CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Like the rest of the world, the Knicks were sickened and horrified by the news of the deadly bombings in Boston yesterday.
“It’s sickening. I have a son, a lot of people have sons,” said Steve Novak, specifically addressing the tragedy of the 8-year-old boy who was killed. “It’s just sick sometimes what goes on. That’s the world we live in and those kind of things happen. You can’t live in fear. You’ve got to live your life, it doesn’t change.
“The fact it was a marathon, a sporting event, it hits close to home for all of us. You just hope it stops. You just can’t know what goes on in somebody’s head.”
The Knicks are scheduled to be in Boston for the NBA playoffs next week.
“Unfortunate, scary for something like that to happen,” said Jason Kidd. “You would think there would probably be measures of what happened with 9/11 with security tightened, [but] it’s too early to talk about all that.”
* Earlier this season before playing the Knicks, Doc Rivers noted his lack of concern with division titles “because that’s not our goal. Our goal is bigger,” the Celtics coach said.
Yesterday, Rivers gave another “so what?” — or maybe a dig at the Knicks’ Atlantic title — when he appeared uncertain what division contained the teams.
“Obviously, they earned the Central or whatever division we’re in,” Rivers told Boston reporters in Waltham, Mass.
Rivers’ jab came after the Knicks locked up the No. 2 seed in the East and ensured a first-round meeting with Boston. But Rivers showed the Knicks respect.
“They’ve had a hell of a year,” Rivers said. “You talk about Carmelo [Anthony] and that they’ve had a lot of injuries, too, and I think [coach Mike Woodson’s] done an amazing job.”
Iman Shumpert, for one, did not take offense.
“I don’t think he said it to look down upon it,” Shumpert said. “I just think he couldn’t think of [the Atlantic Division] it and it came out like that. Doc’s not a very disrespectful guy, he’s a classy guy. I don’t think it was a shot. He knows it’s important to win whatever division so you host the first round.”
Anthony was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the second straight time and fifth time this season as the Knicks were 3-1 and Anthony averaged a conference-best 32.0 points and 11.5 rebounds. Only the Heat’s LeBron James, picked six times, has won it more this season.
With some bigs back or due back, the Knicks yesterday waived Solomon Jones, who played in two games. Woodson said the Knicks may think small for another body.
“If we get [Marcus] Camby and Rasheed [Wallace] back in uniform, we won’t call on them to play big minutes,” Woodson said. “I’d like to think Kenyon [Martin] and Tyson [Chandler] will occupy the big minutes at the top. It only makes sense to look for a perimeter guy.”
Woodson also said he expects Amar’e Stoudemire back, a question of when over if.
“I’m not counting him out in terms of coming back. He will come back,” Woodson said. “I don’t know if it’s going to be the first round or the second round.”
Charlotte’s backcourt of Gerald Henderson (27) and Kemba Walker (23) combined for 50 points.