IT’S not often that one of your playing partners in pickup basketball is inaugurated President of the United States. That’s why Knick point guard Chris Duhon will be more than just an interested observer today when Barack Obama takes the oath of office and becomes our nation’s 44th president.
Duhon played hoops with the future president during pickup games at Chicago’s East Bank Club. He got the hook-up through friend and former Duke player Reggie Love, who is one of Obama’s personal assistants.
Though Duhon wasn’t exactly effusive about Obama’s basketball skills, saying, “I don’t think he has a best move,” it still was “an honor” to meet the “normal” man and not the candidate.
“It was good to just meet Barack Obama,” Duhon said. “I’m very proud of him. He’s been through a lot, and to finally be in the position he’s in, I’m very happy for him.”
There were plenty of people happy for Duhon yesterday afternoon after he scored 19 points, including the go-ahead basket with 31 seconds remaining, to lift the Knicks to a 102-98 win over the Bulls at the Garden.
If the Knicks had a dream on this Martin Luther King Day, it would be to find a way to close out games that have slipped through their grasps due to late-game meltdowns. Thanks to Duhon, the Knicks survived this close encounter, turning a 97-97 tie with 2:15 play into a victory. Maybe change has come to the Knicks.
Duhon’s availability for the afternoon start was questionable because of a bad back that caused him to miss the fourth quarter of Saturday’s loss to the Sixers. But he started and played nearly 34 minutes, including the entire fourth quarter.
His biggest bucket came with 31.2 seconds left. Duhon dribbled over the top of a pick-and-roll, charged the basket and split defenders Kirk Hinrich and Joakim Noah to convert the layup for a 99-98 lead.
After a missed layup by Derrick Rose and a Bull foul, Duhon converted two free throws to make it 101-98. The Bulls, who missed five consecutive field goals at the end, never threatened again.
“You need these types of wins,” Duhon said.
He insisted that playing against his former team, the Bulls, and against Rose, the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft, didn’t offer added motivation. Believe that if you want.
The result was that Duhon outplayed his counterpart, a rookie, down the stretch, leading the Knicks with the kind of tough, gritty performance that earns respect.
“It’s good to see somebody gut it out like that,” said Knick forward Quentin Richardson, who has had his own share of back problems. “I went through that exact same stuff, and it’s not fun.”
What is fun for Duhon is seeing the Knicks make progress.
“The main thing is us getting this win, especially a game down the stretch, which is something we’ve been struggling with throughout the season,” he said. “It was good to grind one out.”
His back required two hours of treatment before the game and had coaches holding their breaths for most of it as Duhon went full-tilt. He hopes to be better in a week, but back injuries can be unpredictable.
“It does cost some anxiety on our side,” coach Mike D’Antoni admitted, “but he’s competitive all the way through. He’s a warrior.”
If Duhon can get healthy, maybe, like Obama, his best moves are still to come.