“KNICKS COULD WIN IT ALL” SAYS STARKS

Knicks legend John Starks reckons New York has what it takes to go all the way this year.

“I think they could win it all,” the 47-year-old told MVP in an exclusive interview. “They’ve proven they can beat all the elite teams in the league. They’re playing good basketbll right now.

“I think they have assembled a team that can play any style of basketball – whether it’s big or small ball. Carmelo Anthony is playing like a superstar. When we need for him to take over games, he’s taking over games. When we need him to make passes, he’s making great passes. And defensively he’s doing very well this year.

“The team as a whole is doing very well from a defensive standpoint, and a lot of credit goes to Mike Woodson for really getting them on the same page, making sure that they play defence first and offence second. They’re playing a good brand of basketball right now.”

But as the oldest team in NBA history, is he worried the Knicks may run out of steam?

“That’s the whole key to the success this year – whether older players can stay healthy going into the playoffs. I think Coach Woodson understands that he has to keep these guys fresh and not really burn them out during the season. But we have the luxury of doing that because we have a pretty deep team, so you don’t have to play Jason Kidd 35 minutes a night, or Marcus Camby 30 minutes a night. That’s the beauty of this team – we’ve got a goof mixture of young players and veteran players.

“One thing about having a veteran team is that these guys have seen it all and been through everything, so they’re not afraid to go out there and win. That’s the key. As I say, if these guys can stay really healthy going into the playoffs, they’ve got as good a chance as any team out there to win.”

Next week the Knicks take on the Detroit Pistons at London’s O2 Arena. Whilst the Pistons have suffered nearly twice as many losses as the team from the Big Apple so far this season, Starks reckons they could prove to be a tricky opponent.

“Detroit is playing good basketball now, they’ve made good strides lately with big wins against good teams.

“Our key to beating them is making sure we continue to get back on defence – because they’re a young team that likes to get up and down the court and rely on a lot of fast break points. We definitely have to get back on defence and get them in a half court situation, and then execute – because they’re a pretty good defensive team too.

“We have to make sure we get as many easy baskets and good looks at the basket as possible. It’s going to be a great game. I’m excited about coming over to London and being a part of the whole NBA experience there. I’ve never been to London, so I’m really looking forward to coming over there and really just enjoying the culture.”

The Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks go head-to-head at the O2 Arena on January 17 at NBA London Live. Watch the game live on Sky Sports 1 and Sky 3D with regular live games and NBA Tonight on ESPN.

Image: NBAE/Getty

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