Tom Thibodeau did something no New York Knicks head coach hadn’t been able to do in 25 years. Make the Knicks relevant again.

In his fifth season, Thibodeau led New York to a top-three seed in the Eastern Conference. However, the playoff run ended in disappointment, as the Knicks fell to Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers in the conference finals.

Just as Thibs seemed poised to lead the Knicks back to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999, the rug was pulled from under him. In a major shift, the Knicks fired the defensive-minded Thibodeau and replaced him with Mike Brown, a coach known for favoring a faster tempo. Brown, a disciple of Steve Kerr’s pace-and-space methodology that powered the Golden State Warriors to four NBA championships in eight years, brings a new approach.

Brown takes over a Knicks squad led by reigning Clutch Player of the Year Jalen Brunson.

Brunson, who averaged 26.0 points and 7.3 assists per game last season, is the unquestioned leader of the Knicks and arguably the franchise’s best star player since Patrick Ewing. Brunson, along with Knicks teammates Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges, played college ball at Villanova.

In Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, the Knicks have one of the best guard-center combos in the league, and Brown will lean on both to help him establish a more diversified offensive attack.

Towns fit in seamlessly with the Knicks and earned a fifth All-Star selection. OG Anunoby, Bridges, and Hart formed a sturdy perimeter wall, locking down opposing wings and bringing toughness on both ends of the floor. The Knicks, with their core under contract for the next few years, are well-positioned to contend for a championship. The last time the Knicks won an NBA title, “The French Connection” won Best Picture at the Oscars. That was 54 years ago.

OneManFastBreak projects the top eight teams in the Eastern Conference.

1-New York Knicks — Devastating Achilles’ injuries to Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton open the door for the Knicks to climb into the top spot and become beast of the East. The addition of free agents Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele should bolster the Knicks bench.

2-Cleveland Cavaliers — The Cavs won 64 regular-season games a season ago but got bounced early in the postseason. The pressure is on All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell to help the Cavs rebound from last season’s disappointing finish.

3-Detroit Pistons — Cade Cunningham took his game to a new level under J.B. Bickerstaff. Motor Cade got a taste of the postseason last season, and another year under his belt will only increase his stock. Jaden Ivey returns to the lineup after missing 52 games due to a knee injury.

4-Milwaukee Bucks — Giannis Antetokounmpo is coming off a superb summer, leading his Greek national team to a bronze medal at EuroBasket. As long as the Greek Freak is healthy and happy, the Bucks will always be a threat.

5-Orlando Magic — The addition of shooting guard Desmond Bane should make life a little easier for Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero. Wagner is coming off a sensational summer after helping Germany win a gold medal at EuroBasket.

6-Atlanta Hawks — The Hawks opted not to offer point guard Trae Young a max extension. Trae will be highly motivated to show the Hawks that he’s worth the $229 million investment.

7-Miami Heat — Heat Culture took a hit last season, winning only 37 games and finishing 12th in the conference. Erik Spoelstra won’t let it happen again, and he’ll have a new spark plug in Norman Powell to fire up the offense.

8-Boston Celtics — Tatum’s Achilles’ tear drastically alters the Celtics’ plans for this season, but it doesn’t mean they are going to tank. Finals MVP Jaylen Brown is still on the roster, and expect expanded roles for Payton Pritchard and Derrick White.

Play-In teams: Chicago Bulls and Philadelphia 76ers

Paul George and Lance Stephenson are in a dogfight with the Hawks. (GETTY IMAGES)

The Indiana Pacers were in a fighting mood the day before the 2014 NBA playoffs started. Unfortunately, they were fighting themselves.

Lance Stephenson and Evan Turner got into a scuffle during practice, according to Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski, and had to separated by teammates David West and Luis Scola. Turner walked away from practice with a cut.

The fistfight is symbolic of how the last three months have gone for the Pacers.

They have gone from being title contenders to punchlines on social media, and the hits just keeps on coming. The Pacers, the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, are in a dogfight with the eighth-seeded Atlanta Hawks, who finished with a sub-.500 record during the regular season.

On paper, this first-round series should be an easy one to predict. The big, bad Pacers against the undersized Hawks. But somehow, the paper got wet as the Hawks are looking like the contenders and the Pacers are acting like a bunch of pretenders.

Pacers All-Star Paul George summed it up best after his team lost Game 3 to fall behind 2-1 in the series. He said, “Our toughness is questionable right now.”

That’s a bold statement coming from the team’s best player.

Toughness was supposed to be the Pacers’ calling card. It was the foundation of their vaunted defense. George and Co. had the second-best defense in the NBA this past season, and they have a roster loaded with Ruff Ryders.

But sometimes having physical toughness doesn’t mean anything if you don’t have mental toughness. That’s where the problem lies with the Pacers. Between the ears.

Confidence is a fragile thing, and it’s hard to get it back once you lose it.

Right now, the Pacers have lost their swagger. Instead of walking around with their heads held high, they’re looking around for excuses when things go wrong. And the guy on their team that has lost his mojo is 7-2 center Roy Hibbert.

When Indiana coach Frank Vogel was asked if Hibbert will start Game 4 against the Hawks, Vogel said: “We’ll see.”

Not exactly a ringing endorsement.

“He’s our anchor,” Vogel said. “We won 56 games with him as a starter. We’ll see. Probably.”

You can understand Vogel’s hesitation when the subject of benching his “anchor” came up. It’s a tough call. Benching Hibbert could have a domino effect. He could lose Hibbert mentally for the rest of the playoffs. He could alienate the rest of the team. He could also save the Pacers from elimination.

The Hawks and their perimeter-oriented offense is a bad matchup for Hibbert. His forte is protecting the rim, but if the Hawks are staying away from the rim then there’s no need to have rim protector. Hibbert looks like a fish out of water guarding Hawks center Pero Antic, who prefers to drift outside the 3-point line. It’s a terrible matchup for him.

One solution is to start Hibbert but pull him after 3-4 minutes, and insert Luis Scola at center to team up with West. Scola has been much more effective than Hibbert in the Hawks series and arguably the Pacers’ second-best player at the moment.

But Hibbert is just one part of the multiple issues the Pacers need to address.

The starters look gassed and Vogel may need to reach out to his bench to stay afloat.

Indiana also has too many ball-stoppers on the floor and not enough shooters. Spreading the floor could open up lanes for George to drive and kick.

But mainly, the Pacers need to address their locker room. They are a fractured group. They have two guys in Stephenson and Turner looking for the their next contracts. That’s likely why they were fighting. They’re both after the same thing and they will go through each other to get it.

Money is the root of all evil.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

Erik Spoelstra led the Miami Heat to 66 wins and the franchise’s third NBA title in 2012-13. (GETTY IMAGES)

Erik Spoelstra sat in the stands inside Cox Pavilion on the campus of the University of Nevada Las Vegas looking very relaxed. He happily signed a few autographs, scribbling “Coach Spo” on one program.

Life is good for Coach Spo. He’s coming off a second championship season and one day before the start of training camp the Heat reportedly is working on a lucrative contract extension that would keep the 42-year-old head coach in Miami for a long time.

Spoelstra is 260-134 in his first five seasons with Miami, going to the NBA Finals the last three seasons. Only 12 other coaches in NBA history have multiple championships and only seven others have collected rings in back-to-back years. And last season may have been Spoelstra’s best coaching job.

The Heat rolled through the regular season, winning 27 straight games at one point on the way to a 66-16 record. Then in the playoffs, Miami had to rally from a 1-0 second-round deficit against Chicago and ultimately had to grind out seven-game victories over Indiana in the Eastern Conference finals and San Antonio in the NBA Finals.

”What’s overlooked for him is the management of the team,” Wade told AP last season. ”It’s not the coaching part of it. It’s, ‘Can you manage these egos, these personalities, without having one your damn self?’ He’s done it.”

Every team in the league are gunning for Spoelstra and the Heat this season. But they were all gunning for them last year as well, and we all know how that turned out.

OneManFastBreak.net examines teams in the Eastern Conference’s Southeast Division and where they’ll finish:

1-MIAMI HEAT

LeBron James is at the height of his powers and no one is no longer doubting his ability to win, especially in crunch. He delivered a virtuoso performance in the 2013 playoffs, including a dagger mid-range jumper from the right elbow to seal Game 7 of the Finals against the San Antonio Spurs. If there are chinks on the Heat’s armor it’s injuries and fatigue. Dwyane Wade’s knees are beginning to fail him and his health has been a concern for three years. Wade turns 32 in January and he has 100 percent relinquished the team’s “Batman” title to his buddy LeBron. The Heat are about to embark on a historic journey. Since the NBA-ABA merger, only two teams have gone to four consecutive NBA Finals: Magic Johnson’s L.A. Lakers teams from 1982-85 and Larry Bird’s Boston Celtics teams from 1984-87. The Heat have played well over 100 games the last three seasons, so fatigue will definitely be an issue.

2-WASHINGTON WIZARDS

Owner Ted Leonsis, team president Ernie Grunfeld and coach Randy Wittman are going all in on point guard John Wall, as the Wizards inked the No. 1 overall pick in 2010 with a five-year, $80-million contract. The team is shaping entire game plan around Wall, a player who is blessed with many physical gifts but is still learning how to run an offense. Wall made great strides last year after missing the first 33 games with a bum knee. He averaged 18 points per game, but more importantly nearly eight assists. Instead of going end-to-end looking for his own shot, Wall started sharing the ball and finding open teammates. Wall’s evolution as a point man helped Washington play .500 ball over the final 50 games. Bradley Beal got off to a slow start but finished strong, earning third place in the rookie of the year voting.

3-ATLANTA HAWKS

Larry Drew did a commendable job in 2012-13 despite having a depleted roster and losing All-Star Joe Johnson to free agency. Instead of getting a hearty handshake, Drew was shown the door and was let go. Enter new coach Mike Budenholzer, an assistant coach under Gregg Popovich. Budenholzer was hired by general manager Danny Ferry, another former Spurs employee. Ferry believed that the Hawks were “locked into an identity that was hard to change and was going to be harder to maintain.” Change is coming in Atlanta. Aside from losing Drew, the Hawks won’t have Josh Smith. Jeff Teague and Al Horford are now the focal point of Budenholzer’s new attack, and free agent pickup Paul Millsap replaces Smith in the starting lineup. Lou Williams, who is coming off an ACL tear, should bolster scoring off the bench.

4-ORLANDO MAGIC

The Magic organization is now two years removed from the Dwight Howard drama and, frankly, Orlando seems to be doing just fine; the rebuilding process is well under way. Second-year head coach Jacque Vaughn was given a bad hand to start his coaching career, but he should have more pieces to work with this year beginning with prized rookie Victor Oladipo. The second overall pick in the 2013 draft shined during the summer league, averaging 19 points, four rebounds, five assists, and two steals while primarily playing point guard. Oladipo comes into the NBA with reputation as a defensive standout who loves to slash to the basket. But he impressed the Magic coaching staff with his ballhandling and outside shooting. The former Indiana University star will be a strong candidate for rookie of the year in 2014.

5-CHARLOTTE BOBCATS

Charlotte fans are absolutely giddy, and it’s not because they picked up Al Jefferson in free agency or drafted Indiana University stud Cody Zeller. The reason for the big buzz in the city is the return of the “Hornets,” as in the Charlotte Hornets. The NBA Board of Governors recently approved the name change after New Orleans changed its name to the Pelicans. Charlotte just needs to tough it out for one more season as the Bobcats before switching to the Charlotte Hornets at the start of the 2014-15 season. The change can’t come soon enough for team owner Michael Jordan because since taking over majority ownership in 2010 the Bobcats have become comatose, winning just 28 games in two years. But help is on the way. First-year head coach Steve Clifford has armed himself with great assistants in Patrick Ewing and Mark Price. Too bad Ewing and Price can’t put on uniforms.

Joel Huerto is editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

Dwyane Wade and LeBron James are looking to add to their championship ring collection. (GETTY IMAGES)

The road to the 2013 NBA Finals got a little easier for defending champion Miami.

Dwight Howard left Orlando and headed for Hollywood and Joe Johnson left Atlanta for Brooklyn. The defections gutted the Southeast Division, leaving the Heat without a legitimate sparring partner in the division. Unless Josh Smith turns into Dominique Wilkins overnight and John Wall develops a Gilbert Arenas-like jump shot, the Heat should finish with the best record in the Eastern Conference based on the simple fact that it has little competition within the division. And last time we checked, LeBron James still wears the Heat colors and he’ll have a healthier Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, and a new sniper in Ray Allen to help him defend the NBA title.

Team president Pat Riley and head coach Erik Spoelstra went into the offseason with a mindset of upgrading the roster, something the Heat didn’t do the season after they won the championship in 2006. Allen provides the Heat with another spot-up shooter — arguably the greatest 3-point shooter in history — to open up the floor for Wade and LeBron. Spoelstra has also asked Chris Bosh to slide over to the center position full-time, freeing up LeBron to play power forward. About the only major question mark for the Heat heading into the season is Wade’s surgically repaired knee. If all the reports are accurate, Wade should be back to being D-Wade for 2012-13.

OneManFastbreak.net predicts the order of finish in the Southeast Division:

1-MIAMI HEAT — LeBron finally rid of that humongous monkey off his back when he got that elusive championship ring in 2012. James should get a big bump off his championship season, and this is bad news for the division and rest of the league. But the Heat are much more than just the Big Three. What makes Miami so difficult to beat is balance. The Heat have players (Mario Chalmers, Shane Battier, Udonis Haslem) who know their roles and make “championship” plays each and every night. Chalmers is not afraid to take and make big shots down the stretch. Battier and Haslem are committed to doing all the dirty work: playing defense, taking charges, diving for loose balls. Those are all the type of things that don’t show up on the box score.

2-ATLANTA HAWKS — You don’t lose a Joe Johnson and consider yourself a championship team. This is the dilemma the Hawks are facing this year. But the Hawks can point to the addition-by-subtraction theory, and the feeling is the ball should move better without Johnson, who can be a ball-stopper. Former 76ers guard Lou Williams may not have Johnson’s All-Star credentials, but he’s an explosive scorer who plays better when the game is on the line.

3-ORLANDO MAGIC — No D. Howard, no Stan Van Gundy, no expectations. The Magic are starting over and it begins at the top with the hiring of Jacque Vaughn as head coach. During his NBA career, Vaughn was remembered for being a smart player on offense and tough on defense. Expect the Magic to be those things, but it will take time to recover from the mess left by all the Dwight drama.

4-WASHINGTON WIZARDS — The Wizards ditched their youth movement and brought in more experienced players. The team felt there was too much knuckleheadedness and not enough professionalism. But what the Wizards don’t realize is sometimes experience doesn’t make up for youth and talent.

5-CHARLOTTE BOBCATS — Coming off one of the worst seasons in NBA history, there is nowhere to go but up for the Bobcats. Starting with the choice of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist in the draft and naming last year’s top pick Kemba Walker as the starter at point guard, the Bobcats are putting the franchise on the shoulders of two college basketball winners and hoping their championship pedigree rubs off on the entire team.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

Forward Josh Childress appeared in just 34 games last season for the Suns. (GETTY IMAGES)

Josh Children agreed to a one-year deal with the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday. The contract is not guaranteed and no details were available, but it is thought to be worth the veteran minimum.

Childress has played six NBA seasons but played in only 34 games for the Phoenix Suns last season, averaging just under 3 points per game in limited action. He never got much of a chance, but will be the primary backup behind Gerald Wallace.

Childress is a solid rotation player who should be able to give Brooklyn 13-15 solid minutes off the bench. He is a decent defender and capable scorer.

Childress was selected sixth overall by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2004 NBA draft after playing three seasons at Stanford (he played with Jason and Jarron Collins, and averaged 12.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game). He averaged a career-high 13 points in 2006-07 with the Hawks, but was a restricted free agent after the 2007-08 campaign. He went to Greece where he signed a three-year, $20-million deal before returning to the NBA with the Suns.

The Nets hope he can contribute to a vastly different team that has high hopes after spending a small fortune this offseason.

Darren Jacks is a contributor to OneManFastBreak.net. Send him an email at djroxalot@hotmail.com.

Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce scored a game-high 36 points in Game 2 against the Hawks. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Paul Pierce pulled a Tebow-esque fourth quarter Tuesday night in Atlanta as the Boston Celtics captain took it upon himself to make sure the series was knotted at one game apiece heading to Boston for the next two games.

Pierce, the 2008 NBA Finals MVP, came through when the Celtics really needed him most, especially with starting point guard Rajon Rondo suspended and shooting guard Ray Allen sitting out again with an injured right ankle. The man the call The Truth scored 36 points on 12-of-26 shooting, outscoring the Hawks all by himself over the last 15 minutes of Game 2 to lift the Celtics to an 87-80 victory. He also grabbed 14 rebounds and had four assists.

Down the stretch, the Celtics simplified things: Give the ball to Pierce and get out of the way.

”Paul was great,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. ”The only way we were going to win a game like this without Ray and Rondo was if Paul had a game like this.’

After making a couple of foul shots with just over a minute remaining to give Boston an 85-78 lead, Pierce paused on his way back to the bench to copy the move named after New York Jets quarterback Tim Tebow, sinking to a knee and bowing his head for a brief prayer in the middle of the court. ”You just want to thank God for putting you in those positions,” Pierce said. ”It wasn’t pre-scripted. It just came to me.” Watch Pierce’s Tebowing:

Paul Pierce's Celtics meet Marvin Williams and the Hawks in the opening round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

For the second consecutive season, the Chicago Bulls finished with the best record in the Eastern Conference and, based on a head-to-head tiebreaker against the San Antonio Spurs, the Bulls will have home-court advantage in the NBA Finals if they get that far.

Last season, the Bulls were eliminated in the conference finals by the Miami Heat. Just like last year, the Heat will enter the postseason with the second-best record in the East. Both teams may not be at their best heading into the second season, with the Bulls concerned about Derrick Rose’s health and the Heat concerned about Dwyane Wade’s finger and ankle injuries. However, they’re still easily the best teams in the conference and it will take a monumental effort to knock them out.

Here’s how OneManFastBreak sees how things will shake down in the Eastern Conference playoffs:

FIRST ROUND

(1) Chicago Bulls vs. (8) Philadelphia 76ers
Doug Collins should get votes for coach of the year for what he has done in Philly. The Sixers play good defense and share the ball on offense. They have a first-team all-defender in Andre Iguodala and one of the top sixth men in Lou Williams. However, the Sixers don’t have enough offensive firepower to put the Bulls defense at risk. Philly may stretch this to a six-game series because of Rose’s shaky health, but that’s about it. BULLS IN 6

(4) Boston Celtics vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks
The Celtics won the season series 2-1, but all the games were very close. Going back to the 2008 playoffs during Kevin Garnett’s first season in Boston, the Hawks matched up well with the Celtics. Joe Johnson loves to play against his former team and Josh Smith is playing at a high level. The Celtics go into the playoffs hobbling a little bit with Paul Pierce nursing a toe injury and Ray Allen hampered by a foot problem. This could be the final run for Boston’s Big Four so they won’t go down without a fight. CELTICS IN 7

(3) Indiana Pacers vs. (6) Orlando Magic
In years past, the Magic are a shoe-in to move past the first round. Not this year. Without their franchise center and three-time defensive player of the year Dwight Howard, the Magic could have their shortest postseason run in the Howard era and may lead to the firing of head coach Stan Van Gundy. The Pacers may have the easiest road to the second round than any team in the East. PACERS IN 5

(2) Miami Heat vs. (7) New York Knicks
The Heat have struggled after the All-Star break, leading some to believe that the NBA’s most hyped squad are extremely vulnerable this postseason. But last time we checked, the Heat still have LeBron James and Dwyane Wade on the roster. And whenever you have two top-five players on the same squad, you are a tough out. Carmelo Anthony may be able to scratch one victory by himself against the Heat, but ultimately Miami’s superior dynamic duo and battle-tested defense will win out. HEAT IN 5

CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

(2) Miami Heat vs. (3) Indiana Pacers
The Pacers are a resilient bunch, but now they’re facing a formidable foe with a devastating 1-2 punch. During the regular season, the Pacers had trouble handing LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, and the Heat went on to win three of the four games. There is no one in the Pacers’ locker room who defend James or Wade one-on-one. Indiana coach Frank Vogel has huge matchup dilemma in his hands. If Vogel goes with the starting lineup of George Hill and Paul George at guard and Danny Granger at small forward, he has to put Hill on Wade and George on LeBron because Granger has no chance against Wade or LeBron. Look for the Heat to try to wear down Granger, much like how LeBron wore down Carmelo Anthony in the previous series. HEAT IN 5

(4) Boston Celtics vs. (8) Philadelphia 76ers
The injury to Paul Pierce’s leg is a major concern in Boston. Kevin Garnett may be the Celtics’ best player, but Pierce is the guy who makes them special. Pierce appears to be dragging his leg in the Hawks series and left a lot of shots short because he had very little lift. Look for the Sixers to take away Pierce by putting their best defender, Andre Iguodala, on him. The other key matchups are the KG-Elton Brand battle up front and the Rajon Rondo-Jrue Holiday duel in the backcourt. It’s nice to see the Celtics-Sixers rivalry renewed. The Sixers will bring their youth and athleticism to the series, while the Celtics bring their experience and grit. It may not have the same feel as those Dr. J-Larry Bird battles during the 1980s, but this series will be an absolutely war. CELTICS IN 7

CONFERENCE FINALS

(2) Miami Heat vs. (4) Boston Celtics
You could argue that the Celtics had a huge hand in making the decision for LeBron to leave the Cavaliers after dispatching James and the Cavs in the 2010 playoffs. And James probably hasn’t forgotten about that. This is definitely the last hurrah for Boston’s Three Party of KG, Ray-Ray and The Truth. Allen is a free agent and seems finally slowing down. There’s a good chance KG may come back, but that’s not a certainty. The Celtics live and die with Rajon Rondo, and they feel last year’s playoff game could have been different if Rondo didn’t dislocate his elbow. The one wild card in the series is the health of Chris Bosh, who hasn’t played since Game 1 of the conference semifinals. If Bosh plays, the Heat should roll past the Celtics. Without him, this series is wide open. Miami will get Boston’s best shot, and could stretch this series to seven. But in the end, the Celtics simply are not healthy enough — mainly Pierce and Allen — to deal with LeBron and Wade for an entire series. HEAT IN SIX

Point guard Jeremy Lin and head coach Mike Woodson have the Knicks is position to make a push for the playoffs. (GETTY IMAGES)

Mike Woodson has a reputation as a good coach around the NBA.

He was a solid head coach in Atlanta where he took over a team that won 13 games in his first season in 2004-05, but he was able to turn around the Hawks and had them making three straight playoff appearances by the time he was fired in 2009-10. Atlanta decided he wasn’t capable of taking them any farther and decided to let him go on May 17, 2010, after the Hawks lost to Orlando in the second round of the playoffs. It was the second straight year they had lost in the second round.

However, Woodson didn’t stay unemployed for very long. He missed out on the Detroit Pistons head coaching position when the team hired Lawrence Frank, but he was hired on Aug. 29, 2011, by the New York Knicks primarily as a defensive coach.

The Knicks needed a coach who would hold the players accountable. The Knicks players had been reportedly tuning out Mike D’Antoni and he had no choice but to resign. He saw the writing on the wall in Gotham.

The Knicks have now won eight of their last nine games with Woodson as the head coach. Sandwiched in there was a lazy loss to the Raptors, but in this shortened 66-game season, those will happen. In the nine games since Woodson has taken over, N.Y. has allowed 79 points four times and is allowing just 84 points per game. On Monday, they allowed just 80 points to the Bucks, who are led by the dynamic backcourt of Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings. And on Wednesday, they pulled off a huge win when they beat Orlando, 108-86. The Knicks job got a little harder with Amare Stoudemire sidelined indefinitely with a bulging disk.

The Knicks had a winning streak earlier in the season with Amare and Carmelo Anthony out when Linsanity took off. Melo had 28 points and 12 rebounds in the game against Milwaukee. He also had 26 points and five assists against the Magic. Maybe, he will finally realize his potential as a leader and take charge of this team. Other players will need to step up and perform under pressure, but with a coach who is preaching defense, this just might have a chance at working. Iman Shumpert had an excellent game against Orlando with 25 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Steve Novak also continued his breakout season with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting.

The players are responding to Woodson in a positive way and they are just 2.5 games out of first place in the Atlantic Division. The Sixers have nine of their last 11 games on the road and the Celtics have a killer schedule to close out the regular season with games against Miami, Chicago, San Antonio, Indiana, Orlando, and Atlanta. Coaching changes are always awkward in the middle of the season, but this move might be just the move the Knicks needed to make. And so far, the players certainly have shown a passion and fire they lacked under the other Mike.

Darren Jacks is a contributor to OneManFastBreak.net. Send him an email to djroxalot@hotmail.com.

Josh Childress played with the Phoenix Suns last year after a two-year stint in Greece. (GETTY IMAGES)

Josh Childress started his NBA career with the Atlanta Hawks, but spent two seasons in Europe playing for Olympiacos in Greece before returning to the NBA last season with the Phoenix Suns.

It’s fair to say that Childress is an authority on the Euroleague. Europe has become a hot-button topic lately, with NBA superstars such as Deron Williams, Dwyane Wade, Amare Stoudemire and Kobe Bryant are entertaining the thought of playing overseas should the NBA lockout persists. Childress recently talked to ESPN’s First Take about his experience in Greece, and after hearing what he had to say maybe players should rethink this whole European exploration.

“My main thing is do your research and make sure that you know what you’re getting into,” the 28-year-old forward said. “It’s not bad. I really enjoyed my time in Greece and in Europe. I was with a great organization and had great ownership.

“But I just wanted to let guys know to make sure exactly the type of team and organization you’re going to.”

Childress, who helped Olympiacos reach the Euroleague final in 2010, described his overall European experience as “wonderful” and says he truly enjoyed his time in Greece. However, there are some drawbacks, mainly dealing with the tardiness of the paychecks.

He said European pro clubs oftentimes are late in paying their players, and that’s not something NBA players have ever had to deal with. “It depends on the team, but primarily you’re at the mercy of the clubs,” Childress said. “Sometimes you don’t get your payment on time and you kinda have to deal with it.”

He added, “I was lucky to be with ownership that took care of everything, but that’s not the case everywhere.”

Childress also noticed a difference during ballgames, as fans get more boisterous and sometimes become part of the action. “You’re in the gym and fans can throw things at you,” he said. “Sometimes they have a laser pointed in your face while you’re at the free throw line.

“And the referees, sometimes, are corrupt. But you learn and deal with it and try to play through it.”

Another thing Childress mentioned was the travel. He said his club team, Olympiacos, was fairly good about housing players on nice hotels, but the flights are commercial, which should be enough to scare off the majority of NBA prima donnas. Can you image Kobe and LeBron flying commercial? The horror.

His advice for those players who are thinking about Europe? “My advice, two things: Number one, make sure you are sure of yourself. [Second], make sure you have your contract done at a neutral country. I had mine in Switzerland. When we had payment problems, we’d go to court there.

“Those are the two biggest things. Make sure you are covered.”

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy tells reporters that Dwight Howard has been unfairly criticized for reacting to hard fouls. (GETTY IMAGES)

Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy is always must-see TV whenever he’s given a microphone and surrounded by reporters.

After the Magic defeated the Hawks in Game 5 to close to within 3-2 in their playoff series, Van Gundy was in prime form during his postgame press conference. You could tell Van Gundy has reached his boiling when it comes to the abuse his All-Star center Dwight Howard has taken this season for leading the league in technical fouls.

It’s no huge surprise Van Gundy is on Howard’s corner. That’s a given. It was his explanation, or comparison, that sounded a bit like someone has become thin skinned whenever the issue of hard fouls and resulting technical fouls on Howard are brought up.

“The game plan is to get me frustrated, and I don’t think people understand what I go through,” Howard said on Tuesday night after being held to eight points in 29 minutes. “But I just keep it in my head that it’s bigger than whoever is checking me or just trying to foul me.”

Based on that last quote, you can tell the hard fouls are clearly affecting Howard and Van Gundy came to the aid of his center with this gem aimed at the media: “You guys in the media who want to be critical of him, go run on the treadmill for 40 minutes and every two or three minutes I’m gonna hit you as hard as I can up side the head, OK. And I what I want you to do is to keep running and don’t react at all. Don’t say anything to me, don’t look at me, don’t hit me back, don’t do anything.”

With the fear of facing a fine from the league office, Van Gundy made sure his comments were not taken as an attack on NBA referees, even though it was still a jab at the officials.

“Look, if you’re a referee they have their guidelines. They just think it’s hard fouls and that’s fine. I’m not criticizing the referees here. What I’m saying is people in the media who criticize Dwight for the few times that he retaliates, understand that that’s what you are criticizing.”

Van Gundy continued, “I want to make it clear. I’m not criticizing the officials. And I’m not. I’m criticizing you guys, OK. And I don’t think I can be fined for that because nobody likes you guys.”

Getting whacked in the head every three minutes while running on a treadmill is definitely not part of the brochure at World Gym, but Van Gundy makes a very honest but accurate assessment. Fouling a guy is one thing, but beating on his head as he goes up for a dunk is a no-no.

If you follow the letter of the NBA law, it’s a flagrant foul every time. If Howard, or any player for that matter, gets smacked on the head while going up for a shot, it should be called as a flagrant foul.