Steph gets an assist from Messier

The tributes to Mark Messier still lingered in the Garden air, making for such a sweet smell at an arena where laughter and passion are infrequent visitors. The Captain's tears had mostly dried, and as he settled into the seat of honor last night, greatness seemed to radiate off his chiseled head. The Knicks clearly felt its glare.
If only excellence could be transferred through sheer osmosis. Messier's emotion is forever genuine, his passion unparalleled. While his No. 11 waved in the rafters, the guys in the baggy pants paid him a fine tribute.

The Knicks' 105-94 win over Atlanta featured everything Messier stood for. There was Stephon Marbury's selfless defense on Joe Johnson, there was Jamal Crawford blitzing off the bench, there was a team embracing swagger and urgency, and in the end there was Larry Brown pocketing his 1,000th career NBA win.

When it was over, when Brown had finished praising Marbury for playing "by far" his best game, Messier was the first visitor through the door to the home locker room. The Knicks stopped what they were doing and respectfully stood. He told them how cool it was to watch a team play with such spirit. He was here five weeks ago, when the Knicks played like disinterested pacifists, but now Messier was saying he was proud of what he had seen. It was a compliment to be treasured.

These Knicks still could use some help, regardless of their giddy, undefeated start to the new year. They don't dare offer any guarantees past the next rebound, but at least they appear to have climbed out of the toxic brew that was their first half of the season.

"Six in '06," said forward David Lee, adding he wanted $10 for anyone who used that line. This was a night to boast even if the Hawks were an awful team. The last nine minutes, after the game was tied 82-82, might have been the Knicks' finest work yet.

They were playing on jelly legs earned over a stretch of five hard wins. But Eddy Curry willingly threw his big body on the floor to create turnovers. Jamal Crawford curled around several Hawks and flipped in a driving layup to make it 94-86. Marbury dished the ball to Lee, who hit a jumper for a 10-point lead that brought Messier and a revitalized crowd to their feet.

Soon they were yelling, "Larry, Larry," a chant the coach blissfully ignored. He wasn't about to take a bow for this milestone win. When the buzzer sounded, Brown hugged his brother Herb, an assistant with Atlanta, and insisted it was all about being blessed by the people around him, a sentiment culled from the book of Messier.

"It's a great feeling (that) my mom knew where I was one thousand nights," Brown said with a shrug. "When you look at this league, at how many guys get jobs and lose jobs, you feel pretty lucky."

The blue No. 11 sweater Brown wore earlier in the week was back in the closet, its throwback message no longer required. Like thousands before him, Brown couldn't wait to shake hands with Messier and tell him how much he admired his life-long commitment to the concept of team.

"It's great to see them playing like this," Messier said, before standing and waving during another ovation that will follow him for eternity. "The Garden is an amazing place to play, especially when you're winning. There's no other place like it."

How so very true. Gone was Marbury's haggard body language that suggested he'd rather be anywhere but here, playing for Brown. Like the month itself, the cold war between the coach and the star has reached a welcome thaw. Marbury shared the ball, sacrificed his body on the other end and finished with nine assists and 19 points. Messier must have liked this new Marbury, who never let his tired legs show. His greatest critic most definitely did.

"Of all the games that he's played this year, this is by far the best because of the matchup (with the 6-7, 230-pound Johnson) that he had, the condition he was in, and the things he did," Brown said. "It was a special game."

Surely Marbury sneaked a glance at the No. 11 flying high; perhaps he even allowed his mind to wander far ahead, to a time when he's remembered for leading the Knicks with fire and intensity and inspiring the Garden crowd to sing his name. The sight of Messier must have stirred something in Marbury, because just as he was on his way to do a postgame TV interview, the Knicks' guard stopped cold on the red carpet that weaves its way through the Garden's sacred halls.

Here was Messier, waiting to enter the locker room adjacent to the place where he once dressed. Here was Messier, at the Garden one more time. Here was Messier, admiring a true team. Marbury dropped his guard and threw his arms around greatness. Then Marbury made sure to ask the photographer to please blow the picture up, extra big

Here was Messier, waiting to enter the locker room adjacent to the place where he once dressed. Here was Messier, at the Garden one more time. Here was Messier, admiring a true team. Marbury dropped his guard and threw his arms around greatness. Then Marbury made sure to ask the photographer to please blow the picture up, extra big

That's really cool to read.