Knicks-Hawks Preview

By SANTOSH VENKATARAMAN
Posted Apr 21 2012 1:38PM

Atlanta Hawks coach Larry Drew is worried about complacency while New York Knicks coach Mike Woodson is concerned about effort.

These playoff-bound teams hope to use this final stretch to sort out various issues starting with Sunday's matchup at Philips Arena.

Atlanta (38-25) took a major step toward gaining home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs Friday with its third straight win, 97-92 over Boston. The Hawks will open at home as the Eastern Conference's No. 5 seed as long as they hold off Orlando and finish with a better record than the Celtics, who are guaranteed the fourth seed as Atlantic Division champions.

"We're going to try and get as many advantages as we can so if having home-court is one of them, then we're going to come out and really prepare for it and try and get it," said Joe Johnson, who had 30 points.

Atlanta, however, was not happy with a victory that was tougher than expected because Boston rested key players Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.

"For us, it definitely sits a little uneasy," Johnson said. "I don't feel like we brought our 'A' game."

With three games left on a five-game homestand, Drew is hoping his team can maintain a high energy level.

"We have New York coming in here on Sunday," he said. "So hopefully we can take these three games, and we're in front of our home crowd, we're done with the road in the regular season, hopefully we can take these three games and really work and focus on the things we really need to.

"I don't want to be passive at this time, I don't want to be complacent at this time, I don't want to be lethargic at this time. I want our guys to really enjoy being home and every time they step in between those lines, bring some energy, bring some smarts."

New York (33-30) clinched a playoff spot on an off day Thursday when Milwaukee fell at Indiana. The Knicks were predictably flat in their next game, Friday's 98-90 loss at Cleveland.

"There's nothing about tonight's game that I liked," Woodson said. "We just didn't compete. That's unacceptable."

The lone positive for the former Hawks coach was the return of Amare Stoudemire, back in the lineup after missing 13 games with a back injury. Stoudemire had 15 points and three rebounds in 27 minutes.

"As the game went on, I felt more and more comfortable," Stoudemire said. "I felt my rhythm coming back a lot faster. It's that muscle memory. Once you get going again, it just comes back to you. I felt great."

It's hard to say what the Knicks can accomplish over their final three games. They will likely finish seventh or eighth in the East, earning them a first-round matchup with Chicago or Miami.

"These next three games, that's all we have," Woodson said. "We're going to have to keep pushing. We won't be able to practice (Saturday) much, we've got a 1 o'clock game on Sunday."

Carmelo Anthony was held to 12 points Friday after averaging 30.5 in his previous three games.

He scored 36 in Atlanta on March 30, but the Knicks lost 100-90 to end their three-game winning streak in this series. Johnson had 28 points in that matchup after missing the first meeting this season due to injury, a 99-82 road loss Feb. 22.

Anthony scores 39, Knicks beat Hawks 113-112

Posted Apr 22 2012 6:46PM

ATLANTA (AP) The New York Knicks gave center Tyson Chandler, the key to their improved defense, a day off against the Atlanta Hawks. Both teams seemed to scrap their defenses through three quarters of a shootout between playoff-bound teams.

However, it was a defensive play that decided the game when Amare Stoudemire blocked Marvin Williams' dunk attempt at the buzzer to save the Knicks' 113-112 win over the Hawks on Sunday.

Carmelo Anthony scored 39 points and hit the winning jumper with 1:40 left on Atlanta's defensive miscommunication. Stoudemire finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds in his second game back after missing 13 with a sore back.

Williams scored a season-high 29 points in a rare start, but came up empty when he - and a full-throated crowd in Philips Arena - felt he was fouled.

"No contact at all. It was a great battle," Stoudemire said. "It was a phenomenal game. From what Coach Woody's (Mike Woodson) saying, the way to win a championship is defense and rebounding."

Defense was often absent as the Hawks shot a season-high 15 for 23 on 3-pointers, and the Knicks were 12 for 19 from beyond the arc.

New York led 94-93 after three quarters.

The Hawks (38-26) hold the No. 5 seed in the East, and still have hopes of securing homecourt advantage in a likely first-round match-up against the Celtics (37-27).

Sunday didn't help, and Atlanta All-Star Joe Johnson wasn't happy about it after he spent much of the day chasing Anthony. Johnson scored 22 points on 9-for-14 shooting. Anthony was 14 for 32 as the only New York starter to shoot under 50 percent.

"It's frustrating that we're still playing for something and defensively we were non-existent," Johnson said. "There was no help (on defense). If you were guarding somebody 1-on-1, you were definitely guarding 1-on-1."

Woodson gave Chandler the day off after New York played seven games in 11 days. The Knicks have allowed 116.3 points in three games without Chandler, and 93.8 when he plays.

The Hawks built a 65-60 halftime lead on 59 percent shooting even as Anthony scored 20 points and the Knicks shot 60 percent.

"It shows how valuable Tyson Chandler is to our ball club," Woodson said. "He plugs a lot of holes for us. It's fun for fans, but we have to defend better."

Both teams slowed down offensively in the fourth quarter, when the Hawks took their final lead at 112-111 on Johnson's 3-pointer with 1:50 left.

Anthony countered with a jumper 10 seconds later to close the scoring when he was left wide open on the right wing.

Yet the Hawks had a good chance to win.

With just more than 3 seconds to play, Johnson inbounded to Williams near the Knicks' bench. The plan was for him to hand the ball back to Johnson on a curl, but New York rookie Iman Shumpert - who played at Georgia Tech just a mile or so away - bumped Johnson off his path.

Williams turned and beat Stoudemire down the lane only to find both he and Anthony contesting at the rim - as Chandler normally would. A split-second after the ball was rejected, the buzzer sounded.

"I felt like I got fouled at the end," Williams said, "but they didn't call it."

Johnson, who made 2-of-3 shots in the final quarter (both being 3s), was as irritated about the Hawks' offense as he was the defense.

"Down the stretch, I just figure you got to put the ball in the hands of your playmakers," he said. "The Knicks did it all game. `Melo shot 32 times. They got the ball to the right man."

The Knicks (34-30) are one-half game ahead of Philadelphia (33-30) for the No. 7 spot in the East.

NOTES: Knicks F Jared Jeffries missed his third straight game with a sore right knee, and Woodson said he will not play in the last two regular-season games Wednesday against the Clippers and Thursday at Charlotte. ... Knicks uber-fan Spike Lee was at the game. ... Hawks center Zaza Pachulia missed his fifth straight game with a sprained left foot. Josh Smith started at center. ... Stoudemire started at center for New York.

Notebook: Knicks 113, Hawks 112

Posted Sunday April 22, 2012 6:14PM

By Matt Winkeljohn, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: The Hawks and the Knicks tried to go to their leading scorers late Sunday, and New York's Carmelo Anthony succeeded with a wide-open jumper with 1:40 left to give the visitors a frantic 113-112 win in which for the longest time there was scarcely any defense played.

Anthony finished with with 39 points and joined Amar'e Stoudemire to thwart the Hawks for good when they tag-teamed Marvin Williams' dunk attempt just ahead of the final buzzer. Stoudemire was credited with the block, but he said Anthony got a piece of it as well.

Atlanta's Joe Johnson's fourth 3-pointer gave Atlanta its last lead at 112-111 with 1:50 left in the game, but the Hawks failed to get the ball back in his hands as intended for the game's final shot. He finished with 22 points.

Williams led Atlanta with a season-high 29 points and a team-high 11 rebounds in a rare start, and said somebody got a piece -- a big piece -- of him at the end. A loud crowd at Philips Arena took Williams' side in that matter at the end of a game where two playoff-bound teams played with postseason passion -- if only on offense.

Knicks head coach Mike Woodson gave his top defender, center Tyson Chandler, the day off to rest, and that affected the entire team as the Hawks raced to a 65-60 halftime lead on 59 percent shooting.

Then again, New York shot 60 percent in the first half, and ended up making 12-of-19 3-point shots. The Hawks bettered that, making a season-high 15-of-23. That included four each by Williams, Johnson and reserve guard Jannero Pargo.

The Knicks finished with 54.4 percent shooting, and the Hawks wound up at 53.9, but both teams cooled in the fourth quarter.

They scored just 19 points each after both teams scored at least 28 in each of the first three quarters. Both teams took 18 shots in the final period, and the Knicks made one more 8-to-7, than Atlanta.

QUOTABLE: "This was a great battle. I don't think anyone should complain about contact on the last play."
-- Stoudemire, who had 22 points and 12 rebounds in his second game back after missing 13 with a sore back.

THE STAT: 2-for-3. 1-for-1. The Hawks made free throws after a flagrant foul (clear path) by Baron Davis in the first quarter and after a technical on Woodson to start the second quarter (Jeff Teague made both), but Joe Johnson missed with 3:20 left in the game after a technical was called on Anthony. Anthony made the Knicks' only free throw after a technical on Josh Smith in the second. You could consider either Johnson's miss or Anthony's make the difference in the game if you feel like it.

TURNING POINT: With three seconds left in the game, Johnson inbounded to Williams. He was supposed to give the ball back to Johnson but Knicks rookie guard Iman Shumpert impeded Johnson so Williams turned and beat Stoudemire down the lane. Stoudemire caught up and he and Anthony both defended as Williams tried for the dunk. Williams went to the floor in a heap.

QUOTABLE II: "I felt like I got fouled at the end."
-- Williams.

QUOTABLE III: "That was an old-school shootout. The offense was great. It just shows you how valuable Tyson Chandler is in the middle."
-- Woodson, the Hawks' former coach.

HOT: Other than Anthony, who made 14-of-32 shots, every Knicks starter hit 50 percent or better (Landry Fields hit 7-of-8, Stoudemire 9-of-13, Shumpert 4-of-8 and Davis 5-of-9). . . . Marvin Williams -- who moved into the starting lineup as Drew slid Josh Smith to center instead of Jason Collins -- made a season-high 10-of-14 shots, including 4-of-6 3-pointers. His 11 rebounds were one shy of his season high. . . . Anthony scored 12 points in both the first and third quarters. . . . Fields scored 12 in the third as well. . . . Landry and Anthony were each perfect on three 3-point attempts in the third quarter, when the Knicks made 7-of-8 overall. . . .

NOT: Josh Smith didn't fare so well upon being slid over from power forward to center, chiefly when matched against Stoudemire. He made 5-of-13 shots for 14 points, grabbed a modest five rebounds and had four turnovers. It should be noted that he added four assists and three blocked shots.

IN THE ARENA: Actor-producer-writer-musician Spike Lee, among the staunchest of Knicks fans, was in Philips Arena.

NOTABLE: Woodson said before the game that forward Jared Jeffries, who missed his third straight game with a sore right knee, will not play in New York's final two regular-season games. No word on his availability for the postseason . . . . Anthony went down hard when he attacked the basket only to be called for an offensive foul with 2:07 left in the first quarter. He stayed on the floor for 15 seconds or so. . . . Chandler is expected to return to action for the Knicks' final two regular-season games.

UP NEXT: For the Knicks, Wednesday vs. Clippers, Thursday @ Bobcats. For the Hawks, Tuesday vs. Clippers, Thursday vs. Mavericks.

• Knicks: Jeffries, Lin
• Hawks: Horford, Pachulia

• Knicks: Anthony, Shumpert, Woodson
• Hawks: Hinrich, Smith

• Lead Changes: 18
• Times Tied: 9

• Arena: Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
• Officials: #14 Ed Malloy, #42 Eric Lewis, #30 John Goble
• Attendance: 18158
• Duration: 2:28