The Garden has gone from booing the Knicks to performing spontaneous waves.
As the Knicks pulled away from the Clippers down the stretch last night, the giddy Garden near-sellout crowd erupted in a jubilant “wave” with 2:51 left. It was the first wave sighting at the Garden in many, many years, if ever.
It seems like it had been that long since the Knicks achieved consecutive victories. They did it finally last night by responding from a lethargic beginning with a massive second half, pounding the Clippers, 102-90. The Knicks (22-28) finally reached .500 at home (13-13) after a 2-8 start.
The Knicks have won two straight for the first time in a month and are now one victory shy of reaching the magical 23rd victory by the All-Star break. The number encapsulates last season’s titanic disaster, in which Larry Brown’s Knicks managed only 23 victories.
“I’ve never been through that rough a start,” Isiah Thomas said. “Our guys fought back, the fans stayed with us and we’ve turned it into a home court.”
The Knicks outscored the Clippers 59-37 in the second half, led by Stephon Marbury’s and David Lee’s monster third quarters.
“I saw the wave at the Garden for the first time,” said Lee, who sported a black welt under his left eye from a Tim Thomas forearm.
Said Nate Robinson, “They almost had our bench doing it.”
The Knicks have a three-game western trip left before the All-Star break, facing Utah, the Lakers and Golden State.
“It kind of shows you how bad it was last year, being that we really haven’t played great basketball this year,” said Eddy Curry (23 points). “To a lot us, last year is just a memory.”
The Knicks began the game 0-for-6 with three turnovers, falling behind 10-1. Trailing 53-43 at halftime, Marbury led the third-quarter charge with 12 points, driving with menace to the basket, feasting on Shaun Livingston.
“It was what we needed at that point,” Marbury said.
Lee (16 points, 10 boards) also provided grit as he came in for starter Jerome James 1:14 into the second half. Though James is starting, Thomas is going to Lee off the bench sooner.
Lee immediately gave the club a boost, picking up a loose ball and feeding a lead bounce pass downcourt to a stumbling Jamal Crawford, who caught up to it and scored on the fastbreak. On the next possession, Lee blocked Cuttino Mobley, leading to Marbury’s floater in the lane.
The Knicks began the third on a 17-2 run and extended it to a 24-4 start. The defense clamped down, particularly on Elton Brand, who finished with 22 points but was neutralized through three quarters.
Marbury, who finished with 15 points and seven assists, started the third with two runners in the lane, then a 3-pointer. Marbury capped his explosion with a conventional three-point play of a layup and foul, making it 67-57 and capping the spurt.
Crawford finished with 23 points and iced the win with 3:18 and 2:08 left. Crawford was at the free-throw line when the wave began. And he made them both.
“I saw it, I wasn’t oblivious to it,” Crawford said.
Knicks 102 Clippers 90
