Since Jeff Van Gundy became the Knicks' head coach in 1996, his preparedness has been beyond reproach. A tireless worker, Van Gundy has always had the Knicks ready for whatever the opposition threw at them.

But with the new rules that allow teams to play zone defenses, that may be changing. In losing their last two games, the Knicks (1-2) have appeared baffled by the zone defense, shooting 36.4 percent from the field.

After the Charlotte Hornets' 97-93 victory on Friday, Charlotte's P.J. Brown said he was stunned by how tentative and unready the Knicks were for their 2-3 zone.

"I thought they were kind of surprised," Brown said. "And that surprised me, as great a student of the game as Van Gundy is."

One night later, the woeful Chicago Bulls upset the Knicks, 84-79, by employing a box-and-one. With their other four defenders stacked in the lane, the Bulls had Trenton Hassell shadow Latrell Sprewell or Allan Houston.