A New York Knicks comeback for the ages
By Ed Stein
Off to a bad start
Most of the game went as you would expect when teams headed in opposite directions like these two played each other. The Celtics went about their business as they had done all season and the game was shaping up to be a huge mismatch. Boston had a comfortable 46-32 lead at the half, despite the fact their guards were having off-nights from the floor (they ended the day a combined 7-for-26)
To add insult to injury, CBS, who was covering the game, did a halftime story about New York Knicks hero Bernard King‘s devastating (at the time) ACL tear and arduous recovery. Another reminder about how bad things were for the team’s hopes of a turnaround.
Back from commercial, play by play announcer Dick Stockton and analyst Tom Heinsohn (a Celtics legend) spent the rest of the intermission talking about how badly Boston was beating the tar out of their hosts in just about every aspect of the game.
Believe it or not, It actually got worse for New York after the break. The Knicks opened the second half 0-for-7 from the floor and with 6:58 to go in the third, Bird knocked down a pair of free throws to put his team up 58-33. Boston had built up a 25-point lead and it seemed like the Boston Grinch ruined Christmas for all Knicks fans in 1985. Then it all changed.