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Knicks are a better road team than home team.
I expect their embarrassment of the Spurs in MSG gives them confidence.
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/ba...r_success.htmlKnicks prepare for Spurs, losing streak started by Amar'e Stoudemire's appearance on 'Letterman'
By Frank Isola
Daily News
SAN ANTONIO - The simple answer is to blame it all on David Letterman because the Knicks haven't won a game since Amar'e Stoudemire's guest appearance on "The Late Show" eight days ago.
The Letterman Curse dates all the way back to Isiah Thomas mocking Don Chaney's job security when the former Knicks president was a guest on the show. And then there was Larry Brown's big sit-down with Dave just before the Knicks went on to lose 59 games. After Mike D'Antoni read a top 10 list, the Knicks lost 50.
But it's a little more complicated than that. The Knicks have lost four straight heading into Friday's game with the Spurs (36-6), owners of the NBA's best record. D'Antoni's team has lost five of its last six, but the head coach prefers to look at the glass as half-full at the midpoint of the season.
The Knicks (22-19), who were five games ahead of seventh-place Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference entering Thursday night, are well on their way to their first playoff appearance since 2004.
"You're scaring me," D'Antoni said. "I'm afraid to look. Satchel Paige said, 'Don't look behind you because they're gaining on you. That's kinda what it is."
The Knicks are definitely in a rut, both offensively and defensively, and players who were performing at a high level are returning to Earth. The shooting percentages of Stoudemire, Wilson Chandler and particularly Raymond Felton have all dipped.
Thursday, both D'Antoni and Stoudemire said the Knicks must get back to being more efficient in their pick-and-roll offense. They're not running it less - in fact they ran 71 pick and rolls against Sacramento in last's Friday loss - they're just not running it well. And since the Knicks can't fall back on their defense to keep them in games, they instead have to rely on superior ball movement and good shot selection.
But besides concerns about X's and O's, the fear is that the trade talks with Denver regarding Carmelo Anthony could create unrest in the locker room. The Knicks have the league's third-youngest roster, and many of their players are not familiar or comfortable with seeing their names linked to trades.
There was even an erroneous Internet report Thursday that Anthony Randolph had been traded to the Indiana Pacers. Much to Randolph's dismay, the report was false, although there is a good chance the seldom-used forward will be traded to either Minnesota or Indiana for a first-round pick.
Randolph could use a change of scenery, while players such as Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and Landry Fields would prefer to remain in New York. Two of the three would likely have to be moved in a deal for Anthony, and since the trading deadline isn't until Feb. 24, it leaves a lot of time for reports and rumors to circulate.
"It's New York," D'Antoni said. "You're always going to hear rumors."
D'Antoni also told his players to "take a deep breath" and understand that every team goes through bad stretches. The Knicks endured one in early November when they started out 3-8. They've gone 19-11 since.
"We're at a good spot halfway through the year," D'Antoni said. "We probably would have signed onto this in July. So let's understand that and go from there. We haven't done anything but we're at a spot where we can accomplish our goals.
Knicks are a better road team than home team.
I expect their embarrassment of the Spurs in MSG gives them confidence.
This will be an interesting matchup tonight: The New York Suns vs. the San Antonio Suns.
Your game vs the Wizards should be an interesting one also. Washington still might have too much fire power for the Suns.
Washington is a good home team, and they dominate against sub-.500 teams at home. The Suns are a sub-.500 team, so I think Washington will be tough.
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