| Wednesday, March 29
By Mitch Lawrence
Special to ESPN.com |
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Kicking off their trip into the wilds of the Pacific
Division with a win in Portland, the Knicks are starting to think about
something near and dear to their hearts.
Making Pat Riley's life miserable.
|  | | Patrick Ewing and the Knicks could soar right past the Heat in the Atlantic. |
A few weeks ago, it seemed like the Knicks could finish no higher than
second in the Atlantic Division. But after holding off the Blazers with
some of their best late-game execution of the season, the Knicks are
poised to pass Riley's Heat for the division title.
"We're right there," Latrell Sprewell said after the Knicks pulled into
a first-place tie with the Heat. "Obviously, we have some tough games
still ahead of us. But we're right where we want to be. We've been
chasing them and chasing them. So now it's even again. And it's all
about who finishes the strongest."
If Sunday's games were any indication of what will happen down the
stretch, the Knicks might even have a shot at the No. 1 seed in the
East. The Pacers, once 31-3 at Conseco Fieldhouse, have lost two
straight on their home floor.
"We looked tired, we looked old, we looked like we didn't have any
life," Pacers coach Larry Bird said after a loss to the Sixers. "It's
been that way the last two games (the other loss coming by 21 to
Milwaukee last week). They're just not playing. The way we're playing,
we're lucky to be in the playoffs. We established something here at
home, but we lost it."
The Heat, meanwhile, have lost their grip on the Atlantic, going 6-5 in
their last 11 games. They've left the door open, and the Knicks are
ready to kick it in.
"I would be disappointed if we didn't win the division," Allan Houston
said. "We'd be surprised. We never said we can't get it. It would be
crazy to sit up and say, 'We can't reach this goal.' "
After losing in San Antonio, Utah, Phoenix and Minnesota, the Knicks
achieved their goal of finally winning a quality road game against a
Western power.
"We haven't been very good on the road, period," Marcus Camby said.
"We've had some success beating these teams in the Garden. But we wanted
to start getting even on this trip."
After leading by 17, New York saw its lead dwindle to two in the final
minutes. But Patrick Ewing hit two key foul shots and blocked Scottie
Pippen's shot with 19 seconds left to protect a three-point lead. All
told, the Knicks made their last six foul shots, too.
Finishing ahead of the Heat, of course, will give the Knicks the
homecourt edge if they have a showdown with their bitter rivals in the
second round. But first, there's more work on this trip, starting
Tuesday night against the Kings. Then it's Seattle on Wednesday and
Vancouver on Friday. On Sunday, the big finish comes in L.A. against the
Lakers.
"On a road trip like this, the first game is huge," Houston said after
the Knicks became only the second Eastern team (besides Indiana) to
sweep the Blazers. "We can gain some momentum from it. But if we come
into Sacramento and have a letdown, it's going to take away a big win."
A win that got the Knicks thinking about the division championship.
Rim Shots I
If Eddie Jones has been on the level with teammates in
recent days, it's nothing but bad news for the Hornets.
"I'm outta here," Jones has been saying, according to more than one
Hornet.
Earlier this season, Jones confided to another ex-Laker that he was
bolting the Hive. At that time, the Florida native mentioned going to
either Orlando or trying to force a sign-and-trade to Miami.
But recently, he's mentioned that he's building a house in Orlando, so
that's where his Charlotte mates expect him to go. The Magic can easily
accommodate Jones, having nearly $20 million under the cap to spend this
summer.
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Jones and teammates privately have stated that Paul Silas needs an
experienced pro coach at his side. That's a slam at assistant Jerry
Eaves, who's had more input in defensive decision-making but is hardly a
player favorite.
Rim Shots II
The Lakers weren't messing around when they knocked off
the Kings.
"We need to send them a message," Phil Jackson said after L.A.'s
last-second win Sunday. They have a feeling that they can beat us, that
they have our number."
A message game for a possible eighth seed and first-round opponent? That
tells you how much the Lakers don't want to see the Kings in the first
round.
"We didn't get the message," Kings coach Rick Adelman said.
Obviously, the Kings are either too oblivious or just so plain care-free
that they miss messages. So don't expect the Kings to be like Portland
and the Heat and start suffering from Post-Laker Syndrome. Those two
teams haven't been the same since losing to the Lakers.
"Everybody looks at the Lakers and Portland as teams that are supposed
to win, because they've got all that talent, more than anybody," Nick
Anderson said. "But we don't have anything to lose and everything to
gain. That's always our attitude, even after we lose to them. We just
bounce back."
The Blazers and Heat need to find out how.
Rim Shots III
George Karl and Big Dog Robinson got into a heated argument
after a recent loss in Minnesota, and nearly came to blows. At one point,
they had to be separated.
If UCLA's job opens, Rick Pitino wants it.
P.J. Carlesimo is denying that he had friends sniff around Georgia Tech about the Yellow Jackets' opening.
If Alabama prep star Gerald Wallace isn't going
pro, how come he's decided to retain Arn Tellem?
GMs are getting
real tired of Mike Jarvis' agent, Rob Ades, floating stories about NBA
teams lining up for the St. John's coach's services.
Isiah Thomas has
been told if he gets the Dallas job, he can't also own the CBA.
The NBA says he'll have to move out of the commish's office.
The
difference in the Pistons since canning Alvin Gentry? Grant Hill is
taking over in fourth quarters. Now, if he can only do it in the
playoffs. The Pistons are looking to finish strong so they can avoid a
first-round series vs. the Knicks. They are the first to admit they don't
match up well with Patrick Ewing.
Even though he downplays it to the
media, Elton Brand admits to close friends he wants to win the Rookie of
the Year Award. So why is Tim Floyd running end-of-quarter plays for
others, like Chris Carr? The Bulls have nothing to play for, but they
should be doing everything in their power to get Brand his hardware.
Mitch Lawrence, who covers the NBA for the New York Daily News, writes a regular NBA column for ESPN.com.
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Lawrence: Checking in with the Lakers
