INDIANAPOLIS – If there is anything the Knicks can squeeze out of last night’s 102-88 loss to the Pacers to make them feel excited about the next game, it is this: Allan Houston’s ankle injury is close to becoming a thing of the past.
Beforehand, if anyone told the Knicks that Houston would score 18 points and hit half his shots, while Reggie Miller, his Indiana counterpart, would score 19 and get to the foul line only twice, the Knicks would have felt good about the shooting-guard matchup.
That’s what happened, and while Houston still is not himself because of a sprained left ankle, he’s getting better and figures to be even healthier for tomorrow night’s rematch.
“It felt a whole lot better, I could still feel it, and I expect it to be that much better [tomorrow],” Houston said. “I don’t expect it to be a factor any more after this.”
How much of a factor was it? “Not enough for me to really talk about, to be honest.”
That’s good news for the Knicks. Houston hit 8 of 16 from the floor, made two of his three 3-pointers and lasted 41 minutes. He did not look to have the usual spring in his legs – one of his turnaround jumpers was smacked back in his face by Miller – and he could not finish around the basket. Houston did not find his way to the foul line, but was able to stick with Miller more often than not.
“Coming off screens I didn’t stay attached enough, otherwise I thought he had to work a little bit more,” Houston said. “But coming off screens I have to get better.”
Houston was injured with 7:30 remaining in the fourth quarter of Game 6 against Miami when he drove to the basket and was fouled hard by Bruce Bowen. Houston came up limping but finished the game, hitting two jumpers to help fuel the Knicks’ comeback. Swelling and pain, though, rendered Houston virtually useless two days later – he shot 2 of 10 and was mainly a decoy in Game 7 – but the swelling and the pain have both subsided, although Houston was still walking with a limp yesterday morning.
“He’s certainly not 100 percent but he’s a warrior,” Mark Jackson said.
“It’s tough for him,” Marcus Camby said. “I don’t know the extent of his injury but I’ve seen his ankle and it’s not pretty. He’s a gamer, he doesn’t complain, he goes out there and gives it his all. He made some shots but he missed some shots he normally makes.”
The last time they tangled in a playoff game, Houston scored a decisive and remarkable knockout of Miller. In a game that seemed to suggest one player was about to blossom and the other was in decline, Houston in last year’s Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals put on a clinic. He outscored Miller 32-8 in a relentless performance that catapulted the Knicks to a series-ending 90-82 victory.
There was no definitive edge last night, but at least Houston is getting healthier. Still, Miller is not through testing his adversary.
“I’m going to make him work all series,” Miller warned. “Last year I didn’t do a good job of putting pressure on him. Every shot he makes is going to be a tough one. He’s a little gimpy, but I remember when I was in that situation he didn’t take it easy on me, and I’m not going to take it easy on him.”