December 25th, 2011 
Russ Loede 
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A Christmas Day special, a tradition that didn’t let down — especially if you’re a Knicks fan.
Carmelo Anthony smoothly notched 37 points, including a pair of clutch free throws with the game tied and 16 seconds left, and the New York Knicks earned a win in the season opener Sunday, triumphing the Boston Celtics 106-104.
Amare Stoudemire added 21 points and starting point guard Toney Douglas had 19 for the Knicks, who led by 17 in the first half, trailed by 10 in the fourth quarter, then rallied to snatch a Christmas Day victory to tip off the 2011-12 season.
Rajon Rondo recorded an impressive double-double of 31 points and 13 assists, nearly leading the Celtics back minus an injured Paul Pierce.
Kevin Garnett (15 points) missed a 16-foot buzzer-beating jumper from the right baseline that would have sent the game into overtime. Afterwards, he got into a scuffle with the Knicks’ Bill Walker, who contested the potential game-tying attempt.
Brandon Bass, who was acquired from Orlando for Glen Davis, registered a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds in his Celtics debut, and the sharpshooting Ray Allen also added 20 points.
Anthony, who had 12 points in the fourth quarter, tied it at 100 on a 3-pointer with 3:25 to play, and was fouled on a drive with 16.3 seconds left, making both shots to put the Knicks ahead 106-104.
Rondo grabbed the rebound of Marquis Daniels’ potential go-ahead 3-pointer to give the Celtics one final opportunity, but Garnett was short on a jumper, then followed by pushing Walker away.
Injury Note: Knicks first-round pick, shooting guard Iman Shumpert, sprained his MCL in the third quarter. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound rookie is expected to miss two-to-four weeks. Drafted 16th overall, the super-athletic Georiga Tech product shot 3 of 13 from the floor and made all five of his free throws for 11 points and four rebounds in his NBA debut.
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