Tonight’s Garden game against the Lakers will be one of the Knicks’ most intriguing challenges so far this year, playing against the NBA’s most dominant center, a lineup that coach Don Chaney calls an all-star team – and doing it amid the ever-present media whirlwind swirling around Kobe Bryant.
The Knicks (3-7) are trying to build off Monday’s win over Boston, but facing a squad with future Hall of Famers Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Gary Payton and Karl Malone isn’t the best way to build momentum.
Aside from finding enough basketballs to share, L.A. (8-2) has faced distractions from Bryant’s sexual-assault case and his feud with O’Neal.
Through it all, Bryant has been stellar on the basketball court.
“He’s managing – although he’s getting booed from time to time -which says a lot about him,” Chaney said of Bryant.
“It’s hard to come to the game thinking about other things than basketball.
“He’s managed to separate his outside circumstances from the game itself.”
Bryant is averaging a team-high 21.8 points per game, along with 4.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists.
If the prospect in prison is weighing on him, he’s managed not to carry that burden onto the floor.
“When you’re out there, you’re not thinking about what everybody’s person life is like,” said the Knicks’ Allan Houston, who will likely draw the job of guarding Bryant.
“You just want to get the job done. But we do hope as a man that everything works out for him off the court.”
According to Knick Kurt Thomas, the basketball court may be Bryant’s only true oasis of sanity, the only solace he has from his legal woes.
“Once he steps on the court, he just focuses on what he’s got to do,” Thomas said.
“He’s not really focusing on anything else. It’s his way to escape everything else that’s going on off the court.”
Dikembe Mutombo, who should start despite an injured groin, echoed Thomas’ sentiments on Bryant.
“He’s playing very well,” Mutombo said. “I don’t think this thing that happened in the summer is really affecting his game at all.
“I’ve never seen him come out playing as great as he’s playing. He’s trying to do his business, playing basketball, and he’s doing it well.”
Mutombo’s minutes have come sporadically, based largely on matchups. Rest assured he’ll get plenty against O’Neal.
“The good thing we have versus last year,” said Chaney, “[is] we don’t have to come right away to double [O’Neal]. Dikembe can guard him to a degree.
Mutombo averaged 16.8 points, 12.2 boards and 2.2 blocks in Philadelphia’s NBA Finals loss to L.A.
Said Mutombo: “The offense is going through Shaq, and they’re going to do whatever it takes to let Shaq carry them. I’ve got my hands full. I’ve got to go get a good night’s sleep.
“He’s the best when it comes to strength, and he’s added more moves. I have to be ready.”