GREENBURGH, N.Y. — Armed with his new Big Three of Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler, Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni is not shying away from dreaming big. D’Antoni said the team’s core “needs’ to win the franchise’s first NBA title since 1973 sometime in the next few years. “Everybody knows how difficult that is,” D’Antoni, whose team was swept out of the first round of the playoff last year by the Boston Celtics, said Monday at Knicks media day. “But that’s our goal. Our goal is to win a championship without a doubt. Whether it’s this year, next year or the year after, this core of guys need to win a championship before they get too old. Stoudemire and Chandler are both 29, Anthony is 27. The 7-foot-1 Chandler is expected to provide a level of defensive intensity and rim protection the Knicks have lacked under D’Antoni’s speedball offensive system. “We’re going to be better,” D’Antoni said said. “We added Tyson, so, we have to be better. If we’re going to compete for a championship, we know we have to be better. Offense will take care of itself, we’ll be fine there. We’ve got two of the best scorers in the league. So our emphasis and guys’ thoughts are: to win big in this league, we’re going to have to up our defense.” Stoudemire was the lone member of the Big Three on the opening day roster in 2010. Now he’s been joined by two other superstars, including one, Chandler, who’s coming off an NBA title with the Dallas Mavericks. “I think the plan is manifesting right now,” Stoudemire said. “We feel like we have a great roster and we feel confident about our goals as far as winning a championship. “Again, it’s one step at a time. It’s an incredible challenge for us but we’re on the right track.”
