Alan Hahn's post on New York Knicks | Latest updates on Sulia

Though it was an impressive win, the #Knicks had the right measure of perspective after it was over. What was said:

"This is a dress rehearsal, that's all it is," Jason Kidd said to reporters after the game. "You guys do the hype and everything, but this is just a dress rehearsal for the playoffs." Kidd then added, "They're still the champs. We haven't done anything . . . It does feel good, but we can't be satisfied. We've got to stay hungry. We can't fall into the trap because we really haven't accomplished anything yet." Still, for the few players who experienced the bitter five-game exit to the Heat last spring, this was a much-needed shot of confidence. "It'll always be in the back of our minds," Steve Novak said. "But it's a new year." Tyson Chandler, who battled the flu in the playoffs last year, put it simply: "Last year was too quick of an exit for us." The Knicks did accomplish something here, however, in winning at Miami without Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire: they already clinched at least a split of the season series with the Heat. They also have earned a win on Miami's home court, which is also something to build on come springtime. But there will continue to be naysayers and skeptics, none more boisterous than TNT's Charles Barkley, who refuses to acknowledge the Knicks (14-4), despite their standing, as a top team in the East. Not that it really matters. "I can't worry about how people or teams perceive us," Mike Woodson said. "We're going to take it a game at a time and see what happens."