Knicks hold off Bobcats after losing big lead

Of the new signage around the Garden for this new season is a message that reads, "Declaring our home court advantage." The Knicks were able to find themselves on the road last week with three straight wins, but as Mike D'Antoni said, "We still have to do it at home," where the team had won only one of its first five games.

The Knicks managed to get it done last night at the Garden with a 110-107 win over the Charlotte Bobcats to extend their winning streak to four games and move within one game of the .500 mark (7-8). Raymond Felton's two free throws with 2.1 seconds left put away his former team and ended a late rally in which the Knicks once again gave up a double-digit lead in the second half, which has been the case in all four wins.

Of course it also happened a lot during the six-game losing streak, only then the Knicks would fold.

"This game is something we can build off of because we understand how good we can be," said Amar'e Stoudemire, who played through foul trouble in the second half. "We always get these leads and then we let teams come back."

The Knicks led by 16 points with 3:09 left in the third and took a 14-point lead into the fourth quarter. But still it came down to free throws by the Knicks, who were 24-for-25 in the game and 8-for-8 in the fourth. Danilo Gallinari hit a pair with 15 seconds left before Felton's shots. On the Bobcats' final play, Stephen Jackson's potential game-tying three-point attempt came after the final buzzer and missed, anyway.

Toney Douglas led the Knicks with 22 points off the bench, and Stoudemire had 17 points and three blocks, though he also had seven turnovers. Felton had 16 points and nine assists and Gallinari 15 points in what was a cold shooting night (3-for-7).

D.J. Augustin had 24 points and seven assists and Gerald Wallace had 20 points to lead the Bobcats (5-9), who host the Knicks Wednesday night in Charlotte to complete this home-and-home. The Knicks will look to get back to the .500 mark for the first time since their loss to the 76ers on Nov. 7, which started the six-game tailspin.

It'll be a personally important game for Felton, the former Bobcat and South Carolina native, who will play in front of several family members, including his 77-year-old grandmother, and friends.

"It's going to be a little more emotional," he admitted.

Stoudemire said he will be better prepared for the defensive scheme used against him in this game, which involved the usual late double-team once he put the ball on the floor, with an added twist of getting under him on drives to draw the foul. Stoudemire was whistled for three offensive charges in the game.

"Every night it's different, every team plays me different," he said, adding that, "I have a pretty good idea of how they will try to play me."

The Knicks are now 2-4 at the Garden, which was sold out for the fifth time in the first six games. The team hasn't had a winning record at the Garden since the 2004-05 season (22-19). Ronny Turiaf, who is quickly becoming a crowd favorite for his effort and outward bursts of emotion, said putting away the Bobcats despite almost blowing the double-digit lead "puts a stamp of approval on what we're trying to accomplish."

The four straight wins matches a high for the D'Antoni era. The team won four straight last season from Dec. 4-11.