With the playoffs clinched and six games left on the schedule, the Knicks seem less concerned about resting players and more dead set on overtaking Philadelphia for the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference.
“We’re trying to move up in seed, so whatever it takes,” Amar’e Stoudemire said yesterday.
“If we have to play extra minutes to move up in seed, then so be it.”
The Knicks come into tonight’s Garden game against the Raptors seventh in the East, 1½ games behind sixth-place Philadelphia, where they play tomorrow.
“You want to go in playing well, and everybody hitting on all cylinders,” said Chauncey Billups
“You don’t want to take too much time off and go in rusty.
“We’re still playing for something. We’re trying to catch Philly. We’re trying to get that sixth spot, so we’re not worried about resting, we’re worrying about trying to move up.”
Carmelo Anthony, named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week after averaging 34.3 ppg and 8.3 rpg, added, “I want to win a lot more of these games coming down the stretch.”
Coach Mike D’Antoni feels the same way.
“We want to keep our momentum up,” he said.
“We’ve won three in a row. The outside goal is to catch Philly — that would be what we’re shooting at.”