Rock Bottom-er? Knicks 89, Celtics 86

Five Things We Saw

1. A spirited effort that ended in a dispiriting loss. The Celtics brought the intensity against the Knicks, generated a bunch of open jumpers and decent looks at the rim and failed to convert enough to win, especially after a second half dry spell left the C’s with too much ground to make up in the fourth quarter. That’s five losses in a row for the C’s heading into tomorrow’s SEGABABA against the Hawks and Ray Allen’s nationally-televised return to Boston on Sunday afternoon.
2. A committed, focused effort on defense by Jeff Green, who dug in against Carmelo Anthony. Melo made shots in the second half but Green’s tenacity was a welcome sight after all the half-hearted efforts this year.
3. Two brutal late-fourth quarter turnovers that may have cost the Celtics the game. One came on a handoff from Jason Terry to Paul Pierce and another when JR Smith jumped all over Pierce on the sideline and forced a turnover. It must have been disappointing for all the New York fans who were counting on a Pierce jumper breaking their hearts again.
4. Contrary to common wisdom, Rajon Rondo has botched more than his share of nationally televised games. But tonight, he turned in a 2012 playoff style triple-double (23 points, 10 rebounds, 11 assists), notable for the consistency with which he sought holes in the NY defense and knocked down elbow jumpers in the fourth.
5. Doc: “We lost the game; I don’t think either team played great, but if I had that effort every night I’d be very happy.”