[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3D3OEB7hopk&w=560&h=315]
Roy Hibbert’s monster fourth-quarter block on Carmelo Anthony at the rim may well have been the difference between the Knicks forcing a Game 7 on Monday night and them going on summer vacation.
“It was a helluva block, big play by Hibbert,” Anthony said of the Pacers’ big man’s one-handed stuff when the Knicks led by two points in Game 6 in Indiana.
“That block I think spearheaded that momentum run that they made.”
Led by Brooklyn native Lance Stephenson, Indiana went on an 11-2 run and closed out the Knicks, 106-99.
“It’s tough,” said Anthony, who scored 39 points but fell to 3-9 in elimination games. “We all know what was the goal that we had set. Everybody wants to go to the championship, win the championship, that’s the ultimate goal.
“Unfortunately, our run had to stop here. We take this time off right now, this offseason, regroup and come back better and stronger next season.”
“Our goals were to win an NBA title,” Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. “At the end of the day we didn’t get it done.”
What lies ahead for the Knicks remains unclear.
Jim Boeheim, Anthony’s former college coach, told SNY.tv before Game 5, “I think they’re gonna have to do something down the road to change the roster. I’m sure there will be a lot of changes for next year.”
But the Knicks are hamstrung by the salary cap and and face a lot of questions going forward.
What will become of 40-year-old Jason Kidd, who went scoreless in his last 10 playoff games dating to April 23, and is signed for two more years?
What about 39-year-old Marcus Camby, also signed for two more seasons?
Will Pablo Prigioni, the 35-year-old rookie who was highly effective as the team’s starting point guard down stretch, return or go play overseas?
Will the volatile and unpredicatable J.R. Smith, who has a player option and is expected to test the free agent market, take more money to go elsewhere?
And what will become of Amar’e Stoudemire, who languished on the bench down the stretch of Game 6 but is due $45.1 million over the next two seasons?
And perhaps most importantly, no matter who his teammates are, can Anthony ever lead this team to the NBA Finals as long as LeBron James remains in the East.
“It’s a learning curve for this season,” Anthony said, “and we’ll be back better and stronger for next year for sure.”
