Knicks-Bobcats Preview

By CHRIS ALTRUDA
Posted Apr 26 2012 12:51AM

The New York Knicks don't seem overly concerned about where they start their postseason regardless of the outcome of their regular-season finale.

The Charlotte Bobcats, however, have plenty of incentive to win Thursday night to avoid capping an utterly miserable and potentially record-setting season of futility.

For the Knicks (35-30), a victory would ensure them the No. 7 seed for the Eastern Conference playoffs that would allow them to avoid Chicago in the first round. New York would also open the postseason at Miami win or lose if Philadelphia loses at Detroit on Thursday night.

"Right now it really doesn't matter," Knicks star Carmelo Anthony said. "Whoever we play, we'll have to start on the road anyway, so we just want to start just preparing for whether it's Chicago, whether it's Miami, just get ready to go."

Coach Mike Woodson's team put itself in position to clinch the seventh spot with a 99-93 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night. The Knicks made things far too interesting in the second half by nearly blowing an 18-point lead as Anthony looked on from the bench, but JR Smith hit a key jumper in the final minute to secure their eighth win in 12 games.

"Chicago has had the best record in the league the last two years, so why does everybody jump ahead and say, `Oh, you should dodge Miami and play Chicago?" center Tyson Chandler said. "I think both of those teams are 1 and 2, so you can pick your poison on them. I feel like we have to believe in ourselves enough that it doesn't matter who we play."

While the Knicks are playoff-bound, the postseason seems light years away for woeful Bobcats (7-58), who have dropped 22 straight. They need a victory to avoid setting an NBA mark for the lowest single-season winning percentage, since a loss would drop them below the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers squad that finished 9-73 for a .110 percentage.

"Nobody in here is used to losing like we have lost this year," swingman Gerald Henderson said after Wednesday night's 102-95 defeat at Orlando. "It just kind of humbles you and teaches you a lot about what it takes to be successful in this game. It also teaches you what it takes to have a good team in the NBA. It's a learning process and hopefully we will come out with a win tomorrow."

A win would also allow the Bobcats to avoid next season with the harsh spotlight that would come with being close to Cleveland's NBA-record 26-game losing streak set in the 2010-11 season. If Charlotte loses this game, its 23-game skid would be the longest to end a season in NBA history, surpassing a 19-game run of futility by the Cavaliers to close the 1981-82 campaign.

If there were any positives to glean from Wednesday's loss, the seven-point margin of defeat marked the eighth single-digit loss during this franchise-record run of misery. Thirteen of the losses have come at home, where the Bobcats have been outscored by 17.1 points per game - averaging 83.8 points on 39.4 percent shooting.

Despite Charlotte's season-long struggles, one of its seven victories came in stunning fashion at New York on Jan. 4, when everything broke right offensively in a 118-110 win. Henderson scored 24 points and Boris Diaw had a season-high 27 as the Bobcats shot 55.3 percent - far and away their season best.

That was just one of four occasions this season when Charlotte shot 50 percent or better. The Knicks, though, clamped down defensively in the most recent meeting - a 111-78 rout Jan. 24 at Charlotte as Chandler had 20 points and 17 rebounds and the Knicks limited the Bobcats to 32.9 percent shooting.

Bobcats fall to Knicks, set NBA mark for futility

Posted Apr 27 2012 12:10AM

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) The worst season in NBA history is over for the Charlotte Bobcats.

Meanwhile, the New York Knicks are looking ahead to the playoffs.

The Bobcats couldn't even beat a Knicks team resting most of its starters, finishing with the lowest winning percentage in league history after a 104-84 loss on Thursday night.

J.R. Smith scored 22 points for the Knicks, who pulled away in the second half to clinch the Eastern Conference's No. 7 seed and a first-round playoff matchup against No. 2 Miami beginning Saturday.

"I couldn't be happier," said Knicks interim coach Mike Woodson, now 18-6 since taking over for Mike D'Antoni. "It was a great regular season and now it's playoff basketball time. They will be ready."

Gerald Henderson had 21 points for the Bobcats, whose 23rd consecutive loss left them with a winning percentage of .106 (7-59) in the lockout-shortened season. The record was set 39 years ago, when the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers finished 9-73 (.110) in a full regular season.

"Going 7-59 like we did is not what we planned on doing," Henderson said. "This doesn't sit very well with me. These last 10 games, we've really tried to get after it, compete and not get that record. It just didn't happen for us. We just didn't have enough. We couldn't come up with the plays.

"When you look back at it and see we lost 59 games, you always think, `We could've won one more."'

Kemba Walker had 13 points, D.J. Augustin 12 and D.J. White added 11 for Charlotte, which now faces an offseason of uncertainty.

"I have to commend the guys," said Paul Silas, whose future as the Bobcats' coach is in doubt. "They gave me everything they had and I can't fault them one bit for what happened. If they hadn't played hard for me and their attitudes hadn't been right then that's different, but they were positive and did everything that they needed to do."

The Knicks held out starters Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler and Baron Davis, while Amare Stoudemire had 21 points over two quarters.

That put the pressure on the Knicks' reserves to make up the difference, and they didn't disappoint. Josh Harrellson added 18 points, Jerome Jordan 13 and Iman Shumpert 12 for New York. Mike Bibby also had 12 assists.

"I pretty much have a set rotation," Woodson said. "But if Josh Harrellson has to step in and play, or Jerome Jordan has to play a minute or two here and there, I'll feel good that they are ready to play."

Still, with owner Michael Jordan watching from his private box, the Bobcats played nearly even with the Knicks in the first half, leading twice and only trailing 46-44 at halftime.

"I thought we had a shot, I really did," Silas said. "I thought we gave it our all in the first half."

Charlotte's biggest lead came in the closing minutes of the first quarter, with Bismack Biyombo's dunk with 5:05 remaining putting the Bobcats up 14-11. But the Knicks closed the period with a 12-6 run to go up 23-20.

Charlotte would lead once more in the second quarter, with DeSagana Diop's layup with 9:28 left capping a five-point run to put the Bobcats up 25-23. However, the Knicks responded with six straight points, going ahead 29-25 on Smith's dunk with 8:14 left.

Charlotte managed to tie the score three times in the final minutes of the second quarter, the last at 41-all with 1:56 left on Henderson's layup. But Smith hit a 3-pointer 17 seconds later to put the Knicks ahead, and Jordan followed with a jumper to give New York a two-point halftime edge.

Stoudemire asserted himself in the third quarter, scoring 11 points in the period as the Knicks pushed their lead into double digits.

"I feel as good as new," said Stoudemire, who missed 19 games this season, most due to back problems. "It was a matter of staying sharp on the basketball court and keeping a good rhythm and helping my team to victory."

New York would take its biggest lead late in the fourth quarter, with Jordan's fast-break dunk with 4:38 remaining putting the Knicks up 99-76.

Notebook: Knicks 104, Bobcats 84

Posted Thursday April 26, 2012 11:38PM

By Derek S. Smith, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: The Charlotte Bobcats put themselves in the NBA record book Thursday night with a 104-84 loss to the New York Knicks at Time Warner Cable Arena. The Bobcats now hold the league record for lowest winning percentage at .106 (7-59). That record eclipses the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers squad that finished 9-73 for a .110 percentage. J.R. Smith led all scorers with 22 points off the bench for the Knicks.

QUOTABLE: "Disappointed. We felt we were better than what our record said. We had some injuries and things never seemed to get on track, but obviously 7-59 wasn't we had planned to do this year. It's just disappointing."
-- Charlotte guard Gerald Henderson

THE STAT: The Bobcats finished the season on a 23-game losing streak which is tied for the third longest in league history with the Vancouver Grizzlies (1995-96) and the Denver Nuggets (1997-98). The Cleveland Cavaliers hold the NBA league's longest losing streak at 26 which was set during the 2010-11 season. The Bobcats' 23-game skid is the longest to end a season in NBA history, surpassing a 19-game run by the Cavaliers to close out the 1981-82 campaign.

TURNING POINT: The And 1. The Knicks blew the game wide open late in the third on a driving dunk from Amar'e Stoudemire over Tyrus Thomas with 2:33 to play. Stoudemire converted the three-point play and then a jumper from Smith pushed the New York lead to 10 points at 69-59.

QUOTABLE II: "If we had had all our guys and we had done this, I don't' know what I'd have done. But, we had injuries that took a big toll. I'm not ashamed of what we've done. I would have liked for it to be different. These guys have me everything they had. I can't fault them for this. They gave me all they could."
-- Charlotte coach Paul Silas

HOT: Stoudemire. The Knicks' center was 9-for-15 from the floor and scored 21 points in just 24 minutes of action. He also added two blocked shots, three assists and two rebounds. New York rested Stoudemire for the entirety of the second and fourth quarters and were still able to pick up the 20-point win.

NOT: The Bobcats' second half. Charlotte was outscored 58-40 in the second half and allowed the Knicks to shoot 62.2 percent (23-of-37) from the floor. The Bobcats offense was equally ineffective at 40.6 percent (13-of-32).

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: The Knicks brought Smith off the bench to net a game-best 22 points on 10-of-16 shooting while dishing out six assists. It was his third 20-point outburst in the last six games. He is averaging 21.5 points and 5.5 assists in the last two games for the Knicks.

INSIDE THE ARENA: Charles Oakley and Michael Jordan were both in the building, but did not make an appearance in the seating bowl during the game. NBA Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver was also in attendance and spoke to reporters before the game including the topic of the Hornets nickname. There was also a group in attendance called "Bring Back the Buzz" which is a grassroots movement trying to convince the Bobcats ownership to rename the team the Charlotte Hornets. The game was also televised on TNT marking the first national television appearance for the Bobcats this season.

GOOD MOVE: Resting your starters. New York coach Mike Woodson was able to rest Baron Davis, Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler while still picking up a win. "This showed me who could step in and do the job for us. This team will be tested and now I know more of what I've got. We wanted to be safe and rest our guys and we accomplished that," Woodson said.

NOTABLE: This was the 24th loss by 20 or more points by Charlotte this season ... Bismack Biyombo recorded his ninth consecutive game with at least two blocked shots which is the longest active streak in the NBA ... D.J. Augustin scored 12 points which his 25th game in double figures ... The Knicks clinched the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference as a result of the victory ... center Jerome Jordan scored a career-high 14 points for the Knicks ... Mike Bibby recorded a season-high 12 assists ... the 18 points from Josh Harrellson were a career high.

UP NEXT: For the Knicks, Saturday at Miami, Monday at Miami, Thursday vs. Miami. For the Bobcats, the season is over.

• Knicks: Jeffries, Lin
• Bobcats: Maggette, Najera

• Knicks: --
• Bobcats: --

• Lead Changes: 10
• Times Tied: 8

• Arena: Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, NC
• Officials: #19 James Capers, #6 Tony Brown, #7 Kevin Fehr
• Attendance: 16023
• Duration: 2:15