Knicks Remain Unstoppable

I guess it is about time to admit the truth. The Knicks are unbeatable. They have now won 4 games in a row, and my quick attempt at research told me that they haven't achieved this since March 4th, 2005. Tonight they toyed with the New Orleans Hornets, playing them even for about 3 and a half quarters and catching fire in the last 5 minutes. The Knicks trailed by one, 96-95 with 4:43 left on the clock. In the final 4 minutes minutes the Knicks attempted seven three pointers, and made six. First Duhon hit what would be the game winning 3 pointer from well beyond the arc, then he came back down and sank one from even deeper on the wing to put the team ahead 101-96. Next up was Al Harrington, who coolly drained two consecutive bombs of his own to stick the dagger in the Hornets, it Knicks 107-96. Duhon was banking and thanking with 1:06 left as he dropped his third three of the serquence off glass, and the bank remained open for Danilo Gallinari with the clock winding down and the Knicks won the hard fought game, 113-96.

Just as amazing as this stretch of three pointers was the fact that the Knicks held the Hornets scoreless for the final 5 minutes of the 4th. Staunch D and a barrage of threes is a recipe for wins if you ask me. Gallo and Jeffries both played pesky defense, and had 2 blocks a piece. Ragdoll also had 3 steals. The Knicks continue with this newfound swarming defense, and they had 7 steals and 7 blocks as a team. I love it!

The Knicks are playing like a true team, and embracing the key to Mike D'Antoni's offensive system, ball movement and unselfish play. Everyone is taking good shots for the most part, they are looking for each instead of jacking up shots, and making smart decisions. Lee, Harrington, Duhon, Gallinari, Chandler, and Jeffries all could be player of the game.

Harrington led all scorers with 28 points (only 20 shots!) and hit the 2 clutch threes. Wil the Thrill had 20 points on 15 shots, played strong defense and had 3 blocks. Duhon ran the show and had 9 assists to 0 turnovers, scored 22 points on just 11 shots, and also was huge in the clutch. Welcome back Chris Duhon wow keep it up please. Jeffries didn't do much on offense, which is a good thing, only had 1 turnover, and wreaked mild havoc and flopped frequently. David Lee and the Rooster had typically awesome games. Lee had a solid 17 and 14, and did a decent job on defense. Gallo was 4-8 and 2-4 on 3's, and notched his third double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. He is consistently awesome, and keeps getting better. You now see little things like a smart cut to the basket, crashing the offensive glass, deflecting passes, and scoring off a pull up mid range jumper. I can't imagine he will be out of the starting lineup for long, but right now there is no reason to mess with the teams success.

The Hornets played ok and Chris Paul was very enjoyable to watch. He is so in control of everything on offense, it really seems like he can do whatever he wants. He finds his teammates with simple passes for open looks over and over. He had 13 and 13, but it was a poor game by his standards. Peja Stojakovic hurt the Knicks in the first half with a bunch of 3's but was a nonfactor after that. The defense of the Hornets couldn't do anything and allowed the Knicks to shoot 55 percent from the field, and 52 percent on 3's.

It is getting pretty normal to see the Knicks go down big early, 11-0 tonight, and end up winning.

My hopes keep getting higher for this team, and the playoffs look like a real possibility. Next up are the Bobcats, Bulls, Clippers, Bobcats and Bulls, and a 9 game winning streak.

Al Harrington banked home a half court halftime buzzer beater, and Duhon put on a show for his Momma in NOLA.