Knicks win third in row and are thinking playoffs
Photo credit: Getty Images | Danilo Gallinari of the New York Knicks lays the ball up against the Portland Trail Blazers at Madison Square Garden. (Dec. 7, 2009)
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Knicks 93, Trail Blazers 84
With a helpful schedule and some long-awaited continuity, the Knicks are starting to make this a December to remember. With a 93-84 win over the undermanned Portland Trail Blazers last night before a sellout crowd at the Garden, the Knicks improved to 4-1 in the month with their longest winning streak of the season now at a modest - though promising - three.
And even more hopeful is the outlook for April, because somehow - even with a 7-15 record - the Knicks believe they still can consider the playoffs a legitimate goal this season. That's mostly because so many other teams in the Eastern Conference - Toronto, Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington and Milwaukee - haven't pulled away. It might not even take 38 wins to clinch the eighth seed in the East the way things are going.
In addition, the Knicks play their next six games against sub-.500 teams.
"Historically, in the East the last few years by the All-Star break you go, 'Holy crap, we've still got a chance.' That's kind of how it's been," Mike D'Antoni said. "We've got 60-something games yet, so no matter what, if you can get on a roll, you can turn things around pretty quick."
The same was seen last night. The Knicks appeared to be cruising with a 23-point lead early in the fourth quarter when they suddenly went cold. The Blazers scored 14 straight points to close to within 80-71 after a steal and layup by Jerryd Bayless with 6:23 left.
Danilo Gallinari finally put a stop to the Knicks' 0-for-10 drought in the quarter when he rose up for a straightaway three-pointer with 5:59 left. After Bayless turned the ball over as he tried to force his way through a double-team, Larry Hughes followed with a three-point play at the other end to make it 86-71 with 5:40 to go and, essentially, put away the game.
Hughes finished with 21 points, Gallinari had 14 and David Lee 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks.
Brandon Roy had 27 points for the Blazers (13-9).
The game was a showcase opportunity for two potential Knicks targets, as Bayless, an athletic combo guard who is rumored to be available, tied a season high with 14 points in 17 minutes. Playmaker Steve Blake (nine points, five assists) will be one of the top point guards available in 2010 free agency.
The injury-plagued Trail Blazers, who lost center Greg Oden (left patellar fracture), were also without their coach, Nate McMillan, who was in Portland for surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles tendon. He injured himself because the Blazers were so shorthanded that he and assistant coach Monty Williams, a former Knick, stepped in to participate in practice Friday.
D'Antoni, who has developed a friendly relationship with McMillan from their experience as assistant coaches for USA Basketball, laughed about the injury.
"Nate maybe needs to hang 'em up," D'Antoni joked.
He didn't quite say that about another Nate - as in Robinson - but when asked if the Knicks' ebullient little guard might see an end to his streak of benchings, D'Antoni cracked: "I don't know. It depends if people want him to or not."
For the record, there were no "We Want Nate" chants last night. But there was clear evidence of why rookie Toney Douglas is getting the nod over Robinson in D'Antoni's rotation. Douglas checked in with 2:11 left in the first quarter and the score tied at 15. He brought instant energy - a word once associated with Robinson - and it wasn't just coincidence that his presence made a positive impact on the game.
Douglas picked off a pass, resulting in a fast-break basket by Wilson Chandler. He hit a three-pointer and assisted on a three-pointer by Gallinari and a layup by Chandler. When he left, the Knicks were ahead 33-29.
