NEW YORK (AP) The new boss watches home games from the tunnel near center court, standing only a few feet from the seats occupied for several years by Woody Allen.

Isiah Thomas has been a strong presence since becoming president of the New York Knicks, who needed a jolt to turn things around. A change at the top apparently was the answer.

``You've got to give him some credit for bringing some accountability. You have to give him credit for challenging us,'' guard Allan Houston said after New York extended its winning streak to four games _ the team's longest in 23 months _ with a 29-point victory over the Miami Heat on Tuesday night.

New York's last three victories have all been by at least 20 points, something the Knicks haven't done since 1997.

``I definitely think we're playing different,'' said Keith Van Horn, whose offensive production has picked up considerably the past six games _ five of which came after the Knicks fired Scott Layden and replaced him with Thomas.

Many of the players credited a renewed commitment to defense as the primary reason, though they grudgingly acknowledge the change in atmosphere has made a difference.

While Layden was nonconfrontational and low key, Thomas has challenged players to their faces and in the newspapers.

Layden was rarely seen during games. Thomas is hard to miss standing a few steps behind the scorer's table.

Layden shied away from saying anything of substance. Thomas shies away from shying away.

``Isiah spoke to us about supporting each other, trusting each other and having confidence in each other, and I think we took that to heart,'' Van Horn said. ``We took what he said and have really brought that to the court. He definitely helped our mind-set going into games.''

Though the change at the top drew most of the attention, other recent but more subtle moves have contributed to the turnaround.

Coach Don Chaney has installed second-year guard Frank Williams as the starter at the point, reinserted Kurt Thomas into the starting power forward spot and began bringing Antonio McDyess off the bench.

Williams is more of a penetrator and creator than the player he replaced, Howard Eisley, and Kurt Thomas has settled back into a comfort zone after temporarily being replaced by McDyess in the starting five.

``It's been almost a flip-flop because what I wanted for the second unit was what I hoped Kurt would get for us, but McDyess is giving it to us. The second unit comes in very solid now,'' Chaney said.

Isiah Thomas, a Hall of Famer who helped lead the Detroit Pistons to NBA titles in 1989 and 1990, has been proactive in making roster changes. He jettisoned one of Layden's projects, 7-foot-5 center Slavko Vranes, taking lottery pick Michael Sweetney off the injured list and trading one of Layden's favorites, forward Clarence Weatherspoon, to the Houston Rockets for Moochie Norris.

Thomas is well aware his players may wonder who's next to go.

``Until we turn this around, they'll speculate about everything,'' he said. ``One of the costs of playing poorly is you're subjected to that.''

Thomas' next move could be a deal involving one of the team's four point guards, with the most likely candidate being Charlie Ward since his contract expires after this season and can be bought out immediately.

``We have to be a team that's very unconventional and very creative in going out and getting players,'' Thomas said.

In the meantime, he hopes his new team can continue to win during a part of the schedule that is not particularly daunting.

The Knicks play Chicago on Friday, New Jersey on Sunday and Cleveland on Tuesday before former coach Jeff Van Gundy returns to Madison Square Garden next Thursday with the Houston Rockets

Tuesday's victory began a stretch in which the Knicks will play nine of 10 games at home. The four-game winning streak has moved them within five games of .500, and they are only 3{ games behind the first-place Nets in the league's weakest division, the Atlantic.

``We're right there, we're not that far behind,'' Van Horn said. ``We just have to keep reminding ourselves of what brought us to this point of winning four in a row.''