NBA: Knicks try to jump second-half hurdle

The New York Knicks have their work cut out for them if they expect to catch the 76ers and possibly slide into the Eastern Conference's number one seed.

Buckle those seat belts Knick fans. As we get set for the second half of the NBA season, after a refreshing All-Star game, the next two months are critical for teams who are looking to secure their fate for playoff seedings in April.

The Knicks will look to try to take advantage of the ailing 76ers and leapfrog them to take the Atlantic title.

The first week is big for the Knicks as their first two games are in Denver and Utah, before coming home to face the Nets on Friday. The Sixers, however face a tough back-to-back stretch in Milwaukee, who happen to be one of the league's best offensively, and then come home to meet the Lakers.

They also must face adversity the next six weeks by dealing with the injury to Theo Ratliff. Therefore, it is imperative that the Knicks get off to a good start in Denver, considering their past history in Utah isn't so hot, in order to gain a game in the loss column on Philly.

The Knicks beefed up with the addition of Othella Harrington, which will definitely help down the stretch. Allan Houston and Latrell Sprewell have clearly become the leaders of this team, Marcus Camby has come into his own, Larry Johnson has barred injury and played a solid low-post game, Glen Rice has been a nice addition to the perimeter, and most importantly, this team play hard for coach Jeff Van Gundy every night, regardless of the outcome.

Philly plays tough defense, but that may change without Ratliff's presence in the middle. Plus there's no telling how Toni Kukoc and Eric Snow will play, if and when they come back. So Allen Iverson has his work cut out for him. As do the Knicks.

We all know how tough the Miami Heat can be, especially down the stretch when the mindset in the East is to play tough defense. Pat Riley will look to get his money's worth out of Brian Grant, Eddie Jones, and Anthony Mason. Even without Alonzo Mourning and adding three new starters, things just seemed to fall into place for the Heat because these players bring the same intensity every night, which adds to Tim Hardaway's success at the point.

And it beefs up the bench a little with Dan Majerle and Anthony Carter.

So the Knicks enter this second half of the season just one game up in the loss column ahead of Miami and only four behind the Sixers. Can they win a division title? Well, of course they can. But this team at times shows flashes of greatness as well as falling asleep on the court.

Obviously, it depends on which Knick team shows up on that given night. But I am still not a believer yet in Philly. Now they have to do it with injuries. Tension may start to heat up at the First Union Center if there aren't enough consistent offensive rebounds to compensate the amount of shots taken by Iverson, even though he is a great player.

So, we'll see. It will be interesting how things unfold. If the Knicks can make a push for the Atlantic Division title, they may perhaps wind up with the #1 seed. Therefore, I say to you Knick fans, buckle those seat belts.