By Nina Mandell
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Less than a week after being traded out of Mike D'Antoni's doghouse to the Boston Celtics, fan favorite Nate Robinson took his sweet revenge in Beantown Tuesday night.
The sparkplug guard came off the bench for 16 minutes — time not seen at Madison Square Garden lately — to grab four points and a steal for the victorious Celtics.
“It’s overwhelming being part of a franchise that’s accustomed to winning,” Robinson told the New York Times, an obvious dig at the Knicks.
While Robinson received a standing ovation from fans in green, the Knicks woes continued.
Tracy McGrady, who left Tuesday's game early after once again tweaking his surgically repaired knee, played 26 minutes and finished with six points and eight assists.
“Guys I’m playing against, they have almost a full season on me,” he said in a press conference after the game. “I’m still trying to play my way into shape.”
It was a bitter loss for the Knicks who were within three in the last minute, with a chance to tie it up. The first, a 25-footer from McGrady missed, forcing the Knicks to foul Kevin Garnett. Garnett put in one of two free throws — enough to seal the victory for the Celtics.
In the waning seconds, Eddie House, who came to the Knicks from Boston in last week's trade, missed a three.
It was the Knicks' eighth-straight loss.
