BOSTON _ You want evidence the Knicks shouldn't think about making win-now moves at the trade deadline?
There it was Wednesday, in all its disappointing layers and lapses, when the Knicks were blown out by the Celtics, 103-73, while Kyrie Irving rested for Boston with a quad contusion.
If the Knicks (23-29) somehow crept into the playoffs with the eighth seed, they'd likely face the Celtics and be lucky to win a game. They're simply overmatched _ athletically by Boston's explosive youth and schematically by coach Brad Stevens.
Kristaps Porzingis continued his struggles against the division foe, scoring 16 points on 7-of-18 shooting. But he was hardly alone in offensive ineptitude. The Knicks shot a miserable 32 percent and played to the level of their G-League affiliate, scoring eight points in the fourth quarter.
Boston (37-15) started three players 23 years old or younger (Jaylen Brown, Terry Rozier and Jayson Tatum) and ran New York out of the gym. Not only was Irving absent, but his backup, Marcus Smart, didn't play after reportedly slicing up his hand on a hotel picture frame.
It didn't matter.
The Celtics turned a five-point halftime lead into 16 after the third and never looked back.
It's no wonder the Knicks have set their sights on free agency in 2019. Unless it's LeBron James, they're not just one player away from competing with the Celtics, let alone the Rockets or Warriors.
So they're listening to offers for Kyle O'Quinn, Courtney Lee and Willy Hernangomez with the hope of bringing back future cap space and draft picks. It's the long play and Hernangomez (who didn't' get in Wednesday until garbage time) is the most likely to be shipped out of the group.
It didn't help their value when, according to ESPN, center Greg Monroe was waived Wednesday by the Suns and will hit free agency before the trade deadline. He'll be more coveted than the Knicks centers.
The Knicks were riding a modest two-game winning streak, yet it was notable since they hadn't won two straight previously since mid-December. Well, there goes that.
Porzingis was solid at the start but was dunked on in the second quarter _ emphatically _ by Celtics guard Jaylen Brown, who had 14 points in 28 minutes. Then Porzingis' game fell apart in the second half.
Enes Katner, piggybacking off his 20-point, 20-rebound performance a night earlier at MSG, was also strong at the start before cooling off. He still finished with 17 points and 17 boards. Michael Beasley added 12 points and five points off the bench, but he was sloppy when the Celtics made their game-breaking run in the third quarter.
For Boston, Marcus Morris dropped a team-high 20 points and six players scored in double digits.
Defense was among the many issues for the Knicks. The Knicks allowed 42 points in the paint and the Celtics did everything _ and everything _ they wanted.
