Knicks Complain About Flat Feeling : NBA playoffs: Players acknowledge a better start would be a great first step in solving Rockets.

In Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Chicago Bulls at Madison Square Garden, the New York Knicks charged out and piled up a whopping 39 first-half points, none by Patrick Ewing. In Game 7 of the East finals against the Indiana Pacers at the Garden, the Knicks fell behind early and had to rally from 12 down in the fourth quarter to advance. In Game 3 of the NBA finals against the Houston Rockets at the Garden, they rode the momentum of a critical road win right into a 16-point first-half deficit.

Noticing a trend here? The Knicks are. They’ve shown an uncanny knack for grabbing some shuteye just when they should be grabbing the bull by the horns. The horrible start Sunday night at the Garden was the worst--they came out to a tumultuous ovation and roof-rocking introduction--and silenced everyone by falling behind 11-2 before four minutes were gone.

They spent the rest of the night trying to catch up, and eventually lost, 93-89, and also surrendered the homecourt advantage.

“We came out flat,” said John Starks Monday after the Knicks practiced at the Garden. “You have to come out ready to start the game off. I knew (the Rockets) were going to come out hard, and they would run the ball up and down the court. So mentally, you can’t say, ‘We’re at home and everything is going to happen for us.’ That’s what happened, and they took full advantage of that.”

But wasn’t there any momentum to carry over from the Game 2 win at the Summit? “After getting a big win on the road,” Starks said, “you come back home feeling good about yourselves, and you’re not consciously into it at the beginning.”

It was a blunt assessment, but it was surprising to hear it from a team that wore itself to a frazzle all during the regular season to get homecourt advantage through every series it could, only to see it come up with its more uninspired performances at home. The Knicks are still 9-2 at the Garden in the playoffs, but have lost two of their last three games there--to the Pacers in Game 5 as well as Sunday night.

Asked to explain Sunday’s slow start, Derek Harper sounded exasperated.

“I wish I could,” he said. “You hate to say you’re not ready at this time of the year. We’ve played 100-odd games, and you’ve got to figure at this point you’d be ready to play. We’re thinking that we’re ready to play and I don’t think we are quite ready. We’re coming out flatfooted. We’re not ready to play basketball.”

Coach Pat Riley would certainly agree. It’s shown up constantly. They settle for jump shots instead of aggressively positioning themselves and driving. They get soft on defense and on the boards, they give up fast breaks and putbacks and wide-open shots.

Many of those early problems tend to get erased in the fourth quarter, when the Knicks have dominated defensively. But the hole they dug for themselves was too deep Sunday. Their first lead didn’t come until 2:50 remained. While the Rockets deservedly received praise for retaking the lead and holding it, Ewing said, “In my mind, we lost it in the beginning of the game.”

Even as the Knicks held Hakeem Olajuwon to four points and one basket in the fourth quarter, they knew that it was just as important to keep him from getting off early. “I think we’re doing a good job (on Olajuwon),” Ewing said. “We just have to start it from the beginning of the game and not wait until the second half.”

The Rockets know they had more passion at the start than the Knicks did, but they figure it was more of their own doing.

“That’s basketball,” said Coach Rudy Tomjanovich, whose team has won four of its last six road playoff games, including two in Phoenix after losing two straight at home. “Things were going good for us, we’re a good road team, and just being here (at the Garden) fires us up.”

Guard Mario Elie was even more firm: “We play better on the road, and we play better with our backs on the wall,” he said.

The Knicks refused to acknowledge they were tired, but they admitted that having to fight from behind all night takes a lot out of them.

So the solution is simple: start the way the Rockets did. Tomjanovich fully expects that from the Knicks in Wednesday night’s Game 4: “We’re going to get a heck of a run from them. We’re going to get their best shot.”

But will it come early or late?