ATLANTA – Allan Houston pours in 34 points. Latrell Sprewell connects for 31 and the scary thing about the Knicks’ scoring duo is they remain a work in progress destined only to get better the more they play with each other.
Their splendid shooting performance in Game 1 of this best-of-seven series against the Hawks Tuesday night led to the Knicks’ 100-92 victory at the Georgia Dome. And while the two may not combine for 65 points tonight in Game 2, it offered another glimpse of how dominant the two players can be when they feed off each other’s success.
The Hawks will likely come with more double-teams tonight to force Houston and Sprewell to give up the ball. But that should leave open others like Larry Johnson, Patrick Ewing and point guards Charlie Ward and Chris Childs.
“All they have to do is make the right plays,” Knick coach Jeff Van Gundy said of Houston and Sprewell. “The whole key is getting good looks to the basket.”
The evolution of the Houston-Sprewell tag-team has not been easy for either player, especially in this shortened season. Sprewell, the notorious coach choker, arrived in a trade from Golden State and had to adjust to a team where he wasn’t the main man. Houston, who had just learned to share the ball with Ewing, was now losing touches to Sprewell.
Instead of working together, they would usually take turns hogging the ball, one becoming a spectator, while the other dominated the offense.
“At first, I denied the fact that they were aware of each other and sort of in a silent competition,” Knick assistant coach Don Chaney said. “But it was there whether it was brought out in the open or not. But now these guys are playing to win. Time has helped. We needed enough games under our belt to understand that if we played a certain way, we’re going to win and your shots are going to be a lot easier.”
Houston and Sprewell have come to that revelation. You could see it in their play Tuesday night when they combined for 28 straight points from late third quarter to early fourth, taking the Knicks from a 66-64 lead to 94-82. Both players were aggressive, attacking the basket for high percentage shots and drawing fouls. Not only did they combine to make 24 of 41 shots, but were 17 of 17 from the free-throw line.
Their games practically mirrored each other; two players breaking down a defense with their jump shots and penetration. Yet, they arrived at this point of cohesion through different adjustments to their games. Sprewell, the relentless scorer from Golden State, had to learn he need not shoot every time he touched the ball, while Houston had to learn not to become a spectator whenever Sprewell got on one of his rolls. It is tough to get either player to admit this, but while Sprewell had to learn to be less selfish, Houston had to become more selfish.
“What they have to understand, because they will stray sometimes, is that this is the way they have to play in order to win,” Chaney said. “If they play aggressive and share the ball the way they should share it, we’ll win a lot of games.”
It frustrated the Knick coaching staff early in the year when at times Houston would, as Chaney put it, “sit back and watch,” when Sprewell instinctively took charge. When Sprewell would cool, Houston then found himself out of rhythm. But over the last month, Houston has stayed aggressive throughout games. He averaged 15.2 points per game in the playoff series against Miami to Sprewell’s 16.2.
“He has to understand his game,” Chaney said of Houston. “He’s much more effective when he’s penetrating, shooting, driving and passing rather than being stationary. Allan has a lot in him that he really hasn’t brought out on a consistent basis. He has a lot of moves he hasn’t used, he’s afraid to use or doesn’t feel comfortable using. I’d like to see him bring his game out a little more.”
For Sprewell, it continues to be a learning experience. Having not played for more than a year because of the suspension for choking P.J. Carlesimo, his game was rusty. He also had to rid of himself of what Van Gundy calls “bad habits” from playing on a losing team.
“He has come from a team where he had the green light, had to carry a team on his back, so he had a certain style about him,” Chaney said. “He’s with a better team now with guys who can score so he’s learning how to share the ball and change his game somewhat. It has helped him to be a better player. He’s not as out of control and he’s playing within the framework of what we’re trying to do offensively.”
That’s not say Sprewell is completely sold on the Knick way of doing things. Still, Houston and Sprewell have played together for just 43 games, roughly half a regular NBA season. The scary thought is that it can only get better from here.
