The New York Knicks increased their recent winning streak to five games last night with an 82-79 victory over the 76'ers. Mike Woodson has been a key figure throughout this current run. Superstars Carmello Anthony and Amare Stoudemire are happy with their new coach's philosophies, while more players off the bench are seeing action.
Although the Knicks pulled out the victory, Anthony and Jeremy Lin had less-than-stellar shooting performances. Stoudemire led all scorers with 21 points and added nine rebounds. Lin finished with 18 points, 16 of those coming in crucial stretches during the fourth quarter, but finished the night shooting four for 17 from the field. Anthony contributed 10 points.
This is not a noteworthy performance for the Knicks, but this win adds momentum to their playoff chances. The Knicks currently are the eight seed in the Eastern conference, but only three games behind the 76'ers for the top spot in the Atlantic conference.
You cannot understate the value of interim head coach Mike Woodson during the Knicks late season resurgence. He was able to regain the trust of the team after Mike D'Antoni's departure and the results speak for themselves. Under Woodson, the Knicks have averaged 105.5 points per game, while only giving up 86.6. The offense and defense both stagnated under D'Antoni, but have shown vast improvements in a short time under Woodson.
We will see if the team continues to improve under Woodson as their schedule gets more difficult. The Knicks play again Friday, March 23rd against the Toronto Raptors.
