Knicks Ready to Rebound Against Timberwolves
Jan 25 2010 5:05PM
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Wilson Chandler and Nate Robinson are both listed as questionable with leg injuries.
A day after Sunday afternoon’s 50-point loss to the Dallas Mavericks, the Knicks were in good spirits. They understand that they have to put the game behind them and move on, beginning with Tuesday’s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Madison Square Garden.
“I tried to keep a smile on my face today but it hasn’t been easy,” David Lee said after Monday’s practice. “That was one of those games (yesterday) that was so bad that it was easier to let go of rather than making a mistake at the last second and having a team beat you. Every guy that got into the game didn’t do what they were supposed to and it seemed like every guy for Dallas was clicking.
“You just have to move past it and the important thing is we can’t let it carry over into the next game. That’s very important.”
The Knicks’ 128-78 defeat to the Mavericks was the franchise’s worst loss at The Garden and their second-worst loss overall. With only two players scoring in double figures – Lee and Jared Jeffries – the Knicks were unable to get anything going after falling behind by double digits in the second quarter and lost for the sixth time in eight games.
New York dropped to 17-26 this season and now sits three and a half games behind the Chicago Bulls for eighth place in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks will have to take advantage of an easier schedule over the next few weeks that includes 10 of their next 14 games coming against sub-.500 teams starting with the Timberwolves, who have lost three in a row and own the league’s second-worst record at 9-36.
"We just have to lick our wounds,” Al Harrington said. “Minnesota obviously is a team we should definitely beat so we just have to forget about that and try to win this game.”
Now that the Knicks are officially in the second half of the season, they know its crunch-time and need to have bounce-back games after tough losses. After a franchise-worst 1-9 start to the year, the Knicks can’t afford to let opportunities slip by.
“If we hope to make the playoffs, we’ve got to pick it up and play at a higher level than we played (on Sunday),” Knicks President Donnie Walsh said. “And I think everyone knows that.”
The Knicks might have to bounce back without two of their most athletic players in the lineup. Wilson Chandler (groin) and Nate Robinson (hamstring) missed practice on Monday and are questionable for Tuesday’s game.
It’s that time of year when the wear-and-tear of a long season starts to affect players.
“There’s probably not an NBA player out there who’s 100 percent,” D’Antoni said. “These are dog days and we have to get through them. The only thing we’re looking for is fight. We don’t have to play well all the time but we do have to have fight.”
“It’s just always this time when injuries catch up to everybody,” Harrington said. “We just have to find a way to play at least .500 ball over these next eight games (before the All-Star break). We just have to find a way to stay right there and get the break for All-Star and come back in.”
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“I tried to keep a smile on my face today but it hasn’t been easy,” David Lee said after Monday’s practice. “That was one of those games (yesterday) that was so bad that it was easier to let go of rather than making a mistake at the last second and having a team beat you. Every guy that got into the game didn’t do what they were supposed to and it seemed like every guy for Dallas was clicking.
“You just have to move past it and the important thing is we can’t let it carry over into the next game. That’s very important.”
The Knicks’ 128-78 defeat to the Mavericks was the franchise’s worst loss at The Garden and their second-worst loss overall. With only two players scoring in double figures – Lee and Jared Jeffries – the Knicks were unable to get anything going after falling behind by double digits in the second quarter and lost for the sixth time in eight games.
New York dropped to 17-26 this season and now sits three and a half games behind the Chicago Bulls for eighth place in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks will have to take advantage of an easier schedule over the next few weeks that includes 10 of their next 14 games coming against sub-.500 teams starting with the Timberwolves, who have lost three in a row and own the league’s second-worst record at 9-36.
"We just have to lick our wounds,” Al Harrington said. “Minnesota obviously is a team we should definitely beat so we just have to forget about that and try to win this game.”
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“If we hope to make the playoffs, we’ve got to pick it up and play at a higher level than we played (on Sunday),” Knicks President Donnie Walsh said. “And I think everyone knows that.”
The Knicks might have to bounce back without two of their most athletic players in the lineup. Wilson Chandler (groin) and Nate Robinson (hamstring) missed practice on Monday and are questionable for Tuesday’s game.
It’s that time of year when the wear-and-tear of a long season starts to affect players.
“There’s probably not an NBA player out there who’s 100 percent,” D’Antoni said. “These are dog days and we have to get through them. The only thing we’re looking for is fight. We don’t have to play well all the time but we do have to have fight.”
“It’s just always this time when injuries catch up to everybody,” Harrington said. “We just have to find a way to play at least .500 ball over these next eight games (before the All-Star break). We just have to find a way to stay right there and get the break for All-Star and come back in.”
Limited Tickets are still available. Click here to purchase.
