Penny Hardaway clarified remarks he made 21/2 weeks ago when he said the Knicks have a "good chance" to beat the Nets if Jason Kidd and Kenyon Martin were injured.
The Nets, whom the Knicks face in Game 1 Saturday, used that as motivation to punch out the Knicks by 25 points 13 days ago.

"I never understood that," Hardaway said. "The question was asked: Would the Nets be a better choice if Kenyon and Jackson were banged up? It just went south from there. I never made a comment 'we want the Nets.'

"I respect them too much. They're defending [Eastern] champs. Whoever steps on the floor is still going to compete. They kicked our butts the last time. Their system is so good and their players know their roles so well. They have just too much pride."

"It got taken out of context the first time," Hardaway said. "I never meant it to come out in a negative way."