It says a lot about where the New York Knicks are right now that they sound just short of thrilled to have gone 2-2 on their recent four-game road trip.
The competition was fierce, with the Atlantic Division-leading Toronto Raptors qualifying as the weakest foe in that stretch, but it’s still a little depressing that a .500 trip is considered an unmitigated success for a team that won 54 games last season. The Knicks had some brain cramps along the way, which put them in a foul mood, but that only strengthened their resolve, according to Kenyon Martin.
“We’re mad at ourselves for how we’re playing,” Martin told the New York Daily News. “We feel we’re a playoff team. The only thing we can do is turn it around, because no one is [going] to feel sorry for us. That’s why this trip was a positive step.”
The Knicks have every reason to be mad at themselves. Even after their recent promising road swing, they are three games out of the eighth and final playoff spot and haven’t won consecutive games since Dec. 5-6.
If anger fuels the Knicks, they had better stay angry. They open a two-game homestand Tuesday against the Pistons, who are in the playoff chase, and the Heat, who are gunning for their third straight championship. If Martin and the Knicks are mad now, by the end of the week they might be incensed.
