Knicks Remain Focused with Wade, Heat in Town
Apr 10 2010 8:36PM
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David Lee and the Knicks last faced the Heat in a Christmas Day matinee.
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The Knicks still have something to play for in the final three games of the
2009-10 NBA season.
No, they are not competing for a postseason spot at this point. But the Knicks are playing for pride, along with continuing the development of their younger players and giving the veterans a head start heading into the offseason.
"We're just playing for pride," All-Star center David Lee told MSG. "We're going to play hard these last three games and then the season is over."
The Knicks have two home games remaining, including Sunday evening's matchup against Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat and Monday's meeting against the Washington Wizards. New York will end its season against the Raptors in Toronto on Wednesday.
"Our team needs to keep competing," Lee said. "We have two home games to show off great crowds, especially the Miami game. And we need to continue to play well on our home court after wins over Boston and Denver in our last games at home. And then we'll go on the road in Toronto and try get one. That's going to be a challenge as well."
The Knicks' two previous home games were among their biggest wins of the season. After knocking off the Denver Nuggets 109-104 back on Feb. 23, the Knicks returned home from a five-game road trip to defeat the Boston Celtics 104-101 last Tuesday. New York has won four of its previous five at home.
Not surprisingly, the Knicks' best player in both of their last two home wins was Danilo Gallinari. The second-year forward has stepped up to the challenge of defending opposing team's best players while having offensive performances against the elite teams in the league.
He scored a career-high 31 points after Kevin Garnett unsuccessfully tried to knock him off his game in the win over Boston. In the victory over Denver, Gallinari went head-to-head against Carmelo Anthony and came out on top, scoring 28 points and grabbing five rebounds.
Now, Gallinari will have the opportunity to take on another superstar in Dwyane Wade, who is averaging 26.6 points, 6.6 assists and 4.0 rebounds this season. And Gallinari seems to play his best when playing against the best, which is a very good sign for the future.
"We are trying to develop the young guys and make sure they get good experience," D'Antoni said. "Every game is meaningful and we try to get down to the end when you can win or lose games. We want our young guys to get experience, and I think they're doing that."
Added Lee: "We definitely have a lot in these few games that we want to accomplish."
Limited tickets are still available. Click here to purchase.
No, they are not competing for a postseason spot at this point. But the Knicks are playing for pride, along with continuing the development of their younger players and giving the veterans a head start heading into the offseason.
"We're just playing for pride," All-Star center David Lee told MSG. "We're going to play hard these last three games and then the season is over."
The Knicks have two home games remaining, including Sunday evening's matchup against Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat and Monday's meeting against the Washington Wizards. New York will end its season against the Raptors in Toronto on Wednesday.
"Our team needs to keep competing," Lee said. "We have two home games to show off great crowds, especially the Miami game. And we need to continue to play well on our home court after wins over Boston and Denver in our last games at home. And then we'll go on the road in Toronto and try get one. That's going to be a challenge as well."
The Knicks' two previous home games were among their biggest wins of the season. After knocking off the Denver Nuggets 109-104 back on Feb. 23, the Knicks returned home from a five-game road trip to defeat the Boston Celtics 104-101 last Tuesday. New York has won four of its previous five at home.
Not surprisingly, the Knicks' best player in both of their last two home wins was Danilo Gallinari. The second-year forward has stepped up to the challenge of defending opposing team's best players while having offensive performances against the elite teams in the league.
He scored a career-high 31 points after Kevin Garnett unsuccessfully tried to knock him off his game in the win over Boston. In the victory over Denver, Gallinari went head-to-head against Carmelo Anthony and came out on top, scoring 28 points and grabbing five rebounds.
Now, Gallinari will have the opportunity to take on another superstar in Dwyane Wade, who is averaging 26.6 points, 6.6 assists and 4.0 rebounds this season. And Gallinari seems to play his best when playing against the best, which is a very good sign for the future.
"We are trying to develop the young guys and make sure they get good experience," D'Antoni said. "Every game is meaningful and we try to get down to the end when you can win or lose games. We want our young guys to get experience, and I think they're doing that."
Added Lee: "We definitely have a lot in these few games that we want to accomplish."
Limited tickets are still available. Click here to purchase.
