NBA

Knicks’ reserves challenging starters at practice

BOSTON — Barking and trash-talking between the first and second units filled the Westchester gym when yesterday’s two scrimmages concluded. Spirited rivalry? You bet.

Apparently, Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni’s revelation the second unit was “kicking the first unit’s butt’’ in practices heightened the competition. For the record, they split the two games yesterday.

The intrigue of this competition stems from the bench outplaying the starters Wednesday against Cleveland and saving the game with a dominant second half.

“The second unit is talking trash,’’ Carmelo Anthony said. “Coach made a comment they’ve been beating us in practice lately. We wanted to come out and beat them. It was 1-1, but we won the game that counted. It’s been good competitive games out there. When you’re second unit is playing that way against us, it makes us better.’’

Baron Davis, Iman Shumpert and Steve Novak have been keys to the second unit. Against Cleveland, the five-man group of Davis-Shumpert-Novak-J.R. Smith-Jared Jeffries were on fire. Another sub, rookie Josh Harrellson, looked sharp yesterday and could make his return today after missing six weeks with a broken wrist. D’Antoni has threatened less minutes for the starters.

* Boston coach Doc Rivers on the new-look Knicks: “They’re better because they’ve found two point guards in Jeremy Lin and Baron Davis, they’re better because they signed J.R. Smith. When you look on paper, that’s a heck of a basketball team. They’ve found out who they are.’’

Rivers admitted he saw something in Lin in the last meeting but not stardom.

“In my game notes that I literally write when I go in the office, I wrote, ‘I think Jeremy Lin is a pretty good player,’ Rivers said. “Didn’t think this. But I should have had him sign it right after the game. I could have made millions.’’