GREENBURGH, New York, March 21, 2007 -- The Knicks, a team that’s not about excuses, simply loath to talk about injuries. Still, with Channing Frye (corneal abrasion) and Stephon Marbury (the same left shoulder that was injured last year) joining the multitude of walking wounded last night -- Jamal Crawford, David Lee, and Quentin Richardson have all been out for quite a while now -- the topic has become unavoidable.

“If we weren’t injured, we’d be having a different conversation today,” Coach Isiah Thomas said about the team's performance before being hit big time with the injury bug at the team’s Madison Square Garden Training Center. “We were playing good basketball: our defense has kicked in and our offense was always there. With the shot-makers we had, and the rebounding and everything else, the flow we were playing with, we were coming on. I’m pretty sure we would have won a couple of more of these games.”

Which would certainly make an enormous difference in the team’s situation as, with just 15 contests to go in the regular season, the Knicks are a half a game out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. And what NBA team wouldn’t be severely impacted with three of its top six rotation players out injured?

At least it appears that Marbury and Frye are not about to join them. “Otherwise one of you guys (the writers) would have to suit up,” center Eddy Curry said with a smile.

“It hurt badly when it occurred,” Marbury said of his awkward fall, aggravated by Josh Howard landing on the top of his shoulder. “But I knew I was going to get up. I’m fine. I‘m OK.”

“I’m playing tomorrow,” added Frye. “There’s no more blurriness. I have two scratches on my eye but I’m good. I can see the basket. I can see YOU. I’m going to put on these cool Rony Seikaly athletic glasses -- don’t call them goggles, they were what Kareem (Abdul Jabbar) wears -- and I’m just going to go out there and be aggressive.”

“Mentally, they may even help. I’ll be thinking about the glasses instead of everything else,” kidded Frye. “Look, we have a lot of games to win and a great opportunity. We have too much important stuff to play for. We’ve come a long way and I want to be there to enjoy the results.”

As for the other injured players, Crawford’s ankle is improving nicely and he “should be back sometime during the first round of the playoffs,” according to the young two guard. “And I expect to be as good as new.”

Thomas doesn’t expect Richardson (day to day with a sore back) to play tomorrow. But “I guess Lee is feeling better,” added to the coach. The Knicks are not counting on him to play against Portland either, but “if he does it’s a plus,” according to Thomas. Considering that the last diagnosis called for Lee’s return sometime around the last couple of games of the season, that actually sounds like potentially good news.

Shorthanded or not, “If we get knocked down, we’re definitely going to get back up,” said Thomas. “We are not soft mentally by any means. We have a pretty tough-minded group here that has a goal and we’re going to accomplish it.”

“If this is pressure-time, well, we are involved. And I’m happy for it. That’s been our goal the whole year and that’s what we’re going after. Our goal is to get into the playoffs and play well once we get in. Extremely well.”