A combative Courtney Lee avidly defended Jeff Hornacek’s performance with the coach’s stint possibly down to its final four games.
Lee called the season “a rollercoaster,’’ but said the ride conductor is not to be blamed. Instead, Lee said the Knicks’ downfall was because of injuries to their top two guns: Tim Hardaway Jr. (stress fracture) and Kristaps Porzingis (torn ACL).
The Knicks 32-year-old shooting guard believes Hornacek did a better job this season than last when he was constricted with blending his modern-day offense with Phil Jackson’s triangle. The Knicks topped out on Dec. 21, beating the Celtics to move to 17-14.