[外電] STAT:Woody gave ultimatum to play hard
NEW YORK -- The Knicks are playing like they should for any NBA team in their
position.
When you're currently hanging on to the eighth seed and trying to move up in
the standings to avoid the Heat or Bulls in the first round, all while the
upgraded Bucks with Monta Ellis sit just one game back, you can't let up for
48 minutes.
And that's just what the Knicks have been doing -- something that was missing
when Mike D'Antoni was the head coach. The Knicks were clinging then, too, to
the eighth spot but after going 2-8 in D'Antoni's last 10 games, they
obviously needed a different push, and Mike Woodson has provided that.
What it came down to was an "ultimatum" Woodson placed on the players, which
Amare Stoudemire described in the locker room after New York topped Toronto,
106-87, Tuesday night at the Garden.
"We know what we've got to do to win," STAT said. "Coach Woodson put that
ultimatum on us for us to go out there and play hard. We know how great we
are from a personnel standpoint. It's just a matter of playing that way. We
all want to win a championship. That's the ultimate goal for us. We've got to
take it one step at a time and try to continue to improve."
Stoudemire said the motivation to improve their playoff seeding is what's
fueling them to play with a greater sense of urgency.
"We're a different team right now," STAT said. "We're playing at a high level
at both ends of the court. We're shooting the ball well offensively. We're
very, very tenacious, kamikaze style defensively right now. We're all over
teams and we've just got to keep that going."
The Knicks aren't just winning games, they're putting opponents completely
away. In fact, since Woodson replaced D'Antoni exactly a week ago, they've
outscored their opponents by 90 points -- the largest point differential for
any team in NBA history over its first four games following a coaching change.
"It's great closing quarters, closing halves, closing games," Stoudemire
said. "It's just something that we've got to continue to do. We've been doing
a great job of that over the past four games and we've got to keep it going."
Under Woodson, the Knicks have been taking care of business in every quarter
and Tuesday night, they put on their best defense-leading-into-offense
performance to close the contest. They outscored the Raptors 27-19 in the
final period by forcing them into five turnovers and making a living in
transition. Woodson said it was "fun to watch."
"Coach [Dwane] Casey called a timeout I think at that four- or five-minute
mark, and we came out after the timeout and we did what we had to do from a
defensive standpoint," Woodson said. "Make no mistake about it, it was our
defense that got us that spurt that we needed. And that's what good teams are
supposed to do. We've just got to bottle it up and just continue to do it."
Before the game, Woodson said he wanted to see his guys man up more defending
the pick-and-roll, and not switch as much. That extra ball pressure
overwhelmed point guard Jose Calderon and his screener during the game.
Woodson also looked to wear down the Raptors by instituting more full-court
traps. Since taking over for D'Antoni, he's been able to push his players
defensively because of the team's depth.
With the way the Knicks are playing, Stoudemire said the smiles are returning
and they need to remain for them to build on their current winning streak.
"I think everybody feels great, having fun, enjoying the game of basketball
and that's what it's about," STAT said. "When you enjoy doing your job, it
makes it much easier to play."
Of course, there are still some critics who want to see how the Knicks stack
up to a much more formidable opponent. The winning streak has included wins
over two struggling teams (the Trail Blazers and Raptors) and an inconsistent
one in the Pacers. Well, tonight Woodson and the Knicks face off against
their biggest challenge yet, the Atlantic Division-leading Sixers.
It will also be interesting to see if the Knicks can maintain their
"tenacious, kamikaze style" defense, as Stoudemire coined it. There are still
20 games remaining in the compressed schedule, which includes mostly four
matchups per week and five more back-to-backs. The biggest positive is the
team's depth. That's something, barring any injuries, that will help them
maintain their effort and energy in the shortened season.
重點段落翻一下
本場比賽之前,伍德森說,他希望看到他的球員能對擋切的人加強防守壓力,而沒有(之
前)那麼多換防。比賽中,那額外持球壓力讓控球後衛Jose Calderon和他的幫忙擋人隊友
不知所措, Woodson也想實行更多的全場包夾拖垮暴龍隊。
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