Celtics Vs. Knicks, Game 4: Boston Sweeps Carmelo Anthony, New York

Against a Boston Celtics team clicking on all cylinders, the New York Knicks never stood a chance. We knew this. If we didn’t, then we should have known. So it’s no surprise, then, that with KG and Rondo at their best, Sunday saw an easy Celtics win and an exclamation mark on a four-game sweep that sends Boston to the second round.

Looking back, the only reason anyone thought the Knicks had a chance at all was because of the Celtics’ struggles late in the regular season. With Boston sleepwalking, we thought New York could steal one or two on the road, win at MSG, and make things interesting.

I don’t care about the regular season. Jermaine O’Neal was the biggest difference maker on the defensive end for the Celtics in this Knicks series. Sure, Amar’e went off Game 1 (and was injured in Game 3), but Jermaine O’Neal we just absolutely a menace to any Knick in the paint, and when he wasn’t blocking shots he wasn’t scared to foul hard. O’Neal even showed us some offensive skills, proving that he can still hit a 7ft jumper (and shooting 62% from the field doing it).Check out our Celtics vs. Knicks hub for full series coverage. For more on the Celtics, visit CelticsBlog and SB Nation Boston. For more on the Knicks, visit Posting And Toasting and SB Nation New York.

Garnett had six of those points, and 20 of his team-high 26 came in the second half.

Check out our Celtics vs. Knicks hub for full series coverage. For more on the Celtics, visit CelticsBlog and SB Nation Boston. For more on the Knicks, visit Posting And Toasting and SB Nation New York.

Maybe there is some life in the New York Knicks’ season, after all. A late awakening in the third quarter saw the Knicks cut a Game 4 deficit that had swollen to as many as 23 points to just 10 entering the fourth quarter.

And for once, a Knicks surge wasn’t about Carmelo Anthony getting hot. Anthony had six points in the Knicks’ 18-8 run to end the third quarter, but Shawne Williams and Roger Mason Jr. each made a three in that span, and the Knicks managed to hold the Celtics to just eight points over almost eight minutes. Credit Anthony Carter for some of that, too: he produced a few hustle plays that helped sustain the swing.

Amar’e Stoudemire is on the floor for the New York Knicks in their Game 4 against the Boston Celtics. But that’s not going to be enough if Rajon Rondo keeps taking big bites of the Big Apple.

Rondo tore up the Knicks’ defense in the first quarter, scoring nine points and dishing five assists to help stake the Celtics to a 29-23 lead after the first period. For a player Mike D’Antoni slammed before the game as a product of his teammates, that’s certainly a good start.

↵D’Antoni on Rondo: “I’d like to see him play on Minnesota and see how he does. ... They’ve got three Hall of Famers out there.”↵

↵But saying that immediately before an elimination game in the playoffs sounds more bitter than biting, and further sounds like D’Antoni lamely trying to deflect criticism from himself. And thus, the day’s best Twitter meme — #DAntoniQuotes — was born. Long may it live, or something.