Tough Loss in Boston, Back Home for Portland

Boxscore

Knicks jumped out to their usual early lead in Boston, but were unable to hold on as they trailed by double digits for most of the second half. Losing the rebounding battle 54-38 didn't help as the Knicks gave up 14 offensive rebounds and 54 points in the paint.

Chandler was once again strong off the bench scoring 19 points and grabbing 6 rebounds. He also blocked 4 shots.

Stoudemire and Garnett, which seems to be a great match up at power forward this year, both had good games. Amar'e shot pretty well (8-17) although most of his shots came from the perimeter.

Gallo continues to struggle and avoid blaming the injured wrist. He didn't record a field goal last night and looked a step slow getting to a couple of loose balls.

Once again the Knicks had no answer for Rajon Rondo as he racked up 24 assists, 4 shy of tying the Celtics franchise record held by Bob Cousy.

In the final minutes the Knicks made a valiant run with a couple of stops and forced turnovers by Toney Douglas. The Celtics held on for a 105-101 victory.

"I thought our guys played with as much heart as you can play with. They hit some big shots that gave us a chance to have a little flurry at the end, but I thought overall it was good. Some guys are stepping up, and if we play that hard and play that well, we'll win some games." -- Mike D'Antoni

Tonight, the Knicks will need to rebound in two forms. Rebound from last night's loss and also rebound the basketball against a very tall Portland team. A double double from Amar'e for a change would be nice, but collectively as a team they need to keep Portland off the offensive glass.

Brandon Roy is always a tough match up for anyone, so we can expect him to play well.

Tonight is the home opener at the Garden so it should be a sell-out crowd with a lot of electricity. I am looking forward to it!