Knicks Survive Celtics’ Late Rally In Game 6; New York Moves On To Second Round For First Time In 13 Years

Carmelo Anthony scored 21 points and knocked down a crucial trey to help the New York Knicks fend off a late barrage from the Boston Celtics in their series-clinching 88-80 win in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference first-round battle on Friday at TD Garden.

The New York Knicks moved on to the Eastern Conference semifinals for the first time since the Patrick Ewing Era in 2000, but Melo and the rest of the knickerbockers had to overcome first a gutsy comeback from a very resilient Celtics team.

With the Knicks leading by as many as 26 points, the Celtics refused to back down as they came through with a 20-0 run in the fourth quarter to give them a shot at stealing Game 6.

Avery Bradley, who struggled throughout the series, came out of nowhere and made big plays late - including a takeaway and a slam to keep the Celtics within four points, 75-79, with still 3:32 minutes left.

But Anthony finally put the Celtics to rest after hitting two consecutive jumpers - the last one was a dagger of a three to make it 84-75 ballgame with 1:43 remaining on the clock.

Unlike the first five games of the series, the Knicks got steady contributions outside Anthony as Iman Shumpert (17 points), Pablo Priogini (14 points), J.R Smith (13 points) and Raymond Felton (11 points) all scored in double-figures.

Jeff Green once again led the Celtics in scoring with 21 markers while Kevin Garnett (15 points and 10 rebounds), Paul Pierce (14 points), and Jason Terry (14 points) delivered quality minutes for the white and green.

The Celtics will now take on the Indiana Pacers in the first ever Eastern Conference semifinal appearance in 13 years.

"It's a major step for this organization, for our fans in New York who've been with us for many, many years," Woodson told the Associated Press in Friday's post-game press conference. "I'm looking at the big picture and I'm only in this for one thing and that's to try to win an NBA title. We made a major step today, but we've got a long way to go."

Game 1 of the Knicks-Pacers showdown is scheduled on Sunday at Madison Square Garden.