NEW YORK, April 17, 2006 -- The finish line is finally within reach, and it couldn’t come soon enough for the Knicks. In addition to continued injury woes on the court, health issues spread to the bench.
Larry Brown left during the third quarter of Thursday’s game with Cleveland due to a stomach ailment and spent the night in the hospital. Herb Williams coached in his place the following two games as New York dropped all four games this week.
That losing streak puts the Knicks in danger of setting the franchise mark for futility. At 22-58 with two games remaining, they will have to win both to avoid matching the team-worst 23-59 mark set in 1985-86, Patrick Ewing’s first season in orange and blue.
The Knicks play their 2005-06 home finale against the Charlotte Bobcats and then conclude their season with a trip across the river to take on the New Jersey Nets.
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vs.
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Monday, Apr 17
7:30 pm
KNICKS VS. CHARLOTTE
at MSG
TV: MSG
Radio: 1050 ESPN, WADO
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Shorthanded Bobcats. Chances are that the second-year Bobcats would not have made the playoffs regardless, but injuries piled up this season at an alarming rate. Sophomore big man
Emeka Okafor played just 26 games before shutting it down for good in early January. Rookie
Sean May has played just 23 games. Leading scorer
Gerald Wallace, despite missing 26 games, is one of the NBA’s most underrated players and will become the first to average two blocks and two steals in the same season since David Robinson did so in 1991-92. Another rookie,
Raymond Felton, has also been a bright spot. He has taken part in a team-high 78 games and is averaging 18.6 points and 9.4 assists over his last 10 contests, numbers that would get him consideration for Rookie of the Year in most seasons – but not this one, with
Chris Paul.
3 BIG QUESTIONS
- Wallace had five steals and six blocks in two previous games against New York this season, both Charlotte wins, but has been bothered recently by a rib injury. Will Wallace play and again stifle the Knicks?
- New Jersey-native Brevin Knight dished out 26 assists in those two games and is third in the NBA in assists per game, behind just Steve Nash and Baron Davis. Can Knight continue to be a top playmaker?
- The Bobcats have a bright future ahead of them and will have another top draft pick this summer. How long will it be before Charlotte competes for the playoffs?
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vs.
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Thursday, Apr 13
7:30 pm
KNICKS VS. NEW JERSEY
at Continental Airlines Arena
TV: MSG
Radio: 1050 ESPN, WADO
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Scorching Nets.One month ago it looked like the Nets were going to cruise to the Atlantic Division title. They decided that they wanted more, and a 14-game winning streak spanning March and April brought New Jersey to within striking distance of Miami for the second spot. Ultimately, the Nets have had to settle for the third seed. Washington, Indiana, Milwaukee and Chicago are all in the playoffs but any one of those teams could find itself in the sixth position and in New Jersey for the start of the playoffs this coming weekend. In addition to the big three of
Vince Carter,
Richard Jefferson and
Jason Kidd,
Nenad Krstic has emerged as a force. He’s averaged 15 points and nine rebounds on better than 52 percent shooting this month.
3 BIG QUESTIONS
- Carter scored 75 points in the Nets’ first three games against the Knicks, all New Jersey victories. He’s averaging better than 26 per contest against Eastern Conference foes. Can Vince tear it up in the postseason?
- This cross-river “rivalry” has become a bit one-sided as the Nets have won the regular season series with New York five straight times, plus swept the teams’ one playoff meeting during that time. Will New Jersey continue that dominance?
- Krstic sank all 11 of his field-goal attempts against the Knicks on Feb. 24 en route to 23 points. Will the Nets big man miss a shot?
I hope that everyone enjoyed reading The Tipoff as much as I enjoyed writing it. Be sure to stay tuned to NYKnicks.com throughout what promises to be a very busy summer. Thanks for reading.
