INDIANAPOLIS – For their entire careers as Knicks, Charlie Ward and Chris Childs have been known as a point guard tandem liability. Surely one can’t forget the painful words of Nets point guard Stephon Marbury who proclaimed the Knicks would never win a championship with Ward and Childs.
Tell that to the Pacers. Or the Heat.
The Eastern Conference title was two wins away from the Knicks going into last night’s Game 5 against the Indiana Pacers in Conseco Fieldhouse. The play of Ward and Childs has been at the forefront of the Knicks’ success and although you will not hear either player brag, there is a quiet satisfaction in what they’re accomplishing.
“The thing is that Charlie and I have always supported each other and believed in each other,” Childs said. “We’ve each had to make adjustments. I was a starter who had to learn how to come off the bench. Charlie had to learn to be a starter. But we’ve always been on the same page.”
Same page, different results.
It was Ward who took over in the Knicks Game 4 win over the Miami Heat by scoring a playoff career-high 20 points. Chants of ‘Charlie! Charlie!’ resounded throughout the Garden and Ward mused after the game that now he knew what it felt like to be a go-to guy, like Latrell Sprewell or Allan Houston.
In Game 7 against the Heat, it was Childs who became the go-to guy, scoring 13 of his 15 points in the second half. Those 13 were the only points the Knicks scored in a stretch that spanned from the third through the fourth quarters.
Then in Game 4 against the Pacers on Monday evening, with Patrick Ewing on the bench and Marcus Camby and Sprewell hobbled by injuries, it was Ward combining with Larry Johnson to key a 91-89 win that tied this series at two games each. Ward had 16 points, seven assists, four rebounds and three steals.
“I’m still not that go-to guy,” said Ward. “I do feel like I’m the quarterback of the team but I understand my role. If I have a chance to make a play, I will. I’m not going to force anything. I have to create for my teammates.”
There are many guards in this league who create for themselves. Marbury often falls into the trap of shooting first and setting up teammates second. Allen Iverson is a shooting guard trapped in a point guard’s body.
“If we’re scoring 20 points and getting 10, 15 assists on a consistent basis, something’s wrong,” said Childs. “They don’t ask that of us. The bottom line is that we have to sacrifice our game for other people on this team and that’s fine. There are some point guards who aren’t willing to sacrifice.”
Ward is in agreement. He has spent hours working on his offensive game, pumping in jumpers and building the confidence to take key shots in game situations. But Ward understands with all the options the Knicks have – Sprewell, Houston, Johnson, Ewing – he and Childs must pass first, look to score second and always play defense.
If the duo can combine for 20 points and 15 assists, the Knicks surely can make a run at an NBA title.