Knicks-Pacers Preview

By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO
Posted Mar 17 2012 2:09AM

Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks just want to win basketball games. They apparently needed a coaching change to find the motivation.

Anthony and the Knicks look to improve to 3-0 under interim coach Mike Woodson by sweeping a home-and-home set with the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night in Indianapolis.

New York (20-24) has cruised to consecutive wins since Mike D'Antoni resigned as coach Wednesday, being replaced by Woodson on an interim basis. Just hours after that announcement, the Knicks ended a six-game slide with a 121-79 romp over Portland. Then on Friday, they cruised to a 115-100 victory at over Indiana (25-17) at Madison Square Garden.

"I think with the change, we had to come together as a team and really figure out and ask ourselves what we really want," Anthony said. "Right now, we want to win basketball games, we want to get to them playoffs, and why not start now?"

New York currently holds the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, one-half game ahead of ninth-place Milwaukee.

Part of the recent success has been due to Woodson's insistence that the Knicks play with more urgency, while adding focus on improved defensive play. They've limited opponents to 38.5 percent shooting and have forced 45 turnovers in the two games under the new head coach.

That included shutting down Pacers star Danny Granger, who made 4 of 15 from the field Friday and finished with nine points after angering the Knicks by saying this home-and-home set represented two "very winnable games."

"It was incredible," said New York center Tyson Chandler, who had 16 points and four blocks Friday. "We made it tough for them. We didn't let them breathe and we didn't let up at any time."

While the Knicks seem to have found a spark, questions still swirl around Anthony's commitment and place on the team. He's averaging 18.2 points on 40.5 percent shooting in 12 games since returning from a groin injury, and has totaled 28 points over the last two contests.

The superstar forward failed to quell those concerns Friday, making 4 of 12 shots while missing all three from beyond the arc to finish with 12 points.

Anthony was clutch in the Knicks' last visit to Bankers Life Fieldhouse on April 10, scoring 34 points in a 110-109 victory. He hit a 19-foot jumper with 4.9 seconds left for the go-ahead score before blocking Granger's potential game-winning shot in the final second.

While Anthony is trying to re-establish himself as the Knicks' top threat, Pacers coach Frank Vogel feels his team faces an additional challenge now that New York is playing with renewed vigor.

"We've got to understand what we're facing," Vogel said. "This is an extremely talented team, maybe one of the most talented teams in the NBA, and they're playing with a renewed sense of urgency because of the coaching change like all teams do with coaching changes. So they're a force right now."

Indiana has been a force at home, where it is 13-5 on the season and has won six of its last seven.

Granger is averaging 25.2 points over his last nine home meetings with the Knicks.

He could use some help from Pacers center Roy Hibbert, who is second on the team with 12.5 points per game and the leader with 9.0 rebounds. Hibbert didn't come close to those averages Friday, managing a meager four points and three boards while missing 8 of 10 field-goal attempts.

Hibbert had 19 points and 10 rebounds when the Pacers hosted New York in April.

Lin leads Knicks past Pacers

By CLIFF BRUNT
Posted Mar 17 2012 11:20PM

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) Whatever Mike Woodson is doing, it's working.

Jeremy Lin scored 19 points to help the New York Knicks defeat the Indiana Pacers 102-88 on Saturday night and improve to 3-0 under Woodson, the team's interim coach.

The Knicks have won by an average of 23.7 points since Woodson took over for Mike D'Antoni. New York defeated the Pacers 115-100 on Friday night in New York, and that followed a 42-point victory against Portland in Woodson's first game as coach.

Lin said there hasn't been a major shift in the team's approach. The team looks to the post on offense a bit more, but that's about the only difference.

"I just think it's we have all 15 guys right now on the same page buying in, and that's the biggest thing, is that we're playing together. I don't think there's any major changes philosophically from a coaching standpoint," he said.

Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire said the messenger matters.

"Coach Woodson, he's more of - he's a player's coach," Stoudemire said. "It's a matter of us as players playing hard for him and trying to get these wins."

Woodson returned the praise, crediting his team for picking up its defensive intensity.

"Our hearts are right in it, and it was a total team effort," he said. "I couldn't be more proud of the team than I am tonight. I happen to have a great group of guys and a talented bunch. We just have to keep them playing at a high level. If we do that, we have a chance."

Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony each scored 16 points and J.R. Smith added 11 for the Knicks.

It was just New York's eighth road win of the season, but in many ways, it wasn't a road contest.

Lin, NBA's first American-born player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent, made it seem almost like a Knicks home game. Hundreds of mostly Asian fans arrived an hour early and surrounded the visitor's entrance to catch a glimpse of their hero, many wearing his No. 17 jersey. During the game, he got the loudest cheers. Lin, who is still adjusting to the enormous amount of attention he has received, was taken aback.

Old-school Pacers like Reggie Miller might have lost their lunches hearing a Knicks player draw cheers in Indiana.

But then again, Miller never faced Linsanity.

"I think it was a little crazier here than it normally is," Lin said. "That's cool. I didn't know I had any fans in Indiana."

Roy Hibbert had 24 points and 12 rebounds, Paul George scored 18 points and Darren Collison added 15 points for Indiana, which made just 4 of 15 shots in the fourth quarter.

"Our offense just isn't working," Indiana forward Danny Granger, who was held to 11 points on 5-for-15 shooting, said. "We're not getting the job done. Our goal is to win games, and we're not going to win games this way. I don't have an answer. All we have to do is play and try to play through it."

Back-to-back three-point plays by Hibbert cut New York's lead to 72-70. The Knicks held on and led 77-74 at the end of the third quarter. Indiana forced the Knicks into 3-for-13 shooting and six turnovers in the third quarter. Hibbert scored 12 points in the period.

Lin scored on an awkward-looking floater, then made a jumper on the next possession to push New York's lead back to 86-79. Pacers coach Frank Vogel was issued a technical foul and Anthony made the free throw to push the Knicks' lead to eight.

New York pulled away from there, leading by as many as 16 points. Lin had eight points in the fourth quarter.

New York led 60-51 at halftime and pushed its lead to 14 early in the third quarter on a pair of free throws by Stoudemire, but Indiana cut its deficit to nine on a 3-pointer by George. Another 3, this one from George Hill, cut New York's lead to 70-64 before the Knicks regained control.

The Knicks, who often have folded this season when times got tough, fought through their struggles.

"We dug down today," Lin said. "We had a horrible defensive first quarter and recovered and came back with a little more energy and a little more focus."

The Knicks finally are playing with the urgency of a team that wants to extend its season. They have a half-game lead for the eighth playoff spot in the East.

"We know how important this game was for us," Stoudemire said. "This Indiana team has been playing well this season. We're still looking to make our mark. We're still looking to improve in the playoff standings."

Notes: Knicks G Baron Davis sat out with a strained right groin. ... Knicks G Toney Douglas missed the game for personal reasons. ... Indiana F/C Jeff Foster was out with a sore lower back. He has missed 10 of the past 11 games. ... New Pacers G Leandro Barbosa was inactive.

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Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/cliffbruntap

Notebook: Knicks 102, Pacers 88

Posted Saturday March 17, 2012 11:07PM

By Conrad Brunner, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: For those that were thinking the end of Mike D'Antoni's tenure as the New York Knicks head coach would somehow spell the end of Jeremy Lin's remarkable rise to prominence, think again. Lin showed Saturday he is much more than just a spread offense quarterback. Lin scored 19 points, eight in a critical 17-4 run that put the game away as the Knicks swept a weekend back-to-back from Indiana, 102-88 Saturday before a sellout crowd of 18,165 in Bankers Life Fieldhouse. The Knicks (21-24) improved to 3-0 under interim coach Mike Woodson, winning all three by double digits. The Pacers (25-18) fell to 4-6 since the All-Star break. Despite 24 points and 12 rebounds from Roy Hibbert.

QUOTABLE: "We kind of wore them out with our depth ... we kind of took their blow in the first quarter and stretched it out a little and worked at maintaining that lead. I'm just happy we got the win and [I'm] learning to play in a less spread offense. A lot of stuff is still the same, but there are times when I won't have as many opportunities. I just need to be selective about when to go. I think tonight was a big step for me."
-- Jeremy Lin

THE STAT: New York held Indiana to 4-for-17 shooting in the fourth quarter. After the Pacers closed to 77-76, they made just one field goal in a span of more than eight minutes as the Knicks pulled away.

TURNING POINT: Indiana trailed 82-79 after a Hibbert bucket with 8:34 remaining but Lin took over, getting into the lane twice for buckets and then making four straight free throws that pushed the lead to 91-80. The Pacers unraveled in that stretch with coach Frank Vogel and George Hill both picking up technical fouls.

QUOTABLE II: "We're playing great defense. We are really getting after it and playing smart. Everybody knows where the ball is going and guys are playing with tremendous confidence. There are four things the coaches are emphasizing: one, rebound the ball, two, play defense, three, apply ball pressure and four, guard the screen and roll."
-- Amar'e Stoudemire

HOT: Lin made 6-for-10 from the field and added seven rebounds and six assists to his 19 points. Hibbert shot 8-for-13 and had his highest point total since the All-Star break.

NOT: One night after racking up a season-high 59 points, the Indiana bench combined for just 17 on 6-for-18 shooting.

QUOTABLE III: "Our offense just isn't working. We're not getting the job done. Our goal is to win games and we're not going to win games this way. I don't have an answer."
-- Danny Granger

GOOD MOVE: With the game on the line and two superstars in his frontcourt, Woodson called Lin's number repeatedly down the stretch and the young point guard delivered.

BAD MOVE: Vogel went with a small lineup to match down to New York. Though it worked for a time, playing a role in bringing the Pacers back from a 14-point deficit in the third quarter, ultimately the unfamiliar combinations left the offense out of synch in the fourth quarter when the Knicks pulled away.

NOTABLE: Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire had 16 apiece for the Knicks. ... Paul George scored 18 with four assists, four rebounds, two steals and two blocks for Indiana. ... New York was without backup point guard Baron Davis, who sustained a strained groin in Friday's 115-100 win over the Pacers. ... Newly acquired Leandro Barbosa was in the building but not in uniform for the Pacers. The veteran guard acquired from Toronto Thursday is expected to make his debut Tuesday against the Clippers. ... Granger scored one basket after the first quarter and was 1-for-6 from the 3-point line. In the last eight games, he is 9-for-40 (.225) from the arc.

UP NEXT: For the Pacers, Tuesday vs. L.A. Clippers, Thursday @ Washington, Friday vs. Phoenix. For the Knicks, Tuesday vs. Toronto, Wednesday @ Philadelphia, Friday @ Toronto.

• Knicks: Douglas, Walker
• Pacers: Barbosa

• Knicks: --
• Pacers: Hill, Vogel

• Lead Changes: 6
• Times Tied: 5

• Arena: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
• Officials: #23 Jason Phillips, #74 Curtis Blair, #61 Courtney Kirkland
• Attendance: 18165
• Duration: 2:21