The New York Knicks have grudgingly earned some respect from voters in the Week 6 SB Nation.com NBA Power Rankings. After winning 10 of 11 games, the Knicks (13-9) have moved into the No. 5 spot in the Eastern Conference in voting by the SB Nation panelists.
Like I said, though, the respect is coming grudgingly -- and you can see the asterisks all over the faint praise offered for Amare Stoudemire and the Knicks. Here is what SB Nation had to say about the Knicks.
I suppose I can accept that the Knicks maybe legitimate Eastern Conference playoff contenders. But last week's victories over the Pistons, Nets, Hornets, and Raptors don't impress me all that much. Amar'e is playing like he should, and Felton has been a pleasant surprise. Still, this team is going to need to D it up against the big boys of the EC in order to keep it up, and well, we all know a D'Antoni squad can't do that.
Hardly a huge show of belief in the boys in orange and blue.
All of that, however, is better than the disrespect shown for the 6-15 and rapidly sinking New Jersey Nets. The Nets placed 11th in the Eastern Conference this week, and now thanks to the following comment from SB Nation I can't get Avery Johnson's shrill voice out of my head.
I can only imagine what it's like losing a lot of games and having to listen to Avery Johnson's voice in your sleep. Ugh.
The Boston Celtics (16-4) are ranked No. 1 in the East, and the San Antonio Spurs (17-3) are the top dog in the West.