Warriors Soar, Knicks Lag, and Boos Rain Down

With 8 minutes 26 seconds remaining in the first quarter of Friday's game against the Golden State Warriors, Knicks Coach Mike Woodson called his first timeout. The Knicks already trailed, 13-6, but it was still early, there was still a game plan. The tone - for either team - could still be determined.

Ultimately, there was no recovering. The Warriors' 7-point lead swelled to 12, then 21, then 27, rising like a departing jet, without a moment of turbulence. Golden State had its way with the Knicks just as the Miami Heat did the night before, as a lot of teams have throughout the Knicks' losing skid, which reached five in a row and 11 of the last 13 games after Friday's 126-103 loss at Madison Square Garden.

Boos resounded as the Knicks left the court both at halftime and after the game. 'Fire Woodson' chants circulated. The frustration - from the fans, the players, the coaches, everybody - all but dripped from the bridges traversing the top of the arena.

It did not help matters that the Knicks arrived jetlagged after a late-night loss in Miami on Thursday to meet the young, fresh-legged Warriors, coached by the former Knicks guard Mark Jackson, who are among the league's best offensive teams.

The Warriors poured in 38 points in the first quarter, shooting 56 percent, and they were just warming up. Their 126 points were three shy of the most the Knicks have allowed all season.

The Knicks could have anticipated this, knowing how the Warriors' All-Star leader, Stephen Curry, revels in performing on the type of stage that a Friday night game at Madison Square Garden could offer. In Curry's last game at the Garden, almost one year earlier, he scored 54 points, with 11 3-pointers, one short of the N.B.A. record for a single game.

The Knicks actually won that game, Woodson pointedly reminded reporters. They were 34-20 at that point. Those days seemed eons away on Friday.

Curry didn't light up the Garden as he did that night last February, but he did finish with his fourth career triple-double: 27 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in 30 minutes.

The Knicks struggled for continuity on defense, looking often to be too slow, too overmatched, too confused, or all of the above, trying to keep up with Golden State's prolific shooters. The reshuffling of rotations because of injuries and buyouts has surely contributed to the dysfunction, but the Warriors were hardly challenged in finding ways to score.

When Golden State finished the first half on a 13-4 run, pushing their lead to 73-52, the crowd at the Garden sent the Knicks into the locker room in a shower of boos.

The second half was not much better. If there was ever a lull in Golden State's offensive attack, it was momentary. They allowed the Knicks 28 points in the third but still scored 26 and kept a 19-point lead entering the final period.

In the fourth, Tyson Chandler flashed his frustration by shoving Golden State forward Marreese Speights as the two jogged up court. Both players needed to be separated and were served with matching technical fouls. Chandler was ejected a few minutes later for jawing at Speights again, earning him his second technical and an automatic ejection. (He finished with 6 points and 12 rebounds).

With Chandler gone, Carmelo Anthony quietly exited, too, calling it a night with four and a half minutes remaining and the team trailing by 19. For a second night in a row, he watched the waning moments of a runaway loss from the bench.

With each successive defeat, the Knicks' chances for a playoff berth sink further, and thoughts inevitably turn to the future - namely what it might have in store for Anthony, who can opt out of his contract and become a free agent this summer. The Knicks on-court futility, coupled with their continued drama off the court, would seem to make New York less and less desirable to a player of Anthony's caliber.

Raymond Felton played his first game at home since his arrest early Tuesday on charges of criminal possession of an unlicensed gun, and N.B.A. Commissioner Adam Silver was among those in attendance. Felton heard a smattering of boos when his name was announced during pregame introductions, but otherwise stayed out of the picture, finishing with eight points.

Before the game, Woodson indicated that Felton was dealing with some problems with his confidence, although it was unclear how much the arrest was contributing to that. Felton's performance on the court has suffered for most of the season.

'He's fine,' Woodson said. 'We've just got to keep patting him and keep his spirits up and keep telling him how much we need him on the court. That's what's important right now.'

REBOUNDS

Amar'e Stoudemire was given the night off after playing Thursday night in Miami. Last week, Stoudemire complained of soreness in his left knee and Coach Mike Woodson held him out of last Wednesday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans.

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