The Boston Celtics embarrassed the New York Knicks 104-59 on Thursday night to deliver them their third-worst loss in franchise history.
Paul Pierce and Ray Allen scored 21 points each and didn’t play in the fourth quarter as they had already done their job.
"It wasn't about the score, it's about getting better," said Pierce. "At one point I didn't even know we were up 40 points. We didn't do anything fancy we just kept playing our game."
Eddie House scored 15 points and all from behind the three point line, while rookie reserve Glen Davis chipped in with 11 points for the Celtics, who are now 12-2 and 8-0 at home. Kevin Garnett had just eight points and 11 rebounds in only 23 minutes of work. After the game KG talked about how he always talks with his team mates about finishing teams and that this case was a perfect example.
After the first quarter the Celtics were already 11 points in front (27-16) and as the second quarter started they went on a 16-2 run that got them a comfortable and commanding 54-31 halftime cushion.
The third quarter wasn’t less embarrassing for the Knicks as the Celtics outscored them again 28-10 to double their lead to 82-41, heading into the fourth. However, the Celtics weren’t concerned about the score. The only thing they were focusing on was their plays and playing well.
"Obviously, I was never great in math, so I couldn't figure out if we were up by 30 or 40, so I paid no attention to the score," Celtics head coach Doc Rivers said. "I knew were playing well."
When the Celtics reached a 50 point lead (93-43) on Eddie House’s three-pointer, a New York fan threw his Knicks jersey towards the court to show his disgust.
Nate Robinson led the Knicks in scoring with just 11 points. New York shot just 30 per cent from the field and remained winless on the road after seven games. They are now 4-10.
"I don't know where this game came from, because the last two games we played really good basketball," said Knicks head coach Isiah Thomas.
"We're all embarrassed, "added Thomas, who’s job is on the line.