It is only the first day of December and yet many people have counted out the New York Knicks this season. With everything that has gone on, why wouldn't you? Apparently everyone at Madison Square Garden last night didn't get that message.A night after one of the worst losses in franchise history (104-59 against the Celtics), the Knicks responded with a game that showed hustle,determination, and heart.. They overcame a 17 point deficit to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks 91-88. After the game Jamal Crawford apologized on behalf of the Knicks to the hometown crowd for their performance the night before. Crawford along with Zach Randolph scored 25 points in leading the Knicks to victory.
Via ESPN.com:
"That's not who we are, honestly, and their support means everything," Crawford said. "So it was a tough loss and I'm glad we bounced back tonight."
The Garden crowd throughout the night had let their displeasure be heard, from the pre-game introductions, to missed free throws by Stephon Marbury, to the lack of defense in the 3rd when the Knicks were trailing double digits again and looked prime for another knockout. On this night, the Knicks woke up before it was too late. Marbury had 13 points until he was forced to leave the game in the 3rd quarter because of a right shoulder muscle spasm. His replacement, Fred Jones provided a spark off the bench, he scored all 10 of his points in the last quarter and put an exclamation point on the comeback with an infatic dunk leaving 0.4 seconds on the clock. Crowd favorite David Lee played limited minutes but his presence on the floor led to key rebounds late and also contributed to the Knicks late spark.
For Milwaukee, Micheal Redd scored 27 points in the losing effort. He had two chances late to put the Bucks ahead in the final minute but failed to deliver.
"I'm speechless," Redd said. "I'm more speechless about us losing three in a row, not that we lost to the Knicks. The Knicks are a talented team. We knew they would come back and fight hard. When you have a lead like that, you've got to be able to defend and put your foot down and take advantage of the situation, and we didn't do that tonight."
The Knicks (5-10) have won three straight at the Garden and have won three of their last four. Isiah Thomas' job is safe for another day.
Frank's articles can also be found HotStoveNewYork
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