Knicks glad not to nix London trip

LONDON (AFP) –

Head coach Mike Woodson of the New York Knicks reacts during the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center on December 26, 2012 in Phoenix, Arizona. Woodson has no problems playing the Detroit Pistons in London on Thursday even though the upheaval of travelling to Britain comes at an awkward time for the team.

New York Knicks coach Mike Woodson has no problems playing the Detroit Pistons in London on Thursday even though the upheaval of travelling to Britain comes at an awkward time for the team.

The latest NBA regular season match to be staged in the British capital comes with the Knicks top of the Atlantic Division and bidding for a place in the play-offs.

Knicks duo Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler will have happy memories of their most recent match in London after helping the United States win gold at last year’s London Olympics.

But with the Knicks in play-off contention, the long flight to London and the attendant distractions might be regarded as something of an annoyance.

Woodson, however, sees things differently.

“If I thought that, then when the commissioner called and gave us this opportunity to come over and play I would never have agreed to that,” Woodson said Wednesday ahead of the match at the O2 Arena.

“I think as an organisation, to be able to go outside your country and expand your sport, to me it helps everybody. We have to travel a little bit further but this is an important game on our schedule.”

Anthony’s last trip to London saw him surpass the United States’ single-game scoring haul, with 37 points during their record-breaking 156-73 rout thrashing of Nigeria at Olympic Basketball Arena.

He has since continued that impressive form at home, with only Kobe Bryant ahead of him in this season’s individual NBA scoring rankings.

For a Detroit side struggling in the Central Division, containing Anthony will be key to their hopes of victory.

But Pistons coach Lawrence Frank agreed that was easier said than done.

“Carmelo is a great scorer he’s a guy that can put together a 40-point game like its nothing,” Frank explained.

“He’s a professional scorer, that’s what we call him, he can score in a bunch of different ways: he can shoot the three, he can score off the dribble, he can score in the post.

“He’s a constant threat but the Knicks are a strong team and we have to be ready for all of them.”

There are plenty of coaches across all sports who shy away from talking about their team as title contenders, fearing they might ‘jinx’ their side or be perceived as adopting a disrespectful approach to their opponents.

Woodson though had no trouble embracing the idea of the Knicks as potential NBA champions.

“Do we have an opportunity to win a title this year? Absolutely,” Woodson said. “If we stay healthy and play at a level that I think we can play at we’ll put ourselves in that position.

“But first we’ve got to play the Pistons and we’ll deal with that first and foremost,” he added.