whottt
02-27-2005, 01:07 AM
http://www.newsday.com/sports/basketball/knicks/ny-spknix0227,0,1289178.story?coll=ny-sports-headlines
Knicks 90, Pacers 79
Just a little defense makes a difference
Rose plays only nine minutes, but he helps spark good showing
BY ANTHONY RIEBER
STAFF WRITER
February 26, 2005, 11:23 PM EST
NEW YORK -- Malik Rose won two NBA titles as a member of the San Antonio Spurs before being traded to the Knicks on Thursday. An undersized power forward at 6-7, he brought rebounding and defense and toughness last night to Madison Square Garden.
In fact, he brought everything except underarm deodorant, which he had to ask someone to find for him after the Knicks-Pacers game. :lol
No problem, though. The Knicks all came out smelling like a rose after their 90-79 victory over Indiana.
Rose played only nine minutes -- all in the first half -- in his Knicks debut, but he sparked a defensive effort that led the Knicks to one of their best wins of the season. He grabbed eight rebounds and provided solid play against 7-footer Jermaine O'Neal and left a good first impression on his new teammates.
"He brings that championship attitude to the team," Stephon Marbury said.
The Knicks have won two in a row and three of four and improved to 6-11 under coach Herb Williams. It's their first winning streak since they won three straight under Lenny Wilkens from Dec. 26-29. That streak ended with the Knicks at 16-13 and in first place in the Atlantic Division. Things have not been going swimmingly since, as you may have heard.
It was the third time the Knicks have held an opponent under 80 points, the first time under Williams. Since the first two were New Orleans and the Nets, this one counts more.
Indiana had won five straight and seemed to be getting itself together after the self-inflicted blows of the Nov. 19 brawl with the Pistons. O'Neal led the Pacers with 24 points but was kneed in the stomach/groin area by a driving Marbury with 1:06 left in the game and walked off the court with assistance. To make matters worse, O'Neal was called for a foul on the play.
Retiring Reggie Miller scored 14 and shot 6-for-12 in his next-to-last appearance at the Garden. Unless the teams meet in the playoffs, Miller will have one last chance to torment Knicks fans on April 5.
The Knicks were led by Marbury's 21 points. Jamal Crawford had 17, Kurt Thomas 16 and Tim Thomas 11. Whether Thursday's trading-deadline deals eventually will earn Knicks president Isiah Thomas a dunce cap -- as one tabloid back page suggested -- one of them worked out great last night. Rose, acquired from San Antonio for Nazr Mohammed and Jamison Brewer, made his Knicks debut with 8:45 left in the first half.
Wearing Mohammed's No. 13, the two-time NBA champion grabbed a defensive rebound on his first possession and didn't stop there. By the time the half was over, Rose had eight rebounds -- four on the offensive glass -- and with Kurt Thomas' five rebounds and Jerome Williams' four, the undersized Knicks had a 21-15 rebounding advantage and a 47-37 lead on the scoreboard.
Williams has been a non-person at times under Herb Williams, but he was the first forward off the bench when starter Michael Sweetney picked up two fouls seven minutes into the game.
Williams has eight forwards to choose from after Thomas' deals, which brings to mind then-Rangers coach Colin Campbell's comment that the Devils were an "interchangeable flock of forwards." Thomas will presumably sort out the roster logjam during the summer, but until then, Williams can think of redundancy as a positive.
Kurt Thomas stayed hot in the third quarter; his jumper with 9:50 left made him 5-for-6 for the game (and 15-for-17 in the last two) and made the score 53-40. Indiana went on an 11-2 run to get the lead down to 55-51, but the Knicks stretched it back to 13 (71-58) when Marbury converted a three-point play just before the end of the third quarter.
Notes & quotes: Miller nemesis Spike Lee was not in attendance ... Maurice Taylor, whom the Knicks acquired from Houston for Vin Baker and Moochie Norris, had two points in five minutes. He hadn't played since Jan. 17 because of the flu and a bad foot.
Knicks 90, Pacers 79
Just a little defense makes a difference
Rose plays only nine minutes, but he helps spark good showing
BY ANTHONY RIEBER
STAFF WRITER
February 26, 2005, 11:23 PM EST
NEW YORK -- Malik Rose won two NBA titles as a member of the San Antonio Spurs before being traded to the Knicks on Thursday. An undersized power forward at 6-7, he brought rebounding and defense and toughness last night to Madison Square Garden.
In fact, he brought everything except underarm deodorant, which he had to ask someone to find for him after the Knicks-Pacers game. :lol
No problem, though. The Knicks all came out smelling like a rose after their 90-79 victory over Indiana.
Rose played only nine minutes -- all in the first half -- in his Knicks debut, but he sparked a defensive effort that led the Knicks to one of their best wins of the season. He grabbed eight rebounds and provided solid play against 7-footer Jermaine O'Neal and left a good first impression on his new teammates.
"He brings that championship attitude to the team," Stephon Marbury said.
The Knicks have won two in a row and three of four and improved to 6-11 under coach Herb Williams. It's their first winning streak since they won three straight under Lenny Wilkens from Dec. 26-29. That streak ended with the Knicks at 16-13 and in first place in the Atlantic Division. Things have not been going swimmingly since, as you may have heard.
It was the third time the Knicks have held an opponent under 80 points, the first time under Williams. Since the first two were New Orleans and the Nets, this one counts more.
Indiana had won five straight and seemed to be getting itself together after the self-inflicted blows of the Nov. 19 brawl with the Pistons. O'Neal led the Pacers with 24 points but was kneed in the stomach/groin area by a driving Marbury with 1:06 left in the game and walked off the court with assistance. To make matters worse, O'Neal was called for a foul on the play.
Retiring Reggie Miller scored 14 and shot 6-for-12 in his next-to-last appearance at the Garden. Unless the teams meet in the playoffs, Miller will have one last chance to torment Knicks fans on April 5.
The Knicks were led by Marbury's 21 points. Jamal Crawford had 17, Kurt Thomas 16 and Tim Thomas 11. Whether Thursday's trading-deadline deals eventually will earn Knicks president Isiah Thomas a dunce cap -- as one tabloid back page suggested -- one of them worked out great last night. Rose, acquired from San Antonio for Nazr Mohammed and Jamison Brewer, made his Knicks debut with 8:45 left in the first half.
Wearing Mohammed's No. 13, the two-time NBA champion grabbed a defensive rebound on his first possession and didn't stop there. By the time the half was over, Rose had eight rebounds -- four on the offensive glass -- and with Kurt Thomas' five rebounds and Jerome Williams' four, the undersized Knicks had a 21-15 rebounding advantage and a 47-37 lead on the scoreboard.
Williams has been a non-person at times under Herb Williams, but he was the first forward off the bench when starter Michael Sweetney picked up two fouls seven minutes into the game.
Williams has eight forwards to choose from after Thomas' deals, which brings to mind then-Rangers coach Colin Campbell's comment that the Devils were an "interchangeable flock of forwards." Thomas will presumably sort out the roster logjam during the summer, but until then, Williams can think of redundancy as a positive.
Kurt Thomas stayed hot in the third quarter; his jumper with 9:50 left made him 5-for-6 for the game (and 15-for-17 in the last two) and made the score 53-40. Indiana went on an 11-2 run to get the lead down to 55-51, but the Knicks stretched it back to 13 (71-58) when Marbury converted a three-point play just before the end of the third quarter.
Notes & quotes: Miller nemesis Spike Lee was not in attendance ... Maurice Taylor, whom the Knicks acquired from Houston for Vin Baker and Moochie Norris, had two points in five minutes. He hadn't played since Jan. 17 because of the flu and a bad foot.