New York 106 – Boston 104. Opening Day is finally upon us. To celebrate the NBA presented us with a buffet of marquee matchups including the first of the day in a NBA playoffs rematch of the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks. This series going forward will be interesting to watch as both teams are looking to make their claim as the dominant force in the Atlantic Division. The Knicks stormed off to the early lead in this one and the Celtics looked very much flat to start. The Celtics were playing without Paul Pierce due to an injury. However as the game progressed the experience of the Celtics core and their defense helped them take over the control of the game late. In the last 5 minutes of the game both teams battled hard in what felt like a playoff atmosphere.
Notables: Rajon Rondo took over from the onset to carry the offensive load in the absence of Paul Pierce. He finished well with 31 points and 13 assists. Iman Shumpert, New York Knicks rookie looked good in the debut and was aggressive from the start. Unfortunately he left the court in the third quarter due to a sprained MCL. He finished with 11 points and 4 rebounds. Carmelo Anthony led New York in scoring with 37 points and was the primary ball-handler late in the game.
Video highlight of the game by NBA.com via YouTube:
