But, sometimes we let emotion get in the way of reality. And, the reality tonight at Madison Square Garden, in front of a pumped-up New York crowd that had waited seven years for an NBA playoff game, was an overmatched Knicks team playing against a Celtic franchise with a long legacy of championships. Not to mention, the Knicks were also playing against a group of Hall of Fame level players who recognize that the 2011 playoffs are probably their last chance to compete together for an NBA championship.

These Celtics were not going to let an undersized, underskilled, injured Knicks team take away this potentially last chance at greatness.

Even if the Knicks were a healthy bunch, with Chauncy Billups at the point and Amar’e Stoudemire strong and limber, the challenge would have been immense for Mike D’Antoni’s team. The fact is, the Knicks had no answer for Boston’s Big Four tonight.

Rajon Rondo once again had his way with the Knicks backup point guard, Toney Douglas, putting up a triple-double without breaking a sweat. Rondo had 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 20 assists (a Celtic playoff record) in a near flawless display of point guard play. Poor Douglas, who has been on his heels this entire series trying to stick with the shifty and strong Rondo, did the best he could but the second-year player has discovered the greatness of Rondo under the bright lights of playoff basketball.

The recipients of Rondo’s passes were nearly flawless, themselves. Ray Allen, who doesn’t seem to be getting older, was 8 of 11 from three-point land on his way to 32 points for the game. Paul Pierce, also another ageless wonder, scored 38 effortless points on 6 of 8 from three and an astounding 14 of 19 overall, from the field.

Kevin Garnett was hardly needed tonight on the offensive end, as he focused on pulling down rebounds (12) and making sure the injured Stoudemire didn’t develop any momentum or confidence.

The Celtics won the first two games of this series without playing well. The Knicks coaching staff was fond of saying it was because the Knicks forced the Celtics into poor play. Somehow, the Celtics knew better and they proved it tonight.

The Garden crowd, so expectant after the two close losses in Boston, had the veritable wind knocked out of them in the first eight minutes of the game. The Celtics, feeling none of the pressure of playing in front of the hostile Madison Square Garden crowd, took an early 17-point lead. Before many in the crowd had actually been seated, Doc Rivers’ team was off to the races and the Knicks seemingly had no answers.

The Knicks Carmelo Anthony, who fell short of his second-game, 42-point output by 27 points (15 points on 4 of 16 shooting) summed up how it felt at the beginning of the game.

“I think we came out a little bit too slow,” Anthony said. “I don’t know if it was the excitement of playing here. I don’t know what it was. I think they capitalized on our slow start. Paul (Pierce) got off to a great start and we were looking uphill from there.”

With Chauncy Billups out of the lineup with his bad knee and Stoudemire hurting with his sore back, it was left to Anthony and his band of NBA gypsies to try to overcome a Celtic team that firing on all cylinders, tonight.

Stoudemire was disconsolate afterwards.

“We came out with the intent to win,” he said. “We definitely wanted to get this win, tonight. We just didn’t get it done. We have to go get back to the drawing board for Game 4.”

Without a healthy Stoudemire or a healthy Billups, and, with an exposed Knicks bench that has been forced into starting roles, the drawing board Stoudemire refers to may be a commentary on next season and not on salvaging a playoff win this year.

The Celtics still had Garnett, Pierce, Rondo, and Allen on the floor while Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni had to fill in the blanks with such dignitaries of the hardwood as Roger Mason, Bill Walker, Jarod Jeffries, Toney Douglas, and of course, Carmelo Anthony.

This was going to be a breeze for the home team Celtics, no matter how scrappy these particular Knicks would try to be.  Jeffries had scored a total of 46 points during his entire season in a Knick uniform. Mason was still picking wooden splinters out of his dexterior region from all the bench time he’s logged this year, as the forgotten Knick. Walker just joined the Knicks rotation only after Jim Dolan had gutted the Knicks bench in the Anthony trade.  And Douglas became important, very important, after Billups injured his knee.

Except one thing. The Knicks had Carmelo Anthony on their side. And, what Anthony did tonight was almost, in a way, redemption for what he wasn’t able to do two nights ago in Game 1 of this playoff series. He looked at the Knicks lineup and looked at the Celtics Hall of Fame-laden team and made one decision. It was the easiest decision he’d ever made in his basketball-playing career. 

Anthony told himself he was going to carry his team on his shoulders for the last 24 minutes of this pivotal game and do the superstar thing, here in the playoffs when the pressure often gets to lesser players, especially at crunch time.

Anthony did what he set out to do, scoring a career-tying playoff high of 42 points. He also added 17 rebounds, 6 assists, and superb defense most of the night. Unfortunately, the Knicks broke down in the very last seconds of the game, with Jeffries failing to execute on  a pass inside from Anthony with six seconds left in the game and the Knicks down by one measly point. The Celtics won the game, 96-93 but, Anthony and the Knicks scared the bejeesuz out of Doc Rivers’ team for the second game in a row as the teams get a two day respite before heading down to New York and Madison Square Garden to resume these exciting festivities.

In the end, it was Kevin Garnett, who’s played in a few of these games over the years as a Celtic, who sank the go-ahead basket with 14 seconds left, then stole the ball from Jeffries to clinch things for Boston but it was the Knicks who came out of these first two games feeling like they belong on the same court as a Celtic team that has played at a championship-contending level for most of the past decade

Garnett hit the decisive jump hook after backing Jeffries into the lane. The Knicks then got the ball to Anthony in the left corner, where he was double-teamed by Pierce and Glen Davis. Anthony passed inside to Jeffries, but Garnett stole the ball and called timeout with 4 seconds remaining.

The Knicks then fouled Delonte West, who made two free throws with 0.6 seconds to go.

Boston — Ray Allen hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 12 seconds left, Paul Pierce shut down Carmelo Anthony and the Boston Celtics rallied to beat the New York Knicks 87-85 in their playoff opener on Sunday night.

New York led 85-84 before Anthony was called for an offensive foul for pushing Pierce with 21 seconds remaining. Allen, who led the Celtics with 24 points, sank the decisive basket from beyond the left arc.

The Knicks then rushed downcourt and Anthony missed a long 3-point attempt with 2 seconds left. The superstar forward went 1 for 11 from the field in the second half.

Amare Stoudemire had 28 points and 11 rebounds for New York, and Anthony finished with 15.

Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is set for Tuesday night in Boston.

Pierce scored 18 points and Kevin Garnett added 15 points and 13 rebounds for Boston.

After Anthony’s critical offensive foul, Rajon Rondo lined up to inbound the ball but called timeout. The next time, Allen inbounded from just in front of the half-court line on the right side. He threw the ball to Pierce, then circled to the other side of the court, caught Pierce’s pass and fired up the deciding basket.

And when Anthony missed and the final seconds ticked away, Celtics coach Doc Rivers high-fived fans as he headed to the locker room.

Third-seeded Boston got a tough challenge from the Knicks, who allowed 105.7 points per game during the regular season, third-most in the league. Pierce was the defensive star for the Celtics, forcing Anthony to shoot with a hand in his face for much of the game.

With the score tied at 82, Toney Douglas hit a 3-pointer to put the Knicks in front with 38 seconds to go. The Celtics called timeout and immediately scored when Rondo tossed an alley-oop to Garnett on the inbounds pass.

The Celtics, who won their NBA-high 17th championship in 2008, are aiming to return to the finals after losing in seven games last year to the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Knicks, in the playoffs for the first time in seven years, have lost their last three postseason series and have gone 10 years without a win in a playoff game.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/knicks/knicks_lose_to_celtics_xLVYYP0HDZ2xAXVGdgawbN#ixzz1Jql8kj1O