After drubbing LeBron James and the world champion Miami Heat in the season opener and sweeping the tough, playoff-contending Philadelphia 76ers, the 3-0 New York Knicks are looking like a well-oiled machine.
And they're looking to continue that streak as the NBA's only undefeated team when they play the sharp-shooting Dallas Mavericks (4-1) at world famous Madison Square Garden in New York City.
For Dallas, playing the Knicks will be a lot like looking in the mirror-almost literally. Two of the key players on the unbeaten Knicks squad, guard Jason Kidd and defensive juggernaut center Tyson Chandler, were part of the veteran Mavericks team that shocked the world when they beat Miami's "Big Three" of James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh in the NBA Finals in 2011 to net Dallas's first world title.
Both stars eventually flew the coup to New York via free agency, Chandler in 2011 and Kidd this past summer.
The signings have been significant for the Knicks, with Chandler providing a huge rebounding and defensive presence and Kidd providing veteran leadership on the floor, averaging 9.0 points in the last four games.
Knicks superstar small forward Carmelo Anthony has also regained his touch, playing like an MVP candidate in the last three games with 26.0 points and 7.3 rebounds, according to league stats.
Though he struggled against the Mavericks on 2-for-12 shooting with six points in their last meeting March 6, which the Knicks lost 95-85 in Dallas, Anthony could have a big game with starting forward Shawn Marion expected to miss tonight's game due to injury, ESPN reports.
If he continues his pace tonight, the Knicks could have their best start since their 1993-94 Eastern Conference Champion campaign, when they started the season at 7-0.
"I'm trying to get Melo to do everything," coach Mike Woodson told NBA.com. "I don't want him to be perceived as just a scorer. Melo has been defending for us. He's been rebounding for us, and that's what he's got to do. It's not just Melo. We gotta have 13 guys doing the things to help us win basketball games."
"Melo is playing at a high level right now and I expect him to continue playing at a high level."
Despite the loss of Dirk Nowitzki, out six weeks recovering from knee surgery, and injuries to Elton Brand, Marion and point guard Rodrigue Beaubois, the Mavericks' high powered offense--scoring 108.4 points a game-has ranked second in the league only to Miami, first in the Western Conference--has powered them to three consecutive wins.
A big reason for that has been the play of O.J. Mayo, scoring 28.0 points per game, and Chris Kaman's 18.0 point average.
"We've got guys picking it up while guys are injured," Kaman told NBA.com. "We're on a little bit of a roll and we're just going to try to keep it going."
Game time starts at 7:30 p.m. EST.
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