INDIANAPOLIS — The Knicks have lost four of their last seven games at Madison Square Garden, where they face the Bulls tonight, and though it’s not cause for panic, it is cause for concern.
The Knicks may not want to admit it, but they have lost their swagger. That was evident last night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, where the Knicks suffered an 81-76 loss to the Pacers.
Afterward, the Knicks talked about missing shots they normally make, including 11 straight misfires during a stretch in the fourth quarter where they were outscored 13-0. They talked about being under-manned after losing Marcus Camby to a left foot injury in the third quarter and entered the game without Carmelo Anthony, who was suspended for going after Kevin Garnett Monday night following the Knicks’ loss to the Celtics at the Garden.
All that is true. But the Knicks have lost four of their last six and six of their last nine games, a stretch of mediocrity that needs to be cured tonight against the Bulls before it becomes as tough to shake as the flu that’s going around.
“We can’t let this simmer in too long,” Amar’e Stoudemire said.
A loss to the Pacers, who have now won nine straight at home, can be stomached, though the Knicks’ performance at times turned a few stomachs. Their shooting was horrendous, especially in the fourth quarter (7 of 23 from the field), where they saw a 62-58 lead turn into a 71-62 deficit.
Anthony’s absence made him a scapegoat.
“We didn’t make our shots we normally make,” Stoudemire said. “Plus, we’re missing our leading scorer.”
Tyson Chandler said not having Anthony, “compounded already being short-handed and it made it tough. We weren’t in our normal rotation or our normal rhythm.”
So blame the loss on Anthony. He deserves it for putting himself in a position to get suspended when his team is trying to survive its toughest stretch of the season.
“It’s frustrating not having the huge crutch to lean on. No. 7,” J.R. Smith said.
The Knicks’ locker room looked like a MASH unit afterward. Camby was on crutches after aggravating his left foot injury. Smith was hobbling with a bandage over his left knee and ankle. Chandler was complaining of a stiff neck. Stoudemire is still working out the kinks of his surgically repaired knee.
“We’ve just got to hold the fort,” Chandler said.
Tonight, the Knicks must reclaim their home court against the Bulls. Maybe then, they can reclaim some of their swagger. Back in November and December it was easy to believe the Knicks were going to breeze through the regular season and go straight to the Eastern Conference finals against the Heat. But the Pacers (22-14) are closing fast and the Knicks (23-12) are turning into Grumpy Old Men.
Mike Woodson praised his team’s defensive effort last night with the Pacers shooting 39.2 percent and the Knicks 34.8. But that’s the kind of ugly game the Pacers wanted.
Indiana is the hottest steam in the NBA right now. They have won 12 of their last 15 games despite not having their best player, Danny Granger, who is out with a left knee injury. They were fresh off an 87-77 home win over the defending-champion Miami Heat. The Pacers smothered LeBron James and friends with a stifling defense that had held its last four home opponents to less than 83 points. Make it five now.
“I’ve been really pleased at the way we’ve been playing,” said Donnie Walsh, the former Knicks general manager, now head of basketball operations for the Pacers. “As the season’s gone on they’ve gotten together and they’re playing good basketball.”
That’s why losing Anthony for even one game is critical. It created unnecessary adversity for a team that has lost its rhythm.
“When you’ve got 30 points missing out of the lineup, somebody’s got to step up,” Woodson said before the game.
No one did.
george.
willis@nypost.com