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-LIMITS PARTNERSHIP: ‘The bottom line’ is that if the US were to have a conflict with China or Russia it would likely open up a second front with the other, a US senator said Beijing and Moscow could cooperate in a conflict over Taiwan, the top US intelligence chief told the US Senate this week. “We see China and Russia, for the first time, exercising together in relation to Taiwan and recognizing that this is a place where China definitely wants Russia to be working with them, and we see no reason why they wouldn’t,” US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told a US Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing on Thursday. US Senator Mike Rounds asked Haines about such a potential scenario. He also asked US Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lieutenant General Jeffrey Kruse
INSPIRING: Taiwan has been a model in the Asia-Pacific region with its democratic transition, free and fair elections and open society, the vice president-elect said Taiwan can play a leadership role in the Asia-Pacific region, vice president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) told a forum in Taipei yesterday, highlighting the nation’s resilience in the face of geopolitical challenges. “Not only can Taiwan help, but Taiwan can lead ... not only can Taiwan play a leadership role, but Taiwan’s leadership is important to the world,” Hsiao told the annual forum hosted by the Center for Asia-Pacific Resilience and Innovation think tank. Hsiao thanked Taiwan’s international friends for their long-term support, citing the example of US President Joe Biden last month signing into law a bill to provide aid to Taiwan,
China’s intrusive and territorial claims in the Indo-Pacific region are “illegal, coercive, aggressive and deceptive,” new US Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo said on Friday, adding that he would continue working with allies and partners to keep the area free and open. Paparo made the remarks at a change-of-command ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii, where he took over the command from Admiral John Aquilino. “Our world faces a complex problem set in the troubling actions of the People’s Republic of China [PRC] and its rapid buildup of forces. We must be ready to answer the PRC’s increasingly intrusive and
STATE OF THE NATION: The legislature should invite the president to deliver an address every year, the TPP said, adding that Lai should also have to answer legislators’ questions The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday proposed inviting president-elect William Lai (賴清德) to make a historic first state of the nation address at the legislature following his inauguration on May 20. Lai is expected to face many domestic and international challenges, and should clarify his intended policies with the public’s representatives, KMT caucus secretary-general Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) said when making the proposal at a meeting of the legislature’s Procedure Committee. The committee voted to add the item to the agenda for Friday, along with another similar proposal put forward by the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP). The invitation is in line with Article 15-2