Maybe, just maybe, the Knicks’ health fortunes were changing. Kenyon Martin, who sprained his left ankle in Indiana in the same game as did Amar’e Stoudemire, was back and ready Tuesday. In fact, Martin was even two days ahead of schedule. Is modern medicine great or what?
“Just overuse. Been going every day and playing a lot of minutes. Just needed a break,” Martin said beforehand.
Against the hapless Celtics Tuesday at Madison Square Garden, Martin wasted no time showing what he brings. In addition to the boundless energy, there were two rolls to the basket resulting in thunderous dunks. There was a dominant shot rejection. There was even a 16-foot jumper. Give him time, that 62-point Garden record could be in danger.
And then he landed after going for a defensive rebound in the second quarter…
Back to the bench went Martin with a sprained left ankle.Though, by all accounts, he did not need to stay there for the rest of the 114-88 Knicks blowout of the Celtics. But he did.
“Kenyon could have played if we needed him after rolling his ankle in the first half,” Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. “But we elected to sit him.”
By game’s end, the Knicks were recruiting the ushers to finish this slaughter.
“Just rolled it again. I probably could have finished the game if we weren’t up so big,” said Martin, who vowed “without a question” to face the Cavaliers Thursday and Heat Saturday. “I’ll be all right. … Just a disappointment, right away get back, feel good and just do the same thing over and over. A little frustrating, but I’ll be all right.”
The Knicks quickly said Martin was “available to return” but this was such a lopsided mess from the outset, it made no sense. Martin’s availability at the start of the night was especially welcomed by Woodson, who finds himself still without Stoudemire, a legit offensive contributor before he went down Jan. 16.
“Amar’e is still going for treatment, and we’ll get a better feel [Wednesday] when we go in there for practice,” said Woodson, who liberally used Jeremy Tyler in the rotation, well ahead of Metta World Peace, whose role was reduced to the last 7:34 of garbage time.
Martin, who called the game “kind of personal” for the way the Celtics Boston routed the Knicks in their previous meeting, had done exactly what he set out to do before the ankle sprain: “What I’ve always done, come in with energy, be a leader. Talk on the defensive end and help the young guys out.”
And then he came down from a rebound try.