If you still didn’t think that Boston versus New York was a rivalry in the NBA , then you were in for a rude awakening on Monday night.
In a game that featured an epic 15-point comeback, about a dozen hard fouls and three players suffering bloody facial wounds before the night was done, the Celtics emerged with a dramatic victory over the Knicks. The playoffs may still be three weeks away, but there was a playoff atmosphere at Madison Square Garden all the same.
The Celtics didn’t just win a game at MSG on Monday. They won a war.
“It was a bloodbath,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “I thought it was beautiful.”