Mike Woodson didn’t.
The Knicks coach believed his team could go toe to toe with the Heat before it beat Miami without Carmelo Anthony on Thursday night. New York’s 20-point win in South Beach just strengthened Woodson’s opinion.
“I think it’s out there, there’s no doubt about that,” Woodson said of the notion that the Knicks can finish atop the Eastern Conference, above the Heat.
“This is the team that’s going to give the Heat the most trouble because they have the perimeter players,” Johnson said on the radio show.
Today’s Burning Question: How big a role did Mike Woodson’s offseason conditioning program play in getting the Knicks to compete at a consistently high level?
After the Heat game, Tyson Chandler was asked what people learned about the Knicks on Thursday night. He said, “We’re a deep team.”
But there was something else: How well-conditioned the players are, which allowed them to jump out to a 85-67 lead with 3:05 to play in the third quarter.
MIAMI — Addressing reporters before the Heat game, Mike Woodson said that Carmelo Anthony is a game-time decision.
Melo did go through walkthrough on Thursday morning, and Woody suggested that his star player will take the court against their longtime Eastern Conference rival.
“The concern is if he’s not Melo. If he says he’s going to play, he’ll play,” the coach said. “I’m sure he’s going to be just fine.”
If Anthony can’t go, Woodson still has confidence that other guys will contribute more.
New York Knicks guard J.R. Smith is a handful, the sort of player who can make eight 3-pointers in a game and then immediately come back the next week and miss all but one of his shots, make ill-advised decisions in big moments, and get in a screaming match with his coach. He’s also one of the more naturally talented shooting guards in the league, which makes his presence tolerable in the midst of his worst stretches. He always holds the potential to do something magical.
On Wednesday night, Smith was infuriating, stupendous and hilarious all at once. With seven seconds remaining and the score tied 98-98 in the Knicks’ road game against the Charlotte Bobcats, Smith intercepted a pass from rookie Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and ruined a 2-on-1 fast break by dribbling the ball into the corner. The Knicks called a timeout, and Mike Woodson’s out-of-bounds play gave the ball to Smith near the top of the key. He dribbled left, stepped back and hit an off-balance jumper over Kidd-Gilchrist to give New York the win at the buzzer .
As if to emphasize the J.R. Smith-ness of the whole situation, he celebrated by initially standing perfectly still and making a goofy-tough face as teammates mobbed him. To top off the stellar shot, Smith did a short Victor Cruz-esque salsa dance for what appeared to be his own enjoyment.
[New York Daily News] Lawrence: Knicks know they’ll get Heat’s best shot (Thu, 06 Dec 2012 07:10:52 GMT) Everything is stacked against the Knicks on Thursday night, which makes it an even better setting if Mike Woodson’s team can get out of Miami with a win over the defending champs. [New York Daily News] Melo [...]
Everything is stacked against the Knicks on Thursday night, which makes it an even better setting if Mike Woodson’s team can get out of Miami with a win over the defending champs.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Knicks coach Mike Woodson says guard Jason Kidd will play Wednesday night against the Charlotte Bobcats but won’t start. He says Kidd but will see action at point guard and the No. 2 spot coming off the bench.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Knicks coach Mike Woodson says guard Jason Kidd will play Wednesday night against the Charlotte Bobcats but won’t start. He says Kidd but will see action at point guard and the No. 2 spot coming off the bench.
Every weekday throughout the season, ESPNNewYork.com will tackle a burning question about the Knicks in our “Opening Tip” segment.
Today’s Burning Question: How wide is the gap between the Knicks and Heat?
“Take it one game at a time” is one of the most frequently-used cliches in sports.
Knicks coach Mike Woodson has used it again and again in the past couple days whenever someone asks him about Thursday’s game against the Miami Heat.
He insists that his team isn’t thinking about Miami yet, that it’s focused on Wednesday’s game against the Charlotte Bobcats.