The New York Knicks fell behind 2–0 to the Boston Celtics in their first round matchup, but took the series 3–2 by winning Game 5 121-114 in Boston Garden. Prior to this, the Celtics had beaten the Knicks 26 straight at the Boston Garden. This deciding game featured a missed dunk by Larry Bird late in the fourth with the Celtics trailing by four (103-99) and a clinching 3-point basket by Patrick Ewing on a play where he chased down an errant pass by Charles Oakley on the sideline in front of the Knicks' bench and hurled up a desperation shot as the shot clock was reaching zero. The basket put the Knicks up 113-101 and essentially clinched the game and the series.