Felton's three-pointer a winner for Knicks
Raymond Felton of the New York Knicks celebrates after defeating the Toronto Raptors. (Dec. 8, 2010) Credit: Jim McIsaac
There comes a point at which it is realized that something special is happening. No, the Knicks still haven't beaten a legit contending team yet, but momentum is mounting just as they are headed toward a week that will allow them to test themselves against some of the NBA's best.
And right now, this team just continues to win and did so last night with Amar'e Stoudemire - hearing chants of MVP from the Garden crowd - dominating the fourth quarter yet again with 18 of his 34 points and five of his 14 rebounds to lead the Knicks to a 113-110 win over the Raptors, extending their winning streak to six.
"It's a lot of fun,'' Stoudemire said of this delirious run the Knicks (14-9) are on, with 11 wins in their last 12 games. "Anytime you can win the way you have been and play with this kind of swagger and enjoy the camaraderie, it's so much fun. We just want to keep it going.''
Though Stoudemire dominated the final quarter, it was Raymond Felton (28 points, 11 assists) who hit the game-winning shot: a most dramatic, contested three-pointer with 2.7 seconds left that bounced on the rim three times before it decided to drop. The Garden crowd, a sellout for the ninth time in 10 home games, exploded.
"It was bouncing and I was praying, praying, praying,'' Felton said. "Great shot, good win.''
Speaking of great shots, Andrea Bargnani hit many, including a game-tying three-pointer with 28 seconds left, scored a career-high 41 points for the Raptors in a battle against Stoudemire. But despite 22 second-half points, including 15 in the fourth quarter, Bargnani's three-pointer before the buzzer over heavy defense by Felton fell short of the rim.
Stoudemire extended his 30-point streak to six games, one shy of the franchise record set by Willie Naulls in the 1961-62 season.
"He is the league MVP so far,'' Felton said. "He is stepping up his game, hitting big shots.''
And when Stoudemire was hampered by foul trouble in the first half, Felton stepped into the scoring role. He had 20 points in the first half, including 12 in the second quarter after the Knicks fell behind by 13. Felton fueled a 23-8 run that gave the Knicks a 59-57 lead.
Danilo Gallinari added 20 points and nine rebounds, as the Knicks had three starters score at least 20 points.
The Knicks led 102-96 after a drive by Landry Fields with 4:39 left, but Toronto rallied with an 8-2 run to tie it at 104 with 2:09 left. Stoudemire then scored the next six points, answering a free throw and a layup by Bargnani, to give the Knicks a 110-107 lead with 57.3 seconds left. The Raptors called a timeout, but on the ensuing inbounds, the Knicks forced Linas Kleiza into a stunning five-second call. Toronto had a 20 seconds timeout left, but didn't use it.
The MVP talk is certainly premature and Stoudemire will let others campaign for him. He had a quiet first half, mainly a result of foul trouble, but poured in 26 points and 10 rebounds in the second half.
"It's great, it feels like you're on top of your game,'' he said. "But it's a team chant to be honest with you because it wouldn't happen if we didn't have team success. So it is for all of us to have that confidence."
