Knicks Seek Meaning After an Amazing Night
By MAREK FUCHS
Published: January 28, 2007

Coach Isiah Thomas said at practice Saturday that Crawford, who has scored 104 points in the past three games, would remain in the starting lineup when Eddy Curry returned from injury, presumably Sunday against the Milwaukee Bucks. Jared Jeffries, who has been slumping, would go to the bench.
I stopped reading after that.

Asked if he could maintain his level of play, Crawford said he was certain that he could, if unspecific as to how.

“You just have to get yourself in a certain mind-set,” he said, “a certain mind frame.”

As Crawford spoke vaguely about his performance, Jerome James wrapped him in a playful hug, repeating, “52, 52.”

It was a rare carefree day for the team. The rookie Renaldo Balkman ran by yelling, “Good game, good game.”

Saturday’s practice was a light one physically, too, with dry runs through plays and shooting drills. Though officially listed as questionable for the game against the Bucks (17-26), Curry took part in both and said he felt well.

Thomas, who knows about the kind of scoring barrage Crawford has provided in recent games, said that he and his former Pistons backcourt partner Joe Dumars would call the condition being “in the thang.”

Thomas said it differs from a regular hot streak in that it lasts longer. Crawford scored 29 points — 23 in the fourth quarter — in the game right before Friday’s victory, a 112-107 loss to the Suns. If Crawford continues his onslaught, it bodes well for the Knicks, who have shown potential this season but have been inconsistent.

“You are hot for like a game,” Thomas said, “but if you are in the thang, you can — like Vince Carter, he’ll get into the thang for like a week and it’s like 30, 30, 30. Boom, boom, boom, boom.”

Asked if he thought the Knicks could ride Crawford’s play to more victories, Curry, a close friend of Crawford’s, demurred. “I don’t know, but we’re about to find out,” he said, laughing.

Curry also said that his sore left calf felt loose.

He joked that when he returned, the Knicks’ No. 1 option would be Crawford.

“I don’t even want to shoot the ball,” Curry said. “I want him to score 50 again. I want to be out there when he does it next time.”

For perspective on Crawford, Thomas looked to other streaky shooters. He named Fred Brown, Gus Williams, Scott Wedman and his former teammate Vinnie Johnson.

Thomas even referenced baseball, recalling Wally Pipp, the Yankee who lost his starting job to Lou Gehrig, who went on to play 2,130 consecutive games.

The player slated to lose his starting job — though, considering the team’s frequent lineup shakeups, for probably considerably fewer than 2,000 games — is Jeffries. The seldom-used James started against the Heat, to guard Shaquille O’Neal, but the 6-foot-11 Jeffries has been a regular since missing the first 23 games of the season with a wrist injury and after sitting out a four-game suspension for his role in the Dec. 16 brawl with the Denver Nuggets. He is averaging under 5 points a game and spends about half of each game on the bench.

Thomas said that Quentin Richardson, who has been playing shooting guard, would move to Jeffries’s position at small forward. Crawford would play shooting guard.

Thomas said he has been impressed with Crawford’s consistent mechanics and his confidence.

So why can’t Crawford play like that all the time? When it comes to 16 straight baskets and 52 points, there are no easy answers, even on a lighthearted day.

Thomas beckoned a reporter’s 5-year-old child. “Answer this question for me,” he said. Then, turning back to the reporters, he said: “Really, I don’t know. I just know that’s how it is.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/sports/basketball/28knicks.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

[Edited by - anji on 01-27-2007 10:02 PM]

All isiah has to do is bench frye for Lee and I will be ok.

Q is a small fwd by the way.

Let's do this!

Posted by EnySpree:

All isiah has to do is bench frye for Lee and I will be ok.

Q is a small fwd by the way.

Let's do this!

That just makes too much sense. Quit with the good suggestions. This is the Knicks.