Commentary

Can Melo fit in with new-look Knicks?

Thoughts on Knicks' win streak, Eric Gordon's injury, etc. (PER Diem: Feb. 17, 2012)

Updated: February 17, 2012, 7:36 PM ET
By John Hollinger | ESPN.com

Here's what you need to know about the New York Knicks' seven-game Linning streak, which presumably will extend to eight Friday night after their scrimmage at Madison Square Garden against the 6-23 New Orleans Hornets.

First, the schedule has been laughably easy. The Knicks played only one team (the Los Angeles Lakers) over .500 in that seven-game stretch, in which only three games came on the road, with their opponents a combined 79-129 (.379) this season. The Hornets will drag that down further, but the schedule ramps up in difficulty considerably after that. New York takes on the Dallas Mavericks, Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat heading into the All-Star break (along with an easier tilt against the New Jersey Nets), then faces a murderous stretch coming out of it in which eight of the nine opponents have winning records and six of the games are on the road.

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John Hollinger | email

ESPN Insider contributor
  • NBA Insider for ESPN.com since 2005
  • Developed PER, Pace Factor and other key metrics
  • Former author of "Pro Basketball Forecast"

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