Knicks 'Melo'ncholy over Anthony chants
New York Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni reacts to the game action during the first half against the Detroit Pistons at Madison Square Garden. (Jan. 30, 2011) Credit: Christopher Pasatieri
GREENBURGH, N.Y. - Mike D'Antoni tries to block it out, but he knows the effect of those words on his players is undeniable.
The "We Want Melo!" chants echo throughout the Garden at the first sign of trouble, quickly picking up intensity as the losses pile up. D'Antoni's players can't help but hear their fans call out for a savior. And with the Lakers - the other team linked to the Carmelo Anthony trade talks - in town Friday night, those chants likely will reach deafening volume if the Knicks (26-25) don't get back on track.
"It's not good, there's no doubt about it," D'Antoni said Thursday of the Melo chants. "It affects some of the players without a doubt. It's a fear, but it's also part of the business . . . They have to harden their skins up and know that, 'Hey, I've got to play well.' That's your job. You hate it for the players, but at the same time, it's part of the business."
About 12 hours after a 116-108 loss to the Clippers, D'Antoni's anger had dissipated and he calmly put things in perspective. The Knicks still are in the playoff hunt (currently sixth in the Eastern Conference), and he said it isn't time to panic. He did, however, voice frustration about the loss to the Clippers (20-32) and his team's propensity to play down to the competition.
"For whatever reason, we don't play hard enough against the teams we need to beat," he said. "It's odd."
Said Raymond Felton, "We can't come in and say, we're going to lay down, and all of a sudden in the fourth quarter, we're going to turn it up and win the game."
The point guard said D'Antoni had a right to be angry with the team after Wednesday's loss and added, "We've got to play from the beginning all the way to the end."
Felton said the Knicks have to get back to the intangibles that helped them win 13 of 14 earlier this season - "playing with intensity, playing team defense, playing alert," he said.
Danilo Gallinari tried to downplay the effect of the Melo mantras on him and his teammates, saying, "We are concentrating on what we're doing on the floor, so we have to control what we can control."
So did Felton.
"Stuff has been said about Melo since Day 1," he said. "So by now it just goes in one ear and out the other."
Notes & quotes:Ronny Turiaf (sprained right ankle) is questionable for Friday night . . . D'Antoni plans to keep Timofey Mozgov in the starting lineup and will have Gallinari and Landry Fields guard Kobe Bryant.
