Iman Shumpert (Anthony J. Causi)
TIME TO PUNCH BACK: A “Knock out the Knicks” sign (inset) hangs outside the Pacers’ practice facility in Indianapolis, and with two more losses to Indiana, Iman Shumpert and his teammates will find themselves home for the summer. (Anthony J. Causi (2))
INDIANAPOLIS — Faced with a 2-1 hole, an uncertain rotation, a flu bug making the rounds and a scoring tandem in the tank, coach Mike Woodson sounded desperate at yesterday’s practice.
It’s crisis time for the Knicks going into Game 4 of this second-round series tomorrow at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, where they are 0-3 this season.
“We’re going to need everyone playing [tomorrow] on all high cylinders,’’ Woodson warned. “We don’t want to go home down 3-1. That would be a tough climb for us. Tuesday’s game is very, very important.’’
The Knicks are in a dire predicament. Their offense can’t play sicklier than it did in the “Saturday Night Fever” 82-71 loss in Indianapolis.
“We play better when our backs are against the wall,’’ Amar’e Stoudemire said.
You could not hang all the blame on Carmelo Anthony, who scored a modest 21 points, missed his final six shots and committed four turnovers. Everyone struggled, right down to their trio of point guards, Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni.
Woodson acknowledged he has to figure out a fluctuating rotation that just added a rusty Stoudemire at the most sensitive time.
“At this stage of the game, your team, most playoff teams, are pretty set,’’ Woodson said. “And we’re kind of jumping around a little bit. We’ll figure it out.’’
Or they won’t and a once-promising season will never see Miami in May.
In Game 3, the Knicks didn’t resemble the dynamo club that went 54-28 during the regular season. They made a season-low three 3-pointers and were crushed again on the boards, allowing the Pacers 18 offensive rebounds. They have turned Indiana’s 7-foot-2 center Roy Hibbert into Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Anthony petered out in the fourth quarter after being roughed up by Pacers power forward David West. Anthony, who took just three shots in the fourth, doesn’t seem as relaxed and confident with his wingman J.R. Smith on the fritz and ridden with a viral infection.
Kenyon Martin also has caught the bug, and Smith and Martin missed practice to stay back at the hotel. Anthony avoided the media after yesterday’s practice.
“I’m not OK with [Anthony] taking three shots, he’s got to take more shots, but it’s not just him,’’ Woodson said. “J.R.’s been struggling. We need him picking up his offensive game. I don’t want it to be a one-man show.”
There are no signs of Woodson starting an extra big body to help center Tyson Chandler or moving Anthony to small forward to get him away from West. Woodson seemed most upset by the Knicks’ paltry 11 3-point attempts Saturday, blaming it on their lack of pace.
Woodson said he may sprinkle in 3-point shooters Chris Copeland and Steve Novak, who surprisingly didn’t play Saturday until the final two minutes of garbage time.
Woodson became utterly frustrated when asked whether center Marcus Camby would now play because of the Knicks’ rebounding woes.
“I can’t play 13 guys, [expletive],” Woodson said. “I got enough bigs in there. They’ve got to do their jobs in terms of blocking out. We had Amar’e and Kenyon in and they had their bigs in. Kenyon and Amar’e are big guys. I’d like to think so. They got it. We got to mix it up and rebound the ball.’’
Chandler continued his spiel that Hibbert is dominating inside because the Knicks aren’t following the game plan of helping out.
“We’re supposed to double,’’ Chandler said. “If we don’t, the defense is vulnerable. It’s supposed to be us trapping to generate a faster pace. If we’re not trapping, then we’re in a tough spot.”
Stoudemire said, “For us not to execute that on the court is little disappointing. [Woodson] tells us every day the same coverages. We should’ve mastered it by now. We didn’t quite pass the class.’’
Stoudemire played nine minutes, looking fine on offense (3-for-8, seven points) but failing to get a single defensive rebound. Woodson claimed Stoudemire’s minutes were “productive’’ — his plus-minus was 0 — but Woodson won’t increase his role. Stoudemire was used as Anthony’s replacement, so they never shared the court.
“Again, his minutes won’t grow much more than that,’’ Woodson said. “Whatever 10, 12 minutes he gets, he’s got to make it productive.’’
Woodson also faces the dilemma of how to use 40-year-old Kidd, now scoreless in his past seven games and not defending like he did in Round 1. Woodson can choose to give those minutes to Copeland or Prigioni.
“I never thought our team couldn’t score 82 points,’’ Woodson said. “We’ve just got to be better offensively.”