Barton Silverman/The New York Times
Carmelo Anthony, who scored 33 points, shooting over the Nets’ Gerald Wallace, who scored 21.
In the semi-historic final meeting between teams labeled as “New Jersey” and “New York,” the Knicks did not even permit their putative rivals the courtesy of a home-court advantage.
The cheers, the chants and most of the points belonged to the Knicks, in a 104-95 victory that was never close or compelling. The Knicks sped to an early 21-point lead, survived a sloppy second half and rode Carmelo Anthony’s 33 points to the final buzzer.
And with that, an era of sorts came to an uninspiring end. The Knicks will not play another game in the Garden State. The Nets, after 35 years in New Jersey, are heading to Brooklyn next fall, where they will play in the new Barclays Center.
The Nets can only hope that a more supportive crowd awaits them across the East River. On Wednesday, the Prudential Center was filled with Knicks fans, who booed Kris Humphries, serenaded Anthony with “M.V.P.” chants and roared at every Knicks basket.
“I thought we were at the Garden for a minute,” J. R. Smith, a New Jersey native, said with a chuckle. “I was looking for Spike. The fans were unbelievable.”
Anthony again paced the Knicks, crossing the 30-point plateau for the fourth time in five games. Tyson Chandler added 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Smith had 15 points as the Knicks (33-29) moved four games over .500 for first time this season and secured their hold on seventh place in the Eastern Conference.
The Philadelphia 76ers kept the pressure on, improving to 32-30 with a victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Knicks have a one-game lead, with four to play. They also put more distance between themselves and the Milwaukee Bucks (29-32), who lost to the Washington Wizards.
The lottery-bound Nets fell to 22-41, despite 21 points from Gerald Wallace and a stronger second half.
The Knicks played without Baron Davis, who was felled by a stomach virus, leaving Mike Bibby — their 33-year-old, third-string point guard — to run the offense. Bibby finished with 8 points and 8 assists.
Amar’e Stoudemire missed his 13th straight game, though it was probably his last as a spectator. The Knicks expect to have him back when they play in Cleveland on Friday — “I’m hoping,” Coach Mike Woodson said.
That would give Stoudemire four games to get reacclimated before the playoffs start. In Stoudemire’s four-week absence, Anthony has become the indisputable focal point of the Knicks, returning to the dominant form he showed for years in Denver.
“I expect him to continue to play that way,” Woodson said. “He’s not only playing well, but he’s making guys around him play better, too. That’s the sign of a great player in our league. I’m happy for Melo because there’s been a lot of heat on him, when he came to New York.”
There was no heat at the Prudential Center, only adoration. Anthony chuckled at the “M.V.P.” chants, though, saying: “It felt good. I’m not the M.V.P.” He threw his support instead to his friend LeBron James and also mentioned Kevin Durant and Tony Parker as candidates.
At times, this felt like a preseason game, full of makeshift lineups and (in the Nets’ case) obscure names. At one point in the second quarter, the Knicks’ lineup featured Toney Douglas, Josh Harrellson, Bill Walker and Steve Novak — a group that probably had not played together since early January.
Sundiata Gaines and Jordan Williams started for the Nets, in place of the injured stars Deron Williams and Brook Lopez. The Nets’ injured list ran five deep, with three players (Lopez, Jordan Farmar and Damion James) out for the rest of the season.
But then, the Nets’ season ended long ago, amid a torrent of defeats and the failure to make a trade for Dwight Howard — the superstar center they so badly need to complement Williams and keep him happy.
It remains unclear whether Williams will make the pilgrimage to Brooklyn, or what the Nets will look like when they get there. But when these teams meet again, it will be in a New York City borough, as true crosstown rivals.
“I’m sure there’s enough people throughout New York, Manhattan, all through the boroughs, that can support them,” Woodson said with a smile. “I’d like to think that we’re still the best team, the Knicks, and I think we’ll continue to get our support as well.”
REBOUNDS
Jared Jeffries was held out of the game because of a flare-up in his right knee. Jeffries has been bothered by chronic soreness in the knee for more than two months and has already missed 12 games because of it. He has been playing under a 15-minute limit. ... Baron Davis played Tuesday night in the Knicks’ victory over the Boston Celtics despite nausea and what he described as migraine headaches and joked afterward, “I thought I was going to die.” Davis also aggravated his left hamstring injury in that game and had his leg heavily taped afterward. But Mike Woodson said it was the illness, not the hamstring, that kept him out Wednesday.
No comments:
Post a Comment