Break up the Knicks!
The Knicks have gone from “laughingstock’’ to possibly a top contender in the rotten Atlantic Division in a space of two days. As coach Mike Woodson said before Friday night’s game: “It’s crazy.’’
The Knicks are clicking again. They posted their second straight blowout by 30-plus points, winning two straight games for the first time this season, and the first time since the first round of the playoffs last season against Boston.
They recovered from a lousy start to toast the Magic, 121-83, at the Garden, where they received a standing ovation in the closing seconds. The Knicks’ seven-game home losing streak at the Garden is over after not having won here since opening night on Oct. 30.
Iman Shumpert, who said before the game he was “pissed at the world,’’ made the highlight play. He took out his recent frustrations about trade speculation and losing on the Garden rim with a vicious, right-handed slam on former St. John’s star Mo Harkless late in the third quarter that put the Knicks ahead 79-63.
When asked after the victory what he’s mad at, Shumpert said “everything,’’ mentioning the media.
“The losing, I don’t like losing,’’ Shumpert added. “I felt like people were laughing at my team and I don’t like it.’’
The Knicks may have also benefitted from a color change. The orange alternate jerseys were originally placed in the Knicks lockers before the game but were later replaced by the standard home whites. The Knicks are 0-5 in orange, but a team spokesman said the orange jerseys are supposed to be worn just for weekend home games and a mistake had been made.
The Knicks, who broke their nine-game losing streak with a win in Brooklyn on Thursday, are now 5-13. Incredibly, they are just 2 ½ games out of first place in the Atlantic Division behind Boston, which visits the Garden for a Sunday noon matinee.
“We’re trying to win every game right now,’’ Shumpert said. “We know we dug ourselves a hole. Now we’re trying to dig ourselves out.’’
Carmelo Anthony notched his 10th double-double of the season, matching his total all of 2012-13. He finished with a super-efficient 20 points on 10 shots, grabbing 11 rebounds in 30 minutes to lead seven players in double figures.
In saying he’s trying something “a little different,’’ Anthony shot 6 of 10. It is only the second time in his career he has notched 20 while taking 10 or fewer shots. Anthony was 8 of 9 from the free-throw line.
“Everybody is just doing their job and having fun doing it once again,’’ said Anthony, who called the franchise “a laughingstock’’ Wednesday. “We got tired of losing. Whether we figured everything out in two games, that’s yet to come but we’ll take these two wins the way we’ve been winning these last two. Defensively, offensively, everybody is on the same page,’’
The Knicks finished 17 of 34 from the 3-point line for their second straight bang-up outing from downtown. Woodson said before the game the prior two practices leading into the game against the Nets were dedicated to 3-point shooting.
Have the Knicks turned it around for good?
“It’s still early,’’ said J.R. Smith, who scored 17 points with six rebounds. “We won two games in a row. We’re not going to get complacent yet. We’re still trying to get back to .500 and move on from there.’’
Woodson is already talking about repeating as division champs.
“It’s crazy,’’ Woodson said. “When you look at it, it really is [crazy]. Nobody’s tearing it up. We sit here … 2 ¹/₂ games out of first place. As coach, my job is to preach to our team, we still have chance to get another division title. We got to believe it. You look at some other divisions. They’re seven, eight, nine games out of first place. That’s an uphill climb.’’
Raymond Felton had a solid game and looks healthy once again. He scored 14 points with five assists and four rebounds.
Metta World Peace capped the Knicks’ late third-quarter surge with a buzzer-beating short jumper after cutting into the lane, and the Knicks took a 20-point bulge, 89-69, into the fourth quarter — a lead that grew to as many as 41.
World Peace, out of the rotation the previous two games, was inserted because Amar’e Stoudemire elected not to attempt to play his first back-to-back of the season. World Peace scored 12 points.
“It’s back to playing like I knew we could play,’’ Woodson said. “[The bench] was huge. I can’t say this loud enough.’’
Orlando got off to a 15-5 start, with the sensational rookie point guard Victor Oladipo hitting two 3-pointers and blocking an Anthony layup attempt in the opening minutes. But after allowing Orlando to hit six of its first seven shots, the Knicks rallied and weren’t to be stopped.
“We’re just getting back to our old selves, running our opponent, getting stops,’’ Smith said.