Knicks are hoping Carmelo Anthony can lead team to first playoff victory in more than a decade
Madison Square Garden
31st to 33rd Sts. between Seventh & Eighth Aves.
On sale Saturday, April 21, 12 noon, $140 – $4,335
www.thegarden.com
www.nba.com/knicks
Following nine losing seasons in which they made only one playoff appearance, falling in the first round in 2004 to the Nets, the Knicks made the postseason last year, when they were swept by the Celtics, and have clinched a spot this year while in the midst of a tumultuous campaign. The team was struggling when Linsanity took hold in March and April, as seldom-used point guard Jeremy Lin led the Knickerbockers on an impossible streak that put them back into contention. Meanwhile, coach Mike D’Antoni stepped aside on March 14 with the team a disappointing 18-24, but since then interim head coach Mike Woodson has guided the Knicks to a 15-6 record as he tries to find a balance between superstars Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire and searches for backcourt consistency among Baron Davis, Mike Bibby, Toney Douglas, Landry Fields, Iman Shumpert, and J. R. Smith. The storied franchise has won just two titles in its sixty-six-year history, in 1969-70 and 1972-73, and they’ve lost ten straight playoff contests, their last postseason victory coming in game three against the Raptors in 2001. Despite all the craziness the 2011-2012 season has seen ― beginning with a lockout that forced the Knicks to have to play 66 games in a mere 118 days, resulting in a spate of injuries ― they’re back in the playoffs, destined to go up against either Chicago or Miami on the road, with tickets on sale beginning today at 12 noon. Prices start at a mere $140 for three potential home games in round one and go up to $4,335, with service charges and fees on the latter only $115 each.