New York Knicks ... head coach Mike Woodson with power forward Kenyon Martin. Source: Wilfredo Lee / AAP
The experts say no team in the eastern conference has a chance of preventing Miami Heat returning to the NBA finals for a third straight time but that hasn't stopped the buzz around New York Knicks in the biggest city in North America.
There's plenty of belief among their coach and players too, after they nailed down the second seed in the East, thanks to a late-season 12-game winning streak.
Kenyon Martin, who only joined the team two months ago, says his fellow veteran teammates have what it takes to make a deep run in the post-season.
"I know what's in these guys' hearts," Martin said.
"I think we know what we can be. We're not afraid of anybody, feel we can beat anybody. We know what we can go out and compete at a high level each and every time out, and that's what we're going to do."
At the start of the season the critics ridiculed the Knicks, suggesting they were wasting a season, forgoing a chance to re-sign Jeremy Lin, and bringing in players past their prime.
This list includes 38 year old Marcus Camby, 36 year old rookie Pablo Priggioni and Jason Kidd, who recently turned 40.
While the year hasn't all gone perfectly, they've managed to finish the season with 54 wins, the most the franchise have won since 1996-97.
Coach Mike Woodson – himself securing a questionable long-term contract before the season - told the media; "Having the veterans in I think put us in a position to win our division without a doubt, and secure the second seed, if I could do it again I do it the same way.
"They helped my coaching and brought a lot of excitement back to New York."
Martin, the fourth player in the over-35 brigade, says having savvy veterans is crucial in the playoffs.
"We got a guy like J-Kidd, having a guy like that around when things get tough, when the game's slow down, you need a guy that can think the game through. He does that for us," he said.
It wasn't just age that the Knicks were criticised for.
Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith were often labelled selfish and immature, but this season they've become an incredible two-man scoring punch.
Smith is the favourite to win the NBA's sixth man award and Anthony secured the league's scoring title.
"It's everybody else's opinion that he [Anthony] doesn't trust his teammates, of course if you can score like that you're going to believe in your ability," Martin said.
"But he's making the right plays, making the right pass. It's just the media nitpicking with his game. Is it fair? No, but we understand it. That's what people have to do – or you guys wouldn't have jobs."
Woodson says Anthony's development has been fantastic: "He's learned to trust his teammates.
"You go back to some of the great players – until they learned to trust those around them they didn't get very far in the play-offs, and win championships and stuff like that."
The Knicks come up against another veteran-laden team in the first round of the play-offs – in Boston Celtics – but as their seeding suggests they're expected to not only beat them, but advance to the eastern conference finals.
That would likely pit them against their budding rivals – the Heat - who they've beaten three out of four times this season, so there's plenty of evidence to suggest the champions won't stroll their way to a second straight title.
"You don't get the second best record in the East if you're not taking it serious," Woodson said.
The play-offs open with the Knicks v the Celtics on Sunday morning (EST).
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
Knicks have no-one to fear
Dengan url
http://sportifoclube.blogspot.com/2013/04/knicks-have-no-one-to-fear.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
Knicks have no-one to fear
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar