Bulls 87

Knicks 81

CHICAGO – Tim Thomas suffered a strained groin in the first quarter and Lenny Wilkens suffered a brain cramp in the final seconds.

Both travesties resulted in a United Center nightmare as the Knicks dropped an 87-81 decision to the Bulls and slipped back into a seventh-place tie with Cleveland.

Thomas – who had been starting to come into his own over the past week – strained his right groin, missed the last three quarters and could now be sidelined for the next two weeks. The same injury ironically put Keith Van Horn on the shelf for 10 days during the preseason.

The Knicks (also without Allan Houston) nonetheless remained in the game until the final minute, when they allowed the Bulls (32-38) to escape. That’s because nobody fouled Jamal Crawford as he connected on a fallaway from the right baseline with 3.6 seconds left and one second remaining on the shot clock.

The Knicks were down two, with just a three-second differential on the shot clock, when the Bulls gained possession. Crawford dribbled up top, then slowly moved to the right side as Shandon Anderson let him go.

Wilkens’ post-game alibi was as weak as the Knicks’ shooting (38.6 percent). The coach claimed he shouted to Anderson early in the possession, but said the crowd noise prevented the message from being heard. “What happened is, I yelled to Shandon to foul him right away,” Wilkens said.

However, Stephon Marbury – unaware of Wilkens’ claim – was under the belief that the order was to not foul. “Coach wanted to get a stop, then try to draw up a play,” Marbury said. “He didn’t call for a foul, so we didn’t foul.”

Told that Wilkens said he’d shouted for him to foul Crawford, Anderson (with at least one eyebrow raised) said, “No comment.”

“It really was a messed-up situation,” Anderson added. “I should’ve fouled; woulda, coulda shoulda. We know what we have to do in situations like that and it should have been done. I’m a pretty smart guy – but when it’s all said and done, I guess I’ll look like the dumb[***].”

The situation was reminiscent of a game nine days ago in Philly, another night that was not one of Wilkens’ good ones. In that situation, the Knicks failed to foul the Sixers in the dying seconds of regulation, and Kenny Thomas forced overtime with a 3-pointer. Wilkens then forgot to tell the players, with two-tenths of a second remaining in the first OT, that only a tapped ball would count as a basket. Nazr Mohammed scored on a catch-and-dunk, but it was waived off. After this latest episode, Wilkens’ players could begin to wonder.

The Knicks wouldn’t have been in this situation if they hadn’t let 6-11, 285-pound Eddy Curry kill them again. Curry made his first seven shots and finished with 25 points (9-of-11) with 14 rebounds. His offensive rebound and driving layup put Chicago up 81-78 with 1:33 left. Curry then made two free throws with 38.8 seconds left to give the Bulls an 83-79 lead.

Marbury, unable to compensate for the absence of Houston and Thomas, was awful – but courtesy of a hit by Curry, played with a sore back. Marbury scored 10 points on 4-of-18 shooting. He was 0-for-4 in the fourth – including two airballs – and earlier, he blew two layups.