A frenzied Garden crowd got most of what it wanted: hard fouls, tough defense, a razor-tight game to the wire. The Knicks played like men, as Knicks president Isiah Thomas had requested.
Game 3 of the Lincoln Tunnel Series could’ve gone either way if the Knicks had gotten one better bounce, a few better late-game whistles. The Knicks played the best they could play, considering their offensively depleted lineup, but still dropped an 81-78 decision to the Nets to fall behind 3-0 in the best-of-7, first-round series. The Knicks’ season is on the verge of ending in a Sunday sweep.
In the first Garden playoff game in three years, they provided some old-time thrills, got back on defense, held the Nets without a field goal for 10-plus minutes in the fourth quarter in nearly erasing a 10-point deficit after three. After two blowouts, they made Jason Kidd’s team sweat.
“So close but so far away,” said Stephon Marbury, who played all 48 minutes. “You’re supposed to play with effort. We played better. We got better as a team today but it wasn’t enough to win.”
Marbury was right in the middle to the end. He banged in a top-of-the-key jumper to pull the Knicks to within 75-73 with 2:01 left. But with a chance to put the Knicks in the lead, he side-rimmed a left-wing 3-point bomb with 1:34 left and the Knicks down two.
Marbury finished 7-of-23 for 18 points and 10 assists. Down 81-78, Marbury got triple-teamed at the 3-point line. He rose up and got clobbered with 3 seconds left. The officials called it a two-shot foul, claiming he was looking to pass.
Said Marbury, “I know I was shooting the ball.”
Angry Lenny Wilkens said, “[The official] said he wasn’t shooting. Then what was he doing?”
Marbury missed the first foul shot, forcing him to purposely miss the next. The Nets got the rebound.
“We don’t want to give any team any breath, especially this team, when they get their crowd behind them,” Richard Jefferson said.
Thomas said beforehand, “From a manly standpoint, we will see who’s a man tonight and who deserves to wear a Knick uniform.”
Many came through. Nazr Mohammed scored 18 points, dominating inside; Penny Hardaway added 18 points; and Kurt Thomas had 15 points and 12 boards.
Though Shandon Anderson was scoreless, he made the biggest defensive statement. In the second quarter, Jefferson soared in for a fast-break dunk but Anderson came down hard on his arms and threw him to the floor. Though Anderson got a flagrant foul, the crowd stood and gave its loudest roar of the 40-40 first half.
The fans were meaner than usual, with a loud “Wife beater!” chant going up in the third quarter when Kidd went to the line.
The Knicks could not stop Kenyon Martin from preening and dancing in the fourth quarter. Tim Thomas had asked for retaliation and questioned Martin’s toughness, calling him “fugazy,” Italian slang for fake.
Martin had the killer 3-point play with 25.9 seconds left on a fluke play. The ball squirted out of Jefferson’s hands and was picked up by Martin, who drove for a runner. The only thing “fugazy” about the bucket was the ensuing foul on Kurt Thomas, who barely touched him. Martin did a shimmy and made the foul shot for an 80-76 lead.
The Knicks hadn’t been within single digits in the second half of either of the first two contests in the Meadowlands. Last night, they took a four-point lead early in the third.
So close, so far away.
