Walsh blames self, not D'Antoni, for slump

Thirty minutes before tipoff at Madison Square Garden, a kid standing near the Knicks' bench in a Carmelo Anthony jersey cracked a joke that pretty much said it all.

"What's the difference between a Knicks fan and a bad doctor?" the boy wanted to know. He waited maybe a second before blurting out the answer. "Nothing! They're both running out of patients. Get it? Patients and patience?"

Bad puns aside, the kid was right. The Knicks fans who came to Monday night's's game against the Celtics were in no mood to see another loss -- and what they got was one of the most painful of them all. The Knicks were defeated, 96-86, after they blew a 14-point halftime lead and the Celtics outscored them 33-17 in the final quarter.

The Knicks (35-35) have lost three in a row and six of seven, and they fell to 7-9 since trading for Anthony a month ago. This was their first home game since they lost consecutive games to non-contenders Detroit and Milwaukee, and there was a lot of talk about the mounting pressure on the team before the game, especially on coach Mike D'Antoni.

Knicks president Donnie Walsh told reporters before the game that he, not D'Antoni, is the person who should be held accountable for the Knicks' slump.

"I made a monumental trade in the middle of the season," Walsh said. "I feel they are having a hard time getting together. I want them to get together as soon as possible.''

D'Antoni was asked before the game if he is starting to feel any pressure in his job.

"I think as a team, as a person and as a group, we put more pressure on ourselves than anyone could from the outside," he said. "We're not happy with this, and we're working as hard as we can work. After that . . . I'm doing whatever I can do to get this right."

Celtics coach Doc Rivers said before the game that he believes the Knicks have what it takes to be a really good team.

"They're much better on paper. Eventually, they will be on the floor," Rivers said. "They have two of the top 10 guys in the league on the same team. That makes you a better basketball team. They'll figure it out."

Asked when he thinks the Knicks will figure it out, Rivers cracked: "Hopefully, two or three years."

At least one member of the Celtics is pretty sure D'Antoni will be able to get his team to figure it out. Shaquille O'Neal was in a similar situation under D'Antoni when the Suns acquired him in February 2008. The Suns were 17-10 after O'Neal joined them before they were eliminated by the Spurs in five games in the first round of the playoffs.

"He's a great guy, a great coach," O'Neal said. "His practice is 20 minutes. He gets everyone involved with his plays. He's fun to play for. If a guy can't get along with him, he's got to take a look at himself."