Sunday’s matinee at Madison Square Garden was another ho-hum game for the Knicks and their fans. The Knicks made their 106-99 victory against the Phoenix Suns look routine, much like the rest of their games there this season.
The Knicks, led by 34 points from Carmelo Anthony, moved to 7-0 at the Garden, and before Sunday’s game, each of their wins had been by 10 points or more. The Knicks have played four times on a Sunday this season — all at the Garden — and every time the Knicks have beaten their opponent with ease.
Their latest victim was the Suns (7-11), who looked as if they were not prepared to play the Knicks.
At one point, the Knicks (12-4) were up by 19-6 late in the first quarter.
The game became out of hand so early that Woodson — mindful that he has the oldest team in the league — began to think about how much rest he could give his starters. The game also allowed Woodson to experiment with different lineups. The oddest collection of players on the court together at one time was Pablo Prigioni, J. R. Smith, Steve Novak, Chris Copeland and Kurt Thomas. Thomas was the lone starter of the group, and at 40, he is the oldest player in the league.
But it was Copeland who shined in the first half. He scored 8 points — including a dunk over Phoenix’s Michael Beasley off a missed 3-pointer from Anthony — in eight minutes. Copeland also recorded three rebounds and two assists.
The main reason Copeland, a 28-year-old rookie, played was because of Rasheed Wallace.
The three statistics Wallace recorded in the game illustrated the bad side of the reputation he has built in the league for 15 years: one personal foul, two technical fouls and an ejection. Wallace, who has 317 technical fouls during the regular season in his career, played only 1 minute 25 seconds before he was sent to the locker room.
While the Suns missed the technical foul shot, Wallace went over to the referees and screamed, “Ball don’t lie!” — his trademark phrase to suggest the referees made a bad call. The referee John Goble then gave Wallace another technical foul, which led to his ejection. The fans groaned as they watched him leave the court before he even built up a sweat.
After halftime, the Knicks played with Woodson making few calls on the court. The Knicks seemed to be on cruise control. But most of the fans stayed, mostly to see what highlights the Knicks could execute against the Suns’ poor defense. There was an occasional dunk from Tyson Chandler, an impressive pass between defenders by Raymond Felton and an open 3-pointer from Novak.
Between those plays, though, were baskets from the Suns. Yes, Sebastian Telfair did cut the Knicks’ lead to 6 points in the fourth quarter, but Woodson put his starters back on the court to again increase their cushion.
A smile was on each of the Knicks’ faces as the final buzzer sounded. Even though the final score suggested a closer game, the Knicks knew they have yet to be tested this season at the Garden.
REBOUNDS
Marcus Camby, 38, missed the game with a sore left foot. Camby is playing less than eight minutes per game this season. The last game Camby played in was a week ago against the Brooklyn Nets. He recorded one assist and two turnovers in five minutes. ... An hour before Sunday’s game, Spike Lee, one of the most visible Knicks fans, was standing next to Amar’e Stoudemire. Lee asked Stoudemire when he thought he would return to the team. Stoudemire said his left knee could be healthy in time for the Knicks’ game against the Lakers in Los Angeles on Christmas Day. “You might come back Christmas Day!” an excited Lee shouted at Stoudemire. “On national TV! Against the Lakers!” ... Jason Kidd missed his fourth consecutive game with back spasms. Kidd, however, did go through his usual pregame warm-ups and continued to work on his flexibility drills on the court. ...Pablo Prigioni, the oldest rookie in the league at age 35, was reunited with his close friend Luis Scola of the Phoenix Suns. During the off-season, Scola convinced Prigioni to sign a one-year deal with the Knicks after playing the majority of his career in Europe. During the game, however, Prigioni was fouled hard by Phoenix’s Sebastian Telfair in the fourth quarter. Telfair hit Prigioni in the face, which caused his nose to bleed. ... The Suns’ Michael Beasley received a technical foul in the first quarter in an unusual way. Beasley delayed the game by throwing his headband into the crowd after he turned the ball over in transition.
Source : http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/03/sports/basketball/knicks-7-0-at-home-dispatch-suns-with-ease.html?ref%3Dbasketball