David Lee (AP)
David Lee did everything last night but burn the whole damn Garden down.
Lee took no prisoners, drawing Knicks blood, leaving his own on the court, knocking out Wilson Chandler’s front tooth and knocking coach Mike D’Antoni’s team into crisis.
Playing like a real warrior, Lee got the win he craved, scoring 28 points, ripping down 10 rebounds, making 5 of 6 clutch free throws in the final 2:42 to will the Warriors to a 122-117 win and hand-deliver the Knicks a three-game losing streak and 3-5 record.
PHOTOS: WARRIORS BEAT KNICKS, 122-117
Lee got a standing ovation and a touching video tribute.
His elbow caught Chandler in the mouth in the third quarter, cracking his tooth as they went up for a rebound. Lee played with a bloody left elbow that was wrapped in white the rest of the way. But blood still could be seen seeping through.
“Sliced it up pretty good,” Lee said. “I could actually see a little of the bone coming out a bit. It’ll required a few stitches. I just wanted to hang out with the Knicks medical staff a little more, I haven’t seen them in a while.”
Lee winced in pain before and after he shot his late free throws, perhaps rubbing some of his former mates the wrong way. At the buzzer, Lee hugged his new Warriors teammates afterward, but all the Knicks players, including Amar’e Stoudemire, left the court quickly without shaking Lee’s hand.
Golden State moved to 6-2. If this was a referendum on the Lee sign-and-trade, the Knicks fared horribly. RonnyTuriaf (knee sprain) and Kelenna Azbubuike (still rehabbing) did not play and Anthony Randolph got in for just seven minutes.
“We didn’t quite bring the effort tonight,” Stoudemire said.
Lee’s heroics overshadowed Stoudemire’s monster night after D’Antoni moved him to starting center. Stoudemire scored a season-high 33 points with 10 rebounds, making 14 of 16 free throws. Of course, the two free throws he missed came at the worst time. Stoudemire bricked two with 43 seconds left and the Knicks down three.
Lee got the rebound, was fouled and made 1 of 2 free throws to put the Warriors up 117-113. The win wasn’t sealed until the gap-toothed Chandler missed a 3-pointer, and Lee ripped down the final rebound with 1.5 seconds left. He got fouled and made both free throws.
Lee was efficient and fiery from the opening tip, exploding for 12 points in the first quarter, mostly on driving dunks. After scoring his first bucket at the Garden as a Warrior, a tomahawk fastbreak jam, he landed, clenched his fists and looked toward the Warriors bench.
Lee received a loud ovation during pregame intros — louder than any Knick — and many fans donned his old No. 42 jersey.
With 6:48 left in the first quarter, during a timeout, a video tribute was played, showing Lee highlights on the court and off the court at charity events with kids, with the final message “Thank you David.”
“I’m a bad multi-tasker, trying to see what play we were running next and trying to catch it,” Lee said. “I got to see 80 percent. I’m sure I’ll get a copy of it.”
Lee received a standing ovation during the tribute and he came off the bench, waving to all corners of the crowd.
“It was a very special the tribute they did,” Lee said. “I give the Knicks a lot of credit for them putting it together. It meant a lot to me. It was a great feeling, but it would’ve been all for nothing if we didn’t win the game.”
Lee and Chandler were paired up much of the night as D’Antoni gave him his first start at power forward. After Chandler botched an alley-oop slam, Lee snatched the rebound but also caught Chandler with an elbow to the mouth. Part of the tooth fell to the Garden floor and as Chandler walked off the court for the locker room, he spit onto the court as he passed Lee.
Lee got plenty of assistance from his vibrant team. Stephen Curry scored 25 points and Monta Ellis had 22. Meanwhile, Danilo Gallinari (0 of 5 on 3-pointers) often disappeared, and without Turiaf, the Knicks scored just 11 points from their bench as demoted starting center Timofey Mozgov played just two minutes.
The key possession during the Knicks’ late flameout came when they had three chances to score, trailing by one, but came up empty. After two offensive rebounds, Gallinari missed on a drive, Curry got the rebound, led a fastbreak resulting in a Dorell Wright putback and 116-113 lead with 59 seconds left.