Home Court Remains a Disadvantage for Struggling Knicks
By LIZ ROBBINS

There is no place like the road for the Knicks. There, they have found comfort and maybe even victory in anonymity, operating in an alternate N.B.A. reality.

For when they return home, to a court that should logically give them an advantage, the Knicks play as if they would rather be anyplace else. Dubbed the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden is turning infamous for the Knicks.

For the seventh time in eight games this season, the Knicks found a way to leave their own building in defeat. Despite a furious 16-point personal rally from Knicks center Eddy Curry that pulled his team to within 1 point of the Toronto Raptors last night with 1 minute 6 seconds to go, the Knicks suddenly froze in the spotlight.

It was the Raptors who came up with the crucial rebounds in the end, as their speed demon point guard, T. J. Ford, scored his team’s final 6 points to lift Toronto to a 103-100 victory.

The Knicks’ inability to execute has gone beyond head-scratching. It now seems firmly lodged in the players’ minds.

“We haven’t displayed the same aggression at home, defensively, offensively, as we do out on the road,” Knicks Coach Isiah Thomas said. “It’s not anything physical. There’s a mental block at home. There’s a hurdle and a barrier that we have to fight through and overcome.”

The Knicks have managed to beat only the Washington Wizards at home, on Nov. 15.

It is a new month, but the results are the same. It is a new season, the Knicks have a new coach, and yet they have the exact same record as last season at this point: 6-13.

“I don’t know if we are worried about the fans’ reaction or what,” Curry said. “We have to find a way to snap out of it and realize this is our home.”

Curry seems to be snapping out of his early-season funk. He scored 27 points to give him six straight games scoring 20 or more points, which is a career high.

Stephon Marbury gave the Knicks their only second-half lead (and only their second lead of the entire game) by hitting a jumper with 1:33 to play in the third quarter. The Knicks led, 80-79, but the Raptors responded by going on an 8-0 run.

Marbury said the defeat had its roots in the Knicks’ first quarter, when they missed their first six shots and spotted the Raptors a 10-point lead.

“It’s frustrating not to win at home, there’s no explanation for that,” he said. “We come home and for some reason we get relaxed. At the beginning of the game, the first five minutes, those are the most important minutes of the game. That’s when teams get their confidence.”

And, apparently, that’s when the Knicks lose theirs.

The Knicks had better solve their problem soon. Their next five games come at home, to five teams with losing records. It would seem to be a reprieve after a month of games against playoff-tested opponents and a month spent largely on the road.

Last night, Chris Bosh, the Raptors’ franchise player, scored a team-high 26 points. Ford scored 9 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter.

Andrea Bargnani, the Raptors’ 7-foot center and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2006 draft, showed he is finding his rhythm off the bench. He scored 11 points and grabbed 5 rebounds, including his defensive rebound off a missed Quentin Richardson 3-pointer that could have tied the score with 42.9 seconds left.

Richardson also missed a 3-pointer with 1:24 to play and the Knicks trailing, 97-96.

“If I make those shots, I feel like it’s a different story,” Richardson said. “This one, I take the blame for.”

After Ford’s rebound the Raptors pushed the ball up the floor. Holding a 101-98 lead, Bosh rolled a jumper in and out of the basket, but the rookie forward Jorge Garbajosa grabbed the offensive rebound and handed the ball to Ford. The Knicks fouled him with 11.9 seconds left. He made both.

“If we want to be a serious playoff contender, we can’t run and hide right now,” Thomas said before the game.

Curry appeared to be emerging, taking the Knicks out of the darkness. With every forceful fourth-quarter dunk, with every successful free throw in the clutch, with every hook shot, Curry seemed to announce his arrival.

“He’s been everything that we thought he was going to be,” Thomas said. “He dominated the paint. He dominated inside.”

But as dynamic as Curry was, there were moments earlier in the game when he struggled. He missed four straight put-backs in the third quarter, the kind of points the Knicks could have used in the end.

“There’s no excuse,” Jamal Crawford said. “We got to win, period.”

Before the game, Thomas made a quirky statement about accepting responsibility for his players’ mistakes. “I take the hits, they get the ice cream,” he said.

No one was in the mood after this game.

REBOUNDS

The Raptors have now won five of their last seven games, coinciding with the increased playing time of center Andrea Bargnani. Raptors Coach Sam Mitchell, prompted by General Manager Bryan Colangelo, is playing Bargnani close to 15 more minutes a game than he did in the first 10 games. “In Toronto, nobody put pressure on me,” Bargnani said. “I have time to improve, to work, to become the best player I can be.”

Posted by djsunyc:

first off, the crowd had nothing to do with tonight's game. ask the other 11 people that i went with tonight and they'll testify to that.

secondly, quentin manned up. good to see someone take responsibility.

Posted by djsunyc:

Posted by BasketballJones:

Posted by djsunyc:

first off, the crowd had nothing to do with tonight's game. ask the other 11 people that i went with tonight and they'll testify to that.

secondly, quentin manned up. good to see someone take responsibility.

What's the "vibe" at the garden? I get a sense of alienation - of the fans not really connecting with this team.

i think the fans come to cheer but there is a short rope. it's weird. you can see the garden get loud at times but if things aren't going right, they're uneasy. last night, no real booing but moments of uneasiness. maybe someone else that's been to games or came last night could articulate it better.

Posted by SugarRayRichardson:

Posted by gunsnewing:

the only time the crowd booed was in the closing moments of the game when we didn't rebound and Toronto scored to put the game away

LOL they booed marbury 1 minute in to the game. :)

But for the most part the crowd was good last night. I dont get the booing in the 4th though. The guys were working hard and never quit

ISIAH: I JUST DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER
By MARC BERMAN

DOUBTING THOMAS: Isiah Thomas says of his Knicks' home ineptitude and road success, "I don't think I've seen anything like this since I've been in the NBA."

December 4, 2006 -- Isiah Thomas recognizes the problem, that the Knicks are psyched out at home because of the harsh Garden crowd. But he doesn't know how to fix it.

The Knicks, with a humiliating, league-worst 1-7 home record, have anxiety issues playing before the sometimes-hostile Garden throng. Thomas is concerned the team is about to blow this glorious stretch in which it has 10 of 11 games at home. Its six-game homestand began in shame Saturday night when it fell behind Toronto, 11-0, in a 103-100 loss.

Thomas said the players lack "aggression" at the Garden and thinks it's related to a love-hate relationship the fans have with the players. Tonight, the Knicks try to calm the jeers when they host the Grizzlies, whom they beat on opening night in Memphis. Thomas wishes the team could rely on the crowd as its "best friend."

"There's a special relationship between the home crowd and home team," Thomas said. "The athletes really count on it being a friendly relationship and use it in his down moments to get himself going. When that relationship is fractured or questioned, it really affects the psyche of the athlete at home.

"On the road, it's OK if you meet a guy on the street and he berates you and tells you you're no good," Thomas added. "When your best friend tells you that, it's different. Maybe you look at yourself and start questioning and doubting. The home crowd is like his best friend. That's his go-to guy. I'm not having a good night, you're my go-to."

If things don't improve at the Garden, the Knicks could crack the record books for home ineptitude. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Knicks are on pace to smash the league's worst home record for a 41-game schedule - 6-35 - set by the 1993-94 Mavericks.

And Thomas realizes if these two homestands are busts, the Knicks might be done in December. They already are a season-worst seven games below .500.

"If we get eight out of 11, it's pretty good," Thomas said. "To go below that, you're in a danger zone. That means you have to make it up on the road, which is not good. We've had success on the road, but I don't know if we'll continue to play .500 on the road."

The Knicks are 5-6 away from the Garden groans.

"I don't think I've ever seen anything like this since I've been in the NBA," Thomas said. "I don't even know who to call to ask for advice. Most teams win at home and lose on the road. We've done just the opposite.

"There's an aggression you need to perform at a high level. Our aggression at home is different than on the road. Our aggression at home - it's tentative and cautious. The environment becomes a very comfortable place for the visiting team."

Thomas then stopped himself. "I don't know. I'm grasping here. I don't [bleeping] know. I wish I had the right answer. I can't bull [bleep] and tell you that I do. I'm going to work like hell to figure it out."

It was a startling admission for someone with a master's degree in spin. The Garden record is tragic, too, because the Knicks have seen attendance fall after last season's 23-59 disaster. Their season-ticket base dropped 15 percent.

"We knew November would be a hard month," said Stephon Marbury.

It's time for the Knicks to show what they can do.

Posted by BasketballJones:

So, all you guys in section 404 -- stop all your booing.

Daily Affirmation With Stuart Smalley

Stuart Smalley.....Al Franken
.....Michael Jordan


Stuart Smalley V/O: I deserve good things. I am entitled to my share of happiness. I refuse to beat myself up. I am attractive person. I am fun to be with.

Announcer: "Daily Affirmation with Stuart Smalley". Stuart Smalley is a caring nurturer, a member of several 12-step programs, but not a licensed therapist.

[ open on Stuart giving himself a pep talk in his full-length mirror ]

Stuart Smalley: I'm going to do a terrific show today! And I'm gonna help people! Because I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and, doggonit, people like me!

[ turns to camera ]

Hello, I'm Stuart Smalley! Well, I'm still receiving some negative reaction from my show on Pee Wee Herman, titled, "There But For The Grace Of God Go I", and, I have to admit, it's not my best show.. but that's o-kay. I have to give myself permission to do a bad show every now and then. Okay.. for those of you who watch the show regularly, you know that I don't have guests, I always do the show alone.. and that's.. o-kay. But yesterday, my producer said, "Stuart, I can get you a guest that you would be insane not to have on the show." So I decided to take a risk - in life, you have to take risks - and, today we have a guest.. [ reveal Michael Jordan sitting next to Stuart ] ..and his name is Michael J. - I'll protect your anonymity. Michael is a basketball player for a professional basketball team. Well, that's very good, Michael, you should be very proud of yourself.

Michael Jordan: Well, thank you, Stuart. I am.

Stuart Smalley: Well, good for you! Good for you! Um, Michael.. I know there must be a lot of pressure for you to play very well, and I can imagine that the night before a game, you must lie awake thinking, "I'm not good enough.. everybody's better than me.. I'm not going to score any points.. I have no business playing this game.."

Michael Jordan: Well.. not really.

Stuart Smalley: Michael, denial ain't just a river in Egypt.

Michael Jordan: Well.. I do sometimes get a little nervous before important basketball games.

Stuart Smalley: I thought so. And that's.. o-kay. You're not alone. Believe me, I know what it's like.. laying there alone.. all those tapes rolling: "I'm a fraud.. tomorrow, I'm going to be exposed for what I am, a big imposter.. I just want to curl up and lay in bed all day and eat Fig Newtons."

Michael Jordan: Well.. something like that.

Stuart Smalley: Right. Well, Michael, those negative thoughts are your critical inner thoughts saying those things to you, and I want you to replace those negative thoughts with someting positive - a daily affirmation.

Michael Jordan: Affirmation?

Stuart Smalley: Yes. Now, look in the mirror. Come on, don't look at me. Only you can help you. [ Michael faces the mirror ] That's it. Say, "Hello, Michael."

Michael Jordan: [ trying to suppress his laughter ] "Hello, Michael."

Stuart Smalley: "I don't have to be a great basketball player.."

Michael Jordan: "I don't have to be a great basketball player.."

Stuart Smalley: "I don't have to dribble the ball fast, or throw the ball into the basket.."

Michael Jordan: "I don't have to dribble the ball fast, or throw the ball into the basket.."

Stuart Smalley: "Because all I have to do is be the best Michael I can be."

Michael Jordan: "All I have to do is be the best Michael I can be."

Stuart Smalley: "Because I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggonit, people like me!"

Michael Jordan: "Because I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggonit, people like me!"

Stuart Smalley: Now, don't you feel better?

Michael Jordan: Well, I never really felt bad!

Stuart Smalley: Michael..

Michael Jordan: No, it's true. Stuart, I guess pretty much of the time, I'm a very happy person. I mean, I'm a blessed person - God gave me the talent to play basketball, and I have been able to spread some of that talent, and some of that good feeling, towards everybody, to inspire other people, and help people achieve their dreams.

Stuart Smalley: [ glum ] I am just a fool.. I.. I don't know what I'm doing.. they're gonna cancel the show.. I'm gonna die homeless and penniless and twenty pounds overweight.. and no one will ever love me..

Michael Jordan: Stuart, that's just not true. I think what you say on your show can be very helpful to people.

Stuart Smalley: You think so?

Michael Jordan: Yes! Definitely! I just don't think it helps beating yourself up that way.

Stuart Smalley: You're right. It's just stinking thinking.

Michael Jordan: And, after all, this show is your dream. It's a good dream! You deserve to have dreams come true! [ Stuart nods ] Feel better? Would you like a hug?

[ Stuart and Michael hug ]

Stuart Smalley: Thank you, Michael.

Michael Jordan: Thank you, Stuart!

Stuart Smalley: You know what? I think this is the best show I've ever done. And you know what? I deserve it! [ turns to his mirror ] Because I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and, doggonit, people like me!