It’s time for the New York Knicks to prove that the changes made to the roster were the right moves and that this is a team ready to compete. After a really tough loss to the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night (Dec. 28), it’s time to bounce back and beat a struggling Lakers team. The Knicks play in Staples Center on Thursday (Dec. 29) at 10:30 p.m. ET, making for a long night for dedicated fans back east.

I wrote last night how the Knicks were very flat against the Warriors in the second half, especially after holding a six point lead at halftime. While Tyson Chandler was going through foul trouble, the Knicks just seemed to lack the defensive intensity necessary to beat the better teams in the league. It almost seemed like a number of players on the roster have put too much pressure on Chandler to become the only one putting out the extra effort on defense. It worked in the first game against the Boston Celtics when Chandler blocked 6 shots, but he can’t do it every night by himself.

The Lakers are a much different team without Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum, and that is what the Knicks get on Thursday night (Dec. 29). The Lakers have also lost two of their first three games, losing to the Chicago Bulls and Sacramento Kings before beating the Utah Jazz on Tuesday (Dec. 27). Now the Knicks come to town, and the game goes into primetime for viewers watching on the West Coast. It’s also the second game on the TNT schedule for the night, meaning the game is about to get over-analyzed. Hopefully the Knicks can put up really good numbers and leave a lasting opinion with the broadcasters.

Any success for the Knicks is going to come from shutting down Pau Gasol on defense and working an inside-outside game on offense. Kobe Bryant is going to score his points, but Chandler and Amare Stoudemire have to keep Gasol from catching fire in the low post. On offense, it needs to become a balance between the three-point shooters for the Knicks and the post-up games of Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony. The shooting percentage has to get better than the 4-for-21 (19 percent) effort that New York had on Wednesday night (Dec. 28) though.

It’s time to put the excuses aside and for the Knicks to prove that they can get up for a game against one of the elite teams in the Western Conference.

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Sources:

Full Knicks Schedule

New York Knicks Website

*Ryan Christopher DeVault is a fan of the New York Knicks that has followed the team since the days John Starks, Charles Oakley, and Anthony Mason instilled their defensive will on the rest of the league.

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What are your opinions.

The New York Knicks really fell apart in the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night. After holding a 43-37 lead at halftime and then remaining in the game in the third quarter, it was like a lid got put on the basket for the Knicks in the last quarter. The Warriors simply ran away with the game and the Knicks took their first loss of the 2011-12 season.

There are plenty of places to look for blame in this game, beginning with the horrible shooting from the starters and continuing with the poor fourth quarter defense. It also didn’t help that the Golden State big men were dominating the boards and came away with a huge rebounding edge in this one. After beating up on the Boston Celtics in the first game of the year, this was a stark reality check for Knicks fans.

Carmelo Anthony went 3-for-13 from the field for just 13 points and Amare Stoudemire went just 5-for-14 from the field for 16 points. With the tandem going 8-for-27 combined, there just wasn’t room for error when it came to the defensive end. On that end of the court, the Warriors shot 45.5 percent, going 35-for-77 from the field and 6-for-16 from three-point range. The Knicks went 28-for-70 for a 40 percent clip, but also went just 4-for-21 from three-point range for a 19 percent mark.

The 92-78 final was rough to take, especially with the Knicks getting out-scored 28-14 in the final quarter. The rebounding edge was 47-31 in favor of the Warriors and 11-4 on the offensive glass alone. The Warriors also registered 12 steals on the night, with 3 coming from Kwame Brown and 2 from Brandon Rush off the bench.

At times it seemed like New York wasn’t taking the Warriors seriously in the first half and that may have been a reason why the lead disappeared so quickly after Warriors coach Marc Jackson got on his players. They tightened up on defense and completely shut down the Knicks in that fourth quarter.

There isn’t much time to dwell on this game, because the Knicks have to take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night (Dec. 29). It’s a good game to rebound in after losing to the Warriors, but hopefully the Knicks aren’t too down from blowing this one. What makes it all so much worse was that the Warriors didn’t even have their best player on the court Wednesday night (Stephen Curry).

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Sources:

Full Knicks Schedule

New York Knicks Website

*Ryan Christopher DeVault is a fan of the New York Knicks that has followed the team since the days John Starks, Charles Oakley, and Anthony Mason instilled their defensive will on the rest of the league.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

Thanks for reading! .

By Jared Smith

– College Sports Writer

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Dec 28, 2011 – After earning a dramatic season-opening victory over the Boston Celtics on Christmas Day the New York Knicks begin a three-game, West Coast road trip Wednesday, as the Knicks visit the Golden State Warriors (1-1) and the ORACLE Arena (10:30 p.m. ET on MSG). After the contest, the Knicks (1-0) will then play at the Los Angeles Lakers, Thursday (10:30 p.m. on TNT), and at the Sacramento Kings, Saturday (8 p.m. on MSG).

On Wednesday, New York will search for its second consecutive victory to start the season, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished by the franchise since 1999. The game will be a reunion with former Knick Mark Jackson, who’s now the Warriors head coach, and could be the debut of newly-acquired guard Jeremy Lin, who was claimed off waivers Monday and will return to the Bay Area where he played last season.

On Thursday, the Knicks will travel to Staples Center to play the Lakers (1-2), who will be playing their fourth game in five days. On Tuesday, behind 26 points from Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles earned a 96-71 victory over the Utah Jazz and snapped a two-game losing streak.

The West Coast swing ends Saturday, when New York visits the always rowdy Power Balance Pavilion in Sacramento, CA. The Kings (1-1) will be coming off a Thursday match up with the visiting Chicago Bulls. As of Wednesday, guard Marcus Thorton is the squad’s leading scoring with 20.5 points per game.

Here’s the New York Knicks’ upcoming schedule:

For more on the New York Knicks visit the SB Nation blog Posting And Toasting.

Read More: Kobe Bryant (G – LAL), New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks at Golden State Warriors, Dec 28, 2011 10:30 PM EST

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Read More: Jeremy Lin (G – NYK), Iman Shumpert (G – NYK), New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors

It didn’t take long for the New York Knicks to address their pressing need for a guard, as Tuesday New York claimed Jeremy Lin off waivers. Lin, who had recently been released by the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets, respectively, will try and fill the void of backup shooting guard Iman Shumpert, who suffered a sprained MCL during New York’s 106-104 victory over the Boston Celtics is expected to miss 2-4 weeks.

The Knicks (1-0) are also waiting for the return of veteran guards Mike Bibby and Baron Davis, who each missed the season-opener with back injuries. Davis is expected to miss a large portion of the shortened 66-game regular season.

Last season, the Harvard graduate, Lin, played in 29 games, averaged 9.8 minutes and just 2.6 points in his first NBA season with the Warriors.

For more Knicks coverage, visit our team page or our blog Posting and Toasting.

Feel free to leave your comments below.

When does a victory seem like a loss? It’s when you’re opening a lockout shortened season at Madison Square Garden against a team you need to overcome on your way up the NBA ladder.

Mike D’Antoni
Wikimedia Commons

Yes, that’s right, it doesn’t take long to begin scrutinizing daily the benefits and disadvantages, the ups and downs, the good and bad of New York Knick basketball. There’s no analyzing like overanalyzing. Simple analysis just doesn’t seem adequate.

Anyway, the Knicks of this year appeared very much like the Knicks of last year…occasional glimpses of an active defense but very little else, and an offense that shuts down completely when Carmelo Anthony takes a seat.

Some observations?

There were periods in this game, when the Knicks transitioned from 12 ahead to eight behind, that Celtics were running free as if they had a communicable disease. There was not a Knick to be found, sometimes not even in the TV frame. There were times when there was no point for a Knick to scurry back to the open man since that would have taken too long given the distance. Simply put, it was some of the worst defense I’d ever seen by a professional team.

And speaking of defense, Tyson Chandler, the $15 million 7″1′ center, collected three rebounds …and that’s not a misprint. At 7″1′, shouldn’t you come by a rebound or two by accident? My goodness! While his line did feature six blocks, his three rebounds were matched by an equally dismal seven points. He wasn’t exactly a deterrent for the Celtics, who managed to shake free for open shot after open shot and 104 points without their best player, Paul Pierce.

Point guard defense might be an issue this year. Rajon Rondo vaporized the Knicks with 31 points and 13 assists. Iman Shumpert looks like an active player but, of course, he’s injured now and will be out a month.

Most observers thought the Celtics were ready to be taken this year. Not so fast, they communicated very clearly in Game #1.

Glenn Vallach has been a New York Knick fan since the days of Howie Komives and Walt Bellamy, when he regularly boarded the IRT Subway at 180th Street in the Bronx for a trip to the Garden to see his heroes. Since the last championship in 1973, he has alternately yearned and suffered, hoped and lamented…and has waited long enough.

Source:

• · Yahoo Sports NBA page
• · Yahoo Sports New York Knicks Team page
• · Yahoo Sports Boston Celtics page
• · Yahoo Sports Carmelo Anthony page
• · Brian Mahoney, AP Basketball Writer, Knicks edge Celtics 106-104 on Anthony foul shots

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Thanks for reading! .

The New York Knicks beat the Boston Celtics on opening night, stealing first place in the Atlantic division over an aging team playing without Paul Pierce. The loss left Celtics power forward Kevin Garnett pretty upset, and he went at the throat of Knicks forward Bill Walker. Garnett grabbed Walker by the throat with one hand and pushed him backwards, creating a situation that should have been pretty embarrassing to the league. Apparently the league doesn’t care though.

A source from the NBA leaked information that Garnett would not get punished for this incident, basically sweeping it under the rug. This is an unacceptable decision by the league and it really reeks of favoritism for a player that is likely heading to the Basketball Hall of Fame. What Garnett did was basically assault Walker after the game, something that it would seem that the league would try to stop from happening. If it happened during, a player could get ejected, fined and then suspended for the action.

Walker was the mature one in this situation, approaching Garnett later that afternoon when the Celtics were heading to the team bus to leave. If we believe what Walker has to say, the situation looks closed and is unlikely to re-surface when the teams face off again this season. As for the fan opinion of what took place after that final whistle and just how ridiculous what Garnett did is another debate entirely. For a player that already has a negative reputation for playing dirty, this is not sitting well with Knicks fans that watched the aftermath.

The league needed to make a statement here, if for no other reason than t stay consistent with policy. Players get suspended in the NBA for simply leaving the bench during a game, but assaulting an opponent after the game has ended seems so much worse. Apparently not.

Celtics fans are quick to excuse Garnett’s actions on articles about the game, most likely because they have become used to this behavior. It’s not something that flies off the court, so why should it get considered proper behavior after the game. I am curious about one thing though; where are the NBA fans that were attacking LeBron James for not shaking hands after a loss back in 2010? Is trying to choke someone not worse than skipping a handshake?

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Sources:

Full Knicks Schedule

New York Knicks Website

*Ryan Christopher DeVault is a fan of the New York Knicks that has followed the team since the days John Starks, Charles Oakley, and Anthony Mason instilled their defensive will on the rest of the league.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

There is the quick update of the day.

By
Sportsmail Reporter

Last updated at 8:59 PM on 25th December 2011

Carmelo Anthony scored 37 points, including a pair of free throws with the game tied and 16 seconds left, and the New York Knicks survived a seesaw NBA season opener to beat the Boston Celtics 106-104.

Amare Stoudemire added 21 points and Toney Douglas had 19 for the Knicks, who led by 17 in the first half, trailed by 10 in the fourth quarter, then pulled out a thrilling Christmas victory in the delayed opener to the 2011-12 season.

Rajon Rondo had 31 points and 13 assists, nearly leading the Celtics back without an injured Paul Pierce. But Kevin Garnett missed a jumper just before the buzzer, the kind of shot Boston always seems to make against the Knicks.

Hands up: New York Knicks shooting guard Bill Walker (L) goes to the basket as Boston Celtics power forward Kevin Garnett defends during the second half of the game at Madison Square Garden in New York

Brandon Bass had 20 points and 11 rebounds in his Celtics debut, and Ray Allen added 20 points.

Garnett finished with 15 points. He and Allen had a sleepy Christmas start, with Rondo keeping the Celtics in the game until they got going in the second half.

But it wasn’t enough against the Knicks, who withstood a potentially serious knee injury to first-round pick Iman Shumpert to beat the team that swept them out of the first round of last season’s playoffs.

Pierce has a bruised right heel but hopes he can return Tuesday when the Celtics visit the Miami Heat.

Centre of attention: New York Knicks Carmelo Anthony (2nd L) takes a shot between Boston Celtics Brandon Bass (L) and Kevin Garnett (2nd R)

Even without him, the Celtics fought back to tie it at 69 on Rondo’s layup midway through the third quarter. They surged ahead by eight going into the final period after Bass scored the final six points, then extended it to 89-79 on Bass’ jumper to open the fourth.

Anthony tied it at 100 on a 3-pointer with 3:25 to play, and it stayed tight until he was fouled on a drive with 16.3 seconds left, making both for a 106-104 lead. Rondo grabbed the rebound of Marquis Daniels’ potential go-ahead 3-pointer to give the Celtics a final chance, but Garnett was off on a jumper, then appeared to shove the Knicks’ Bill Walker away.

All smiles: Singer Alicia Keys attended the game with her husband Swizz Beatz

Coming off their first winning season in a decade, the Knicks added a defensive presence by signing Tyson Chandler away from the NBA champion Dallas Mavericks and have loftier expectations than they’ve seen in years. The original NBA schedule had them opening against Miami, but instead they got a chance to see if they’ve closed the gap against the team they hope to unseat atop their division.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers even compared the Knicks to the Lakers because of the length along their front line with Chandler in between Stoudemire and Anthony. Though the Celtics won all eight meetings last season, the Knicks have been listed some places as the favorites in the Atlantic Division, which the Celtics have ruled since their Big Three came together in 2007.

Star men: Director Spike Lee (L) and comedian/actor Chris Rock sit beside each other at Madison Square Garden

‘It’s possible. Right now, anybody could win the division. Everybody knows how optimism kicks in before the season starts, but then once reality sets in after the first month of the season, we’ll see,’ Pierce said before the game.

‘But it’s definitely a possibility. I mean, they have the talent, but we have the talent, too, So I can see that.’

D’Antoni was careful to keep the expectations low, saying the limited amount of practice time before the season started means it could be a few weeks before all the new players are used to each other. The Knicks won’t even have one, Baron Davis, for a while as he recovers from a herniated disc in his back.

Shumpert was expected to be a key until then, but he sprained a right knee ligament in the second half.

Lean back: Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo takes a shot as New York Knicks power forward Amare Stoudemire defends

The Celtics are a changed team as well, with the retirement of Shaquille O’Neal and the season-ending loss of Jeff Green for surgery to repair an aortic aneurysm. And they will face questions about how their veteran core can navigate the tight 66-game schedule.

But the acquisition of Bass from Orlando for Glen Davis paid immediate dividends, as he showed a nice midrange jumper when he wasn’t busy keeping balls alive on the glass.

The first game since renovations began at Madison Square Garden included the usual cast of celebrities such as Alicia Keys, Chris Rock and John McEnroe, and some new confusion, as at least one Celtics player had to ask how to get to the court from the new visitors’ locker room.

The Knicks led 34-23 after one and extended it to 49-32 with 7{ minutes left in the half on a pair of free throws by Chandler.

But the Celtics shot 62 percent in the quarter, getting it back into single digits before New York took a 62-52 lead into half-time.

 

 

That’s all the news for today.

NEW YORK — The New York Knicks have assembled one of the most talented frontcourts in the league and are working on improving their backcourt.

Free-agent point guard Baron Davis will sign a one-year contract Monday with the Knicks for $2.5 million, according to multiple media reports.

Davis, 32, will be sidelined for at least a month because of a problem with his back, but the Knicks felt comfortable in taking a chance on the two-time All-Star.

“I would love to have him,” Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony said Sunday. “Everybody knows what he can do when he’s healthy and when he’s focused. When (Davis) is healthy, he’s one of the best.”

The Cleveland Cavaliers waived Davis last week through the amnesty provision. He has career averages of 16.5 points and 7.3 assists per game.

“There were times he was the best point guard in the league,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said. “I think a lot of it just depends on if he wants to be here and if he’s able to do it. If those things are positives, then he can turn into being a good thing for us.”

New York has Toney Douglas, 25, and Mike Bibby, 33, at point guard.

Miami runs away

from Orlando

MIAMI — LeBron James scored 19 points and the Miami Heat cruised to a 118-85 victory over the Orlando Magic in the exhibition opener for both teams.

The Heat outscored the Magic by 29 points over the game’s final 27 minutes.

“When you have a team outscore you 22-0 on fast-break points, they’re clearly playing at a pace and an energy level higher than what you are,” Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said. “And we could not keep up.”

Ryan Anderson and J.J. Redick each scored 22 points for the Magic, which lost for the first time in 22 exhibition games dating to October 2008.

The subject of trade talk throughout training camp, Orlando center Dwight Howard finished with five points on 2-for-9 shooting.

Afterward, Howard said his status is not a distraction for the Magic.

“We were off for seven months,” he said. “And guys are trying to get back into it. There’s no need for us, anybody, Magic fans, whatever, to stress about the first game.”

Van Gundy dismissed a theory Howard was disinterested.

“Here’s where we are: If he has a bad game, he’s disengaged?” Van Gundy said. “That’s BS.”

Notes

• The Indiana Pacers will trade guard Brandon Rush to Golden State for forward Louis Amundson. Mark Bartelstein, the agent for both players, confirmed the deal.

• Ex-Sonic Kevin Durant scored 21 points to lead the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder to a 106-92 victory over the defending champion Dallas Mavericks in the exhibition opener for both teams.

Lamar Odom, acquired from the Los Angeles Lakers in a trade Dec. 11, had 14 points and seven rebounds in his debut for Dallas. Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd, leaders in the Mavericks’ title run, were in uniform and are healthy but were rested by coach Rick Carlisle.

• Greg Stiemsma‘s tip-in with 12 seconds left gave the Boston Celtics a 76-75 exhibition victory over host Toronto.

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New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony and Celtics forward Paul Pierce fight for a loose ball at Madison Square Garden. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

What do you guys think about this.

New York Knicks fans will get an early chance to enjoy the team this season. With the NBA lockout coming to an end, it looks like the season will begin on Dec. 25 (Christmas Day). There are three games on the current NBA schedule for that day, and one of them features the Knicks . If the league decides to keep the league schedule as it appears for that day, it will allow fans a very early (primetime) look at how the team stacks up this season.

If we believe indications from the league that the NBA is going to try for a 66-game schedule this year and that the lockout has come to an end, then it is finally time to get excited about the Knicks again. On Dec. 25, the Knicks are on the schedule to play the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks are in the early game for NBA coverage on Christmas Day, and could stay the first game in a pretty big tripleheader .

The Knicks made pretty big strides in the 2010-11 season thanks to the free agent signing of Amare Stoudemire(notes) and then the trade for Carmelo Anthony(notes). The team won seven of their last 10 games in the regular season, clinching the No. 6 seed in the 2011 Eastern Conference Playoffs. The Knicks fell short against the Celtics in the first round though, and it turned into an early offseason for the club. Injuries took a toll on the Knicks though, as Stoudemire was hurt and point guard Chauncey Billups(notes) missed time in the playoffs.

Now all three stars are back for the new season, and hopefully they have kept in good shape during the lengthy offseason. If there are only 66 games in the 2011-12 schedule, then it raises how important each game is. As such, the new players that New York is able to sign will play a very significant role on the team.

Making it to the NBA Playoffs was a good goal for last year, but with two superstar players on the roster now, it’s time to make it deeper into the postseason. The Miami Heat appears like the team to beat in the Eastern Conference, but the Chicago Bulls are also retaining a roster that won 62 games last year. It will remain tough among the elite teams in the East, but New York looks good enough to compete. Winning it all will depend on how much the roster can improve in the next month.

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Chris Paul to New York

Source:

New York Knicks Website

*Ryan Christopher DeVault is a fan of the New York Knicks that has followed the team since the days John Starks, Charles Oakley, and Anthony Mason instilled their defensive will on the rest of the league.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

Gotta run!.

New York Knicks star forward Amar’e Stoudemire(notes) hurt his back in April before Game 2 of the first round of the NBA playoffs against the Boston Celtics. The New York Daily News reports that the injury still has not healed all the way.

A Knicks source tells the paper that Stoudemire, who took most of the month of July off in order to rest his back, is 90 percent healthy.

Stoudemire “is scheduled to resume workouts in Florida within the next couple of weeks,” the Daily News reports, but the source wouldn’t guarantee that Stoudemire would be able to take the court if the season starts on time.

The Knicks, of course, really hope the injury heals because Stoudemire’s contract for five years and $100 million isn’t insured due to his previous health problems.

Find out before your friends. Follow Scoop du Jour on Twitter or Facebook.

Source: New York Daily News

Related: Boston Celtics, New York Knicks

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.

Not much else going on in the NBA world today.

MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina (AP)—Andy Rautins of the New York Knicks scored
all 15 of his points on 3-pointers to lead Canada to a 73-72 victory Dominican
Republic on Thursday in the Olympic qualifying tournament for the Americas.

Joel Anthony of the Miami Heat had eight points and 10 rebounds for Canada
(1-1), which led by 21 points. Al Horford of the Atlanta Hawks had 17 points for
Dominican Republic (2-1), which is coached by Kentucky’s John Calipari.

In other games Thursday, Venezuela (1-2) beat Cuba (0-2) 106-69; Panama
(1-1) downed Paraguay (0-3) 89-86; and Puerto Rico, the only 3-0 team, defeated
Uruguay (0-2) 74-64.

Brazil and Argentina, both with 2-0 records, were off Thursday.

The top two teams in the 10-nation field receive berths in the London
Olympics. The next three teams advance to a final Olympic qualifier.

Rautins, the son of Canada coach Leo Rautins, led the long-range effort that
saw it go 10 of 23.

Francisco Garcia of the Sacramento Kings hit a 3-pointer to bring Dominican
Republic within one point late, but Canada held off the rally. Dominican
Republic was 6 of 22 from 3-point range.

“It was very clear that they took advantage of their 3-point shots and we
didn’t,” Dominican Republic’s Eulis Baez said.

Carlos Arroyo of the Boston Celtics had 19 points for Puerto Rico, while
J.J. Barea of the NBA champion Dallas Mavericks, added 14.

Jaime Lloreda, who played at LSU, had 34 points and 10 rebounds for Panama,
while Gary Forbes, who played last season for the Denver Nuggets, added 25
points.

Greivis Vasquez of the Memphis Grizzlies had 21 points to lead Venezuela to
its first win.

Pool play concludes Saturday. Eight of the 10 teams advance to the second
round.

The semifinals are Sept. 10.

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.

by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

Chauncey Billups knows that his NBA days are numbered. After missing out on much of the New York Knicks’ first-round sweep at the hands of the Boston Celtics last spring, Chauncey is filled with regret, and plenty questions about what the future holds.

Though Billups believes he could have made a big difference during the Knicks/Celtics series, there’s no use in looking back now, and Chauncey wants another crack at leading New York on the basketball floor.

The lockout is making none of that possible, of course, and shortening what little time Chauncey Billups has left in the NBA.

From the Boston Globe:

The lack of a full training camp may damage the Knicks more than any other club because they never had the opportunity to build chemistry with coach Mike D’Antoni last season. “It is tough, the uncertainty of not knowing what’s going to happen,’’ said Billups. “But I’ve been through it before, and as a veteran and as a professional, I’m just going to stay ready. “Whenever we can make a deal or whatever might happen, I’ll be ready to go.”

He has avoided serious injury in his career and has played at least 70 games in each of the past 11 seasons, but six weeks short of his 35th birthday, Billups realizes his time as a front-line player is diminishing. “I have played most of my career out,’’ he said. “I don’t have that many more years to play. I’m just looking forward to getting back out there.”

The Knicks are unlikely to compete for the Eastern Conference crown regardless of when the season starts, but they should be vastly different with Billups and Anthony more comfortable in the system, and Amar’e Stoudemire completely recovered from the back issues that ailed him during the playoffs. “That’s what I want so bad, is to have a training camp together, where we can build,’’ said Billups, who averaged 17.5 points, 5.5 assists, and 3.1 rebounds in 21 games with New York. “Because I feel like with the players that we have and the ability that we have to put some pieces together, we can be a very good basketball team.’’

As he enters the twilight of his career, the Knicks can only hope to squeeze out what little magic may be left in Chauncey Billups.

Time is not on either party’s side.

There is the quick update of the day.

(Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

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