By MARC BERMAN
The Knicks have come home â for 13 days, a six-game homestand against mediocre teams. It is a time to make hay as long as they donât shrivel amidst the first-quarter boos.
In truth, Iâm tired of hearing Thomas talk about the Garden as being a tough place to play for the home team, rationalizing their 1-6 home record, worst in the NBA. What a horrible excuse. Itâs always been this way at the Garden. When the Knicks are throwing the ball into the seats, they will boo.
Jeff Van Gundy put Thomas in his place two weeks ago when he said he liked when the fans booed early because it motivated the team and made his job easier.
Plus, there is no other arena louder than the Garden when the Knicks are staging a comeback â this season or any season. If the Knicks cut the deficit from 20 to 10, it feels like a playoff game. And thatâs not the case in most arenas.
Because of the competition, the Knicks can run the table on this homestand and get to .500. Of course that wonât happen and when they go a mediocre 3-3, Thomas will surely find some other excuse as to why. Jared Jeffries should be back on this homestand, so I can already hear Isiah talk about the adjustment period needed.
After Toronto, it’s Memphis, Washington, Milwaukee, Boston and Atlanta. If they’re not 4-2 or better, it’s bad.
Meanwhile, the Knicks arrived home to share the arena for the day with four black colleges from the MEAC. The Knicks-Toronto game was pushed to 8 p.m. to accommodate the doubleheaders that had Bowie State vs. Virginia Union in the first game and Hampton vs. Howard University in the second game.
Virginia Union slaughtered Bowie State 87-42 in the opener. I got to the Garden about 3:30 p.m. â straight from by Detroit flight to LaGuardia – in time for the second game. Thereâs about 6,000 strong in the seats. Garden prez Steve Mills was instrumental in trying to bring black college into the Garden for a holiday showcase. The idea came from Ken Johnson, a Virginia entrepreneur. It’s called the Big Apple Classic.
Thereâs absolutely nobody sitting in the 300 and 400 levels but itâs a thrill for the players to take this stage. The Garden still feels like the Garden â even 1/3 full.
