Playoff Road Leads Knicks On The Road

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I figure I'll start posting Knicks articles in here so people interested in teams that are actually winning some games will have something to catch their interest.

http://www.nypost.com/sports/knicks/22742.htm



PLAYOFF ROAD LEADS KNICKS ON THE ROAD

By MARC BERMAN
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March 25, 2005 -- SEATTLE — Now the Knicks must take the hot passion, feistiness and togetherness they showed at the Garden Wednesday against the Celtics and bring it cross-country, to the West Coast.
They must stick up for each other, like Stephon Marbury did for Jamal Crawford Wednesday when Celtic blabber-mouth Ricky Davis ragged on his backcourt mate, repeatedly calling him "garbage." They must stick up for themselves like Tim Thomas did against a yapping, elbow-throwing Paul Pierce, getting in his face.

Pierce played scared the rest of the night, and so did the suddenly humbled Celtics, who suffered their season's worst loss.

Never too late, the Knicks are melding into a real team, as tonight they begin a make-or-break four-game Western trip in Seattle, attempting to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. After the Sonics, who likely will have Ray Allen back from an ankle injury, the Knicks face three clubs with sub-.500 records, out of playoff position and whom the Knicks handled at the Garden — Portland, Golden State and the Lakers.

And so Herb Williams has set a high bar for this four-games-in-five-nights journey that gradually takes them south along the Pacific Ocean.

"The goal is always to be over .500, especially at this time of year," Williams said. "Early on in the year, you say if we get a split and go .500, it would be great, but I think we have to be a little better than .500 this time. Regardless of a .500 team or not, on the road, it's tough to win. You have to be perfect."

The Knicks followed up their home win over San Antonio by battering Boston, making them 8-4 since the Feb. 24 trades. The Celtic rout illustrated they've become a more hustling, unselfish, tougher team without Nazr Mohammed and with Malik Rose's defensive grit and Maurice Taylor's inside scoring. The Knicks were blown out by the Celtics three times before.



The 3-18 start to 2005 wrecked the season, but the consolation is they fought back to play meaningful games in late March. Nobody could've expected that after the last West Coast trip ended with a 1-5 record and a club in tatters.

"We're building momentum, so going on the road could be good for us," Marbury said.

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they've become a more hustling, unselfish, tougher team without Nazr Mohammed and with Malik Rose

Go Knicks Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

[ducks]

nice way to spin it new york media

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You can't spin the W-L column ducky...