For Danny Green, there's no place like home . . . and your shooting touch
Knicks guard J.R. Smith defends against San Antonio Spurs guard Danny Green during the second half. (Nov. 10, 2013) Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Danny Green had been searching for his shot this season, and the Spurs swingman found it back home. The North Babylon native shot 8-for-11 and scored a season-high 24 points in the Spurs' 120-89 win over the Knicks at the Garden on Sunday.
"It's exciting," Green said. "It's easy to smile. We won the game. We played well. Any night, it's good to play well. Back home especially, it's a fun time."
Coming into the game, Green had difficulty duplicating his breakout performance from the NBA Finals, when he set a record with 27 three-pointers. Green was averaging 6.0 points, shooting 37.5 percent overall and 6-for-20 from three. He shot 6-for-9 from deep yesterday.
"The game comes a lot easier ," Green said. "You're not thinking about it as much. The ball seems to find you. People know you're hot. They look for you when you're open."
Metta's World
Carmelo Anthony said he's not worried after the Knicks' most lopsided home loss since Dallas beat them by 50 on Jan. 24, 2010. Metta World Peace took it a step further.
"If we happen to see that team in the Finals, we will be ready," he said of the Spurs.
Lineup talk
Starting two point guards has proved to be successful at times, but Mike Woodson said before the game that he hopes to play a bigger, more conventional lineup consistently.
"I'd love to get to a big ," Woodson said. "We'll just see how it plays out. I just got to keep experimenting with it and see what happens."
Fun with Pop
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was in midseason form, giving his usual one-liners.
Asked what's sparked the Spurs' fast start, Popovich said, "They're older than dirt, so they know what they're doing."
On what he said to them coming off the disappointing finish in the NBA Finals: "Nothing. It's basketball. They don't want to hear from me. I don't really want to hear from them."
A writer asked Popovich if he remembered last season's two losses to the Knicks. Naturally, he said no. Finals Games 6 and 7 probably left more of a lasting impression.
Fast breaks
The last time the Knicks lost three straight home games was Jan. 25-28, 2012, under Mike D'Antoni.
