D'Antoni and Knicks hoping to avoid sweep

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Mike D'Antoni looked over a mostly empty gym, well aware that two of his three most important players were elsewhere in the practice facility getting treatment for injuries that have devastated his team in its first-round series with the Boston Celtics.

But with the Knicks facing a three-games-to-none deficit entering Game 4 this afternoon at Madison Square Garden, and with Chauncey Billups (strained tendon in left knee) no longer an option and Amar'e Stoudemire (pulled muscle in lower back) hinting at not being able to play, D'Antoni offered the only battle cry after Friday night's 113-96 loss in Game 3.

"We can do this. We can beat these guys,'' D'Antoni said. "And we've got to believe that.''

A win might only delay the inevitable, but it would, at the very least, avoid the embarrassment of a four-game sweep.

Carmelo Anthony has made the playoffs in each of his eight NBA seasons. Only once has he reached the second round, but only once among those six first-round exits has he been swept (by the Finals-bound Lakers in '08). "It's a sad feeling,'' he said, "and I definitely don't want to experience that anymore.''

The reality of the situation, however, already has Stoudemire hesitant to endure more pain by playing. He gave the Knicks 32:49 in Game 3 but was hardly a factor with seven points and three rebounds. Stoudemire said he was "definitely below 50 percent'' for that game and "was pretty much in pain the whole game from start to finish.''

To make matters worse, at practice Saturday, Stoudemire said he felt "a little bit worse'' and made sure to point out several times that his type of injury usually requires a three-week recovery period. "I was trying to rush back in three days,'' he said. "You can imagine the type of pain I was in [Friday].''

In other words, don't expect another choreographed imitation of the Willis Reed moment like the one we saw when Stoudemire ran out of the tunnel just before the tipoff of Game 3. Any remaining hope will have to come from Anthony, who, like D'Antoni, wasn't lacking in hyperbole.

"We've got to fight,'' Anthony said. "It's a war, it's a battle, and the most important thing is how much pride we've got. I don't want to get swept, we don't want to get swept, so we've just got to go out there and leave it all out there on the court. Every hustle play, if we've got to foul somebody, if we've got to knock down somebody -- we've just got to do whatever we've got to do to prevent a sweep.''

Toney Douglas sat out practice to nurse an ailing shoulder that has been troubling him all season, and Ronny Turiaf is playing on a balky knee that also has troubled him all season. So if it wasn't enough to point out that no NBA team has ever come back from an 0-3 deficit to win a best-of-seven series, add that to the equation.

And consider this: The Knicks have fallen behind 0-3 in a best-of-seven series four times in franchise history, and only once have they won Game 4. That was in the 1951 NBA Finals, when they rallied to force a Game 7 against the Rochester Royals. It was the first of only three times in league history that a team has even gotten to Game 7 after falling behind 0-3.

One more thing: A win at least would end what is now a nine-game playoff losing streak dating to the 2001 playoffs.

"Well, it's a good opportunity to make history,'' D'Antoni said. "That'd be nice. We just concentrate on Sunday. All you can do -- I know it's easily said -- just win one.''