By Michael Ventura
DNAinfo Senior Editor
MANHATTAN — Madison Square Garden was rocking, A-listers were back in the stands, and the Knicks were playing a meaningful and exciting game for the first time in a decade Wednesday night.
Though Knicks fans might have thought they were reliving the Patrick Ewing era, a split-second separated the New York from the greatest win since Larry Johnson's 4-point play and a heartbreaking loss to the Boston Celtics.
With .4 seconds left on the clock, and the Knicks down 118-116, Amar'e Stoudemire took an in-bounds pass and heaved it toward the basket. It went in, but time had already expired. New York's 8-game winning streak was over.
Despite the loss, the Knicks showed the Celtics, and Manhattan, that the decade of misery and failure is over. The Knicks are back.
"We definitely earned our respect," Stoudemire told the Associated Press. "I guarantee you right now Boston respects us. We’re no slouch. We’re ready to play every night. Boston knows it."
Stoudemire scored more than 30 points for the ninth straight game, a Knicks record. He started the game at a furious pace, with 17 points in the first quarter alone, and finished with 39 points and 10 rebounds.
"This was a great game for the fans to watch," Celtics forward Paul Pierce told the New York Post. "There was a lot of hype around the game. I feel like we had our backs against the wall all night."
Pierce hit what proved to be the game-winning shot in the final seconds, leaving less than a half-second for the Knicks to attempt a miracle.
"The Knicks are playing great basketball, can't take anything away from them, and I actually thought Amare’s shot counted," Pierce told the AP. "I would have been stunned there for a minute, especially after all the theatrics, so I’m glad we got the win."
Up next for the Knicks: LeBron James.
The Miami Heat and James, who the Knicks spent two-years freeing up salary cap space to sign, comes to the Garden on Friday. Expect the building to be rocking again.
"This is what everyone hopes for," Knicks Coach Mike D'Antoni told the Post. "We went through 10 years of not much fun to get to this spot."
