New York Knicks one game closer to locking NBA playoff seed

New York Knicks win seventh straight game

The New York Knicks moved within one game of clinching the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference by beating the Indiana Pacers 110-109 Sunday night.

Carmelo Anthony, acquired by the New York Knicks before the deadline from the Denver Nuggets, scored the game's final basket with 4.9 seconds left in regulation. The Pacers drew up a play for Danny Granger for the final seconds but his shot attempt was blocked by Anthony.

"The shot was cool, but they still had time to come back down and get a shot," Anthony said. I just bunkered down and made a great defensive stop out there."

Anthony led the Knicks with 34 points while Chauncey Billups added 21 points and 7 assists.

The New York Knicks, 42-38, extended their winning streak to seven and clinched their first winning season since the 2000-2001 season. They are headed to the postseason heating up at the right time, and will face either Boston or Miami in the first round.

Amare Stoudemire watched his New York Knicks teammates from the bench wearing a protective walking boot due to an ankle injury he suffered last week. He said he will be ready come playoff time, which starts April 17.

Although he made the key defensive stop that sealed the win, Carmelo Anthony is known more for his offensive prowess than defensive skills.

The Elias Sports Bureau says that his 16 clutch shots made since 2003-2004  is one more than Kobe Bryant. His winning basket on Sunday was the second since he joined the New York Knicks.

Posted by Andre Monohan on Monday April 11 2011, 6:18 AM EST. Ref: NYT. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0