It's been a while since Marvin Williams had it rolling the way he did Sunday at Philips Arena.

It's been weeks, as a matter of fact.

When you're hot you're hot and Williams was on fire at just the right time for a Hawks team that desperately needed someone to step up. Williams helped them finish off a huge week of home games with their playoff fate still hanging in the balance.

But not even the Hawks' third straight win, a 114-109 defeat of New York, was enough to relieve the worry Williams and his teammates carry with them these days.

Their lead over New Jersey for the eighth and final Eastern Conference playoff spot is now 2 1/2 games. Yet there's no time to feel just a little bit comfortable. Not even for a night. A game in Memphis tonight presents the next challenge.

"Comfortable," Williams said incredulously after leading the Hawks with 27 points and 11 rebounds, just his third 20-point game since the All-Star break and his first game leading the Hawks in scoring since scoring 22 in a Feb. 2 win over New Jersey. "We can't feel comfortable until April 20, when the playoffs start. The goal is to keep fighting for it, so we have to stay the course and keep working hard."

The lowly Knicks made the Hawks fight for every inch Sunday. Jamal Crawford torched the Hawks for a game-high 39 points, 19 during an unreal third-quarter stretch that saw him abuse every defender the Hawks tried on him.

But while Crawford was doing his thing, the Hawks were busy putting together one of their more balanced efforts of their recent run, which includes winning eight of their last 12 games.

They outscored the Knicks 62-44 in the paint, outrebounded them 49-39, had 32 assists on just 41 made field goals and overcame some early-game lethargy to beat the Knicks for the third time this season.

"We were kind of coasting a bit," Hawks coach Mike Woodson said of his team, which led by as many as 14 points at one point. "We picked it up somewhat after halftime. But it was a great team effort. And the bottom line is we won. That's what counts right now. Every win is important as we move up."

Williams said the Hawks stopped worrying about aesthetics weeks ago. About the same time the Hawks put the finishing touches on the Mike Bibby deal.

They stopped paying attention to their opponents' records, too. Unless of course, it was someone they're fighting with for that playoff berth. So while a win over a Knicks team that's just 20-53 this year might look like nothing to some people, Williams chooses to see a bigger picture.

"Their record doesn't show the type of team they are," said Williams, who led five Hawks in double figures. "They have a lot of guys that can score the ball and a lot of guys that play extremely hard. It's never going to be any easy win when you play the Knicks or anybody else for that matter."

Memphis is just 19-54 on the season but won three of its last six games, including road wins over these same Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers.

"It's like Marvin said," said Hawks captain and All-Star Joe Johnson, who finished with 25 points, 13 assists and four rebounds. "None of them are easy when you're trying to do what we're doing."