SAN ANTONIO — Are the Knicks for real? Tune in tonight to find out. Coach Mike Woodson would like more evidence his scorching team is serious about snapping the franchise’s 40-year championship drought.
It’s showdown time in Alamo City as the NBA’s lone unbeaten team, the 5-0 Knicks, squares off against the perennial power Spurs. San Antonio has the league’s second-best mark at 7-1 — reloaded with its championship coach Gregg Popovich and championship core in Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan intact.
Nothing is determined in November, but Thursday night and Friday night at Memphis (6-1) — which scored a 107-97 win on the road against the Thunder Wednesday night — will be a giant barometer on how special the Knicks are.
“We’re playing a well-oiled machine,’’ Woodson said after Wednesday’s practice. “It will be a great test for our ballclub. I’m kind of anxious to see where we are, playing one of the top teams in the league on their floor. I’m anxious to see how we come out of it.’’
So is the rest of the NBA cognoscenti. The Knicks’ perfect start has shocked the league. Thursday night they try to become only the second Knicks team to start 6-0 (1993-94 stands as the only time). But the Knicks have lost nine straight in San Antonio, haven’t won here since 2003 — the year Jason Kidd’s Nets lost to the Spurs in The Finals.
“They’re very successful at home,” Kidd said. “It’s a tough place to win. It’s a great atmosphere. The fans love their Spurs, but there’s nothing better than coming in and getting a win on their floor. You have two good teams playing each other. Measuring stick? It’s too early in the season for that. But we want to see if we can compete on the road against an elite team.’’
Center Tyson Chandler missed last season’s blowout loss in San Antonio with a hamstring injury.
“We feel like we match up well with a lot of teams, not just the San Antonio Spurs,’’ Chandler said. “We feel like we have a nice balance of bigs, guards and players who can make plays. I like challenging games. This will be one.’’
The Spurs are at full strength now that Ginobili has returned after missing two games with back spasms.
“We’re definitely going to be in a dogfight,’’ Chandler said. “They’re one of the best teams in decades.’’
The Knicks may have fielded their best team in more than a decade, since 1999 when they lost to San Antonio in The Finals. Carmelo Anthony, at power forward, has been a two-way beast. Raymond Felton is a speedy point-guard, pick-and-roll general. Kidd is providing all the intangibles and great defense. J.R. Smith has become the best sixth man in the league.
The Knicks defense leads the league in fewest points allowed (87.8) and they are second in scoring average (103.4), first in fewest turnovers (10.8). They have allowed less than 40 points in the second half in every game, showing depth and stamina. And they’ve done it without two projected starters, Amar’e Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert.
The Spurs, on the other hand, have won four titles since 1999 and last season nearly advanced to the Finals, taking a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals before succumbing to Oklahoma City in six games.
Woodson used a reverential tone when talking about the Spurs.
“This team is well put together,’’ Woodson said. “They know what it takes to win championships. We’re trying to get there. They don’t beat themselves. You got to come in and win a game.’’
Kidd knows firsthand the degree of difficulty.
“They’re always going to be right there competing for a championship,” Kidd said. “They’re performing at a high level no matter what age. They play the right way. They share the ball. They don’t care about who scores, who makes the winning basket. It’s all about winning. They have that culture here.’’
The Knicks find out tonight if they are constructing the same culture.