(*T*M*C) Waking up in New York City. Dreaming about how it all began. Bright lights, big city. New Amsterdam and the Native Americans…. This is starting to turn into a musical tour and there’s a great show coming to a city near you. Knicks fans took over Philips Arena as New York grounds Atlanta 95-82 and the beat goes on.
Carmelo Anthony provided an encore performance for the Knicks scoring 40 points(17-27 FGs, 1-2 3-PTs, 5-6 FTs), 5 rebounds and 3 assists. JR Smith was strong of the bench with 19 points(8-15 FGs, 1-4 3-PTs, 2-4 FTs). Raymond Felton dropped 14 points(7-16 FGs, 0-3 3-PTs), 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. Kyle Korver tried to carry the Hawks recording 25 points(9-14 FGs, 6-10 3-PTs, 1-1 FTs) and 6 rebounds. Jeff Teague collected 15 points(5-10 FGs, 0-3 3-PTs, 5-6 FTs), 9 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals. Josh Smith had 10 points(5-13 FGs, 0-3 3-PTs, 0-7 FTs), 8 rebounds and 5 assists.
Atlanta sprinted to a 10-2 lead in the 1st Quarter shooting 4-5 FGs(2-3 3-PTs). New York started the game 1-8 FGs(0-3 3-PTs). The Knicks finished the quarter on a 21-8 blast which translated into 9-14 FGs(1-1 3-PTs). The Hawks faded miserably going 2-13 FGs which included Josh Smith missing 4 straight FTs. Doesn’t “Smooth”, “J Smooth”, not so smooth want a max deal? Don’t make me laugh. Carmelo Anthony led New York with 13 points(5-8 FGs, 1-1 3-PTs, 2-2 FTs) and a 23-18 1st Quarter advantage. Atlanta’s Jeff Teague had 5 points(1-4 FGs, 0-1 3-PTs, 3-4 FTs) and 3 turnovers.
The 2nd Quarter featured Kyle Korver 12 points(5-7 FGs, 2-3 3-PTs, 0-0 FTs) versus Carmelo Anthony 11 points(4-5 FGs, 3-4 FTs). Steve Novak was strong off New York’s bench scoring 6 points(2-2 FGs, 2-2 3-PTs) ans 2 rebounds. So at the 2:25 mark, the game is locked at 38 apiece. The Knicks manufacture a 9-2 burst and take the 47-40 Halftime lead. The numbers don’t lie. FG%: NY-47.5% ATL-42.9%. FT% NY-75% ATL-38.5%.
We had an immediate rematch in the 3rd Quarter. Kyle Korver 10 points(3-4 FGs, 3-4 3-PTs, 1-1 FTs) and 3 rebounds versus Carmelo Anthony 12 points(6-9 FGs, 0-1 3-PTs) and 3 rebounds. Pablo Prigioni contributed 6 points(2-3 FGs, 2-3 3-PTs). Atlanta did a nice job of finishing the 3rd Quarter with the game tied at 68. The Hawks caused the Knicks to commit 5 crucial turnovers.
The 4th Quarter began with the possibility of Carmelo Anthony scoring 50 points in consecutive games, matching Bernard King. Anthony’s stat line coming in, 36 points(15-22 FGs, 1-2 3-PTs, 5-6 FTs). The big story in the 4th Quarter was the New York Knicks Defense. Atlanta committed 5 turnovers within the first 4 minutes. New York used that defensive intensity and transformed it into a 12-4 run along with a 82-74 lead at the 6:50 mark. Over the next 4+ minutes, the Knicks went on a 9-3 push and I saw quit in the Atlanta Hawks down 91-77 with 2:43 remaining. New York finished Atlanta thanks to the balance of Raymond Felton(10 points – 5-7 FGs, 0-1 3-PTs) and JR Smith(10 points – 4-5 FGs, 1-2 3-PTs, 1-2 FTs). Carmelo Anthony’s 40 pts put him in rare, Knickerbocker air.
Word out on the street, the New York Knicks haven’t enjoyed this type of success since 1994. 10 WINS IN A ROW!! The Knicks return to the “World’s Most Famous Arena”, Madison Square Garden to take on another Playoff-bound team, the Milwaukee Bucks.(*T*M*C)
Written by Shelby Spencer
The Morning Crap 