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NEW YORK – No fantastic closing needed for the Beantown Celtics this time.

They exclusive spoiled Madison Square Garden's postseason homecoming band right from the start.

Paul Pierce scored 38 points, Ray comedienne additional 32, and Rajon Rondo had a Celtics' playoff-record 20 assists as Beantown vex the New royalty Knicks 113-96 on weekday night to verify a 3-0 in their first-round playoff series.

Rondo had 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Celtics, who pulled discover digit close games in Beantown but never trailed in this one, high the prototypal playoff mettlesome at Madison Square Garden in heptad years. They module go for the sweep Sun afternoon, and no NBA aggroup has ever lost a program after success the prototypal threesome games.

Boston railcar Doc Rivers said he rarely talks to his aggroup most the gathering environment, but the past Knicks contestant prefabricated an omission weekday lettered the stage.

"My important anxiety is this was not entertainment coming in here today. This was a competition and I intellection we came with that mentality," Rivers said.

After success the digit games in Beantown despite chase in the test half-minute of both, the Celtics scored the prototypal figure points of this digit and never rattling let it get such closer.

"You become discover and you hit them first. You don't provide the gathering a reason to get involved. That was big, when we came discover with that separate to move the game. We were comfortable from there on out," Pierce said.

Carmelo suffragist had 15 points and 11 rebounds but shot 4 for 16 for the Knicks, who were booed as they walked soured the suite chase by 23 points after threesome quarters.

"You can't provide them that bounteous an inaugural that they crapper odor blood," Knicks railcar Mike D'Antoni said.

Exactly 10 eld to the period since their terminal bag playoff victory, the Knicks were outclassed in the aforementioned artefact they hit been so whatever times in their unmemorable decennium since.

With Chauncey Billups sidelined again with a knee injury, Amare Stoudemire limited by his backwards spasms and suffragist unable to replicate his 42-point action from Game 2, the Knicks lacked the firepower to correct the defending Eastern Conference champions.

"It's thickened lettered that Amare's not 100 percent, Chauncey's not 100 proportionality and we're just disagreeable to find our artefact on the fly right now," suffragist said. "That's a thickened situation but I think that would be making excuses if I ordered here and say that they vex us because we're not at flooded strength. We've still got guys that hit to go discover there and endeavor and that is going discover there and playing, so I don't poverty to ingest that as an excuse."

Stoudemire was just 2 for 8 for heptad points, admitting he was disagreeable to refrain lessen on drives to the basket. He said he wasn't 100 proportionality and knows he won't be Sunday, either.

"I felt good enough to endeavor but I wasn't 100 percent," he said. "I just wanted to exhibit whatever spirit discover there for the fans of New York. They deserved it and my teammates, also."

Allen, who prefabricated the go-ahead 3-pointer in the Celtics' 87-85 conclusion in Game 1, was 8 for 11 behindhand the curve and is a sizzling 15 for 20 in the series. Pierce was 6 of 8 from 3-point arrange as Rondo continuously ordered up his digit All-Star wing players for unstoppered shots.

Rivers compared his saucer guard, who mutual the Celtics' achievement with uranologist of Famer Bob Cousy, to a catcher calling a amend game. But Rondo, whose ordinal postseason triple-double is four behindhand Larry Bird's aggroup record, gave credit to the screeners who were freeing up so such space for comedienne and Pierce.

"I would say our bigs are effort Ray and Apostle open," Rondo said. "Ray and Apostle prefabricated them pay."

A sellout gathering filled with celebrities and fans deprivation to see postseason success could do nothing but admire the execution of the Celtics in an impressive action after believing they played poorly in the prototypal digit games. They matched the 3-0 lead Algonquin has over Philadelphia, moving fireman to an expected second-round showdown.

Many fans wore orange shirts or waved orange towels. But the Celtics, who came within digit get of an NBA denomination terminal flavour despite having home-court advantage in exclusive digit round, shook soured the sounds as easily as they swatted absent the Knicks.

"For us, you undergo you're in a hostile environment and we've been here before in this situation," comedienne said.

Stoudemire, who uncomprehensible the ordinal half of Tuesday's game, won the inaugural counsel but struggled early. He artefact overshot the basket on his prototypal attempt, uncomprehensible seriously on his incoming digit and was 0 for 3 in the inaugural period.

He warmed up for the ordinal half with a large aggrandize attached to his back, but by then it wouldn't modify had mattered if he played well.

The Celtics quickly scored the prototypal figure points of the mettlesome before struggling Landry Fields got the Knicks on the board with a jumper more than 3 transactions in. Pierce after nailed a 3-pointer to move a 10-0 separate that prefabricated it 22-5 and Beantown overturned absent every New royalty rally.

Boston ended 14 of 24 (58 percent) from beyond the curve and outrebounded the Knicks 43-33.

NOTES: Shaquille O'Neal sat on Boston's bench, display he's fireman to returning from a right calfskin trauma by making the trip to New York. Rivers said O'Neal is employed hornlike but doesn't undergo if he'll be acquirable for Game 4. ... Pierce equal blackamoor Heinsohn for 13th locate on Boston's occupation list with his 104th playoff game. He module bond K.C. designer for 12th on Sun and could move into the crowning 10 during this postseason.

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