The New York Knicks responded to the turmoil of coach Mike D’Antoni’s resignation on Wednesday with a resounding 121-79 victory over Portland that ended a six-game losing skid.
D’Antoni departed on Wednesday morning, under fire as defeats piled up and star player Carmelo Anthony failed to mesh with the headline-grabbing newcomer, point guard Jeremy Lin (林書豪).
Lin, waived by two teams before he was picked up by the Knicks, said he found the sudden departure of the coach who gave him his big NBA break “emotional.”
Photo: AFP
“I was surprised,” Lin said. “I know some people were talking about it and what-not, but I didn’t know the reality of it. I figured after shoot-around he’d definitely be here tonight.”
“What he did for my career, I’m not going to forget what he did for me personally,” Lin added. “It’s very emotional. I’m sad to see him go and I owe a lot to him.”
With newly named interim coach Mike Woodson on the bench for his first game since he was promoted from assistant for the remainder of the season, the Knicks routed the Trail Blazers.
The Knicks squeezed the Trail Blazers with some zealous defending, holding them to less than 40 percent shooting and forcing three 24-second violations.
Playing with enthusiasm and energy, the Knicks raced to a 25-12 first-quarter lead, with Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire setting the tone by running the floor and feasting on fast breaks.
The lead increased to 55-29 at the intermission and by the fourth quarter, long-range shooters J.R. Smith and Steve Novak found their touch, finishing as the game’s top scorers with 23 and 20 points respectively. Stoudemire chipped in 17 and eight rebounds.
In all, the Knicks made a sizzling 19-of-38 from beyond the arc. Anthony had 16 points and seven assists, while Lin scored six points, with six assists and six turnovers.
The Knicks had gone 6-1 with Anthony sidelined and Lin leading the way. With Wednesday’s victory, they are 3-8 with Anthony back.
He said he was frustrated by being blamed for the Knicks’ recent woes.
“It gets frustrating at times to hear some of the stuff being said about me,” Anthony said. “At the end of the day, what can I do about it? It’s a basketball game. I go out there and try to leave it all out there on the court. My ultimate goal is to win basketball games. That’s one of the reasons I came here, why I wanted to come here.”
Despite the upheaval, Woodson said the Knicks’ goal remains the same — a playoff campaign.
“There’s still a lot at stake here,” Woodson said. “Expectations are high. That’s how it should be. I expressed that to the guys. We still have a great opportunity to do something special in New York ... I’m going to hold these guys accountable for that, being the coach.”
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
REGIONAL STABILITY: Taipei thanked the Biden administration for authorizing its 16th sale of military goods and services to uphold Taiwan’s defense and safety The US Department of State has approved the sale of US$228 million of military goods and services to Taiwan, the US Department of Defense said on Monday. The state department “made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale” to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US for “return, repair and reshipment of spare parts and related equipment,” the defense department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release. Taiwan had requested the purchase of items and services which include the “return, repair and reshipment of classified and unclassified spare parts for aircraft and related equipment; US Government
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from