After just one more gaffe than he could stand, one more mental mistake than he could bear, Mike Woodson benched Iman Shumpert a minute into Friday night’s third quarter. Shumpert didn’t look happy about it, but first Woodson let the young guard hear about it, then he let him seethe on the bench, pondering the error of his ways.
It worked like a charm. After playing some of his worst, most passive basketball in the first half, then getting yanked 61 seconds into the third quarter, Shumpert found his game in the fourth. He helped spark the Knicks to a 96-86 win over the Bucks at the Garden, and showed a little growth and maturity in the process.
“I don’t remember what I said. It wasn’t real pleasant, I’m sure. He stepped up and did what I needed him to do, which is kind of nice,’’ said a smiling Woodson, who admitted he should be more patient with Shumpert, but doesn’t have that luxury.
“When I pulled him it didn’t seem like he had much energy, so I thought he needed to sit and think about it a little bit,” he said. “When I brought him back in the fourth quarter, he was big. He stepped up and he made plays, which is kind of nice to see.’’
Shumpert played just 6:39 in the first half, after Woodson became vexed with multiple defensive lapses. Then after a mental gaffe gave Brandon Jennings a too-easy layup and Milwaukee a 57-47 lead, Woodson pulled Shumpert just 1:01 into the third quarter. Shumpert returned with 42 seconds left in the period and scored all seven of his points in the game’s last dozen minutes.
“Woody did a lot of talking, a lot of yelling at me,’’ said a rueful Shumpert, playing just his seventh game after returning from ACL surgery. “But he’s just encouraging me to be aggressive.
“He knows it’s awkward for me to be in the corner. We’ve got a new thing we’re doing this year, and I’ve got to make the adjustment. He knows me sitting out nine months I’m off-rhythm. He just wants to keep pushing me to be aggressive. This was his way of teaching me if I’m not aggressive he’s going to take me out.’’
After a scoreless, invisible 0-for-2 first half, Shumpert checked back in for the fourth quarter and made three of his five shots, grabbed a pair of boards and even picked up his defense. His basket pushed the Knicks’ lead to 80-75, and when Jennings tried to answer and got past him on the next possession, Shumpert slapped the ball off the Bucks’ guard and out of bounds for a Milwaukee turnover.
Moments later, Shumpert took a Felton pass and drove baseline for a layup and 84-77 lead. And by the time he drilled a right-corner 3-pointer for an 89-81 cushion, the clock read three minutes left, but the contest was over.
“At times, stuff happens,’’ Shumpert said. “I got beat [on] two backdoors, body not in the right position. Just a small detail of not closing my foot on an out-of-bounds play, and the guy goes right backdoor. Little stuff like that I wasn’t paying attention to because I haven’t been in the swing of things. I know I’m going to get yelled at for it. My teammates curse me out on the court, too.’’