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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
TORONTO (AP) – Vince Carter threw down a windmill dunk the first
time he touched the ball, setting the tone for Toronto. Chris
Childs had the best playoff game of his career, keeping the Knicks
down.
|  | | Jerome Williams chipped in eight points for the Raptors. |
Carter scored 32 points, Childs had 25 and the Raptors looked
nothing like the overanxious, poor-executing bunch of three days
earlier as they beat New York 100-93 Wednesday night to tie their
best-of-five series at 2-2 and force a deciding fifth game Friday
night.
"We got whipped. It started from the first dunk," Knicks coach
Jeff Van Gundy said.
After being criticized by teammate Charles Oakley for failing to act like a superstar and deflecting criticism onto the team as a
whole, Carter had a different look in his eye right from the outset.
He drove right around Latrell Sprewell just over two minutes
into the game for a thunderous, highlight-reel dunk. It fired up
the crowd, his teammates and Carter himself, and he continued to
look to drive to the basket rather than continually settle for the
type of outside shots that contributed to him shooting 31 percent
in the first three games.
"That was the first open drive I had all series, and my eyes felt as big as my face," Carter said. "That's the best start any player could have -- an easy layup -- and I think it helped me settle down."
Carter finished 10-for-22 from the field and 10-for-14 from the line with seven rebounds and four assists.
"One thing I told myself before I left my house today was 'Lay
it all on the line, give it all you've got and see what happens.'
When I woke up, it was the funniest feeling: I was ready to play
right there and give it all I had," Carter said.
The Raptors controlled the offensive boards, played intense
defense and broke the game open with a 12-1 run beginning late in
the third quarter to send the series back to Madison Square Garden
for one more game.
Alvin Williams bounced back from a poor Game 3 and added 18
points, while reserve Jerome Williams provided boundless energy and
tight defense on Glen Rice to help shut down the Knicks' offense in
the second half.
But the biggest added contribution came from Childs, who was
traded from New York to Toronto in February.
"It isn't individual satisfaction, it's team satisfaction. It just happens that we met these guys in the first round," Childs said. "It feels good just doing it in the playoffs. Everybody is watching, and everyone says this is where you make your name -- in
the playoffs."
Following his first dunk, Carter added another dunk, a 3-pointer
and a 20-footer to help Toronto to a 26-22 lead after one quarter.
Allan Houston hit all five of his shots in the first half and
Sprewell went 5-for-8, yet the Knicks trailed 44-41 at halftime
despite shooting 60 percent. Working against them were their 12
turnovers and just one offensive rebound, which allowed Toronto to
play with the lead for most of the half.
Childs scored on a finger roll early in the third for a 56-47
lead, but the Knicks kept finding high-percentage shots and
chipping away at the lead until Mark Jackson tied it at 62-all on
two free throws with 3:23 left in the third.
Antonio Davis picked up his fourth foul moments later, and Childs picked up his fourth and fifth fouls in the final two minutes of the third. The Knicks committed just one turnover in the quarter, yet they still trailed 70-64 entering the fourth after Carter scored four points from the free throw line in the final minute.
The Raptors blocked New York's first two shots of the fourth,
and Carter hit a 3-pointer with 11:18 left and then fed Alvin Williams for a corner jumper that gave Toronto a 75-64 lead.
Williams hit a jumper off an offensive rebound and Carter
turned a putback into a three-point play to put Toronto ahead 84-70
with 7:16 left. New York responded with a 12-4 run as Toronto
couldn't connect from the field, but Childs made a 3-pointer with
1:28 left for a 93-82 lead.
The Knicks pulled within five and Carter missed two foul shots
with 20 seconds left, but the Raptors grabbed their 11th offensive
rebound and Childs hit two foul shots with 16 seconds left to ice
the victory.
Game 5 is at 8 p.m. ET Friday, and the winner will advance to play the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round beginning Sunday.
In order for the Raptors to get there, Carter will need to come
up with one more performance to end all the talk that he is an
overhyped young player for whom superstardom has come too easily.
"He's a young guy, he's still learning the way you silence the critics," Childs said. "We've talked to him, guys have said things to him. I think he took to heart what Oakley said, and he didn't wait."
Houston scored 27 points and Sprewell had 24 to lead the Knicks,
who got little help from Marcus Camby in his first game in almost a
week. Camby finished with four points, four rebounds and four fouls
in 33 minutes.
Game notes
Hockey Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky attended the game and
got a huge ovation. ... Most of the Raptors donned headbands for
the game, although Davis and Alvin Williams did not. Carter wore knee-high white socks. ... Toronto rookie Morris Peterson, who did not play in Game 3, went 0-for-2 in six first-half minutes and did
not return.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
New York Clubhouse
Toronto Clubhouse
Raptors-Knicks Series Page
RECAPS
Toronto 100
New York 93
Philadelphia 88
Indiana 85
Sacramento 89
Phoenix 82
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Vince Carter and the Raptors laid it all on the line.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy commends the outstanding play of Vince Carter.
wav: 144 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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