Grant Hill only can shake his head at the sad state of the Knicks.
Rejuvenated in Phoenix after a nightmarish, injury-filled stint in Orlando, Hill took time out to sympathize with his Knicks counterparts last night. It was the least he could do after roasting them in the fourth quarter of a 115-104 Suns victory at the Garden.
“They’re a very talented team, but there’s a lot going on there,” Hill said after pumping in a season-high 28 points and basically taking over in stretches. “I’m sure you guys (in the New York media) are more qualified to talk about that than I am, but they have the talent and the ability. It’s just kind of a tough situation for all of them.
“They’re a team that’s fighting for their lives.”
That description doesn’t fit Hill or the 13-4 Suns, who appear to be a perfect-fit with each other after last night.
Hill, who signed with Phoenix as a free agent over the summer, already seemed to have melded seamlessly into coach Mike D’Antoni’s talent-heavy rotation in the first 16 games. But Hill asserted himself with an exclamation point against the Knicks at the start of the fourth quarter.
With the Suns clinging to an 85-84 lead and two-time MVP point guard Steve Nash forced to the bench by tired legs, Hill suddenly rose up and toyed with the Knicks by scoring the first nine points of the period.
Hill’s personal 9-0 run all but sealed the game, even with nearly 10 minutes left. The dispirited Knicks never got closer than nine points the rest of the way.
“Not only did he take over, but he took over when Nash was out of the game,” D’Antoni said of Hill. “And that doesn’t happen a whole lot.”
Hill, who spent the past six seasons in Orlando dealing with chronic ankle problems after an illustrious start to his career as a Detroit Piston, said he didn’t see why anyone should be surprised.
“I had some big games last year,” he said, laughing.
At the same time, Hill said he realizes he still has to answer doubters about his age (35) and his career after being limited by injury to 29 or fewer games in four of his six seasons with the Magic. Some of those doubters, he said, probably existed in the Suns’ own locker room.
“I’m the new guy and [I have to] show what I can do, yet still fit in,” he said. “There’s a transition there.”