Philippines, 05 Apr 2026
  Home >> News

 


BOXERS

CURRENT CHAMPIONS 

FORMER CHAMPIONS   

RATINGS                       

NEWS           

FORUM        

FIGHT GALLERIES        

RING CARD GIRLS        


 
 
News  


Pierce, Rondo too much for Knicks


PhilBoxing.com




WHEN the New York Knicks visited Cleveland last Friday night, they encountered little resistance from an overwhelmed and undermanned Cavaliers team that lost badly, 120-103.

But Sunday afternoon's road trip to Boston told a starkly different story. The Celtics, the 2008 NBA champs, weren't as welcoming at the TD Garden with their suffocating defense and multiple offensive weapons in full display.

The Knicks, who struggled from the get-go and trailed 21-12 in the opening quarter, somehow made the duel an entertaining, high-scoring battle. But in the end, there was too much Paul Pierce. And way too much Rajon Rondo.

Pierce drilled 34 points, including a clutch 3-pointer that knotted the count at 103 and forced the game into overtime when the Knicks failed to convert in the final 4.9 seconds of regulation. The Celtics then took full advantage of their new lease on life and dominated the overtime period to score the 115-111 win.

And while Pierce had his fingerprints all over this match-up, the game clearly belonged to Rajon Rondo, who easily outplayed Knicks point guard and current NBA sensation Jeremy Lin.

Rondo, the subject of trade rumors all week, waltzed his way to 18 points, 20 assists and 17 rebounds. If the Celtics want to contend for an NBA title for years to come, they might want to keep Rondo, a 3-time All-Star who is only 26 years young and already a 5-year NBA veteran.

As Rondo soared, Linsanity was curbed.

Lin got into early trouble, picking up two quick fouls in the first three minutes of the contest. He did log 31 minutes and 50 seconds of play, but he was out of sync, making more turnovers (6) than assists (5) and clunking 10 of 16 shots.

Lin found some traction late in the fourth quarter when he scored six consecutive points to put the Knicks to within 95-96. New York eventually seized the lead and took what seemed like a comfortable 103-100 bulge following a pair of Steve Novak free throws. But Pierce ruined the comeback with his dagger 3.

Carmelo Anthony had 25 points while Amare Stoudemire added 16 points and 13 rebounds, but the Knicks couldn't overcome 22 turnovers and poor shooting -- a meek 41 of 94 from the field for a poor accuracy rate of 43.6 percent.

Boston converted just 45 of 103 shots (43.7 percent) but they huge contributions from All-Stars Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. KG swished for 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds while Allen chipped in 14, including a big 3 in overtime that fueled the Celtics momentum.

Boston improved to 19-17 in the standings while New York fell to 18-19.


Click here to view a list of other articles written by Scott Au.


Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:

  • Twin wins for Pinoy boxers
    By Joaquin Henson, , Sun, 05 Apr 2026
  • NM Buto spearheads Goldland Chess Club
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Sun, 05 Apr 2026
  • Andreas Cortes vs Eridson Garcia Tops Paramount Plus Card
    By Chris Carlson, , Sun, 05 Apr 2026
  • Chris "Sandman" Thomas Back in the Win Column
    , Sun, 05 Apr 2026
  • Taduran Stops Pérez in 7, and “Still” IBF 105 Champion
    By Carlos Costa, , Sat, 04 Apr 2026
  • Pedro Taduran Scores Sensational Stoppage Over Gustavo PÉRez ÁLvarez in IBF Minimumweight World Championship Main Event
    , Sat, 04 Apr 2026
  • BROWN STOPS DUCAR TO LAND FIRST PRO TITLES
    , Sat, 04 Apr 2026
  • Guy Jutras, a gentleman and pilgrim of world boxing, passes away
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Sat, 04 Apr 2026
  • GM Joey Antonio keeps Philippine flag alive, posts hard-earned win in Canberra chess meet
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Sat, 04 Apr 2026
  • TWO WORLD TITLE FIGHTS CONFIRMED FOR ‘GLORY IN GIZA’ UNDERCARD
    , Sat, 04 Apr 2026
  • MANSOUR AND BALLO MAKE WAVES WITH UNPRECEDENTED OPEN WORKOUT ABOARD CITY CRUISES ADMIRAL HORNBLOWER AHEAD OF SD FIGHT NIGHT: FAMILY BUSINESS
    , Sat, 04 Apr 2026
  • Rookie Kon Knueppel breaks Charlotte Hornets three points record
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Sat, 04 Apr 2026
  • IBA extends its global reach through a strategic partnership with Nomad Fighting premiering at IBA Nomad 14
    , Sat, 04 Apr 2026
  • GM Laylo leads in Bundesliga 3 and in IIEE chess Olympiad season 8
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Sat, 04 Apr 2026
  • MANNY PACQUIAO PROMOTIONS TADURAN VS. PEREZ WEIGH-IN RESULTS
    , Fri, 03 Apr 2026
  • PLANET ICE FIGHT NIGHT: WEIGH-IN RESULTS AS BROWN AND DUCAR FACE-OFF FOR FINAL TIME
    , Fri, 03 Apr 2026
  • Battle of the Trades Returns for Its 3rd Year April 25 at Torrey Pines Community Resource Center in Las Vegas
    , Fri, 03 Apr 2026
  • Bobby Laing vs. Russ Kimber in intriguing Intra-state match-up between Massachusetts Light Heavyweights on ‘Rumble at the Rink II’
    , Fri, 03 Apr 2026
  • PH chess wizard Jacobb Seda ties for 1st, settles for silver on tiebreaks in Thailand meet
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Fri, 03 Apr 2026
  • Rene “Chulo” Santiago, Masataka Taniguchi Officially Make Weight for Friday’s Unified World Title Clash in Tokyo
    , Thu, 02 Apr 2026
  • Marlon Tapales and Yukinori Oguni Make Weight in Clash of Former World Champions
    , Thu, 02 Apr 2026
  • Taduran in high spirits ahead of title defense in California
    By Carlos Costa, , Thu, 02 Apr 2026
  • Waiting to beat Floyd
    By Joaquin Henson, , Thu, 02 Apr 2026
  • 20th Philippine Xiangqi Open tournament on May 1
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Thu, 02 Apr 2026
  • Can Tapales Overpower Oguni to Increase his Chances of Another World Title Fight?
    By Carlos Costa, , Thu, 02 Apr 2026




  •  



     
    PhilBoxing.com has been created to support every aspiring
    Filipino boxer and the Philippine boxing scene in general.
    Please send comments to feedback@philboxing.com


    PRIVATE POLICY | LEGAL DISCLAIMER
    developed and maintained by dong secuya
    © 2026 philboxing.com.