NBA

Knicks’ Woodson misses chance to coach All-Stars

Now Mike Woodson will have to golf, relax and maybe hang out on a beach for an entire weekend.

Believe it or not, all that likely was his second choice for All-Star weekend.

Woodson missed out on the chance to be the fifth Knicks coach ever, and first since 2000, to coach the Eastern Conference in the NBA All-Star Game when Miami defeated Toronto yesterday. The Heat have a 30-14 record, barely beating the Knicks’ 30-15, for best in the East and giving the coaching honor to Miami’s Erik Spoelstra.

Woodson said it would have been an “honor” to coach the Stars, but now he’ll “take two or three days off, kind of take it easy and reflect on the first half of the season and try and get ready for the stretch run.”

Jeff Van Gundy was the last Knick to coach the All-Star team, in 2000. Pat Riley did so in 1993. Red Holzman was a two-time All-Star coach (1970 and ’71) and Joe Lapchick made three appearances (1951, ’53 and ’54) for the Knicks.

* Even though they beat the Heat to 30 victories by only a day, the Knicks feel they accomplished something special by being the East’s first team to 30.

“We felt like we had a great team, a team with a lot of possibilities in training camp, and we had to stick by it. It’s a long journey for us, but we have the potential to be special,” Tyson Chandler said.

Chandler posted back-to-back 20-rebound games for the first time in his career, victimizing the Bucks and Kings on Friday and Saturday.

“I’ve done it in a week or so, but never back-to-back, so it’s a special moment for myself individually,” said Chandler, who had eight offensive rebounds in each game.

* Carmelo Anthony, who is headed to Houston for the All-Star festivities, stressed the value and professionalism of veteran Kurt Thomas, who joined in the 3-point avalanche Saturday, hitting one from deep.

“That’s him. He’s a very professional guy,” Anrthony said. “Games he doesn’t even play, he’s still upbeat about it, a very positive person.”

Anthony noted how Woodson praised Thomas.

“[He] said the young guys need to look at KT and take something from that,” Anthony said. “He’s a guy who works extremely hard, doesn’t play as much as he’d like but when he got the call, he responded.”

* Raymond Felton, who on Friday banged and aggravated the right pinkie that had forced him out for a month, said all was fine after Saturday’s game, when he played 26-plus minutes.

“I’m pretty much healed up right now,” he said.

* Steve Novak remains hopeful of landing a spot in the 3-point shootout at All-Star weekend. Novak is fourth at .447 in the league.

“I would love to. Obviously we’re still hoping that happens,” said Novak, who was 5-of-7 on triples in the 120-81 rout of the Kings.