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New York • Back in the series, now back to Boston.

The Celtics, winners of the most NBA championships, are two victories from making more history.

Kevin Garnett had 16 points and 18 rebounds and the Celtics stayed alive in the NBA playoffs, cutting the New York Knicks' lead to 3-2 with a 92-86 victory Wednesday night.

The Celtics will host Game 6 on Friday night, needing two victories to become the first NBA team to overcome a 3-0 deficit to win a series.

"We just wanted to keep it going," Brandon Bass said.

Bass added 17 points, steadying Boston as it shook off an 11-0 deficit and pulled away in the second half to stop the Knicks again from achieving their first playoff series victory since 2000.

"We didn't panic and that's something we've done, but we didn't," coach Doc Rivers said. "I thought once the game got back to that five, six area, our guys were good again."

J.R. Smith, back from his one-game suspension for elbowing Jason Terry with the Knicks way ahead late in Game 3, missed his first 10 shots and finished 3 of 14 for 14 points.

Terry also scored 17 off the bench.

Jeff Green scored 18 points and Paul Pierce had 16 as he and Garnett, the two franchise stalwarts, extended this season — and perhaps their Celtics careers — at least one more game.

Carmelo Anthony scored 22 points but was just 8 of 24 in another dismal shooting night for the Knicks, who blew a big lead in this game and now the series.

They face an unwanted trip back to Boston instead of the rest this aging roster could surely use before the second round.

If they get there.

"I think we're fine," Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. "Sure, we would've loved to close it out and move on, but nobody said it would be easy."

The Celtics were the first of the eight NBA teams that have come from 3-1 down, beating Philadelphia in 1968, and put themselves on the short list of teams that have erased a 2-0 deficit the next year in the NBA Finals.

So perhaps it would be fitting if they were the first to overcome 3-0. —

Celtics 92, Knicks 86

FG FT Reb

Boston Min M-A M-A O-T A PF Pts

Green 42:33 5-8 6-6 1-4 4 2 18

Bass 40:19 6-7 5-5 1-5 3 3 17

Garnett 38:38 5-9 6-6 2-18 5 4 16

Bradley 22:20 2-6 0-0 1-2 0 0 4

Pierce 44:14 6-19 0-0 0-4 3 4 16

Terry 35:07 6-16 0-0 0-4 3 2 17

Williams 16:49 2-5 0-0 0-4 2 1 4

Totals 240:00 32-70 17-17 5-41 20 16 92

Percentages: FG .457, FT 1.000. 3-Point Goals: 11-22, .500 (Terry 5-9, Pierce 4-8, Green 2-2, Williams 0-3). Team Rebounds: 6. Team Turnovers: 17 (16 PTS). Blocked Shots: 3 (Garnett 2, Terry). Turnovers: 15 (Garnett 5, Pierce 5, Bass 2, Green 2, Bradley). Steals: 3 (Bass, Pierce, Terry). Technical Fouls: Terry, 6:45 fourth.

FG FT Reb

N.Y. Min M-A M-A O-T A PF Pts

Shumprt 29:04 4-7 3-4 0-6 1 4 12

Anthony 45:10 8-24 6-6 0-7 2 1 22

Chandler 33:43 3-5 2-2 4-11 2 4 8

Felton 44:14 10-19 1-2 3-6 4 1 21

Prigioni 12:56 1-5 0-0 0-0 1 1 3

Smith 36:21 3-14 5-6 0-4 2 2 14

Martin 13:19 1-1 0-0 0-2 1 5 2

Kidd 21:25 0-4 0-0 1-2 0 1 0

Novak 2:50 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 2

Camby 0:58 1-1 0-0 1-1 0 0 2

Totals 240:00 32-81 17-20 9-39 13 19 86

Percentages: FG .395, FT .850. 3-Point Goals: 5-22, .227 (Smith 3-8, Shumpert 1-2, Prigioni 1-4, Felton 0-3, Anthony 0-5). Team Rebounds: 4. Team Turnovers: 9 (4 PTS). Blocked Shots: 1 (Kidd). Turnovers: 8 (Felton 3, Shumpert 2, Smith 2, Kidd). Steals: 8 (Chandler 3, Shumpert 3, Martin, Prigioni). Technical Fouls: Smith, 6:45 fourth.

Boston 20 25 24 23 — 92

New York 22 17 21 26 — 86

Attendance • 19,033

Time • 2:29.

Officials • Joe Crawford, James Capers, Sean Corbin.