ATLANTA – The playoffs are in the early stages, but one thing has become clear. The path to success is wide open. The Knicks are in position to put themselves somewhere they haven’t been since 1994, on the road to The Finals.
No Michael Jordan, no impossible road blocks in their way as the Knicks develop as a team.
While discussing the state of the playoffs and how important it is to have his Knicks in the right frame of mind for every game, the subject of great teams was broached yesterday by Jeff Van Gundy at the Georgia Dome.
The Knicks whipped the Hawks on Tuesday, as the two-headed scoring monster of Allan Houston and Latrell Sprewell combined for 65 points in their 100-92 victory in Game 1. It was the kind of offensive explosion the Knicks are capable of when all is right in their world.
“Great teams also have great talent so even when they are not right mentally, they still have enough talent that they beat the [bleep] out of other teams,” Van Gundy said. “I don’t think there are any teams in the NBA that have that advantage anymore. Chicago had that advantage, they didn’t have to be totally right, they could still win against anybody. No team in the NBA has that now. No one.”
The Bulls had the talent. Before them it was the Pistons, Lakers and Celtics. Now it’s wide open. The Pacers appear to be the best team in the East and may be the only team capable of keeping the Knicks out of The Finals, but the Pacers are far from the unbeatable foe.
If the Knicks can put together another solid effort tonight at the Georgia Dome, they will take a commanding 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series with the next two games back at the Garden Sunday and Monday.
These are not the same Knicks that they were earlier in the season. The first half of the year, the Knicks were not as good as the John Starks and Charles Oakley Knicks because the new Knicks had not been assimilated. Now with Sprewell rolling and Marcus Camby playing valuable minutes, the Knicks have improved dramatically. Asked if these Knicks are better than last year’s Knicks, Van Gundy, who has a soft spot in his heart for Oakley and Starks, said, “We weren’t nearly as good at the start because of all the problems of the shortened season and the changes. I don’t know if we are or not [better], we’ll find out as we go down these next couple of weeks, but we have a chance. We have a chance. And that’s what you want, a chance.”
The Knicks have a chance to make this interesting, if Sprewell and Houston continue to grow while Patrick Ewing stays together long enough to be a vital role player. Said Larry Johnson of Houston and Sprewell: “Them two cats rolling at the same time, man, we’re tough.”
The key is continuity. The Knicks crushed the Heat in Game 1 in Miami with Sprewell and Houston combining for 44 points and then allowed the Heat to even it all up in Game 2. The pair scored only 27 in that game. The Knicks whipped the Heat in Game 3 and then fell apart in Game 4. Houston’s good bounce gave them the series in Game 5.
They did not suffer a letdown in Game 1 of this series. They have put together back-to-back, outstanding playoff games on the road. It’s time to see if they can do it in the same city against a flawed opponent in the Hawks.
Van Gundy knows well that Houston and Sprewell had great games in the first game in Miami and then slumped in Game 2. “We have to be ready for increased intensity and we made a ton of defensive mistakes ourselves,” he said. “We’re going to have to be much better defensively.”
The Hawks have to improve their play. “We definitely have to play defense and limit Allan and Sprewell’s open shots and hope they don’t shoot as well as they shot [Tuesday],” said Steve Smith, who was in foul trouble the entire game.
Expect the Hawks to body-up on Houston and Sprewell more tonight. Noted Lenny Wilkens: “You’ve got to give good coverage. Whether it’s banging or whatever it takes to get the job done, you’ve got to do it.”
Dikembe Mutombo put it bluntly: “We let them go wherever they wanted to and take the ball wherever they wanted to.”
It was as if the Hawks weren’t even there. But Houston and Sprewell were everywhere, cutting, slashing and going strong to the hoop. The Knicks have to bring that same attitude tonight. “We have to stay aggressive,” Van Gundy said.
Sprewell has always been aggressive and some of that is rubbing off on Houston, but Sprewell also is taking better care of the ball and taking better shots.
