Eight Keys to a Three-Game Streak
by Tom Kertes


GREENBURGH, NY, March 2, 2005 -- A tired-but-elated Malik Rose was thinking about the differences between the Spurs and the Knicks after a spirited practice at the Knicks’ Madison Square Garden Training Center. “(Spurs coach Gregg) Pop(ovich) was always screaming and yelling military style. He was always up in your face.” By contrast, Rose calls Coach Herb Williams a "low talker" -- which shows that Rose hasn't yet seen the way Williams has been exhorting the team since he took the reins Jan 22.
Williams has not been in Rose's face yet, but still gets his point across. “I think Herb is so important,” Rose said. “In past years, you played the Knicks and you knew you were in for a nasty defensive battle, one of those 70-72 point games -- and you knew you’d be icing up big-time afterwards. Recently, the Knicks got away a little bit from that. But now I can see for myself that Herb is all about talking fundamentals and teaching defense. So I feel very good about being here and getting back to that ‘classic Knicks’ type of success.”

“I’ve been in the playoffs every year of my career,” added Rose. “And I don’t want to break that streak.”

But what is behind the Knicks' latest streak of three top-notch wins in succession, giving them a shot at the playoffs in spite of a lengthy slump?

1. INTENSITY: “An elevated level of hard play, something every coach wants, you can call it that,” said Williams. “What happens is new guys come on board, especially a notorious worker like Malik, and guys start to go at each other in practice real hard. That makes them feel good about themselves -- and then that good feeling carries over into the games.”

“Truth is, we began to play better even before the trades,” two guard Jamal Crawford said. “We lost a lot of close ones, we were right there -- and then we started to play better. But sure, we do feel an increased sense of urgency. We are refreshed from the All-Star break -- and we know that if we’re going to do it, we must do it NOW. And, sure, Malik’s aggressiveness IS kind of contagious.”

2. CHEMISTRY: It’s been shockingly smooth. Instead of players with similar skills fighting each other over playing time, “everybody just stepped up and filled in to give us whatever we needed to win,” smiled Williams. “The new guys tried to fit in. The guys already here kind of compensated, but not overcompensated, to allow them to do so. It’s been a nice thing to watch. You’ve got to give the players all the credit for that.”

3. HEALTH: What’s with Tim Thomas, the all-season struggler who’s been nothing short of All-World in the past three victories (24.3 ppg. while hitting 28 of 41 shots)? “Staying healthy,” the small forward says matter-of-factly. “Just playing basketball, staying aggressive -- and staying healthy. Health brings confidence. Confidence brings aggression. I’m leaving everything out on the court.” For emphasis, as Thomas walks off the court he nonchalantly takes a half court shot -- which hits nothing but cord. It’s official: the man is hot.

4. A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME IS STILL A WINNER: “Malik knows what it takes to get there,” said Thomas. “For a champion like him to come here and show that type of leadership…that’s got to be a great thing.”

“He’s one of those guys you hate to go up against,” said Crawford. “All that energy, all that enthusiasm. You love to have that on your side.”

“The adjustment has been easy,” said Rose. “The Knicks run a lot of basic sets. What makes those sets so special is the special players, such as Steph (Marbury) and Kurt (Thomas), running them. So I’m just here to add energy and intensity. I’m kind of a Junk Yard Dog-type player. That’s what I do.”

5. COACHING: “Herb always talks about “D” first,” said Crawford. “And second. And third. Then he tells you how you get easy baskets off the “D”. I really think that type of defensive focus and concentration is finally taking a hold on the guys.”

6. SMARTS: “The last two games I’ve taken, what, maybe 17 shots,” said Crawford. ”But they were good shots. I’ve been looking to be more discriminating in my selection. Look, everybody knows I can score; I want the fans to know me as an all-around player, too, someone who will contribute with the great pass and plays defense.”

7. SWEETS: With a rock-hard 19 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 steals, second year power source Michael Sweetney had his best game as a pro in the win against the Lakers. “He’s coming on big-time,” smiled Crawford. “Sweet’s a monster -- and now he knows he’s going to be out there. That’s all the Sweet Man needs. Then you look at him, he’s so blase you can’t tell the difference in his demeanor -- that is why we call him The Quiet Comedian. The fire, it’s inside him. The kid can play. I swear he’s the only NBA player I’ve ever seen who’d play ten minutes and still draw double teams.”

8. LONG MEMORIES: “Now we must remember what we’re doing right,” said Williams. “Sometimes you win a few and your memory gets short all of a sudden. We must stay focussed and remember the things we’ve been doing in order to win these games.”

NICE article!! I especially like the Crawford bit about playing D and being more selective with his shot

Posted by fishmike:

I swear he’s the only NBA player I’ve ever seen who’d play ten minutes and still draw double teams.

SO KEEP THROWING HIM THE BALL

we have been looking good but it was against a couple average teams and Indy and LAL came off B2Bs. Win tonight in Orlando and I will start believing a little more

Absolutely! Everyone on this board has been whining about how we need a post threat that can draw double teams- no need to trade for one, he's right here, he's ours and he's cheap.

And good point about all the teams we beat being on the second of b2b's!

But, these wins prove that what we saw earlier when the team was 16-13 was not a mirage- the team is not as bad as Jan & Feb.

they really need to go 4-1 over the next 5 games (@orl, gs, was, sea, mia) and that will NOT be easy.

Maybe i'm looking too far ahead but i dont want to place too much importance on the orlando game just yet(even though any eastern conference game is important, ...well at this point every game is important).
But i'm really looking forward to the miami game and i think its going to be that game that will be pivotal to our kicks's playoff run. We held them off decently the last time and took it into overtime (lost @home 110-116) considering we were coming off injuries and a fresh coaching change. This time i want to see if we can finish them off.
This new attitude is great but I want it to last. If we can hold on to this new attitude and intensity and keep learning and adding to it along the way would be great. And IF we beat Miami and Seattle....i think that will show how great we really are. That would give us some crazy momentum if we won. I just want them to win so bad. No more injuries no more excuses. Knicks at full strength. All Ball.

These are the next five teams & their records
I think if it weren't for the injuries...we'd have at least as good records as orlando and the wizards. We need to win the next three at the very least and like Dj said, 4 of 5 would be best.

Orlando 29-27
Golden state 17-40
Wizards 32-21
Seattle 40-16
Miami 43-16