New York Knicks Blog – Page 83 – NBA Blog

Jason Kidd steps up, but Knicks lose to Mavs

When the Knicks beat the Mavericks 12 days ago in New York, Jason Kidd said it was “just another win” and called Dallas “just another opponent.”

In his return to Dallas on Wednesday night, however, Kidd certainly didn’t play as though the Mavericks were just another opponent. He scored a season-high 17 points, pulled down six rebounds, had five assists and five steals.

After Dallas rallied for the 114-111 victory, though, Kidd claimed there was no extra motivation in facing the franchise that he helped win the 2011 NBA title. Kidd did, however, say it was nice to be back in the American Airlines Center.

“Oh, I love Dallas,” he said. “What we accomplished as a team will always be special to me, but now I’m in New York, trying to accomplish that again. That’s to win another championship.”

— Reported by Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News

Melo scores 29, Knicks wreck Hornets 102-80

Carmelo Anthony scored 29 points and the New York Knicks extended the undermanned New Orleans Hornets’ losing streak to four games with a 102-80 victory Tuesday night.

Raymond Felton and J.R. Smith each added 15 points. Felton scored all of his points on five 3-pointers as New York hit 14 3s as a team.

Tyson Chandler grabbed 12 rebounds for the Knicks, who’ve won two straight since their first loss of the season and are 8-1 for only the third time in franchise history. The other two times, the 1969-70 and 1972-73 seasons, they won championships.

Ryan Anderson, starting in place of Anthony Davis, led the Hornets with 15 points. Davis was ruled out shortly before tip-off because tenderness in his left ankle.

Rookie Austin Rivers added a career-high 14 points and Brian Roberts 13 for New Orleans.

— Reported by Brett Martel of the Associated Press

Raymond Felton, unbeaten Knicks rally past Spurs 104-100

Instead of watching their season-opening winning streak come to a messy end, the New York Knicks served notice that they can’t be counted out in the fourth quarter.

Raymond Felton scored 25 points and New York stayed undefeated by rallying late to beat the San Antonio Spurs 104-100 on Thursday night.

Trailing by 12 with 7 minutes left in the game, the Knicks (6-0) closed on a 22-11 run to remain the NBA’s only unbeaten team…

J.R. Smith added 17 points, Jason Kidd had 14 and Tyson Chandler 13 for the Knicks, who snapped a nine-game skid in San Antonio. Felton, Smith and Kidd alone outscored the Spurs 26-25 in the fourth.

Tony Parker led San Antonio (7-2) with 19 points and 12 assists. Kawhi Leonard added 16 points and Tim Duncan had 14 points and 14 rebounds…

Anthony appeared frustrated by the lack of touches, shaking his head and laughing when the Knicks rotated the ball away from him late in the second quarter.

— Reported by the Associated Press

J.R. Smith cuts back on nightlife

Apparently, the party’s over for New York Knicks shooting guard J.R. Smith.

Smith is off to one of the best starts of his nine-year NBA career and on Thursday he cited a cutback in nightlife as one of the key reasons for his success.

“I’m not going to lie. The New York City nightlife pretty much got to me. I was going out pretty much every other night and not focused on the task at hand,” a candid Smith told reporters in San Antonio after the Knicks’ morning shootaround.

Smith said that a new, disciplined approach to practice has helped his performance for the 5-0 Knicks.

— Reported by Ian Begley of ESPN New York

A decade later, Camby takes floor as Knick

On Friday night against the Mavericks, Marcus Camby made his Knicks season debut, entering the game at the start of the second quarter.

It had been more than 10 years since Camby took the floor as a Knick — since Feb. 1, 2002, to be exact. Reflecting on when he first checked in, he said after the game, “The crowd was great. The moment was great.”

Camby only played eight minutes, but in the short time he was on the court, he said he wanted to make an impact with what he’s always been known for: defense and rebounding. He finished with two points and four rebounds, and he was able to provide some solid pressure on Elton Brand and Chris Kaman.

— Reported by Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York

A few Knicks are not big Mark Cuban fans

Dallas owner Mark Cuban donated $1 million last week to a Hurricane Sandy relief fund and also, quietly, made a smaller donation specifically to devastated Rockaway Beach.

But Cuban isn’t the most popular guy in the Knicks’ locker room. Tyson Chandler still is stunned Cuban was so indifferent when he jumped ship after he keyed Dallas’ lone championship before last season. Jason Kidd also got slammed by Cuban in mid-August, making it seem the Knicks guard had double-crossed him. His jersey won’t ever hang in the AmericanAirlines Center rafters despite his two stints and one title.

The Knicks will put their 3-0 record on the line against the Mavericks on Friday at the Garden. Cuban will be there. Chandler and Kidd don’t just want to win, they may want to come away with Cuban’s scalp as bounty.

Asked if he needed to rest his strep throat in the days leading to Dallas, Chandler said, “No, I don’t need much to get up for that one.’’

— Reported by Marc Berman of the New York Post

Rasheed Wallace makes impact sooner than expected

This time the call didn’t have to come from the rafters. When the sound of “Sheeeed” spread across the Wells Fargo Center, Rasheed Wallace had already checked into the game. A full 5:34 remained in the third quarter. This was not mop-up duty. Apparently, the Brian Scalabrine minutes are over.

Wallace logged 13:33 in the Knicks’ 110-88 dismissal of the Sixers last night, proof he’s rapidly rounding into game shape enough to provide quality minutes off the bench earlier than expected.

After two years away from basketball, there was really no timetable for when the 38-year-old could be counted on to play extended minutes. Anything he contributed early on was considered gratis. But the Knicks haven’t gotten out of their first week of their season before Wallace is already making an impact.

— Reported by George Willis of the New York Post

Tyson Chandler says Carmelo Anthony is super focused

He entered the league the same year as LeBron, who has been to the NBA Finals three times and won his first title last June. Anthony has advanced past the first round just once and is 1-8 in the playoffs with the Knicks. If that record isn’t enough to get Anthony to change his approach and keep him motivated nothing will.

“I think he’s very motivated right now,” says Tyson Chandler. “I’ve only been with him for two years but this is the most motivated I’ve seen him. He’s doing an excellent job, not only what you guys saw on display (Friday) night, but in practice, in film and walk throughs. He’s changed. He’s getting in early, putting up shots from everywhere, pulling guys to the side to give them advice. He’s being a great teammate. He wants to win. I think the summer experience helped him.”

Chandler and Anthony were Olympic teammates in London as the United States cruised to a gold medal. All around him, Anthony was surrounded by NBA champs – LeBron, Chandler, Kobe Bryant – as well as a young cast of teammates – Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden – who have already reached the NBA Finals.

— Reported by Frank Isola of the New York Daily News

Dwyane Wade thinks NBA should have postponed Heat at Knicks game

The NBA is getting Heat from one of its marquee players over Friday night’s game between Miami and the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

Dwyane Wade took to Twitter to express his feelings over the league’s decision not to postpone the contest between the two Eastern Conference rivals in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

“3 hour traffic just to get into the NY city.. C’monMan…” Wade tweeted on Thursday night.

Wade clarified his comments later on after deleting that original tweet.

“2 be clear “Traffic tweet was meant 2 say”… We shouldn’t B hre 2 play a basketball game when theirs so many families obviously still R affected by #Sandy,” Wade wrote.

— Reported by Anthony Sulla-Heffinger of the New York Post (Blog)

Marcus Camby almost signed with the Heat

Knicks forward Marcus Camby talked on Thursday about how close he was to becoming a member of the Heat this offseason. The Heat plays the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Friday.

“I was going on the plane to Miami when Allan [Houston], Glen [Grunwald] and [Mike Woodson] came down to Houston,” Camby said. “That’s how close I was. I had a good talk with coach Riley on the phone. We talked for an extended period of time about them wanting me to come down there. In hindsight, I felt I was always a Knick at heart.”

Ironically, the Heat ended up with Josh Harrellson.

— Reported by Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald (Blog)