When Russian rookie center Timofey Mozgov entered the Knicks’ locker room after his breakout game Sunday, the game ball sat at his locker. The Knicks will inscribe it with the date and his numbers for the night — 23 points, 14 rebounds, 40 minutes. But Mozgov struggled in last night’s 113-97 loss to Mavericks, scoring four points and grabbing two rebounds in 16 minutes.
Nevertheless, Sunday was a breakout game for Mozgov, who in his Russian blog on Sports.ru, called it “My first NBA trophy.”
Mozgov got a congratulatory text from fellow Russian Andrew Kirilenko of the Jazz, and many of his teammates mimicked the fictional boxer Ivan Drago after the contest. Landry Fields has nicknamed him “The Wizard of Moz.”
“They were having fun,” Mozgov wrote in Russian.
After the game, he went to his favorite Russian restaurant, Mari Vanna, on Broadway in Manhattan, celebrating with herring salad and fried potatoes.
In an interview with a Russian newspaper “Sovietsky Sport” and his blog, Mozgov was able to reveal details he still isn’t comfortable doing because of his very limited English. Mozgov was quoted as saying he nearly had a nervous breakdown and smashed a TV set in his hotel room during the Knicks’ recent West Coast trip. Nevertheless, last night Mozgov told The Post something was lost in the translation.
Mozgov’s supposed meltdown occurred after the Knicks’ blowout win in Phoenix in early January, when he was inserted in the final minutes of garbage time. He promptly was ejected for shoving Suns center Robin Lopez, costing him the chance to impress coach Mike D’Antoni.
“At some moment I was close to a breakdown,” Mozgov said in the Russian interview. “I wanted to break a TV in my hotel room. But I’m an even-tempered guy. I told myself that there would be another chance, and went back to practicing hard. My girlfriend Alla was supporting me very well. I don’t even know what I would do without her.”
In the interview, translated to English by Russian journalist Alexander Chernyk, Mozgov admitted after his Phoenix ejection he was concerned about his NBA future.
“I won’t lie to you, I was terribly worried,” Mozgov said. “I felt that I only needed a tiny chance, that if I got 15 or 20 minutes I could do a lot. But, when you get on the court for two minutes in the end of the game, when it’s done, what can you do in that time? But I didn’t lose hope, because I was getting prepared to spend my first season sitting on the bench and learning. Everything was going great during practices. Then why can’t I mix it up like that in a game? And then that terrible incident in Phoenix.”
Mozgov didn’t speak a word of English when he signed in July but he has improved noticeably in the past month. He still has difficulty articulating his true feelings after the fans chanted “Mozgov” in the final minute. With the Knicks back in action last night, the chants and Mozgov’s playing time may exist again.
“I couldn’t even believe that all of that was happening to me,” Mozgov said in the Russian interview. “Just yesterday everything was different, and there it goes. I can say that I took a deep breath and could finally exhale.”
Mozgov got the call to duty Sunday because of Shawne Williams’ suspension, Wilson Chandler’s calf injury and early foul trouble to center Ronny Turiaf. D’Antoni yanked him from the rotation in early December after having him start the season.
“I thought for the next 10 years he’ll be our center,” D’Antoni said. “He was so good in preseason. But there’s no scars.”
Mozgov missed his first four shots Sunday — all in-close, his first attempt a clumsy airball.
“Yes, it was a nightmare,” Mozgov said. “I got two fouls, made a terrible shot and committed a turnover. Amare [Stoudemire] came to me and tried to make me calm down, but I only had a single thought in my head: ‘It’s over. Mike is going to bench me now.’
“But he didn’t say anything and I rushed into battle again. From there I got really angry, and from that moment everything started to fall in its place.”