Since starting the season a franchise-worst 1-9, the Knicks have gone 13-11 to claw their way back to 10th place in the Eastern Conference, within one game of a playoff spot.
If the Knicks hope to stay there, or move up, they have to beat the teams around them in the standings. Beginning with tonight’s game against the Bobcats at the Garden, they play nine of their next 15 games against teams currently between sixth and 12th place in the East standings.
“Well, these should be treated kind of like playoff games in the sense that it’s a loss for them,” Coach Mike D’Antoni said yesterday. “It’s a two-game swing. And there’s a lot of games like that this month. We’ve got Charlotte, we’ve got Detroit a couple times . . . they’re not crucial, but they’re very important games.”
The Knicks have had trouble with the Bobcats this season, losing two matchups in Charlotte in heartbreaking fashion. After the Knicks lost in overtime, 102-100, on Oct. 30, they were outscored by Charlotte 28-13 in the fourth quarter to lose 94-87 on Dec. 15.
Five days later, the Knicks beat the Bobcats at the Garden, 98-93.
“It could be a confidence thing, it could just be that. You know what? They’re pretty good, and they do that,” D’Antoni said of Charlotte’s late-game comebacks against the Knicks. “Raymond Felton’s a hard cover for us . . . but they’re a good team and it’ll be right down to the wire, and, hopefully, we’ll come out ahead.”
Both teams come into tonight’s game playing well. The Knicks have won three of their last four, including Friday night’s win at Atlanta. The Bobcats (15-18) have won three in a row, including a game in Cleveland on Sunday. They are in seventh place in the East standings.
“It’s an important game because its a team that’s close to us in the standings,” David Lee said. “They showed that last year when they were right in the hunt till the end of the season, and they’re playing like it again. Anytime you can go into Cleveland and win a game like that, that makes a pretty big statement about your team.
“They’re playing great ball right now, I think we’re playing great ball, and we need to go out there and take care of our home court again.”
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Danilo Gallinari missed yesterday’s practice with a sore right shoulder. D’Antoni didn’t seem concerned by the injury and said it had nothing to do with Gallinari’s forearm injury last month.
“I think he’s got a little bit of a shoulder pain,” D’Antoni said. “He did everything up until contact. Tomorrow, he’ll play.”
The deadline for teams to cut players with non-guaranteed contracts — before they are guaranteed for the remainder of the season — was last night at 6. The Knicks had two players with non-guaranteed deals, Jonathan Bender and Marcus Landry. Neither was let go.