Barton Silverman/The New York Times
Celtics guard Avery Bradley scoring. The Knicks lost an 11-point lead in the first half and trailed for the entire second half. More Photos »
They planned for a funeral, a chance to bury past failures, painful memories and, most of all, the Boston Celtics. It would be a memorial and a celebration all in one, with the Knicks — dressed in black for the occasion — presiding over the last rites at stately Madison Square Garden.
The theme proved ill-conceived, perhaps in poor taste and absolutely poorly timed, as the Knicks stumbled through another four quarters Wednesday night, allowing the Celtics — undeniably old, but hardly lifeless — to take a 92-86 victory, extending this first-round series once again.
After starting the week with a sweep in sight, the Knicks are clinging to a 3-2 lead and heading back to Boston for Game 6 on Friday.
"We're good; we're good," Carmelo Anthony said, despite the sudden shift in momentum. He added, "Mentally, we're in a great place."
Or maybe the Knicks are simply trying to convince themselves of that in the wake of another meltdown.
The Knicks shot just 39.5 percent from the field and trailed for the entire second half, by as many as 15 points. The Celtics, a team missing its point guard and without a single elite player in his prime, shot 45.7 percent, their best mark of the series.
Anthony had his worst game of the series, scoring 22 points while missing 16 of 24 shots. J. R. Smith, back from his one-game suspension, was worse, missing his first 10 shots and finishing 3 for 14 from the field.
Smith did not hit his first shot until 2 minutes 49 seconds were left in the game — a 3-pointer that cut the Celtics' lead to 85-76. But Jeff Green answered with a 3-pointer as Boston pulled away and fans began to groan.
With their season and perhaps their Celtics careers on the line, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett summoned every ounce of their Hall of Fame talent. Pierce scored just 16 points but hit several important shots in the second half. Garnett had 16 points, 18 rebounds and 5 assists in a throwback performance.
Green had a team-high 18 points and, along with Brandon Bass, helped hold Anthony in check.
After falling behind by 11-0 in the opening minutes, the Celtics dominated the rest of the game.
"Everybody just wanted to be in the fight tonight," Celtics Coach Doc Rivers said, "and everyone did their part."
The Knicks, despite taking a 3-0 lead nearly a week ago, are still searching for their first playoff series victory since 2000. And the Celtics are threatening to become the first team in N.B.A. history to win a series after losing the first three games. If the Celtics win Friday, Game 7 will be in New York on Sunday.
"Nobody said it was going to be easy, but now it's a series," Knicks Coach Mike Woodson said.
It is, in fact, an increasingly tense series.
On Friday, Smith elbowed Jason Terry in the chin, earning a one-game suspension that may have cost the Knicks a chance to sweep the series. On Wednesday, the tensions flared after the final buzzer as the Celtics' Jordan Crawford taunted Anthony when the teams crossed paths near midcourt. Crawford was quickly restrained by teammates, and the incident ended quickly, with only words and no blows.
"Was not happy with it," Rivers said. "Woody wasn't happy with it.
"We don't need any of that," Rivers said, adding an expletive. "We really don't. Come on, let's just play basketball."
Anthony literally waved off a question about the incident with his left hand, saying, "I'm not thinking about no Jordan Crawford." He added, "I don't even think he deserves for you to be typing right now."
Anthony was dressed in a black T-shirt, black pants and a black hat, as if dressed for a funeral, which was no accident. The entire team wore black outfits to the game, at the suggestion of Kenyon Martin, a sartorial statement that backfired badly.
"Whatever shenanigans they want to pull, dressing all black, let them do that," Green said dismissively. "We're here to win games and not talk."
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