Paul Millsap may have been steamed about his Atlanta Hawks' performance against the New York Knicks on Sunday, but the Knicks would tell you their improved play in the upset victory was no accident.
The Knicks held a team meeting on Saturday with players, coaches, and team president Phil Jackson. Carmelo Anthony told reporters that the meeting - in which various issues surrounding the team were discussed - was productive, according to ESPN's Ian Begley.
Anthony added that Jackson didn't chime in at any point during the meeting.
"He actually just listened this time," Anthony said. "Which is good."
The Knicks, as Millsap pointed out, were one of the league's worst defensive teams coming into Sunday's game. They ranked second-to-last, to be specific - just 0.1 points stingier per 100 possessions than the Portland Trail Blazers. But they managed to bottle up the Hawks, holding them to just 94 points on 40 percent shooting.
At the other end, they also had a surprisingly strong day against the defense that ranked tops in the NBA coming in. They shot nearly 48 percent, hit 10 threes, and snagged 11 offensive rebounds.
It was just one game, but a quality win the day after a group meeting counts as an encouraging sign for a team that was in desperate need of a jolt.
