’TIL WE MEET AGAIN: Carmelo Anthony, rejuvenated under interim coach Mike Woodson, and the Knicks will meet Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and the Bucks in a critical game tomorrow night in Milwaukee. (Anthony J. Causi)
CHICAGO — Magic coach Stan Van Gundy was in a candid mood Thursday. Moments before he revealed Dwight Howard’s request he be fired, Van Gundy delivered strong praise to another superstar, Carmelo Anthony, when asked if the Knicks were feared as a first-round playoff foe.
“Any team that has Carmelo Anthony on it is going to scare the heck out of you,’’ Van Gundy said. “Nobody is going to want to draw a guy like that in the first round who can just create shots for himself and his teammates all night long and every single night.’’
Anthony saved the season opener on Christmas, saved the day on Easter and now is gearing up to dominate on the NBA’s most important holiday — the start of the playoffs on April 28. The Knicks will likely open in Chicago or Miami.
“He just got a whole new perspective on the season,’’ an Anthony confidant told The Post yesterday.
Anthony could not figure out how to get comfortable in Mike D’Antoni’s speedball offense, but now is in the midst of a stunning resurrection under Mike Woodson. The Knicks interim coach has given Anthony the key to the Knicks car, and neither Tom Thibodeau, whose Bulls were Anthony’s victims in Sunday’s overtime victory at the Garden, nor Heat star LeBron James wants to see Anthony driving into their town for the first round of the postseason.
“I’m healthy,’’ said Anthony, who battled wrist, groin, knee and hip injuries. “Things took some time to heal. As far as my rhythm goes, I guess it came back. It’s finally starting to come around for me.’’
It’s just in the nick of time after a mediocre first 2½ months, during which Anthony’s shooting percentage hovered around 40 percent. The resurrection started precisely when Woodson took the controls on March 14, manifested itself on defense first and then spread to his recent scoring explosions.
The Knicks are in a dogfight to make the playoffs, but also are within striking distance of winning the Atlantic Division, which would give them the fourth seed. Everything seems in play now with 10 games left. Their postseason future will become clearer by late tomorrow night after the Knicks (29-27) finish a punishing Midwest back-to-back — a rematch in Chicago tonight and a showdown against the Bucks in Milwaukee tomorrow.
Tied with Philly for seventh place and owning the tiebreaker, the Knicks would match up with the second-seeded Heat in the first round if the season ended today. By tomorrow night, they could be out of playoff position altogether because the ninth-place Bucks trail the Knicks by just one game.
“It’s crunch time — big games, playoff games, even against teams behind us,’’ Anthony said.
If the high moment of Anthony’s Knicks career occurred Sunday with his 43-point outburst and ice-in-the-veins, final-seconds 3-point daggers in regulation and overtime to beat the Bulls, his low moment came in the Windy City on March 12, the last game D’Antoni coached.
D’Antoni’s Knicks lost their sixth straight that night, 104-99, to the Bulls to fall to 18-24 and into ninth place in the East. Anthony did not join the team’s huddle after the third quarter, sitting by himself on the bench. His on-court body language was lousy with Anthony at one point clapping his hands in disgust after Landry Fields did not pass him the ball in the post.
After that Bulls game, Anthony — The Post reported on March 14 — told a confidant not associated with agent Leon Rose that he preferred to be traded at the deadline unless he was assured D’Antoni would not return next season.
Anthony denied The Post’s story, saying he was tired of “anonymous sources,’’ but D’Antoni resigned 90 minutes later. Multiple reports stated D’Antoni told owner James Dolan and interim GM Glen Grunwald he could not coach Anthony any longer.
Woodson seized control, and said on his first full day the Knicks offense would run through Anthony and Ama’re Stoudemire. The Knicks are 11-3 since, which bodes well for Woodson’s future.
With Stoudemire and Jeremy Lin missing the past seven games, it was put up or shut up time for Anthony, and he has put up big time given encouragement to isolate offensively and do what he did during his time with the Nuggets.
In the last seven games, seemingly more comfortable without Stoudemire on the floor, Anthony has averaged 29.9 points per game and shot 74-of-141 (52.5 percent).
“It’s really defined what they’re going to do,’’ Van Gundy said of the injuries and Woodson’s presence. “They’re going to play through Carmelo. They’re not trying to spread out the touches and make other people happy.’’
There is one person every Knicks fan knows is a lot happier on this visit to Chicago and he’ll be wearing No. 7 tonight.
marc.berman@nypost.com