The time-worn adage says every sports team takes matters one game at a time. Worry about today because yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery. It’s all easier said than done, of course, and with the NBA season whittled to a workable number of games, Knicks coach Mike Woodson admits to peeking ahead.
“The one thing that has to be consistent is how we play at home because if we got any chance of winning our division, which I think we do, we’ve got to win these games at home,” said Woodson, whose Knicks are in Toronto tonight and back home for the Raptors tomorrow. “And if we play .500 or above on the road, we really set ourselves up to win the division.”
So there you go: Win big at home, be better than average on the road. Oh, and one more thing: Stay out of the emergency room.
The Knicks’ graybeards have shown their age as the injury gremlin has run amok through the roster. Veteran bigs Kurt Thomas and Rasheed Wallace are down with foot injuries. Amar’e Stoudemire is out after right knee surgery. Tyson Chandler is on the temporary shelf with a bulging disk in his neck. In medical news that did not cause wailing and gnashing of teeth, Iman Shumpert is expected to play tonight. And Carmelo Anthony is one game back from his latest knee crisis as the Knicks close in on a playoff berth, which they can clinch with a win tonight. The Nets clinched last night after the Nuggets’ 101-100 victory over the Sixers.
“I feel good, I feel healthy. I’m glad I went and got that procedure done and put that behind me,” said Anthony, who underwent a procedure to drain fluid from his right knee, then thumped the Magic for 21 points in 33 minutes Wednesday. “It’s a big, big relief for me, especially mentally, emotionally.
“You’ve got to find a balance, especially with this team. You’ve got to utilize the guys we have, especially with guys being out. We’ve got to be able to utilize the different lineups that are going to be out there until the end of the season when we get guys back. I just want to be as healthy as I can so I can take over games when that time comes.”
OK, so there’s one back. Who’s next? Who knows. But the Knicks insist there is enough on hand for the fifth division title in team history, the first since 1994.
“If we do what we’ve got to do at home and go on the road and win some games, the sky’s the limit for this team,” said Kenyon Martin, whose late-season acquisition looks more and more important with each passing day and medical exam. “We’ve got enough talent in this locker room to get it done.
“Injuries are a part of sports. I’ve been through it in my career. So other guys have to step up. That’s what you have to do as a team. That’s why it’s not tennis. It’s a team sport.”
But with all the individuals crumbling, the team has had to rely on duct tape, baling wire, X-rays and MRI exam to stay together and ahead of the Nets, who are one game back.
“I’m not looking over our shoulders by any means,” Woodson said. “We’ve got to take it one day at a time and we can’t beg for help. I don’t want a team to do that. I want a team that’s committed and we’ve been committed all season to win our division outright and not worry about somebody losing to help us. We’ve just got to handle our own business.”
And business is a lot easier with a sound — physically and mentally — Anthony.
“I was worried because I didn’t really know what was the cause of it, what was going on,” Anthony said. “I knew for sure that it wasn’t ligament damage. I just wish I could have gotten to the bottom of it quicker.”