Knicks Continue to Go With What's Working
If it ain’t broke, then why fix it?
That's been Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni’s philosophy on his starting five all season and it didn’t change even with a healthy Danilo Gallinari back in the lineup.
D’Antoni remained with the same starting lineup from Friday’s win in Atlanta and played an eight-man rotation in the Knicks’ 106-97 victory over the New Jersey Nets Sunday afternoon at The Garden. The balance between the starters and reserves was once again very solid as things continue to click for the Knicks, who have won two in a row to improve to 6-15 this season.
“There is no reason to change things if we’re going well,” D’Antoni said. “We’re going to play seven or eight guys. Larry Hughes didn’t start and he played 39 minutes. There’s always that possibility.”
The starting five Sunday included Chris Duhon, Wilson Chandler, Al Harrington, Jared Jeffries and David Lee. The three reserves to see action were Toney Douglas, Hughes and Gallinari, who came off the bench after missing his first game of the season with a right forearm injury against the Hawks.
D’Antoni used his roster flexibility to dig the Knicks out of an early hole when he replaced Chandler with Hughes to start the second half. Hughes scored 16 of his 25 points in the third quarter to help the Knicks erase an early 13-point deficit and hang on for their third win in four games.
“I didn’t think Will played particularly well and I thought Larry’s defense was good and that he played good in the first half,” D’Antoni said. “I just kind of felt that we needed what he has.”
The fact that each player on the roster believes in D’Antoni’s decisions makes it a pleasant environment on the bench and in the locker room. Before Harrington exploded for a game-high 26 points and grabbed a season-high 14 rebounds, the 12-year veteran even asked the coach if he’d rather start Gallinari, who had started in his previous 17 games, instead.
D’Antoni has made it clear that if you’re in the rotation, you’ll have the opportunity to play big minutes depending how the game plays out. It doesn’t matter who’s listed as a starter or not.
“I would like to be able to have the freedom sometimes with matchups and sometimes if someone is going well and if I just have a whim to just go ahead and not worry about our guys buying into it,” D’Antoni said. “I think they have and they will. We just don’t have those problems. It’s a great group of guys.”
Harrington was the team’s starting guard through the first couple games of the season before being moved to the bench so Gallinari could start. He has responded by becoming a Sixth Man of the Year candidate and averaging a team-high 19.9 points heading into Sunday’s matchup.
Gallinari has also shined in both starting and reserve roles this season. In his return from the one-game absence, Gallinari drained three of his four 3-pointers and finished with 11 points in 21 minutes.
With everything flowing the way D’Antoni had envisioned when the season opened, the Knicks are playing with a ton of confidence and the word “playoffs” is already being tossed around. New York will try to add to their winning streak Monday night when they host the Portland Trail Blazers at MSG.
“We have a reason to keep fighting and keep getting better,” Harrington said. “We want to get as many wins as we can and see what happens. I think we’re in a good stretch right here.
“We have some games that I think we can win coming up. Portland’s going to be tough, but I think if we come out and share the basketball and play hard from the beginning and play 48 minutes, we have a good chance of winning.”
With the right combinations, the Knicks have shown that anything is possible.
Game Notes: Lee continued to be the Knicks’ most consistent player with 24 points and nine rebounds. … The Knicks shot 46.7 percent. … Hughes was 9-for-10 from the charity stripe in the third quarter alone. … New York is 3-1 in December. … The Knicks have scored over 100 points for the sixth straight game. … Gallinari has hit at least three 3-pointers 11 times this season. … Chris Douglas-Roberts led the Nets with 26 points.
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