KNICKS CAV A BALL
Pull away from Cleveland without Lin & Stoudemire
IF EVER THERE was a night the Knicks needed to see the Cleveland Cavaliers, minus Kyrie Irving no less, this was it.
With a majority of Mike Woodson’s lineup physically breaking down and with Jeremy Lin bound for season-ending surgery this week, the schedule just happened to work in the Knicks’ favor.
J.R. Smith and Carmelo Anthony took advantage of the depleted Cavs by scoring 20 and 19 points, respectively, in the Knicks’ 91-75 victory Saturday night at the Garden. The Knicks improved to 27-26 overall and moved 2½ games ahead of Milwaukee, which lost to Memphis, for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East.
“Coming down the stretch, playing big games, having to win games, the playoffs right around the corner so it’s definitely a challenge,” Anthony said. “But it’s a fun challenge. Even when I was i n Denver there was times we were fighting for the eighth spot and we had to win games. These are definitely crunch times and fun times right now.”
Cleveland played without Irving, the top overall pick, and was also missing Daniel Gibson and Anderson Varejao. Byron Scott’s club put up a respectable fight but in the end didn’t have the firepower to steal a win.
Smith, a player who often butted heads with Scott in New Orleans, had one of his better games since joining the Knicks in early February. The backup guard made 8 of 15 shots and grabbed nine rebounds with five steals one night after missing eight of 10 shots against Atlanta.
“We need J.R. to play like that,” Anthony said. “He came out and bounced back from (Friday night). We all bounced back, but him specifically. For him to play like that, it gives us a boost, especially coming off the bench. Coming down the stretch, we’re going to need that from him.”
Cleveland got to within 76-72 with 5:15 remaining when Alonzo Gee converted a driving lay-up. Anthony, however, answered with a baseline jumper and Smith followed with a 3-pointer.
It was the Knicks’ fourth straight game without both Lin and Amar’e Stoudemire, who is sidelined anywhere from 2-4 weeks with a bulging disc in his back. Anthony has shifted over to Stoudemire’s power forward position and has excelled offensively.
Finding a suitable replacement for Lin is not so simple. The Knicks still have three point guards on their roster, not including rookie Iman Shumpert, who is much more effective as a shooting guard and small forward.
Baron Davis will remain in the starting lineup as long as the veteran can stay healthy. Davis, who missed the first two months with a back injury, is playing with a sore hamstring. He had six points and five assists in 29 minutes. Mike Bibby can play spot minutes while once-starting point guard Toney Douglas will now get more time. Douglas finished with five points in 10 minutes.
Although Lin is expected to be sidelined for six weeks, Woodson said it is unlikely that the Knicks will seek help elsewhere.
“I haven’t had a chance to sit down with (interim GM) Glen (Grunwald) and Mr. (Garden chairman James) Dolan and see,” Woodson said. “We’ll probably go with what we have. I don’t think there’s a whole lot out there to bring on that would make a big difference for our ballclub.”