NEW YORK -- The New York Knicks (54-28) won their regular season finale against the (44-38) Atlanta Hawks, 98-92, before a sold-out Fan Appreciation Night on Wednesday at the Madison Square Garden.
Carmelo Anthony clinched the NBA scoring title, the first Knick to lead the league in scoring since Bernard King did it in 1985.
The Hawks entered the game in a tie for fifth place with the Chicago Bulls. Had the Hawks won and the Bulls lost to the Washington Wizards, Atlanta would have secured a first round best-of-7 matchup with the No.4 ranked Brooklyn Nets.
Instead, the Hawks slipped to a sixth seed and a showdown against the physical No.3 seed Indiana Pacers in the opening round..
Both the Hawks and the Knicks rested their top players in hopes of staying heathy when the postseason opens April 20.
The Knicks were led by Chris Copeland's 33 points.This was Copeland's second straight game with 30 or more points. James White chipped in 20 points.
The Knicks' new additions Quentin Richardson and Earl Barron played heavy minutes, with Barron getting an impressive 11 points and 18 rebounds..
The Hawks' Mike Scott had 23 points and 14 rebounds. John Jenkins came off the bench to score 20 points.
NOTES: Fans voted throughout the week on Knicks.com to select the halftime routine for the Knicks City Dancers, who performed Justin Timberlake's "Sexy Back" to a standing ovation. City Dancer Madeleine told reporters "it was an honor" on her first year with the Knicks.
In honor of today's retirement of fan favorite Rasheed Wallace, "both teams played hard." (RS)
Comments
Share your thoughts on the above article by Raman Sharma.