Celtics 107
Knicks 73
The season is two games old and the Knicks are already in crisis.
The Knicks, the $102 million Atlantic Division favorites, are in sole possession of last place after the most embarrassing, boo-infested Garden opener in their history last night.
Tired of booing, bored Garden fans chanted Paris Hilton’s name in the third quarter as the Celtics mounted a 31-point lead en route to their 34-point, 107-73 clubbing of their 0-2 Knicks. Hilton sat in celebrity row with high pink boots that were prettier than anything the defenseless, turnover-prone, sloppy, bricklaying Knicks put forth after that preseason of promise.
With Celtic Paul Pierce the star of the night (28 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists), the Knicks suffered their worst home-opening loss, topping their 29-point loss to the 76ers in 2000.
“I would’ve booed, too, if I was a fan,” said Stephon Marbury, who scored a team-high 12 points. “There’s no way you can go out on the basketball court and play that way.”
Tim Thomas had his second mediocre outing, scoring six points on 3-of-9 shooting while being obliterated by Pierce.
“Right now, it’s at the lowest point and it could only get better,” Thomas said. “They ran everything and did everything they wanted. It’s a [lousy] night.”
Knicks president Isiah Thomas, who admitted to “nerves” before tipoff, watched the mess in the tunnel in horror. Owner James Dolan, sitting in his customary baseline seat, sat slouched forward, with a facial expression as if his dog had died.
The Knicks’ performance was even too vile for Howard Stern, who bolted in disgust from celebrity-row with his model girlfriend midway through the third quarter.
With 4:42 left in the third, Ricky Davis converted a one-handed alley-oop dunk from Gary Payton, putting the Knicks down 26. The play drew the loudest oohs and aahs of the night. Problem is, the fans expected to be oohing, not booing, about the newfangled Knicks.
There were signs in preseason the Knicks would be deficiently defensively and it’s all coming to fruition.
“It’s very devastating,” Lenny Wilkens said. “It starts with defense. We can’t outscore people. You don’t allow teams to come in and walk on you like that.”
For all of Jamal Crawford’s offensive grace, he can be overpowered inside against shooting guards, as Ricky Davis (20 points, 8-of-11) proved. Crawford must’ve felt like he was in Chicago again.
“They [booed] in Chicago but not that loud,” said Crawford, who scored 11 points, missing six of nine shots.
The Celtics, entering at 0-2, shot to a 19-point lead at halftime. After intermission, Payton and Pierce hit back-to-back 3-pointers. And after center Raef LaFrentz drove the right baseline for a power dunk, the Celtics led by 27 points, 63-36, before all the fans had returned to their seats.
After losing their season opener in Minnesota in which they played relaxed and with poise, this three-game homestand is crucial for the Knicks. After they face Philly and the Clippers here, they embark on a vicious four-game road trip to Indiana and the Texas Triangle.
“No way we can play Minnesota as well as we did and then forget everything,” Wilkens said.