Glen Davis: Celtics 'Need To Play Better'
BOSTON (CBS) - The Boston Celtics head to New York up 2-0 in their playoff series with the Knicks.
But after two hard-fought victories by a combine five points, the C's are not happy with their playoff performance thus far.
"It's really good to get the win, but we're disappointed with the way we played," Paul Pierce said after the Celtics 96-93 win Tuesday night. "We built a big lead and barring the circumstances I thought we should have pushed the lead."
The Knicks were without point guard Chauncey Billups and lost All-Star forward Amar'e Stoudemire in the second quarter to back spasms. Still, the Celtics needed a Kevin Garnett hook shot with 13-seconds left and a defensive stop to seal the win.
"We need to play better," forward Glen Davis said, who is averaging just 3 points and 5.5 rebounds through the first three games. "We want to be champions. They had both of their guys out. This gives them confidence. We're in for dogfight in New York."
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"We shouldn't be satisfied with the way we played, there are a lot of things to clean up," Pierce said. "Hopefully we can play better when we get to New York."
"Our whole team needs to…. all of us need to play better," Garnett said after the win. "I think we have the ability to play better. But this is a scrappy team and a team that can put up points. We're fighting and we're dealing with it."
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The Celtics were out-rebounded 53-37 on Tuesday, and allowed the Knicks to pull down 20 offensive rebounds. The bench play for Boston was most disappointing, which allowed the Knicks to come back from a nine-point deficit late in the third quarter.
"It's about effort truthfully," Pierce said of the second-unit. "If they can go out and play hard, rebound, scrap, and play defense. (They need to) maintain a lead when we get it, that's really what it's all about. We can't have a 10-point lead, our bench comes in and surrenders it right away."
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"Hopefully they can understand what's at stake," the Celtics Captain added. "It's the playoffs, every possession is big."
Now the Celtics head to New York for two games. Carmelo Anthony is coming off a 42-point, 17-rebound performance, and ready to give the Celtics all they can handle once again.
"The Celtics didn't do anything special," Anthony said. "They won two games on their home court. Now it's our turn to go to our home court and try to do the same thing."
"It'll be tough, but it's nothing we don't know about," Davis said of Games three and four in New York. "We've experienced it. We just have to go out and take the win. Just take it, point-blank."
