(Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

Hate to drag you down memory lane but let’s go back and talk about Game 4 for a second, particularly the second half. Questions like this are irritating, but which Knick do you think wanted to win the most? Who played the hardest? Who believed his team could create a miraculous comeback for the ages even while trailing by three games and double digit points in the series’ deciding game? If you’ve yet to erase the game’s details from your memory, only a few candidates are presenting themselves. And if you read the title of this post, then you know my answer: Anthony Carter.

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(Photo Courtesy of the AP)

Box Score

Being down 3-0 in a best of seven playoff series doesn’t create too many positive things for a basketball team. What it can do, however, is instill fight, will, belief, hope, and an underdog mentality. Today the Knicks lost; their season crashing to the floor while extending what feels like an eternal winless playoff streak. Their largest deficit in today’s particular game was 23 points and the team had every reason to pack it in and wait until next year as they stared a long summer square in the face: Their starting point guard was in a suit, their largest free agent acquisition in franchise history was limited by back problems, and their starting shooting guard was in the final stages of his slow transformation from Rookie of the Year candidate to Casper the friendly ghost. But the Knicks didn’t give up. They fought back. They had belief and hope and a will to win. Unfortunately, their opponent, the Boston Celtics, had all those things coupled with more talent, chemistry, and experience. In the end, Kevin Garnett’s 26 points, Rajon Rondo’s 12 assists, and the Celtics 50% shooting from the field was just too much to overcome—it would be for most teams.

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Yea...So That Didn't Go In (AP)

Box Score

The 2010-11 regular season goes into the books with a tiny thud as the Knicks lose a semi-meaningless game to Boston four days before the two teams meet in the first round.  I say “semi” meaningless because even though between these two teams Amar’e Stoudemire was the only impact player who saw the court, the Celtics bench players—who had been struggling—were given a little confidence boost. But it isn’t something to read into or worry too much about. Take the jump to read more ’bout it. (more…)

Carmelo Was Hypnotic In The Third Quarter (AP)

Taking a page from Will’s brilliant recap the other night, tonight’s will read like a live self-chat had with myself; bullet points galore. Heeeeeere Weeeee Goooooo!

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No punches were thrown. No trash talking, flying elbows, or blood splatter. But in a game between two teams who see themselves as overlooked threats once the playoffs start, this was a bitter one. The game was a back and forth battle for three quarters. New York had a two point lead at the half and watched the Hawks wrestle it from them throughout the third quarter. Shots were made and missed rhythmically by both teams as it looked like whoever had the ball last would win. Then the fourth quarter happened. New York was very aggressive on defense, forcing 19 turnovers, and offensively they were dynamite, scoring 30 points and closing the game on a 28-16 run. No sequence framed the Knicks late game dominance better than this one: With the ball in his hands at the elbow and time running down on the shot clock, Amar’e Stoudemire (game high 26 points) put his head down and drove towards the basket, into the arms of two waiting Atlanta defenders. Noticing he was stuck, Stoudemire flipped the ball over his head in ridiculously pretty fashion to a wide open Shawne Williams who patiently stood directly in front of the Hawks bench. Williams caught the pass, planted his feet, and watched his third three-pointer of the night (he finished with four) swish through the net just as the backboard’s light went on.  The shot put the Knicks up by 12 and all but decided who the victorious mid-level playoff participant would be.

*It was good to see the Knicks get a win despite one of their all-stars having a rough go. After getting poked in the eye elevating on a jumper in the first quarter, Carmelo Anthony didn’t look right. He permanently removed his headband and safely settled on a steady diet of jumpers for the rest of the game. Anthony had an abnormal stat line: 14 points on just 6-18 shooting, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists. Five of those dimes came in the first quarter alone.  Not sure if it was the poke that affected him so much as it was just an off night from the floor, but in the third quarter it looked like the Knicks were a better team with Anthony on the bench.

*Jared Jeffries made his second straight start while Ronny Turiaf was out with a knee injury. He was his usual boring, but helpful self; like a rusty toolbox. In 26 minutes Jeffries took only 1 shot and didn’t score a point. His box line will never make your eyes pop, but he’s not a “box score” kind of player. Jeffries brought defensive intensity and with his length and versatility, allowed New York to pack the paint when he was in the game, forcing Atlanta to take a whole bunch of jumpers which more times than not didn’t fall. In his first 15 minutes on the floor, Jeffries had a plus/minus of +11; the only player on both teams to be on the plus side in double digits in the first half.

*Landry Fields had another solid outing (15 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 39 minutes) but his defense on Joe Johnson was spectacular.  The Hawks leading scorer had just 14 points and was never able to find a suitable shooting rhythm.

*In all seriousness, where the hell was Al Horford? Just a few nights ago he had the best game of his career, all huffing and puffing against Chicago. Tonight? In a game high 40 minutes? 4 points and 7 rebounds. Facing an opponent with no real frontcourt presence, I expected Horford to be one of the Knicks biggest problems tonight. He definitely wasn’t.

*With Chauncey Billups out for the third straight game, the Knicks backcourt was expected to be stretched thin, but just like Toney Douglas did New Orleans, Anthony Carter did Atlanta. He was the Knicks can of Red Bull, making several huge plays to fuel New York’s late game run. The first came when Jeff Teague, who looks like he could be Carter’s son, came charging full speed and was comically stripped by the 12 year veteran, who took it the other way for a floater. Carter also coolly drained a deep three with just 3 seconds remaining in the third quarter.  Tonight he was a dagger in Atlanta’s back and I’m kind of hoping D’Antoni can find him some minutes once Chauncey returns.

A week ago he was idly sitting on Denver’s bench, a healthy scratch in over 70 percent of Nuggets’ games this season. A stiff combo guard standing a shade over 6’1″ isn’t how you’d typically draw up a lengthy career, but that’s exactly what he’s managed. At a ripe 35-years-old and on his fifth team in 11 years, seven days ago Anthony Carter found himself as a throw in piece in one of the league’s most discussed trades in years.  Up to that point, his season high in production was a six points in 16 minutes losing effort to New Orleans. Days after dust settled on the Carmelo trade, speculation surrounded what the Knicks would do with some of the other pieces. Some assumed Carter would be bought out, likely ending his career. Instead, in one of the Knicks most confidence boosting wins in years, his presence was slightly significant.

When Anthony Carter was inserted into last night’s game, I figured the Knicks were following suit with their small lineup strategy, but to have it come as soon as it did was a little strange. Sure, Carter is a player on a new team and therefore should be allotted the proper floor time to prove himself—have his own little tryout—but against Miami? In Miami? On national television? It was all a little tough to comprehend. To say he made an offensive impact would be fibbing just a bit—Carter scored four points on six shots—but defensively he was a pest, sharing Dwyane Wade duty with the much larger Bill Walker. (Wade went on to shoot 5-15 from the field for a grant total of 12 points.) Can we expect this from him regularly? The odds say there’s no chance, but if Carter can bother opposing two guards and solely place his focus on the defensive end, he should be able to help a team still grappling with the fundamentals of stopping an opponent.

In short, as long as he doesn’t do this, the minutes could continue to come: