Tyson Chandler and Steve Novak were unaware that Monday was the first anniversary of the start of Linsanity, which says quite a bit about the season the Knicks are having. This past summer, Chandler and Novak watched Jeremy Lin, their friend and teammate, leave the Knicks for the Houston Rockets.
A year ago, Lin, an undrafted free agent from Harvard, began his sudden rise with the Knicks. Lin came off the bench last Feb. 4 to score 25 points, to go with seven assists and five rebounds in a victory against the Nets. Over the next month, Lin became the Knicks' most popular player and a global celebrity.
One year later, Lin is gone, but the Knicks have hardly missed a beat. They have won five straight games, all at the Garden. And on Monday, the player who gave the fans a reason to remain engaged in the fourth quarter of a game long decided was Chandler.
In a 99-85 victory over the Detroit Pistons, Chandler was responsible for the biggest highlight — and the loudest roar from the crowd — midway through the fourth, when he grabbed his 20th rebound of the game. After the Pistons' Will Bynum missed his second free throw with 6 minutes 3 seconds left, Chandler corralled the ball to secure his 20th rebound for a third straight game. The last Knick to achieve the feat was Willis Reed in 1969. No N.B.A. player has recorded 20 rebounds in four straight games.
When Chandler came out of the game with 4:49 remaining, he received a nice ovation.
"It's a tough feat," Chandler said. "It hasn't been done in a long time since Willis Reed, and any time you are mentioned in the same breath, it's a tall task."
The Knicks (31-15) remain within a half-game of the Miami Heat for the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
Chandler and Novak, along with Carmelo Anthony, said the biggest difference between this Knicks team and last year's is that this squad is better equipped to compete at the highest level.
The evidence is in the numbers. The Knicks now have a .673 winning percentage, compared with the .375 clip they were playing at a year ago.
"That was an exciting year and an exciting moment," Chandler said of playing last year with Lin. He added: "But we didn't have the type of cast we have now. That was just a period of time. This team has a chance to do something special. It has a chance to do something that hasn't been done here in a long time."
Novak agrees. But he was quick to point out that last season was shortened to 66 games because of the lockout. The Knicks had played 24 games by Feb. 4, 2012. They are now 46 games into this season.
"I think the two teams are very hard to compare," Novak said. "I think last year we were really trying to find ourselves and because Jeremy was new to running point guard for us. This year we really don't have questions about who does what. We know who we are now it's about us being the best us we can be."
Anthony missed most of the games during Lin's run last season because of a groin injury. "I don't think we will see that again for a long time, just how much that took off," Anthony said of Lin's play and its effect on the fans. "Right now, the way we are playing as a team — the most important thing is that we trust one another and believe in one another."
Anthony led all players Monday with 27 points. And against the Pistons, the Knicks did play like a team, not a collection of individuals. They began Monday's game by building a 20-6 lead and had 10 players score.
On Wednesday, the Knicks will face the Wizards in Washington, giving them a chance to extend their winning streak and providing Chandler an opportunity to make history.
REBOUNDS
Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler made a friendly wager before Sunday's Super Bowl. Anthony, who grew up in Baltimore, was rooting for the Ravens, Chandler, who is from California, is a San Francisco 49ers fan. Since Chandler's 49ers lost, he had to wear a Ravens championship hat during his postgame interviews Monday. "That made my day," Anthony said. "It's just coincidence he had three games with 20 rebounds and now that picture will be everywhere." ... Coach Mike Woodson said he expected Rasheed Wallace to return after the All-Star break. The Knicks begin the second-half of the season Feb. 20 against the Indiana Pacers. Wallace has been out since Dec. 12 because of a stress fracture in his left foot. "I don't know if he'll ever be a 100 percent, but I think he'll be good enough to give us some productive minutes," Woodson said of Wallace. ...The last time the Knicks were 16 games over .500 was April 19, 1997. That season, the Knicks were 57-25.
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