D'Antoni: Gallinari has done a good job
PHILADELPHIA - Danilo Gallinari repeatedly barreled to the basket Friday night after his classico brio performances of late prompted Mike D'Antoni to remind that Knicks followers probably have been a bit too impatient with the Italian forward.
"The first year you can't really count because of his back," D'Antoni said before Gallinari scored 18 points in the Knicks' 100-98 loss to the 76ers. "Then you have a grace period where you don't play for a year because of back surgery and it takes a while to get your confidence back and your body back. This is his third year; he's 22 years old, barely. A lot of times, people want too much too soon."
Gallinari's recent bent toward head-down slashes to the hoop served the Knicks well in their second-period recovery from an early 14-point deficit against the 76ers, putting him on the free-throw line nine times and allowing him to extend his streak of made free throws to 35 in a row.
"He's coming on," D'Antoni said. "He's mixing it up. He has to continue to do that. He has to be a great shooter with a great drive. He's got to figure it out . . . read the game. If you have the ability to get to the basket, you get to the basket; if they're falling back and letting you shoot, you gotta shoot.
"You have to play by instinct, and I think he's done a good job."
Though Wilson Chandler was available for the first time in four games after sitting out with a bad calf and ankle, D'Antoni gave Shawne Williams his third start of the season at power forward to "make sure [Chandler] is OK and see how he responds."
Williams, victimized by most of 76ers forward Elton Brand's 19 first-quarter points - the most by any Knicks opponent in a single period this season - played only 12 minutes and missed on a potential tying drive in the final seconds.