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The New York Knicks defeated Shaquile O'Neal and the Phoenix Suns 114-109 last night at Madison Square Garden, earning Coach Mike D'Antoni his first win against the team he formerly coached to greatness. The Knicks wisely chose to play up tempo basketball against the Suns, who with their recent roster moves have now become the kind of half-court, inside-outside kind of team that new GM Steve Kerr envisioned would be more successful come time for the playoffs.
Although the Suns played an aggressive first half, particularly O'Neal, who scored seemingly at will when he was fed the fall in the paint or in the post early on, the Knicks remained relatively poised and energetic throughout the entire 48 minutes, with solid contributions from six players scoring in double figures. David Lee could not contain O'Neal in the paint, but he played a clever and energetic brand of basketball, draining mid-range jumpers and contributing a number of slam dunk highlight moments en route to another stellar game in which he tallied 24 points and 16 boards.
When the closing quarter quarter came with the Suns still hanging within road-win striking distance, the welcome surprise of the night came in the form of Nate Robinson, who literally carried the offensive load on his 5'9" frame and finishing with 20 points of his own. This game had to please D'Antoni on numerous levels, but most of all it was a morale boosting win against one of NBA's basketball bigs, and a team he once commandeered.
Photo Credit: Associated Press ©2009 All Rights Reserved
Tags:
109, 114, david lee, madison square garden, mike dantoni, nate robinson, nba, new york knicks, phoenix suns, shaquile oneale
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Posted on 1/22/2009
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