For the first time in over 40 years, a player from the New York Knicks has a streak of 20 rebounds or more that goes on for at least three games. Tyson Chandler has been a big part of why the team has been so close to the Eastern number one spot this season, and it’s nice when a player who does a lot of the dirty work (meaning not scoring) gets some recognition for the numbers he pulls off.

There have been a few 3-game 20+ rebounding streaks in the last few years: Kevin Love had a streak like that in 2011, and Dwight Howard had a 3 game streak twice; once in 2007 and once in 2010. In fact, the last time anyone has had more than three consecutive games with 20 rebounds or more was back in the 2002-2003 season, when Ben Wallace of the Detroit Pistons pulled that off five times in 8 days.

Going back further to the 1990’s, during Dennis Rodman’s most dominant years, we find a few more streaks such as this: Rodman had two separate streaks of 7 games with 20 rebounds or more: Once in the 1992-1993 season and a few years later, in 1995, when he was playing for the San Antonio Spurs. He also had two more streaks of five games in 1992 and 1993. In the 1991-1992 season, which was called the ‘return of the rebound’ by some, Kevin Willis also had a streak of five games with 20 rebounds or more.

In the 1980 it was a rarer thing to see, and the only player with three consecutive games of 20 rebounds or more from 1985 till the 1991-1992 season is Michael Cage in 1988.

Chandler finished the 99-85 win against the Detroit Pistons with 8 points and 20 rebounds, making it exactly 20 for three games in a row. More importantly, the Knicks have won their last five games, improving to 31-15, putting them only 0.5 a game behind the Miami Heat in the East. Chandler is averaging 11.7 points and 11.2 rebounds per game, ranking 6th in the NBA in rebounds per game.