Celtics Overcome Bad Habits to Beat the Knicks

It was the best of games. It was the worst of games.  The Celtics eked out a 90-86 win over the New York Knicks less than a week after blowing them out by a 40-plus-point margin.  But the Celtics had to overcome some bad habits - bad habits they displayed during the game - to earn the win.  It was the worst of games when Jordan Crawford fell into his old habits and settled for taking (and not making) 3-point shots early in the possession.  Crawford ended up 0-8 for the game with five of his eight shots coming from beyond the 3-point arc (sometimes well beyond the 3-point arc).  It was the worst of games when Jeff Green - the Celtics leading scorer - took only seven shots the whole game.  It was a game that following a familiar pattern where the Celtics opened a 17-point lead at one point during the first half only to see it slip away in the third quarter.  But it was the best of games when the Celtics found a way to come from behind late in the fourth quarter.  It was a best of games when Green, who defended Carmelo Anthony most of the game, finally figured out how to slow Anthony down in the fourth quarter.  Anthony - who led all scorers with 26 points - seemed unstoppable most of the game.  As Coach Brad Stevens said of Green's defense during a post-game interview, "Carmelo got going like Carmelo can get going, and it didn't matter who was guarding him.  But Jeff went to a different level in the last eight minutes." It was the best of games when Green, with 12 seconds to go in the game and the Celtics clinging to a slim 2-point lead, drove and scored against two defenders to seal the win for the Celtics.  It was the best of games when Crawford, with little over a minute left in the fourth quarter, decided to stop taking ill-advised 3-point shots and instead drove into the key causing the Knicks defense to collapse and allowing him to find a cutting Vitor Faverani for a critical basket.  Crawford finished the game with six assists on two turnovers. It was also a very good game for Courtney Lee who came off the bench in the first half and scored 18 points on 6-of-8 shooting to steady the Celtics in the first half. Jared Sullinger also continued to demonstrate his offensive prowess against teams with an undersized front court and lack a real shot blocking threat. While the Knicks at 6-16 are not an NBA elite team at the moment, it was still a meaningful victory for the Celtics.  The Celtics showed character by overcoming some of their bad tendencies to rally for the win in the fourth quarter.   It was both a fun and frustrating game to watch.