Boston Celtics captain Paul Pierce lobbied to stay in the game before hitting the game winning jumper with eight seconds remaining for his team to claim victory in yesterday’s preseason contest over the New York Knicks 104-101 at Madison Square Garden. Pierce contributed 20 points, nine rebounds and five assists in 37 minutes on his 33rd birthday. Known to many as “The Truth,” Pierce seemed calm and collected as he casually wrapped up the game in light of his other plans. “I got an 11 o’clock reservation I had to make,” he said. “I didn’t want to stay any longer than I had to, you know what I’m saying? It’s my birthday.” Ray Allen led in scoring with 24 points on 9-of-14 shooting. Rajon Rondo put together a stat line with 12 points, seven assists and six steals. Luke Harangody was productive off the bench, netting 16 points with 12 rebounds during his 22 minutes on the floor. “I think he thought he was in the Big East tournament,” said Rivers of the former Notre Dame stand-out. The C’s are scheduled for one more preseason game against the New Jersey Nets before they open their regular season campaign against the Miami Heat at home. Boston Celtics tickets are now available!

The New York Knicks will kick off their regular season on the road Wednesday, October 27th against the Toronto Raptors before traveling to the TD Garden to face the defending Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics Friday, October 29th. Newly acquired power forward Amare Stoudemire will then showcase his talents for the first time in front of his new home crowd the following day against the Portland Trailblazers. November 2nd will feature the Knicks playing host to Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic. LeBron James and the revamped Miami Heat will make their way downtown Friday, December 17th and again on Thursday, January 27th. Carmelo Anthony, New York’s primary free agent target in 2011, will pay visit to the MSG on Sunday, December 12th. The Knicks are to be featured Christmas Day against the Chicago Bulls as part of the NBA’s five-game holiday lineup. The Knicks have put themselves in a legitimate position to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2004. Stoudemire will lead the charge with the help of new editions Anthony Randolph, Kelenna Azubuike and Ronny Turiaf. Point guard Raymond Felton was also signed to a two year contract this summer. Check here for the complete 2010-2011 New York Knicks regular season schedule.

Danilo Gallinari took charge for his squad, scoring 17 of his 28 total points in the third quarter as the the New York Knicks went on to defeat the Denver Nuggets 109-104 yesterday at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks netted 34 points collectively during the block and held the lead from there. Despite Carmelo Anthony’s 36 points for the Nuggets, it was Gallinari who eventually prevailed for New York to earn their 26th win of the season. “You can see him clicking, taking the challenge,” said Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni. “Now the challenge for him will be, he needs to be clicking every night and that’s not who’s in front of him. That’s a little bit of, if he wants to go to that next level, then the game’s got to be the challenge. It can’t be, ‘OK, I got Carmelo or Kobe or whoever.’” The 47-24 Nuggets have now lost two straight heading into tonight’s contest against the Boston Celtics. They are set to matchup with a handful of tough teams that includes Orlando, Dallas, Oklahoma City, Los Angeles, San Antonio and Phoenix. The Knicks are next scheduled to hit the road to face the Suns on Friday before arriving in Utah to challenge the Jazz on Monday.

LeBron James finally spoke out to the press in regards to his upcoming free agency this summer. Despite avoiding all major details, he at least gave somewhat of an indication to how he’s approaching the matter. “At the end of the day, it is still a business,” said James. “This isn’t high school basketball anymore. You have to do what is best for your family and what is best for yourself. I’ve always said I love being in Cleveland. But for me as a basketball player, no matter what happens, I love to play the game. I play it with a joy and I love my teammates.” The 25-year old phenom just recently became the youngest player to reach 15,000 points. Teams in the discussion to make offers during the off-season include Cleveland, New York, New Jersey and Chicago. The Knicks just reached a milestone in light of anticipation, already reaching 1,800 new season ticket orders for next year. The 56-15 Cavaliers have now won eight straight heading into Wednesday’s contest against the New Orleans Hornets. Monday marks the first day the organization can speak to Zyrunas Ilgauskas about re-signing with the team. James was happy to address Big Z’s return, saying “He’s a good friend of mine and he’s a great teammate. Z’s a veteran his play will automatically guarantee him minutes because of how good he is, how tall he is and his shooting ability.”

Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett earned Co-MVP rights with 29 and 22 points, leading the Celtics to crush the New York Knicks 109-97 as part of Boston’s St Patrick’s Day festivities at the TD Garden. The Celts took advantage early with 35 points to New York’s 19 by the end of the first quarter. After claiming victory in their last three contests at the home, Boston will look to continue their production on the road this weekend against the Rockets and Mavericks. “You’ve definitely got to take care of the games at home just to get the momentum,” said Garnett. “Now we just have to go on the road, play the same way we’ve been playing -sharing the ball, playing defense with a lot of energy and playing through for 48 minutes.” The Celtics are still in command and on top of the Atlantic Division. They are just four games behind the Orlando Magic, who currently hold the second spot in the Eastern Conference. Boston Celtics tickets are now available!

Atlanta’s Al Horford provided the final attempt one second too late, allowing the New York Knicks to claim victory for the third consecutive time over the Hawks last night at Madison Square Garden. Wilson Chandler provided a huge block for the Knicks with 1.7 seconds to go before Horford came up with the rebound, only for the horn to sound and keep the score at 99-98 in favor of New York. Danilo Gallinari led the Knicks with 27 points as David Lee controlled the inside with 19 points and 13 rebounds. “He was the star of the game. He did an unbelievable job for us. He did a great job forcing Joe (Johnson) into tough shots,” said Lee of Gallinari. “Sometimes they went, but he did a good job of forcing him into them. Gallo played well on both ends for us.” Johnson ended the night with 22 points and five assists. Josh Smith scored 25 for the Hawks with a side of 10 boards. Atlanta will continue their road trip to DC to face the Washington Wizards tomorrow before returning to Phillips Arena to prepare for the Detroit Pistons on Saturday. The Knicks are scheduled to start their five-game road trip against the San Antonio Spurs tonight at 8:30 PM.

The New York Knicks featured six players in double digits to cruise by the Detroit Pistons 128-104 yesterday at the Madison Square Garden. Al Harrington led the campaign with 26 points and eight rebounds. Former Celtics reserve Bill Walker shot 9-for-13 to produce a career high 22 points for his new squad. Tracy McGrady and David Lee supplied 15 apiece as Eddie House came off the bench for 17. The 21-39 record posted this season doesn’t sit well with the young, talented Knicks roster. Walker and House since being traded in February have collectively stepped up for the struggling organization. “That’s just natural ability,” said Walker. “I always thought I could play on this type of level. It just took a while for me to get the opportunity.” The Pistons have lost their last five contests looking ahead to their next road challenge against the top seeded Cavaliers tomorrow night. New York is next scheduled to face the Toronto Raptors Friday before hosting the New Jersey Nets the following day.

Celtics veteran Ray Allen came up with a crucial block in the final minute to solidify the 110-106 victory over the New York Knicks last night at the TD Garden. Allen netted 9-of-14 to earn 24 points on the night, but it was his work on defense that really shocked fellow players and coaches alike. “That was unexpected,” said a humored Doc Rivers following the contest, “but that was great.” Rajon Rondo controlled the tempo with 15 points, 16 assists and three steals. Nate Robinson hit two shots in his debut as a Celtic against his former team. “It felt like I was at practice, just with real jerseys on and everything,” said Robinson. “I’m home now and this is where the new beginning starts.” The Knicks were out to redeem themselves yesterday after posting just 67 points in their last game against the Milwaukee Bucks. They’re now preparing to face the Washington Wizards on Friday before returning to the Madison Square Garden to host the Memphis Grizzlies. The C’s are set to welcome the Cleveland Cavaliers tomorrow night at 8:00 PM. Boston Celtics tickets are now available!

Derrick rose was able to battle through his hip injury to lead the Chicago Bulls with 29 points as they went on to trounce the New York Knicks 118-85 last night at the United Center. Both organizations are currently fighting to make a run at one of the last playoff spots, competing to bring in Houston Rockets veteran Tracy McGrady. The Knicks are considered frontrunners due to the young talent they have to offer between Jared Jeffries, Jordan Hill and Larry Hughes along with a pair of future draft picks. ESPN’s Marc Stein speculates for the deal to finalize tomorrow according to a league source. Chicago isn’t out of the chase just yet, as they proposed to give up Brad Miller, Tyrus Thomas and either Kirk Hinrich or John Salmons to land the 2X NBA scoring champion. New York will try to redeem themselves against the Bulls tonight in their rematch at the Madison Square Garden. Game time is set for 7:30 PM.

The Boston Celtics regrouped after the NBA All-Star break to close out the Sacramento Kings 95-92 yesterday at the ARCO Arena. According to a number of sources, the Celts front office is currently busy attempting to complete a deal for New York Knicks guard Nate Robinson. Boston will likely be forced to exchange Eddie House and a future draft pick for the 3X slam dunk champion.

The C’s entered the All-Star festivities with two straight losses against the Magic and Hornets. They were certainly relieved to find their rhythm looking ahead to Thursday’s contest against the Los Angeles Lakers.

“It was important for us to get this win and get some momentum,” said Kevin Garnett following his nine point performance. “It was a team effort tonight. Our bench came in and played unbelievable.” Purchase your Boston Celtics tickets right here with us at AceTicket.com!