took the lead. Amare Stoudemire scored 16 with 13 rebounds and Tyson Chandler had 14 boards for New York as it fell a game below .500 and 1 1-2 games behind Boston in the Eastern Conference.

Lin, who led the Knicks to seven straight wins after cracking the rotation, had one stretch to remind his fans in Boston what the fuss is all about. Boston led 94-89 with 3:35 left in regulation when he sank the second of two free throws, stole the ball and took it in for a layup and then hit a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to one point.

Anthony took it from there, making the next three Knicks baskets and giving them a 101-100 lead with 36 seconds left. Pierce missed one attempt at a game-winner, but after Novak made a pair of free throws the Celtics captain sank a long, off-balance 3-pointer with 4.9 seconds left in regulation to tie it 103-all.

Anthony missed at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.

Once there, Rondo took over.

He found Allen on the wing for a 3-pointer that gave Boston a 108-105 lead and, after Lin's driving layup bounced around and off the rim, Rondo wound up with the ball on the fast break and dropped it for Allen for the layup.

Lin's last trip to play the Celtics, on Feb. 3, he scored just two points in under seven minutes. The next night, he came off the bench to score 25 points against the New Jersey Nets. He has been in the starting lineup ever since, sparking a seven-game winning streak that rejuvenated the Knicks and gave birth to Linsanity.

The phenomenon has been felt back in Cambridge, too.

Harvard president Drew Gilpin Faust met with Lin before the game, and Crimson coach Tommy Amaker was also at the game one day after the Crimson beat Cornell to clinch at least a share of the Ivy League title.

The rest of the crowd greeted Lin rudely in the first quarter, but two fouls in the first three minutes seemed to eliminate the chance that it would be another big game.

The Knicks fell behind 21-12 in the first quarter before scoring the next 12 points. It was 52-40 New York with 3:33 left in the second, but Boston cut it to five points at the half when the Knicks committed two turnovers in the final 37 seconds and then Anthony fouled Rondo with 0.9 seconds left, sending him to the line for two free throws that made it 56-51.

Pierce scored 15 points in the third quarter when the Celtics went on a 19-2 run to turn a five-point deficit into a double-digit lead. New York led 60-55 when the Celtics scored 11 straight points, including a 3-pointer by Pierce that tied it 60-all.

Lin threw the ball away and Pierce took it in for a layup that made it 66-60 and then, after Lin made a runner, Boston scored another eight in a row to open a 74-62 lead with 3:12 to play in the third. After Baron Davis made a 3-pointer, Boston scored another six in a row, including a 3-pointer from Pierce.

Notes: Allen and J.R. Smith picked up matching technicals after jawing under the basket early in the fourth quarter. ... Celtics F Brandon Bass rolled his left ankle in the third quarter and went to have it taped. He returned. ... Jeff Green, who is out this year after surgery to repair an aortic aneurysm, sat on the Celtics bench in street clothes. ... Doc Rivers spent Saturday night watching his son Austin play for Duke against North Carolina in Durham, N.C. ... The Knicks shot 62 percent (13-for-21) in the second quarter while holding the Celtics to 8-for-22 shooting.

Comments

[ranks88]

03:06 PM on 03/10/2012

Why did they change the winning combination? Face the facts, the team when Lin hit the floor was better than the one now. I guess you cannot have big salary guys riding the bench.

[billebrock]

02:39 PM on 03/10/2012

" Lin, who led the Knicks to seven straight wins after cracking the rotation, had one stretch to remind his fans in Boston what the fuss is all about. Boston led 94-89 with 3:35 left in regulation when he sank the second of two free throws, stole the ball and took it in for a layup and then hit a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to one point. "

Who came up with this math?? He either tied the game with that 3 or the Knicks went up 1, depending if you count that second free throw into the 94-89 score.

Absolutely no editing online...it really makes me think I should be a writer...who the heck cares if I know what I'm doing? I know I am being picky, but growing up and reading the paper every day it was really cool when you read the typos that they would point out the following day, concerning the previous day's paper, usually 1 or 2 from a whole newspaper...today it is 1 or 2 from each story...every article I read online has typos...to me that is just plain lazy.

[Angelus2007]

11:01 PM on 03/05/2012

Please stop with the puns. They are getting so old. I have nothing against Lin, but I am starting to root against him, to stop hearing all the puns.

[truthocentric]

07:48 PM on 03/05/2012

It's about the team, the Knicks will be fine after a few more games. Rondo's good, in fact he also had extra motivation with those trade rumors blowing. He stepped up. As far as the Knicks overall it was an excellent effort, we came up a little bit short it's definitely one to grow on. Finally to all those Carmelo haters " Stop the nonsense", he took over the fourth quarter and if he nails that last shot......

[mike72]

05:52 PM on 03/05/2012

Lin and Anthony are just trying to put the pieces together. Give them some time.

[can54me]

02:20 PM on 03/05/2012

Alright, I've read enough here. Now to find out who is Jeremy Lin's gf off court so that there is another angle to this Linsanity story. I love Lin and I know he will thrive but we need to support him or silly Dantoni will relegate him to the bench and Knicks will not make it to the playoffs, not in the next half century.

[mikala]

01:41 PM on 03/05/2012

It seems that most of Lin's problems have come after Anthony returned.

[O K Ali]

03:06 PM on 03/05/2012

Co-sign.

[mike72]

05:46 PM on 03/05/2012

This will happen to any organization with two heads of states. Lin is listening to the coach and is trying to fit in to the Anthony world. But by doing that, he lost his drive that dintingushed him before Anthony came back.

To everybody's credit, they are all trying to put the pieces together so it is not going to be Lin's team or Anthony's team or two teams. Instead there will be only one Knick team. Will that happen? It all depends on Lin and Anthony workding it out.

Will they? That is the BILLION dollars question. If it works out, NBA has a Billion Dollars PG running wild in the Asia market. If not, well ...

[JohnHopwood2]

01:34 PM on 03/05/2012

The knicks are not ready for primetime. They need better players. Carmelo is okay but not consistent and he is not a gamer.

[swift goat pet for truth]

05:53 PM on 03/05/2012

geez.

This particular team has been together for 3 games.

[LogicalMathMan]

12:40 PM on 03/05/2012

I'm not sure if this should be seen as a feather in the Celtics cap, or a reminder to D-Antoni not to be enamored by the Linsanity hype and to give Baron Davis more playing time. Rondo only took off (especially on rebounds) after learning how badly Lin defends. Let's see how well the Celtics do this week and this coming Sunday when the Lakers host them.

[Noodlegirl]

12:30 PM on 03/05/2012

Lin has had his 15 minutes, now for reality: He's a defensive liability who has way too many turnovers. Rondo ate his lunch before he even knew it was gone.

[fraserseth]

12:26 PM on 03/05/2012

About time for everyone to start giving the kid a break...he's only played about 20 games

[Still Posting]

12:33 PM on 03/05/2012

Agreed. But were you also advocating 'caution' when everyone was going buckwild about him?

That's where the real problem lies.

What sane person didn't realize there would be good games and games in which he (an all players) struggled?

[Iain Banks]

01:01 PM on 03/05/2012

Oh now the linbots advocate caution, where were you when he was being compared to Kobe and Jordan?

[mike72]

05:49 PM on 03/05/2012

I think Lin did ok. But just not shingin like before.

[suntzu]

12:20 PM on 03/05/2012

The real reason why the Knicks lost to the Celtics was poor rebounding on both the offensive and defensive side. Their best defender under the basket, Tyson Chandler, has been hampered by an injured wrist, and was out for significant portions of the game at critical times. The next best rebounder, Stoudemire, has been MIA for some time. Unless the Knicks get a second big man under the basket to relieve Chandler, they are going to have problems contending.

[shawman65]

12:14 PM on 03/05/2012

Mr.Lin, meet Rajon Rondo. he can actually play the point and isn't just a poser in the biggest media market in the USA.

[swift goat pet for truth]

05:54 PM on 03/05/2012

Knicks - 17-18

Celts - 19 - 17

Yeah.
Huge difference.

[Auz]

12:06 PM on 03/05/2012

Stop hating on Lin, Rondo did the same to Derrick Rose in 2009's playoff match up. He averaged a triple double against the Bulls across 7 games. It wasn't because Rose is lame, its because Rondo is amazing and Rose was a rookie on the rise to greatness carrying a bad team on his own. Now they are both elite, and no one is going to argue that Rose is definitely top three among all PG's (If not the best PG in the League).
Give Lin, a year or so and he may get there as well, but people please stop acting as if Lin got served by some lowly third string point guard; Rondo's Jersey was the third best seller last year after Kobe and Lebron for many reason (yesterday being one of them, 10 triple doubles so far this year in the NBA, Rondo claims 4 of them (three in the past week) ). He almost single-handedly ended the championship hopes of both Lebron and wade every year before they joined forces, there is a reason why Kobe guards him instead of Ray Allen or Pierce. Across all positions, Rajon Rondo has embarrassed and outplayed many a men.

Lin, keep your head up, there is a reason why you are the starting PG for the team with the largest market in the world, and its not because your Asian.

[catboycolo]

12:03 PM on 03/05/2012

who da man? Rondo!