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eViL
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One Stunning Block Is Only Interruption for Yao and Rockets
By HOWARD BECK
Published: November 21, 2006
Nate Robinson, who is shorter than the 5 feet 9 inches listed in his team’s media guide, blocked a shot by Yao Ming, who is all of the 7-6 he is listed as being. It was the most memorable moment of last night’s game between the Knicks and the Houston Rockets, but not the most startling.
For that image, one had to look to the Knicks’ bench in the second half. Sixty-five seconds into the third quarter, Stephon Marbury and Steve Francis were sitting. Robinson and Jamal Crawford had taken their place in the lineup. It remained that way for the rest of the third quarter and most of the fourth as the increasingly desperate Knicks tried to find a way to win.
But they lost, 97-90, and now Coach Isiah Thomas is facing $32 million in bruised egos. Francis and Marbury looked disconsolate and sounded confused.
Marbury said: “I didn’t understand that. “We were in the game for two minutes.”
Francis said: “Nothing to say. It speaks for itself.”
At the time Thomas made the move, the Knicks were down by only 7 points. But Francis and Marbury committed turnovers on the Knicks’ first two possessions of the third quarter.
“It’s hard to play like that,” Marbury said of getting the quick hook. He had not committed a turnover in the Knicks’ previous three games, which perhaps made the decision all the more troubling. He said Thomas did not explain his decision, but noted: “The message is loud and clear. I’m not going to go on the court and play like that anymore. I got a turnover. I guess when I go on the floor I’ll be more conscious of getting a turnover.”
Perhaps sensing that the move would start a controversy, Thomas chose not to have the team practice today before leaving for Minneapolis. No one will be available to talk about the matter until tomorrow.
After the substitution, the Rockets extended their lead to 10 points, but the Knicks battled back and kept the game competitive for the rest of the quarter and most of the fourth. The best they could do was forge a 70-70 tie, and Thomas never did feel compelled to use his starting backcourt again.
Marbury re-entered the game early in the fourth quarter, but was pulled again just two and a half minutes later, the Knicks trailing by 76-71. Francis replaced Marbury but lasted just 1 minute 23 seconds.
The Marbury-Francis tandem has long been a curiosity, with many opposing coaches and scouts doubting it would work. For the first time, Thomas seems to be wavering, too.
Asked if he might split them up, Thomas said, “I don’t know if we’ve gotten to that point.” But when asked later if Marbury and Francis would still be his starting backcourt, Thomas was slow to respond, saying, “Um, yeah.”
“We came out and we made two quick turnovers,” Thomas said of his initial decision. “Before we got down 15, I wanted to try to get some pace back into the game.” He said he was “just trying to reach and grab for anything” to keep the Knicks in the game.
That has been the only constant in the Knicks’ first 12 games of the season. The Knicks’ starters have consistently underperformed and put the team in early deficits. The bench, spearheaded by Crawford, Robinson and the hustling forward David Lee, has generally provided the punch and the bravado.
Marbury finished with 3 points and 3 assists in 20 minutes. Francis had 7 points and 3 assists. Eddy Curry struggled again, finishing with 8 points and 2 rebounds in 21 minutes. For the second straight game, only one Knicks starter scored in double figures — the resurgent Channing Frye, who finished with 22 points and 9 rebounds. After Frye, the best performances came from Crawford (25 points) and Lee (15 points, 12 rebounds).
Curry said it was clear that Thomas was losing patience.
“I think we all can see he’s not playing around,” Curry said. “And if guys aren’t out there producing and playing with some heart and some energy, he’s going to yank them.”
The biggest burst of energy came from Robinson, who came from the weak side to swat Yao’s layup attempt in the final seconds of the third quarter. The 17,533 in the building roared in awe, and for a moment it seemed the Knicks might ride the momentum of the play to a victory.
Robinson said he had never blocked a 7-footer before (and the Rockets contended it was a foul). “It doesn’t matter, we lost,” Robinson said.
Yao finished with 26 points and 9 rebounds, which looked tame next to the 33 points, 17 rebounds and 7 blocks he posted against the Knicks just 10 nights earlier. Curry, unable to score in the post, was blocked twice by Yao. He made just 3 of 10 shots, two of them on midrange jumpers. He also had four turnovers and was booed the first time he checked out of the game.
REBOUNDS
Jared Jeffries’s long-delayed Knicks debut may be a little more than two weeks away. Jeffries had a C.T. scan and an X-ray on his broken left wrist yesterday, and doctors determined he was “healing as expected,” a team spokesman said. Jeffries, who is wearing a light splint, can participate in noncontact drills immediately and will be re-evaluated in two weeks. He could be cleared to play at that time. “They said it looked good,” said Jeffries, adding that the wrist felt stiff but not painful. ...The Rockets reserve Kirk Snyder broke his right (shooting) hand early in the second quarter on a foul by Jerome James. Clearly in pain, Snyder shot an air ball on his first free throw, then switched to his left hand and shot another air ball. Snyder left the game and did not return.
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11/21/2006 1:01 AM