One day after the NBA Trade Deadline passed, many Knicks played like they had a world of pressure taken off their shoulders. With much speculation swirling around whether or not the Knicks would deal away enigmatic guard Nate Robinson and workhorse David Lee, both were able to breath easier last night knowing that they'd be playing in New York for the remainder of the season.
The team came out strong against the Toronto Raptors, scoring the game's first nine points and never looking back. At one point the Knicks led by a season-best 38 points, and finished the rout with a 127-97 victory in front of the loyal Garden faithful on Italian Heritage Night.
On the bench in his new number-nine jersey was Chris Wilcox, who was brought over from the Oklahoma City Thunder at the deadline. Next to him on the bench in street clothes was Larry Hughes, brought in from the Chicago Bulls. Both were interviewed by the MSG Network and both seemed excited to get integrated into Mike D'Antoni's system.
But most noticeable of all was the loose, relaxed, and somewhat relieved play from Lee and Robinson. Both had big nights - Lee with 24 points and 15 rebounds, while Robinson added 26 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, and one sick block of Chris Bosh that he sent into the tenth row to ignite the crowd.
With only 28 games remaining on the season, the Knicks currently find themselves two games behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the eighth seed. Remember, however, that the Knicks have been atrocious against the Bucks this season (0-3), so they'd have to leapfrog them if they want to get past them into the postseason.
Keywords: Chicago Bulls, David Lee, eighth seed, Italian, Italy, Larry Hughes, Mike D'Antoni, Milwaukee Bucks, Nate Robinson, NBA Trade Deadline, New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder, playoffs, Toronto Raptors
