The NEW YORK KNICKS open a 3 game home stand in the friendly confines of the MADISON SQUARE GARDEN tonight at 7:30 pm vs ATLANTA.na,103-100, in a thriller that had MILWAUKEE up by 26 points at one time and lost to PHILADELPHIA,99-94, in double OT in a gruelling game that lasted over 3 hours at the WACHOVIA CENTER.Those exhausting games, I believe, are the reason for the collapse in CHICAGO. Teams don't get tired right away after such games because the adrenalin is still flowing. It takes a couple of days to show.
ATLANTA comes in on 1 days rest after a disappointing game at home vs UTAH. ATLANTA led 72-65 with 8:55 left, but they also collapsed when UTAH went on an 18-4 run.THIS team is very erratic. Three games back they beat DALLAS 111-110 in DALLAS in a very quick paced affair, only to lose by 10 at WASHINGTON in the next game.
The previous meetings this season saw NEW YORK win at the GARDEN 103-92. Both teams came in on no rest. The other game played at the PHILIPS ARENA in Atlanta saw NEW YORK nip the HAWKS 96-94 on a very lucky Marbury
3 pointer off the glass with 30 seconds left.
Tonight Alan Houston has a bruised quadrecep and Tim Thomas, who is making New Yorkers say Kieth who(Van Horn of course) is nursing a pulled groin.I don't know if they will play or not.
This is a hard game to call, but I think ATLANTA, as erratic as they are will stay with the KNICKS all the way to the end, in a game that I feel the oddsmakers a far off on the total of 197'. It won't even come close to that.
Everybody plays the fool, sometimes...there is no exception to the rule!!!!!
