New York Knicks

With the Allen Iverson flirtation behind them and the reality of going forward with this hodge-podge roster very much a reality now for coach Mike D'Antoni, the realization has set in that the "Seven Seconds or Less" offense he brought with him from the Phoenix Suns might have to be shelved. D'Antoni recently admitted a need to change his strategy to better fit the players he has, and it has been notable over the last three games.

The results are obvious: The Knicks won two and took the Celtics to an overtime nail-biter they lost at the buzzer. The catalyst? Not the system, but the one thing D'Antoni has been often criticized about as a coach: defense.

But, really, the lower scores and better ball movement is a result of a more traditional halfcourt set that D'Antoni implemented during a four-day break between games after a 1-9 start. With center Eddy Curry back on the court, it only makes sense for the Knicks -- who just don't have the point guard to run the Sun-and-Gun system the way Steve Nash did and don't have the kind of athletes to keep up an up-tempo pace -- to go with the inside-out strategy.

"There will be more post-ups," D'Antoni said of the Curry addition. "And we'll be able to have a presence inside."

Curry also allows D'Antoni to move David Lee back to power forward, his natural position, though D'Antoni isn't in a rush to do that yet. Lee at the five spot causes mismatches in the pick-and-roll on offense, and D'Antoni would prefer to use Wilson Chandler and Al Harrington at the four spot.

Lee has handled the center position admirably on offense, but defensively he has been overmatched many times. And opposing teams clearly attack the 6-9 Lee with drives knowing he is not a shot-blocker, nor is he the type to go for hard fouls. D'Antoni acknowledged that Lee really doesn't belong at center, especially on defense.

"But I don't know who else to put in right now," he said. "That's where Eddy comes in, if he can fill that void."

CELTICS 107, KNICKS 105 (OT): Kevin Garnett missed 11 of his first 14 shots, but it was his last one that mattered most as he drilled a 19-footer at the buzzer to win it for the Celtics (10-4). David Lee tied it at 105 with 9.3 seconds left when he dunked to finish a pick-and-roll play with Larry Hughes. Lee had 22 points and 15 rebounds and Al Harrington had 30 points off the bench for the Knicks (3-10), whose modest winning streak ended at two.

• C Eddy Curry's minutes continue to increase, as well as his role, but he could find himself on the bench in the next game because of a flagrant foul called against him with 5:21 left in the fourth quarter.

  Curry, frustrated after he missed a layup against some physical defense by Kendrick Perkins, shoved guard Rajon Rondo to the floor as Rondo grabbed the rebound. The NBA will certainly review the play, mainly because Curry deliberately pushed Rondo in the back as he was in the air. Rondo fell to the floor but was not injured.

  "I hope to not get suspended," Curry said, "but we'll see what happens."

  The Knicks might not mind seeing this type of emotion from Curry, however, especially because he rarely showed it in previous seasons, which called to question his passion for the game. But in three games, Curry has already shown some fire, including in his debut Nov. 18, when he went face-to-face with Pacers big man Solomon Jones after the two got tangled up on the post.

  Curry played 15:50 against the Celtics and had six points and four rebounds.

• G Nate Robinson's antics in the previous game against the Nets drew the ire of coach Mike D'Antoni, but the next day D'Antoni went right back to Robinson as the first guard off the bench and the 5-9 dynamo played with much more purpose and control. He was also far more effective than he has been all season.

  Robinson had 19 points off the bench, with 7-for-11 shooting from the floor, including 3-for-6 from 3-point range. He provided exactly the kind of energy and athleticism—not to mention scoring—the Knicks have sorely missed from him so far this season.

Quote To Note:

"We didn't use our foul. We were supposed to foul."

—Mike D'Antoni on the final play Sunday, in which his team failed to use its foul-to-give before Kevin Garnett's buzzer-beating winner.

Rotation:

Starters—PG Chris Duhon, SG Larry Hughes, SF Danilo Gallinari, PF Wilson Chandler, C David Lee. Bench—F Al Harrington, G Nate Robinson, C Eddy Curry, G Toney Douglas.

Player Notes:

• F Al Harrington, one of several Knicks who have struggled with their shooting early in the season, came out firing off the bench. He hit 10 of 21 from the field and 5 of 10 from downtown as he had 30 of the team's 55 bench points.

• F Wilson Chandler is starting to regain some of his athleticism that had suffered after undergoing offseason ankle surgery to remove bone spurs. He had 11 points in 29:12 against Boston. He went to the line only once though he did drive to the basket a lot more, which is what the coaching staff has been encouraging him to do.

• G Chris Duhon and G Larry Hughes (2-for-11) combined for an awful 3-for-17 shooting day in the backcourt, but they did record 10 assists (Duhon had six) to just two turnovers.

Medical Watch:

• F Jared Jeffries missed the game because of a sore right knee.

  No major injuries.