The New York Knicks beat the Boston Celtics on opening night, stealing first place in the Atlantic division over an aging team playing without Paul Pierce. The loss left Celtics power forward Kevin Garnett pretty upset, and he went at the throat of Knicks forward Bill Walker. Garnett grabbed Walker by the throat with one hand and pushed him backwards, creating a situation that should have been pretty embarrassing to the league. Apparently the league doesn’t care though.

A source from the NBA leaked information that Garnett would not get punished for this incident, basically sweeping it under the rug. This is an unacceptable decision by the league and it really reeks of favoritism for a player that is likely heading to the Basketball Hall of Fame. What Garnett did was basically assault Walker after the game, something that it would seem that the league would try to stop from happening. If it happened during, a player could get ejected, fined and then suspended for the action.

Walker was the mature one in this situation, approaching Garnett later that afternoon when the Celtics were heading to the team bus to leave. If we believe what Walker has to say, the situation looks closed and is unlikely to re-surface when the teams face off again this season. As for the fan opinion of what took place after that final whistle and just how ridiculous what Garnett did is another debate entirely. For a player that already has a negative reputation for playing dirty, this is not sitting well with Knicks fans that watched the aftermath.

The league needed to make a statement here, if for no other reason than t stay consistent with policy. Players get suspended in the NBA for simply leaving the bench during a game, but assaulting an opponent after the game has ended seems so much worse. Apparently not.

Celtics fans are quick to excuse Garnett’s actions on articles about the game, most likely because they have become used to this behavior. It’s not something that flies off the court, so why should it get considered proper behavior after the game. I am curious about one thing though; where are the NBA fans that were attacking LeBron James for not shaking hands after a loss back in 2010? Is trying to choke someone not worse than skipping a handshake?

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Sources:

Full Knicks Schedule

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*Ryan Christopher DeVault is a fan of the New York Knicks that has followed the team since the days John Starks, Charles Oakley, and Anthony Mason instilled their defensive will on the rest of the league.

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By
Sportsmail Reporter

Last updated at 8:59 PM on 25th December 2011

Carmelo Anthony scored 37 points, including a pair of free throws with the game tied and 16 seconds left, and the New York Knicks survived a seesaw NBA season opener to beat the Boston Celtics 106-104.

Amare Stoudemire added 21 points and Toney Douglas had 19 for the Knicks, who led by 17 in the first half, trailed by 10 in the fourth quarter, then pulled out a thrilling Christmas victory in the delayed opener to the 2011-12 season.

Rajon Rondo had 31 points and 13 assists, nearly leading the Celtics back without an injured Paul Pierce. But Kevin Garnett missed a jumper just before the buzzer, the kind of shot Boston always seems to make against the Knicks.

Hands up: New York Knicks shooting guard Bill Walker (L) goes to the basket as Boston Celtics power forward Kevin Garnett defends during the second half of the game at Madison Square Garden in New York

Brandon Bass had 20 points and 11 rebounds in his Celtics debut, and Ray Allen added 20 points.

Garnett finished with 15 points. He and Allen had a sleepy Christmas start, with Rondo keeping the Celtics in the game until they got going in the second half.

But it wasn’t enough against the Knicks, who withstood a potentially serious knee injury to first-round pick Iman Shumpert to beat the team that swept them out of the first round of last season’s playoffs.

Pierce has a bruised right heel but hopes he can return Tuesday when the Celtics visit the Miami Heat.

Centre of attention: New York Knicks Carmelo Anthony (2nd L) takes a shot between Boston Celtics Brandon Bass (L) and Kevin Garnett (2nd R)

Even without him, the Celtics fought back to tie it at 69 on Rondo’s layup midway through the third quarter. They surged ahead by eight going into the final period after Bass scored the final six points, then extended it to 89-79 on Bass’ jumper to open the fourth.

Anthony tied it at 100 on a 3-pointer with 3:25 to play, and it stayed tight until he was fouled on a drive with 16.3 seconds left, making both for a 106-104 lead. Rondo grabbed the rebound of Marquis Daniels’ potential go-ahead 3-pointer to give the Celtics a final chance, but Garnett was off on a jumper, then appeared to shove the Knicks’ Bill Walker away.

All smiles: Singer Alicia Keys attended the game with her husband Swizz Beatz

Coming off their first winning season in a decade, the Knicks added a defensive presence by signing Tyson Chandler away from the NBA champion Dallas Mavericks and have loftier expectations than they’ve seen in years. The original NBA schedule had them opening against Miami, but instead they got a chance to see if they’ve closed the gap against the team they hope to unseat atop their division.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers even compared the Knicks to the Lakers because of the length along their front line with Chandler in between Stoudemire and Anthony. Though the Celtics won all eight meetings last season, the Knicks have been listed some places as the favorites in the Atlantic Division, which the Celtics have ruled since their Big Three came together in 2007.

Star men: Director Spike Lee (L) and comedian/actor Chris Rock sit beside each other at Madison Square Garden

‘It’s possible. Right now, anybody could win the division. Everybody knows how optimism kicks in before the season starts, but then once reality sets in after the first month of the season, we’ll see,’ Pierce said before the game.

‘But it’s definitely a possibility. I mean, they have the talent, but we have the talent, too, So I can see that.’

D’Antoni was careful to keep the expectations low, saying the limited amount of practice time before the season started means it could be a few weeks before all the new players are used to each other. The Knicks won’t even have one, Baron Davis, for a while as he recovers from a herniated disc in his back.

Shumpert was expected to be a key until then, but he sprained a right knee ligament in the second half.

Lean back: Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo takes a shot as New York Knicks power forward Amare Stoudemire defends

The Celtics are a changed team as well, with the retirement of Shaquille O’Neal and the season-ending loss of Jeff Green for surgery to repair an aortic aneurysm. And they will face questions about how their veteran core can navigate the tight 66-game schedule.

But the acquisition of Bass from Orlando for Glen Davis paid immediate dividends, as he showed a nice midrange jumper when he wasn’t busy keeping balls alive on the glass.

The first game since renovations began at Madison Square Garden included the usual cast of celebrities such as Alicia Keys, Chris Rock and John McEnroe, and some new confusion, as at least one Celtics player had to ask how to get to the court from the new visitors’ locker room.

The Knicks led 34-23 after one and extended it to 49-32 with 7{ minutes left in the half on a pair of free throws by Chandler.

But the Celtics shot 62 percent in the quarter, getting it back into single digits before New York took a 62-52 lead into half-time.

NEW YORK — The New York Knicks have assembled one of the most talented frontcourts in the league and are working on improving their backcourt.

Free-agent point guard Baron Davis will sign a one-year contract Monday with the Knicks for $2.5 million, according to multiple media reports.

Davis, 32, will be sidelined for at least a month because of a problem with his back, but the Knicks felt comfortable in taking a chance on the two-time All-Star.

“I would love to have him,” Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony said Sunday. “Everybody knows what he can do when he’s healthy and when he’s focused. When (Davis) is healthy, he’s one of the best.”

The Cleveland Cavaliers waived Davis last week through the amnesty provision. He has career averages of 16.5 points and 7.3 assists per game.

“There were times he was the best point guard in the league,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said. “I think a lot of it just depends on if he wants to be here and if he’s able to do it. If those things are positives, then he can turn into being a good thing for us.”

New York has Toney Douglas, 25, and Mike Bibby, 33, at point guard.

Miami runs away

from Orlando

MIAMI — LeBron James scored 19 points and the Miami Heat cruised to a 118-85 victory over the Orlando Magic in the exhibition opener for both teams.

The Heat outscored the Magic by 29 points over the game’s final 27 minutes.

“When you have a team outscore you 22-0 on fast-break points, they’re clearly playing at a pace and an energy level higher than what you are,” Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said. “And we could not keep up.”

Ryan Anderson and J.J. Redick each scored 22 points for the Magic, which lost for the first time in 22 exhibition games dating to October 2008.

The subject of trade talk throughout training camp, Orlando center Dwight Howard finished with five points on 2-for-9 shooting.

Afterward, Howard said his status is not a distraction for the Magic.

“We were off for seven months,” he said. “And guys are trying to get back into it. There’s no need for us, anybody, Magic fans, whatever, to stress about the first game.”

Van Gundy dismissed a theory Howard was disinterested.

“Here’s where we are: If he has a bad game, he’s disengaged?” Van Gundy said. “That’s BS.”

Notes

• The Indiana Pacers will trade guard Brandon Rush to Golden State for forward Louis Amundson. Mark Bartelstein, the agent for both players, confirmed the deal.

• Ex-Sonic Kevin Durant scored 21 points to lead the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder to a 106-92 victory over the defending champion Dallas Mavericks in the exhibition opener for both teams.

Lamar Odom, acquired from the Los Angeles Lakers in a trade Dec. 11, had 14 points and seven rebounds in his debut for Dallas. Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd, leaders in the Mavericks’ title run, were in uniform and are healthy but were rested by coach Rick Carlisle.

• Greg Stiemsma‘s tip-in with 12 seconds left gave the Boston Celtics a 76-75 exhibition victory over host Toronto.

BOSTON (CBS) – The Boston Celtics and New York Knicks will open up the NBA season on Christmas Day, the league announced Friday.

The two teams will play at noon in New York, one of five games that will kick off the lockout shortened 2011-12 season.

The game will be broadcast on TNT.

Read/Watch: Celtics Have ‘A Lot Of Needs’

The Celtics and Knicks rivalry was revived a little bit last season when the two teams squared off in the first round of the playoffs. The Celtics swept the series 4-0 but the Knicks are looking to make some noise in the NBA with a full season of Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudamire together.

Read: Celtics Announce 2 Preseason Games

The rest of the NBA schedule will be announced on Tuesday.

New York Knicks fans will get an early chance to enjoy the team this season. With the NBA lockout coming to an end, it looks like the season will begin on Dec. 25 (Christmas Day). There are three games on the current NBA schedule for that day, and one of them features the Knicks . If the league decides to keep the league schedule as it appears for that day, it will allow fans a very early (primetime) look at how the team stacks up this season.

If we believe indications from the league that the NBA is going to try for a 66-game schedule this year and that the lockout has come to an end, then it is finally time to get excited about the Knicks again. On Dec. 25, the Knicks are on the schedule to play the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks are in the early game for NBA coverage on Christmas Day, and could stay the first game in a pretty big tripleheader .

The Knicks made pretty big strides in the 2010-11 season thanks to the free agent signing of Amare Stoudemire(notes) and then the trade for Carmelo Anthony(notes). The team won seven of their last 10 games in the regular season, clinching the No. 6 seed in the 2011 Eastern Conference Playoffs. The Knicks fell short against the Celtics in the first round though, and it turned into an early offseason for the club. Injuries took a toll on the Knicks though, as Stoudemire was hurt and point guard Chauncey Billups(notes) missed time in the playoffs.

Now all three stars are back for the new season, and hopefully they have kept in good shape during the lengthy offseason. If there are only 66 games in the 2011-12 schedule, then it raises how important each game is. As such, the new players that New York is able to sign will play a very significant role on the team.

Making it to the NBA Playoffs was a good goal for last year, but with two superstar players on the roster now, it’s time to make it deeper into the postseason. The Miami Heat appears like the team to beat in the Eastern Conference, but the Chicago Bulls are also retaining a roster that won 62 games last year. It will remain tough among the elite teams in the East, but New York looks good enough to compete. Winning it all will depend on how much the roster can improve in the next month.

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Source:

New York Knicks Website

*Ryan Christopher DeVault is a fan of the New York Knicks that has followed the team since the days John Starks, Charles Oakley, and Anthony Mason instilled their defensive will on the rest of the league.

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