Erratic Knicks Linger Just Outside a Berth

SALT LAKE CITY - The Knicks are a team of extremes. They build big leads, then lose them. They win close games one night, then get blown out the next. Their addiction to variety was on full display on a five-game trip that concluded Monday night with a 92-83 victory over the Utah Jazz.

For the Knicks, the season is suddenly running on parallel tracks. As much as they claim to be focusing on their own business, they have also become avid scoreboard watchers as their haphazard pursuit of a playoff spot comes down to the final weeks of the regular season.

They would not be in this position - on the cusp of the playoffs, despite a dreadful record - without the considerable charity afforded them by the Atlanta Hawks, who had lost 20 of 26 games before they defeated the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday. As a result, the Hawks maintained their one-game lead over the Knicks (32-43) for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Carmelo Anthony was a multidimensional force against the Jazz (23-52), collecting 34 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists. Tyson Chandler added 15 points and 9 rebounds.

The Knicks were without Amar'e Stoudemire, who said he was taking a day to rest his knees so he could prepare for the stretch run. In the locker room before the game, he said he was confident that his teammates could take care of the Jazz without him. The contest was closer than he expected, at least for three quarters.

Horrendous defense was an early issue. In the second quarter, Cole Aldrich missed a pair of hook shots that Utah's Richard Jefferson turned into fast-break dunks. Nobody hustled back. The Knicks quickly fell behind by 10.

It was another example of the fundamental mistakes that have sabotaged the Knicks all season. It was around this time that the Hawks were finishing off their victory over the Sixers, a result that underscored how vital it was for the Knicks to avoid a misstep against the Jazz.

Anthony kept the Knicks close, scoring 18 points as the Knicks reduced the deficit to 49-48 at halftime.

Then, in the third quarter, J. R. Smith, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Anthony sank consecutive 3-pointers as the Knicks went ahead by 6. Still, they had trouble shaking the Jazz. It was not until Hardaway capped a 9-0 run with a breakaway dunk that the Knicks had a security blanket. They led by as many as 15 in the fourth.

One cause for concern was an injury to Hardaway in the game's final minute. He was grimacing and favoring his right leg as Anthony helped him to the locker room.

Coach Mike Woodson said the Knicks had little margin for error. None, to be exact. In reality, he has been saying the same thing ever since the Knicks bottomed out with a seven-game losing streak that bridged the end of February and the beginning of March. That stretch pushed them 19 games below .500, and their hopes of qualifying for the postseason seemed doomed.

This team is impossible to figure out, though, and it somehow cobbled together an eight-game winning streak that put it back in contention - a term used loosely, given the troubles endured by other teams in the conference. With the Hawks continuing to free fall, the Knicks were given an opportunity, if only they could capitalize on the West Coast swing.

The trip was a mixed bag: a 31-point loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, followed by an 8-point win over the injury-plagued Sacramento Kings, followed by a 24-point loss to the Phoenix Suns, followed by 5-point win over the Golden State Warriors. In other words, it was baffling - and business as usual. Beating the Jazz became a requirement.

'When you have a game like L.A. or Phoenix, you look back and you're like, What were we doing?' Anthony said before Monday's game. 'Do we want it or not?'

Phil Jackson, the team's new president, watched the Knicks get blown out by the Lakers before opting to stay away for the remainder of the trip. Perhaps he did not want to be a distraction. Perhaps he wanted to give Woodson a wide berth as the team made a late push.

Of course, Jackson was a presence, even in absentia. Woodson and the players know changes are coming over the off-season. Jackson will want to put his stamp on the franchise, and Woodson could be among the first to go. The roster has an expiration date, too. Yet the Knicks keep pushing it back.

If the Knicks do make it to the postseason - and that remains a big if, despite the Hawks' problems - some around the league consider them a dangerous opponent. They have playoff experience, after all, having advanced to the conference semifinals last season. In addition, Mark Jackson, the coach of the Warriors, cited Anthony as an enormous factor.

'You got a home-run hitter in your lineup,' Jackson said. 'You got a guy that's capable of winning games single-handedly, a guy who makes everyone around him better.'

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