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During last night’s third quarter, Chauncey Billups dribbled behind his back, then slipped the ball through Carlos Delfino’s legs before banking in a layup and getting fouled. Then Billups pumped his fist.
It was one of Billups’ finest moments during his debut in the Knicks’ 114-108 win over the Bucks. The fist pump was particularly noteworthy, because Billups had told the Denver Post that leaving his family in Denver wasn’t easy for him, but on that post-drive celebration, he flashed his Garden exuberance.
“I’m not disappointed at all about being a Knick,” Billups said. “Actually I’m excited.”
Billups’ shooting (4-for-12) was erratic in his debut. But he helped seal the victory with four free throws in the last half-minute, heard the fans chant “Chaun-cey Bill-ups” while he was at the line in the final seconds and finished with an impressive 21 points, eight assists, six rebounds and two steals in his 33 minutes.
“It was a really good day,” Billups said. “I’m excited about everything, of course.”
Before the game, Billups, hailed as “a proven winner and a champion” by Knicks owner James Dolan, said he believed that because he’s the point guard his “job is probably the hardest because I have to learn the tendencies of 14 new players.”
He amended it to a lower number, explaining he already knows the tendencies of Carmelo Anthony, Sheldon Williams, Anthony Carter and Renaldo Balkman, his former teammates who joined him in New York.
Nevertheless, that leaves 10 new players the 34-year-old Billups needs to become familiar with, including starters Amar’e Stoudemire, Landry Fields and Ronny Turiaf.
During the second quarter, Billups’ no-look pass to Anthony sailed out of bounds, a testament to the learning curve he will have. He also ran the offense at a slower pace than Felton did, though it’s possible more speed will come with greater offensive familiarity. Billups also drew oohs with a behind-the-back pass to Fields and hit Stoudemire with a no-look feed for a layup.
“I really don’t know that much about the offense yet,” Billups said. “But [coach Mike D’Antoni] was just like, ‘Just kind of do what you do.’ I’m good when I can do that.”
Billups, who was born in Denver, played at the University of Colorado and had two stints with the Nuggets, previously had told the Denver Post that the trade is tough for him because he had to leave his family. He also said it “was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life.”
“My feelings about Denver and that whole situation was more a principle than anything,” Billups said last night. “It wasn’t just about being a Nugget or just being at home. My family’s there.
“It’s not easy to get that call, that trade call, and you’ve got to go home and face your three kids and tell them daddy’s leaving,” he said. “It was more about all of that than anything. As far as [being with] the Knicks, I’m excited to be a Knick.”