"Steve Nash drilled Mike D'Antoni on the court last night in carrying the Suns to a 91-88 victory, but he had his former coach's back afterward, saying the Knicks coach has faced nothing but upheaval during his tenure.

With speculation Nash would want to play in New York next season, one wonders if it would be as appealing for the SoHo summer resident if D'Antoni is fired.

"He's in a tough position,'' Nash said after his brilliant 26-point, 11-assist night, capped by hitting six straight free throws in the final 16 seconds. "Things have constantly changed. Now he has all these new pieces, he doesn't have the point guard he wanted. Maybe Baron [Davis] can help but to me, it's been a constant transition, constant waiting game."