The difference in playoff basketball — more specifically winning playoff basketball — was displayed in the final minutes of the Boston Celtics’ win over the New York Knicks. We’ll boil it down even more: It was shown in the decisions made by Paul Pierce and Carmelo Anthony.
One guy has won a title and played for another; the other guy has won two playoff series in seven seasons.
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With 11.9 seconds left, Pierce — also an excellent scorer — instead passed to Ray Allen, who buried the game-winning 3-pointer. Seven seconds later, Anthony forced a 28-footer with four seconds left. He was double-teamed and had made one of 10 shots in the second half. He settled for a bad shot — again.
It’s a big reason the Knicks failed to steal a win in the opening game, wasting a good defensive effort.
Chances are Anthony will shoot better in ensuing games than he did Sunday (5-for-18). But what he must do is adjust his approach. In his first 45 career playoff games, Anthony averaged 8.3 foul shots a game. On Sunday, he attempted four. When a scorer is struggling, his job is to find other ways to score.
Meanwhile, it’s safe to wonder about the Celtics, too. They played wonderful defense in the second half, but they were bailed out by Jermaine O’Neal as well. How often can that phrase be uttered in the postseason? Was that a proud team hanging on? Or a veteran team turning it on? Don’t know yet.
It’s also safe to wonder about any of the top teams. Those who like the one-and-done drama of the NCAA tournament will never be satisfied watching the NBA. But this postseason could be one of the most dramatic in a long, long time.
Anthony had a chance to make it even more dramatic Sunday. But he failed. He’s too good not to respond with a better game. Besides, if he doesn’t, he’ll quickly learn that it’s not good enough in New York to be a regular-season stud. Playoff wins and titles are what matter in that city. To get there, he needs to pay attention to what happened in the final moments Sunday.
