As sure as Joe Torre will follow the money, Isiah Thomas will be booed tonight during player introductions, booed hard and in many respects booed deservedly.
Rev. Al Sharpton, in a joint press conference with Thomas, called off tonight’s protest, but Thomas is still expected to be booed for being held liable for sexual harassment. He is expected also to be booed for his Knicks record, which fell to 118-183 Friday night. He is expected to be booed for making a “distinction” about a white man calling a black woman a bitch – a deposition excerpt that Sharpton said yesterday was distorted.
He also is expected to be booed for a remark that came up during the trial in which he allegedly referred to not caring about the “white” season-ticket holders. Thomas denies this.
The challenge tonight is turning the early boos into cheers when the Knicks face Minnesota in their home opener at the Garden. David Stern at least gave the Knicks a break with this softie.
“I’m only thinking about just winning the game [tonight],” Thomas said. “That’s my concentration. That’s my focus.”
It is one thing to lose on the road in a close contest vs. the Cavaliers. It will be another to fall behind to the rebuilding Wolves, who no longer have Kevin Garnett and could be the West’s worst team. So if the Knicks fall behind, the first “Fire Isiah” chant will ring out.
“We’re used to it,” Jamal Crawford said. “Our fans were tough on us last year at the beginning of the season and they had every right to be, we didn’t play well at home. By the second half of the season we felt like we couldn’t lose at home. Things change; we just have to be prepared and focused on winning.”
Tonight will be the start of four straight home games – Denver, Orlando and Miami – before heading on a four-game Western trip. Clearly, the Knicks wold like to win three of the four at home before heading West.
“We’ve got to win our home games,” Thomas said. “Any time we have an opponent coming into the Garden we should be expected to win”Privately, Thomas has been miserable about the image he carries now, feels completely burned by the media coverage of the trial and stated last weekend “the jurors were wrong.” Even if he can’t save his job here, Thomas appears worried about down the road, whether the sexual-harassment stigma will stick.
There were some good signs Friday in Cleveland, but all of them came on the offensive end, with Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph imposing their will and Jamal Crawford awaking from a dreadful preseason.
“We’re going to play well together, I think it will work out,” Curry said of his inside-outside big-man pairing with Randolph. “We’re close to putting it together. It’s just a matter of time.”
The Knicks led the Cavs by nine late in the third quarter and five entering the fourth quarter before a 110-106 defeat in the season opener.
Randolph and Curry combined for 39 points, Crawford fired in 25 and they committed just 11 turnovers.
“We did a good job taking care of the basketball, we did a good job of rebounding the ball, we did a good job in all areas with the exception of . . . LeBron is LeBron,” Thomas said.
But the Knicks played defense as if they were wearing stilettos – a problem going on seven years.The biggest sin was not defending of the 3-point line – their weakness last season. Daniel Gibson punished them in the fourth quarter by making four 3-pointers midway through the four that turned the game around more so than LeBron James’ 45. Stephon Marbury was to blame for the treys.
Thomas was still in denial about how open those looks were.
“I thought the shots were challenged, guys weren’t standing there counting the seams n the basketball,” said Thomas, a hugely disappointing defensive coach.
Some players believe the shorter the rotation the better. Thomas stuck to the premise Friday. He played only eight guys – and one of them was Renaldo Balkman for less than a minute.
There is no King James tonight. Just a victory that better be gained.