Sports

START YOUR ENGINES! KNICKS & PACERS REV IT UP IN INDY

INDIANAPOLIS – The Knicks are used to the slights. Miami refused to give them credit for outlasting the Heat in their recent seven-game war, raising all sorts of conspiracy theories that “NBA” stands for the New York Basketball Association.

The Pacers had the same lament last spring after getting ousted. Now Reggie Miller says he “hates them,” says the Knicks don’t give Indiana any respect.

“I don’t care what he says,” said Latrell Sprewell before last night’s Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Knicks and Pacers.

“Reggie can do all the talking he wants. He’s good at that. Let him talk. Let him talk all he wants. I’m here to win games and you’re not going to win them by talking.”

As a group, the Knicks were upset by the Heat’s lack of class. From the owner to the players, the South Florida crybabies said the referees look out for the Knicks.

“We expect that,” Marcus Camby said. “For them, they have all summer to complain and collect fines. We’re not really worried about Miami anymore.”

Added Sprewell: “I was surprised. They were doing all the talking but they didn’t point to any particular plays and justify it by saying when and where it happened. They said all the cheating was going on and they couldn’t point to anything but the timeout.”

Sprewell was referring to the TO he got credited for taking with 2.1 seconds remaining while falling out of bounds. Except even he admits he didn’t call one.

“I didn’t have to call timeout,” Sprewell said. “Marcus called it. They acted like they didn’t see [Miami’s Dan] Majerle was tugging my shorts. They didn’t see that. But I guess that was OK, though.”

Knick GM Scott Layden was upset about Miami’s remarks but wouldn’t lash out.

“I have so much respect for coach [Pat] Riley and their organization, I don’t want to say how I feel,” Layden said. “I’m going to keep my thoughts to myself.”

The Knicks are just happy to be through with the Heat, and to get a new opponent.

“It’s nice to have a change,” Sprewell said. “I was tired of playing those guys. After playing them two weeks, it was getting tiresome. I’m glad to have that past us and playing a new team.”

Said Layden: “It’s amazing how we go from one unbelievable rivalry to another. It’s good for basketball.”

In this series, the Knicks at least will have a little more room to operate on offense, free from Riley’s suffocating defense.

“I’m not knocking [the Pacers’] defense – I think they’re a good defensive team but it will be a different type of game,” said Knick assistant Don Chaney. “It’s not only going to be a halfcourt battle. You’ll see more of an open game.”

There was concern the Knicks would be mentally drained from the Heat war, but Sprewell believes that series made them more hardened, not weaker.

The Knicks became a more physical team as the series wore on, outrebounding the Heat in the final two games after being murdered on the boards in the first five.

“If anything, that series has gotten us ready for this series, especially rebounding-wise,” said Sprewell, who faces his good friend Jalen Rose in one of the biggest matchups of the series.

“We were getting killed on the boards [versus Miami]. That series has helped us. We did a lot of rotating and had to close out on guys. Miami really got us right and ready for [last night’s Game 1].”