Hot shot
Paul who? Paul Pierce. Chris Paul. It doesn't matter which one's absence was at the heart of Rajon Rondo's strong game. On the floor with a slew of all-stars and future Hall of Famers, Rondo was hands-down the best player on the floor for the Celtics as he finished with 31 points, 13 assists and five steals.
In-n-out
If you're wondering whose minutes will be taken away with the addition of Mickael Pietrus, look no further than Sasha Pavlovic. His defense against Carmelo Anthony wasn't particularly impressive, and the only point he scored was for the Knicks -- he was called for a technical foul which led to one of Anthony's game-high 37 points.
Super sub
What a debut for Boston's Brandon Bass. Without Pierce and the Celtics' starting frontcourt providing little offensive punch, Bass' 20 points and 11 rebounds could not have come at a better time.
Turning point
With the score tied at 104, Anthony was fouled on a reach-in by Marquis Daniels. He made both free throws with 16.3 seconds to play, later proving to be the game-winning points.
By the numbers
6: The number of technical fouls called, most of which were made by veteran official Joe Crawford.
Quote to note
"I really don't have to show that I can score the basketballeveryone knows I can do that. Where we are going to succeed is me making other guys better." -- Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony.