Healthy Crawford Eyes Special Season
Knicks guard Jamal Crawford had a tremendous season in 2006-07. His 17.6 points-per-game average was the second-highest of his seven-year career, and it certainly got a boost from a career-high 52-point performance vs. Miami on Jan. 26, 2007, at Madison Square Garden. In leading the Knicks past the Heat that night, Crawford was 20-for-30 from the field and 8-for-10 from 3-point range.
Crawford's performance against Miami was later described by teammate Stephon Marbury as "the best performance I've ever seen inside the Garden other than Michael Jordan." Those who saw Crawford light it up that Friday night are unlikely to disagree. Unfortunately, Crawford's season ended just one month later when he was discovered to have a stress fracture in his right ankle following another win over the Heat at MSG.
The loss of Crawford played a big part in the Knicks' missing the 2007 NBA playoffs, and there's no doubt the 27-year-old should play a big role in what promises to be a big season for the Knicks in 2007-08.
Crawford recently took time out for this exclusive interview with NYKnicks.com.
Question: The first thing is everyone wants to know is how your ankle's feeling?
Crawford: It's feeling good -- really good. I'm really excited about how its held up in the in the summer, and how things have turned out. I think I, and the whole team, are gonna have a very, very good season this year.
Question: What have you been working on to help rehab it and also to help you're game over the summer for next season?
Crawford: I've been working on a lot of different things. The first beginning part of the summer, I was just rehabbing it and getting it stronger. You need to just use it again. Once you have an injury of that magnitude you kind of favor it and shy away from it. But after rehabbing it, I started hitting weights and doing normal workout stuff.
Question: What do you think about the off-season addition of Zach Randolph?
Crawford: I think that's going to be huge for us. With Zach and Eddy (Curry) and David Lee down there in the mix, I think those guys will all bring something different. I think they will all complement each other. Zach is a guy who has proven he can get 20 (points) and 10 (rebounds). He will do everything the team needs of him.
Question: Have you kept in contact with your teammates over the summer?
Crawford: Oh, definitely! I talk to Q (Quentin Richardson), I talk to Nate (Robinson), I talk to Mardy, I talk to Steph, I talk to D-Lee, and I talk to Eddy, of course. I talk to pretty much everybody. I got a chance to hang out with the new guys and Renaldo. I talk to pretty much everybody. I talk to Malik Rose as well. I can't forget my man Malik!
Question: Did you catch any of the Knicks games at the NBA Summer League?
Crawford: I watched every game and TiVo'd the games I missed! I thought they played well and played hard. I thought Coach (Dave) Hanners did a great job with those guys.
Question: If you had a talk with the fans, what would you tell them to expect for the upcoming season?
Crawford: Expect a season that is definitely better than last season. Guys are really prepared and excited. You know, you see what a team like Cleveland does, going all the way to the finals, so you know the East is pretty much wide open. We should be right there, and it will be interesting.
Question: Can you also talk about the depth you guys have now? I mean, you have 17 players on the roster, but no matter what, when it gets down to 15, you're still going to be pretty deep.
Crawford: Yeah, we're very deep. You know, if a guy goes down here or there, somebody will be able to cover for him. And that's what being a team is about. With the depth we have, injuries won't really set us back. We're pretty covered in every position.
Question: Finally, you've hit some pretty clutch shots the past few years. With the game on the line, what goes through you head when you're taking that last shot?
Crawford: That's fun for me! (laughing) Honestly, I'm smiling inside. I try to first see things a few seconds before everybody else does. I have a lot of confidence that the shot is going to be a good shot, and that it has a pretty good chance of going in. I think my teammates and the fans are kind of expecting the same thing, so its always fun when the ball go through the net. To be able to share that with your teammates and your fans, it's just a really good time.
9/10/2007 3:15 PM