10 straight. It's been a long 20 years since we've had a winning streak like this. This was one of those rare games where there wasn't any doubt in my mind that we were going to win this. Even when the Hawks started making their run in the 3rd, I unusually stayed cool because I knew we'd pull away in the fourth to rack up the 10th straight win. Maybe I felt this way because we were playing the Hawks...or maybe it's just because this Knick team has been playing some damn good ball, that I am finally confident in this team again.
Melo on Fire: The Sequel
A day after torching the Heat for fiddy, Melo picks up right where he left off. And he did it in front of his alma mater Syracuse team, his childhood hero Bernard King, and basically a whole slew of Knick fans. He started off the game 1-4 but then he could not miss. The Hawks chose not to double and he made them pay. Last night, Anthony relied heavily on outside shots. Tonight, he put on another offensive outburst...doing the complete opposite. Melo was hellbent on getting to the rim and sticking with his signature midrange jumper. He took only 2 threes tonight, hitting one of them, and yet he still managed to drop 40 on 17-27 shooting. Going into the fourth quarter, there was a great shot that Melo could have eclipsed 50 for the second straight night but he did not force anything in the 4th quarter and got his teammates involved more, which made his performance even more impressive.
Felton in the Fourth
The Hawks finally decided to start doubling Anthony in the 4th quarter so obviously the Knicks needed some more help. With the Hawks climbing back into the game and tying it, Raymond Felton, who was basically absent/useless throughout the first 3 quarters, came up huge in the fourth quarter once again. With Melo being the focal point of the Hawks defense, Ray Ray had huge layups on three consecutive drives to the hoop to give the Knicks a cushion and we basically never looked back after that. It was starting to look like a tight game before Felton took matters into his own hands and punished Jeff Teague and the Hawks D by blazing through the lane.
Martin looked good again
He sat out for most of the fourth quarter due to back spasms or some shit but we didnt need him at that point. But he played some great minutes for us in the first 3 quarters. His offense is still a bit horrifying but with Tyson still apparently ailing, K-Mart once again did all the dirty work, grabbing rebounds and playing great defense. Once again, gotta commend Grunwald, this was an excellent pickup for us.
In the A
I love when we play in Atlanta. Other than Brooklyn and Philly, Atlanta is probably the place where we get the most Knick fans in attendance. By the fourth quarter, this was basically a home game. Knick fans were overwhelmingly drowning out the Hawks fans and Melo was getting MVP chants any time he touched the ball. It was great.
Kyle Korver/Shump's Defense
Only real negative I could think of from this game. If it wasnt for Korver, this game would've been a bigger blowout. The guy couldn't miss from the field but that was mainly the Knicks fault. For some reason, he was CONSTANTLY left open and it seemed most of the time it was Shump's fault. The ball would swing around and Shumpert just stood there looking while Korver drained shot after shot. And he did this over and over again.
Just a couple weeks ago on that west coast road trip, this team looked terrible. But now, we can breathe easier as this 10 game winning streak has us believing again. We're in the playoffs, everyone seems to be healthy, and we're getting closer and closer to winning the Atlantic Division for the first time since 1742. It's good to be a Knick fan right about now.
In the past week, we've played (and defeated) the Celtics and the Hawks, two potential first round playoff matchups. On Friday, we'll see another one as the Bucks roll into town. This could easily be a trap game at home against a dangerous team or if we continue to play like we've been doing, this can be an easy 11th straight. The 1973 Knick legends will be honored that night so let's hope that drives us to another victory.
