BOSTON - Twelve years without advancing in the playoffs. Two failed attempts to close out the Boston Celtics. Nineteen consecutive missed three-pointers.
Carmelo Anthony brought all the slumps to a stop.
Anthony made a pull-up jumper and then made his first three-pointer in 20 tries to help the New York Knicks turn back Boston’s comeback attempt Friday night, beating the Celtics 88-80 in Game 6 to win a playoff series for the first time since 2000.
“You should never play with any doubt out there on the basketball court,” Anthony said. “I can’t step onto the court thinking of failure. When you start second-guessing everything, when you start playing with doubt … I can’t afford to play under those circumstances.”
Anthony scored 21 points and the Knicks held on after blowing most of a 26-point lead to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Indiana Pacers.
Game 1 is Sunday in New York.
Iman Shumpert scored 15 of his 17 points in the second half, when the Celtics scored 20 consecutive points and cut a 75-49 deficit to four points. But Anthony made a 13-footer to give New York an 81-75 lead and followed with a three-pointer - his first since Game 3.
J.R. Smith converted a three-point play to give the Knicks back a lead of at least 10 points.
“There’s definitely a moment in that run that I was thinking, ‘What are we doing, fellas?’ ” said Knicks center Tyson Chandler, who had nine points and 12 rebounds.
“It’s such a great learning experience when you get a win. It’s tough when you get a loss. We’ve got to grow from it. I’m glad it happened. I’m glad it happened in the first round.”
Jeff Green scored 21 points for the Celtics, who had rallied from a 3-0 deficit in the series and had a chance, at home, to force a decisive seventh game.
No NBA team has advanced in the playoffs after losing the first three games.
Paul Pierce scored 14 points on 4-for-18 shooting, making 1 of 9 three-point attempts. Anthony also struggled from inside and outside the arc, going 7 for 23 from the floor and missing his first four three-point attempts - that was 19 in a row in the series - before making the key basket with 1:43 to go.
“For him to miss all the threes that he missed - he hit the biggest one of the series and that’s what counts,” Knicks Coach Mike Woodson said. “That’s what I look at.When there are close games, I like to see who’s going to step up and make plays, and he made the biggest play of the night.”
The Knicks had not won a playoff series since Patrick Ewing and Latrell Sprewell (and current backup center Marcus Camby) helped them reach the 2000 Eastern Conference final.
Kevin Garnett had 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, who now face another off season of talk about breaking up the aging core that won the franchise’s record 17th NBA title in 2008 and returned to the NBA Finals two years later. Reserve Jason Terry scored 14 points - the only points the Celtics got from their bench.
Rivers said he hasn’t thought about his future, or the future of his aging stars, calling Garnett “as tough a competitor as I’ve ever been around” and Pierce “one of the greatest Celtics to ever play.”
“He’s done so much for this franchise,” Rivers said. “We live in a day and time where guys change teams like socks. Paul has chosen to stay here throughout his career when he could have by all rights chosen to leave.
“He wanted to get it done here. I hope he’s remembered for that. I hope he comes back.”
A victory Friday would have made the Celtics the fourth NBA team to tie a series after losing the first three games. And it would have given them a chance to be the first in league history to win a series after trailing 3-0.
PACERS 81, HAWKS 73
ATLANTA - George Hill and David West each scored 21 points and Indiana withstood a furious Atlanta comeback in the fourth quarter, closing out the opening-round playoff series in Game 6.
The home team had won every game until the Hawks returned to Philips Arena and set a franchise record with just nine points in the second quarter on 1-of-15 shooting. The defense broke down in the third, allowing Hill and West to score a combined 22 points, and the Pacers built a 65-50 lead going to the fourth.
The Hawks sliced it to 76-73 on Al Horford’s dunk with 2:13 remaining.
But the comeback fizzled there, and the Pacers advanced to face New York.
Roy Hibbert added 17 points and 11 rebounds. Lance Stephenson also had 11 rebounds.
THUNDER 104, ROCKETS 93
HOUSTON - Kevin Durant scored 27 points and Kevin Martin added 25 to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder into the second round of the playoffs for the third consecutive season.
Houston was looking to become just the fourth team in NBA history to force a Game 7 after trailing 3-0.
But the Thunder opened the fourth quarter with a big run to take the lead and cruised to the victory.
Martin finally gave the Thunder someone to take scoring pressure off Durant for the first time since All-Star Russell Westbrook had season-ending knee surgery.
He had 21 points by halftime and Westbrook’s replacement, Reggie Jackson helped out by scoring 17.
James Harden, who the Rockets said had strep throat on Thursday, led Houston with 26 points.
GRIZZLIES 118, CLIPPERS 105
MEMPHIS - Mike Conley and Zach Randolph scored 23 points each, and Memphis beat Los Angeles to take the first-round series 4-2 and advance to their second Western Conference semifinals in three seasons.
The Grizzlies had never won four consecutive postseason games before this series, and they became only the 10th team in NBA history to win four consecutive playoff games after trailing 0-2.
They will open the second round at Oklahoma City on Sunday.
Tony Allen had a postseason-best 19 points for Memphis, and Jerryd Bayless had 16.
Reserve Matt Barnes scored a career playoff-best 30 points for Los Angeles. Chris Paul had 28 points before being ejected with 2:29 left for crashing into Marc Gasol off a missed free throw. Blake Griffin didn’t start because of his sprained right ankle, and he scored nine points in 13:56.
Caron Butler added 14.
At a glance FRIDAY’S GAMES
New York 88, Boston 80
New York wins series 4-2
Indiana 81, Atlanta 73
Indiana wins series 4-2
Oklahoma City 103, Houston 94
Oklahoma City wins series 4-2
Memphis 118, LA Clippers 105
Memphis wins series 4-2
TODAY’S GAME All times Central
Chicago at Brooklyn, 7 p.m.
Series tied 3-3
CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS
SUNDAY’S GAMES
Memphis at Oklahoma City, noon
Indiana at New York, 2 :30 p.m.
Sports, Pages 19 on 05/04/2013