KNICKS FINALLY BUCK IT UP

Like a beleaguered salesman, the Knicks have knocked on a lot of doors of late, talked the talk, but in the end have fallen dismally short when it came down to closing the deal. Still reeling from Monday’s heartbreaker to Philly, the Knicks took their hard knocks to heart by thumping the visiting Milwaukee Bucks 108-90 in their season’s most decisive victory to date. So balanced was the Knicks offensive production, with six players reaching double figures, that Stephon Marbury got an early jump on the All-Star break by playing spectator during the entire fourth quarter.

It didn’t start that way however, as for three quarters the Knicks were drumming to the familiar beat of what looked to be yet another last-possession finish. Few faults were found offensively, which at times came with real flare. One standout play came in the third quarter when Stephon Marbury made a Tasmanian Devil-like spin pass to Tim Thomas who finished off with a dazzling off-balance shot. Fun stuff, though Wednesday’s game was less about stacking the highlight reel and more about solid team play.

Stalwart performances came from key bench players, Penny Hardaway and Mike Sweetney, who in the second quarter alone, had a combined 21 points as the Bucks stared in the Knicks’ headlights while they crisply moved the ball all night long. Jamal Crawford led the Knicks’ deadly shooting attack; with 23 points that included a three-pointer after the ball rocketed high off the rim and dropped straight through the net in the third quarter. Indeed a little luck was swirling around the Garden for Coach Herb Williams to enjoy his 47th birthday.

Despite the Knicks’ consistent offensive play, it was their bi-polar swoons on defense between periods that let Milwaukee hang around until the fourth quarter. New York’s most notable defensive lapse came in the second quarter with Milwaukee hitting 67 percent of their shots from the field; helping 36 year old Toni Kucoc find the fountain of youth with 20 points, of which twelve came like he was shooting from Secaucus. Few, if any, answers were found with containing Desmond Mason (20 points) to anything less than a blur. A forgettable night at the free throw line along with Bucks’ top scorer Michael Redd resting his sore finger helped keep the game from slipping away. But at this juncture in the Knicks’ season, they’ll take whatever breaks may come, and by midway through the final period a churned scoring romp gladly ushered in garbage time.

The Knicks have six days to reflect before traveling to Auburn Hills to face the Pistons Tuesday night. For the Knicks, the All-Star break was deemed a welcome opportunity to forget about things. Perhaps they’ll want to rethink that, and choose to remember their widest margin of victory thus far, and how they got it…instead.