It took a curly-haired young man in a Princeton hockey shirt to ignite the slow stating Boston Celtics last nigh, but when they finally got going, the fast-breaking Celts blew the New York Knickerbockers off the court in a torrid fourth quarter, to win their playoff game 115-109.

Chants of "let's Go Knicks" and signs like "Pass the Word, the Knicks Are Back" filled the Garden, and for three periods it must have seemed to the Celtics as if they were playing on a neutral court.

But between the third and fourth periods, the young hero from Princeton rushed up to the two New York fans carrying a "Eat 'Em up Knicks" banner tore through the banner, chased away the two lands from the "Big Apple" and brought the crowd to its feet.

That was all the Celts and their previously listless fans needed. They started their patented fast break offense scoring 35 last period and never let up, capacity crowd of over 15,000 in Boston's steaming "Ghastly Garden" went wild, jumping to its feet to cheer every Celtics basket.

The tension was noticeably high on both teams before the important their game. As John Kiely, the Garden's organist tickled the keys of his Whirling Wurlitzer" in a stepped up tres vito Jerry Lucas, the Knicks center, paced up attention poised Knick bench. This was it. If the Celts lost, they would be down 3-0 facing elimination in New York on Friday.

Right before the opening tipoff the Celtics Management pulled off a move straight out of Lefty Dreisell's "Memoirs of Recruiting Tricks I've Use on One Sap or Another."

"Attention, attention please, the Boston Celtics are proud to present to its fans their number one draft choice--from Southern California--Paaaul West--Phal. Paul is a guest of Celtics General manager and is sitting in his private box."

The game started slow and at the end of one half the Celts led 555-4'. Highlight of the first half included long range bombing by "Dollar" Bill Bradley, and the heart stopping appearance of none other than the man-Luther Rackley.

The Celts poured it on in the final quarter regaining the comfortable lead they lost in the third quarter.