For the first time in seven years, the Knicks are headed to the postseason, thanks to a 123-107 Garden win last night over the Cavs.
Just like this up-and-down campaign, this victory was not always pretty or easy — but it was fitting, with Amar’e Stoudemire carrying the Knicks the same way he’d carried them physically and emotionally for most of the season.
Stoudemire dominated the fourth quarter to chants of “MVP!” And after shouldering the burden before he’d even pocketed the money — pronouncing “the Knicks are back” before even inking his $100 million deal — Stoudemire made his bravado a reality, scoring a game-high 28 points to help clinch the team’s first playoff bid since 2004.
“It feels great,” a relieved Stoudemire said. “That was the goal we set at the start. That mission is accomplished. Now it’s on to the next one.”
For the Knicks (38-38) to clinch last night, Charlotte also had to lose — and shortly after the Bobcats fell to Washington, the Knicks snapped their own 11-game losing streak to the lowly Cavs.
Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni saluted the sellout crowd of 19,763 as he walked off the floor, then in a postgame address to his team saluted both its former teammates, traded to Denver, and Stoudemire.
“In the locker room, I really thanked the players that were here before,” D’Antoni said of Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler and Raymond Felton, among those dealt for Carmelo Anthony.
“There was a lot [of people] that didn’t think we’d make it. [But] Amar’e led the charge. He led a group that was young and learning, and he took the brunt of it on his shoulders, and I just thanked him for doing that. I thought it was huge.”
Huge is what the Knicks’ Big Three of Stoudemire, Chauncey Billups and Anthony were last night, combining for 76 points. The ex-Denver duo dominated the first half, with Billups scoring 20 of his 23 before intermission on 7-of-8 shooting, while Anthony finished with 25.
“Everybody should be excited Knick basketball is back,” said Anthony, who shot just 1-of-7 in the second half.
“The game is fun now. Winning always makes it fun. I’ve been telling guys we need to start putting fun back into the game, and that’s what we’ve been doing these past couple of games.”
Stoudemire took over in the second half when Anthony went cold, scoring 11 in the fourth quarter as the Knicks turned a 93-90 lead into a 16-point rout.
They climbed within 1½ games of the 76ers with a game in Philadelphia this week.
For his part, Stoudemire lauded D’Antoni and the coach’s postgame words.
“He was very appreciative that I was strong enough to come here in a situation that wasn’t looking great,” Stoudemire said.
“Secondly, I took it as a challenge upon myself … to speak so boldly at the start of the year about the Knicks are back.
“Now we’re in a position to be in the playoffs, which was the ultimate goal which we talked about with [owner] Mr. [James] Dolan. Then we made a trade to bring in some great players. Now we’re in the position to do something special in the playoffs.”
The Knicks still are a decade removed from their last winning season, and know defense is their Achilles heel. But after forcing 22 turnovers last night and seeing Billups look fresh in this three-game winning streak — with 17 in the first quarter on 6-of-6 shooting — their confidence might actually be warranted.
brian.lewis.@nypost.com
