The last time Kurt Thomas played with the Knicks might have been the last time the franchise had stability at point guard. At least it seems like it.
Who knew once Charlie Ward was gone the Knicks would struggle to find a backcourt they could trust. You need only recall last year began with Toney Douglas as the starting point guard to realize how much the position has been upgraded for 2012-2013.
Carmelo Anthony and a commitment to defense might be the obvious highlights of a 2-0 start after yesterday’s 100-84 triumph over the Sixers at the Garden. But the more impressive evidence of long-term success is the three-headed guard play that’s making everyone else on the team better.
Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd and newcomer Pablo Prigioni of Argentina are starting to make people forget the failed experiments of Howard Eisley, Stephon Marbury, Chris Duhon, Chauncey Billups, etc. There also should be no concerns about letting the Rockets have Jeremy Lin.
With Felton, Kidd and Prigioni setting the tone, the Knicks have become an unselfish half-court team that doesn’t mind working for the open shot.
“We have a team that trusts each other,” Steve Novak said. “We trust each other that we’re making the right decisions. That comes from the point guards. Those guys are making decisions the whole team trusts.”
Felton, in his second tour with the Knicks, is the starting point guard, while Kidd has been starting at shooting guard with Prigioni coming off the bench. All three will run the point during a game. All three have the early respect of their teammates. Their styles complement each other, hardly disturbing the flow of the game when one goes in for the other.
“We all like to pass the ball and we like to play smart,” Prigioni said.
Kidd, 39, has been a key to the early cohesion. Technically, he might be a two guard, but he led the Knicks with six assists, while scoring 12 points. An 18-year career that will earn a spot in the Basketball Hall of Fame demands the kind of respect that even Lin couldn’t get in New York.
“He’s unbelievable,” Thomas said. “All you have to do is look in the record books. He’s out there playing like he’s in his early 30s and not his late 30s.”
His tenure with the Knicks may have gotten off to a shaky start when he was arrested for DWI in July. But the Knicks have to like what they have seen from him in the first two games. He still has quickness. He collected three steals yesterday, including one on the final play of the first half that led to a layup for Anthony and a 57-44 Knicks lead at the break. He also had zero turnovers, compared with just four for Felton.
“When everybody’s touching the ball it becomes contagious,” Kidd said. “You can’t guard the pass. No matter what you do the ball is going to travel faster, and guys are getting wide open looks.”
A major concern about the up-tempo offense under former coach Mike D’Antoni was how it would translate in a playoff series when the game normally slows into a half-court contest. It never really got a true test in the postseason as by the time the Knicks met the Heat in last year’s opening-round series they were forced to give the ball to Anthony and clear out.
It’s just two games. But the Knicks already look formidable in a half-court game with their guards making smart decisions.
“Points are hard to come by once you play playoff basketball,” Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. “You’ve got to be a pretty good half-court offensive team. But I’m trying to force our guys when we get stops and deflections and block shots to get out and run. We’ve got to be able to do a little bit of both.”
So far, so good.