Knicks looking forward to playing at home
Chicago's Taj Gibson, left, defends the Knicks' Amar'e Stoudemire during the first half in Chicago. (Nov. 4, 2010) Credit: AP
CHICAGO - With two-thirds of the roster made up of new faces, the Knicks still are getting to know each other. The road certainly helps develop camaraderie, so the fact that they've played three of their first four games - including last night's against the Bulls - on the road has been good for team chemistry. But establishing an edge at home is critical for a team with playoff aspirations.
When the Garden was shut down Tuesday and the Magic game was postponed because of asbestos concerns, there was talk that the Knicks might have to face the Wizards Friday night at another location. It wasn't until Wednesday's announcement that the Garden was safe that the Knicks knew that wouldn't be the case.
Initially, the contingency plan was to play tonight's game at the Izod Center, which was left vacant after the Nets fled to Newark's Prudential Center, which is not available because of the Rangers-Devils game.
Toney Douglas chuckled when told the Izod Center, considered the NBA's worst building, might have been the site. "If we had to play there, we'd have had to deal with it,'' he said, "but it would have been weird.''
Said Ronny Turiaf: "It wouldn't be a home game, not for myself. It wouldn't have felt like a home game.''
The Garden was shut down Tuesday when a high volume of fibers was detected by air sensors in the arena after debris fell from the ceiling while a crew cleaned an attic space above the event floor Monday night. Extensive testing confirmed the fibers were not asbestos-related. But the concern was alarming.
"When I first got the text, I was like, 'Oh, that's something pretty serious,' '' Turiaf said. "I was unaware of that word, so I went to Wikipedia right away. I went to Wikipedia and I learned about it.''
Amar'e Stoudemire, who had a night off instead of banging with Dwight Howard and the Magic, said he wasn't worried "because we didn't really hear too much about the situation. If it was serious, we would have heard more about it.''
Mike D'Antoni said a switch to a neutral site, even for one game, would have been an unnecessary distraction, "especially back-to-back.'' The Knicks were scheduled for seven back-to-backs in the first month of the season. Tonight's game will complete the second.
"And we've got to have those games at home,'' D'Antoni said.
Starting against the Wizards, three of the next four games are at home, where the Knicks routinely sell out. That only adds to the appeal for opposing teams, who love playing at the Garden because of the crowds and the fact that the home team rarely has put up much resistance.
The Knicks blew a late lead to lose the home opener against Portland last Saturday, but Raymond Felton spoke boldly about the importance of establishing a new atmosphere in the building and around the franchise.
Late in that game, Felton held up the "New York'' part of his jersey as if to show it to the fans as they roared. He smiled when reminded of the moment and explained himself.
"I was just saying 'New York,' '' he said. "I mean, we've got to make a statement this year . . . It was just a sign to tell everybody, look out for New York. Before it's over with, everybody's going to know about the New York Knicks.''
When told there hasn't been that kind of pride invested in the team in some time, Felton replied, "It ain't that way now. Things have changed. As the season goes along, you'll see what I'm talking about.''
