Distracted by Melo, mauled by Kobe
Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant (24) reacts to the game action during the second half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. (Feb. 11, 2011) Credit: Christopher Pasatieri
The Knicks still believe, even if you don't.
The Carmelo Anthony trade rumors hang over them like a black cloud, a constant reminder of how far they still must go. And Kobe Bryant only helped to incite those rumblings Friday night. On the NBA's greatest stage, it was the Lakers star who put on a show for New York fans, contributing 33 points and 10 rebounds to lead the two-time defending world champions to a 113-96 win at Madison Square Garden.
This time there was just a smattering of "We want Melo!" chants, but the result was yet another loss. The Knicks (26-26) have lost 11 of 15 and are at .500 for the first time since they were 9-9 after defeating Detroit on Nov. 28.
But in the face of defeat, Raymond Felton remained defiant, refusing to discuss the possibility that the Knicks need help.
"That's the problem right now," the point guard, who had 20 points and seven assists, said of the Anthony talk. "It's just that it's been talked about too much. If it's going to happen, it's going to happen. If it's not, it's not. That's my thing. We're trying to play basketball here; we're not trying to talk about anything else going on off the court.
"These are my teammates. I'm going to fight for my teammates. I love my teammates. So when you keep hearing all this extra stuff about your teammates, yeah, it's starting to really get on my nerves."
Asked if the Melo talk is getting on his teammates' nerves, too, he said: "I'm pretty sure it is, 'cause it's getting on mine."
The Knicks fell behind by as many as 22 in the second half. They unsuccessfully tried to contain Bryant, who scored 19 in the first quarter, and also failed to defend the rest of the Lakers. Pau Gasol scored 20 points, Lamar Odom had 14, Andrew Bynum added 12 and guard Shannon Brown (12 points) put on an aerial show for the fans that included two jaw-dropping dunks.
Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni ripped his players this week for their lack of focus after their disappointing loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, but he was optimistic that they would respond against the Lakers. But afterward, he spoke only of missed opportunities and Bryant's dominance.
"He took our heart a little bit," the coach said.
The Knicks, in their road blues (the Lakers were in old-school yellow), gave the Garden fans energy early on. But that intensity began to wane in the second quarter as mental lapses derailed their promising start.
From there, a flurry of Bryant fall-aways followed, and no Knick was immune. He began by schooling Danilo Gallinari (14 points), then Landry Fields and even Felton. By halftime, Bryant had 23 points and eight rebounds and the Knicks trailed 62-48, although they did pull to within 71-62 with 5:38 remaining in the third.
The key to turning things around is simple, said Amar'e Stoudemire, who had 24 points and 10 rebounds. "We haven't had our swagger now for the past 21/2 weeks,'' he said, "so we've got to get back to what we're used to doing and what we did well to start the year."
Knicks president Donnie Walsh admitted he is concerned about his team being distracted by the Anthony talk, but he's not backing out of the trade negotiations.
"It's New York,'' he said. "They better get used to it."
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