Carmelo Anthony recruiting Rajon Rondo to New York? Maybe it should be the other way around. The Celtics punished the Knicks at MSG this afternoon, cruising to a 114-73 victory. In the biggest rout of the 2013/14 season so far, Jordan Crawford led the way with 23 points while Melo had just 19 off of putrid 5-of-15 shooting. The latest out of Boston..
- Doc Rivers says the patience and effort needed to rebuild with the Celtics “just wasn’t in me,” but he thinks the team will recover quickly, as Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald observes. Rivers also doesn’t think the resentment that Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett harbor toward Ray Allen will last.
- After being brought in at last season’s trade deadline to be a wild card for the postseason-bound Celtics, Crawford had no real expectations on him. However, Crawford is proving to be a real force for Boston, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com.
- The rumor that the Knicks approached the Celtics about Rajon Rondo and offered Iman Shumpert caused laughter among the Boston brass because the Celtics want first-round picks, especially if they are to deal with a division rival, writes Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
- Even though he’s not likely to win the award, Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter) would like to see Danny Ainge get some votes for Executive of the Year for the picks he stockpiled and his bold coaching hire.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.