The New York Times-20080126-In Matchup of Futility- Knicks Stand Taller Than Struggling Sixers

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In Matchup of Futility, Knicks Stand Taller Than Struggling Sixers

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Just when the Knicks had begun to look sufferable, Larry Brown haunted them this week through a magazine article with a reminder of one of the franchise's worst seasons.

Then Brown's current team, the Philadelphia 76ers, came to Madison Square Garden on Friday to finish the job.

Unfortunately for the Sixers, there is no better recipe for exorcising demons than a visiting team that is playing even worse basketball than the Knicks at the moment. When the Knicks and the Sixers, the two worst teams in the Atlantic Division, clashed Friday, the Knicks got the better of Philadelphia, 89-81.

Several of the Knicks (14-28) were jovial in the locker room after spreading the ball around and leading almost the entire game.

Whoever is hot gets it, said Nate Robinson, who came off the bench to score 13 points. No one is trying to hog the ball. Everyone is playing as a team. As a team we win.

Five Knicks scored in double figures, but no one reached 20. Jamal Crawford led the charge with 18 points, and Zach Randolph had his 21st double-double of the season (16 points, 15 rebounds). The Knicks never led by more than 11, and had no solution for forward Andre Iguodala in the first half, when he scored 18 of his 24 points.

Brown, the Sixers' executive vice president, forced the Knicks to revisit their past earlier this week when Philadelphia magazine published an article in which Brown complained of being spied on during his one season as Knicks coach, 2005-6.

The turmoil surrounding the club and its front office has not changed, but on the court, the Knicks have recently shown at least some cause for optimism.

We're playing our best ball right now, Crawford said. We've won five of our last seven games. The two losses weren't embarrassing losses, they were tough losses.

Not embarrassing counts for a lot with these Knicks, and playing host to the Sixers, the second-worst team in the Atlantic Division, was exactly the ingredient needed to keep momentum in their favor as they began the second half of their schedule.

With point guard Stephon Marbury out after ankle surgery, the Knicks seem to have learned how to move the ball effectively on offense. They continued to shy away from playing isolation basketball, and collected 22 assists on 35 baskets. Philadelphia (16-28) had few offensive options beyond Iguodala, who went cold in the second half. Philadelphia shot 42.3 percent from the field.

They did a good job trying to get me out of rhythm, Iguodala said. They mixed it up.

In December, the Sixers pummeled the Knicks on consecutive days by a combined 39 points, sending the Knicks on a spiral that produced 2 wins in 15 games.

This time, it was Philadelphia that was reeling, having lost 11 of 13 since Jan. 1. Both teams looked inept at times, with shot-clock violations, air balls and missed layups and wide-open jumpers.

But their miserable defenses, both ranking in the bottom five in the league in opponents' field-goal percentage, helped make each other look potent. But the Knicks locked down as the Sixers attempted a late charge and held Philadelphia to 1 point in the final 4 minutes 59 seconds.

When we have good shot distribution, everybody feels a part of the game, Knicks Coach Isiah Thomas said. When you get to touch the basketball, feel it, and maybe make a basket, on the other end defensively you play that much better.

Mardy Collins even got in on the action after playing 13 total minutes in 12 prior games this month. On Friday he started in place of Fred Jones, who sat with flulike symptoms, and logged 17 minutes.

Marbury had elective surgery Tuesday to remove bone spurs from his left ankle, and his days with the Knicks could be over. He had already missed 17 games this season because of a spat with Thomas, illness, injury and his father's death. His locker was empty Friday night, except for two rolled up elastic bandages.

The Knicks now head West for a potentially rocky five-game, seven-day swing, beginning Sunday at Golden State, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers, Utah, Portland and Seattle. All, except the Sonics, are well above .500. That adds up to trouble.

We're glad to get a win in front of our home crowd before we hit the road, said Eddy Curry, who scored 11. It really gives us confidence, and we're feeling good.

At the Knicks' final home game until Feb. 4, Led Zeppelin's Rock And Roll played over the Garden speakers as Robert Plant sat courtside, receiving as rousing an ovation as the basketball team ever did.

The Knicks, now experiencing good vibes for the first time in a while, can borrow Plant's lyrics as they travel the difficult road: It's been a long time since I rock and rolled.

The Knicks were singing again.

[Illustration]PHOTO: Eddy Curry, shooting over Philadelphia's Samuel Dalembert, finished with 11 points.(PHOTOGRAPH BY FRANK FRANKLIN II/ASSOCIATED PRESS)