[Weasel]

GT: Knicks vs. Spurs (3/21)

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vs.

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Mon Mar 21, 2005
7:30 Eastern </center>

Stephon Marbury/Jamal Crawford/Tim Thomas/Kurt Thomas/Mike Sweetney

Tony Parker/Manu Ginobili/Bruce Bowen/Robert Horry/Radoslav Nesterovic

Notes: Duncan went down today with an ankle injury, I doubt he will be playing in this game.

 

[MPK]

With Duncan out, maybe the Knicks have a puncher's chance in this game...

 

[The True Essence]

is god trying to make sure we dont get a good lottery pick?

i think were gonna win. -oh well

 

[Weasel]

MALIK IS SPURRED ON

The Knicks, who will likely get a huge break tonight with Duncan's absence, have greatly used the savvy and grit Rose provided since the Feb. 24 trade that brought him and two late first-rounders for center Nazr Mohammed, who may be elevated into the starting lineup in place of Duncan.

Tonight, Rose will serve as the team's quasi-head coach. "I know their offense inside and out," said Rose, whose club trails the eighth seeded Sixers by a fat four games. "It's one thing to know. It's another thing to stop it. It's a step closer by knowing their tendencies but you still have to stop it."

 

[Weasel]

Half:

Knicks 43
Spurs 47

 

[The True Essence]

no kurt thomas tonight. we should still win when its over

 

[FreeMason Jr.]

I've got nothing against the Knicks, they're playing great and all, but the reffs are freaking handing them this game! The knicks deserve to win this game more than the spurs rite now, but this is ****

 

[The True Essence]

the refs? you gotta be kidding me. you were down 18. and there were like 4 no calls on Tim Thomas going to the hoop.

 

[FreeMason Jr.]

the refs? you gotta be kidding me. you were down 18. and there were like 4 no calls on Tim Thomas going to the hoop.

Wow...no calls...I wish that's all we had to complain about. The Knicks deserved to win, I'm not denying that. I just get so p'd at the fact that the Spurs get no respect from the reffs when Timmy is gone. Knicks played very well, Marbury was on fire in the fourth.

 

[Fordy74]

That was an impressive win for us. Marbury was awesome. :clap:

 

[Turkish Delight]

Wow that 25-1 run was crazy.
The Spurs were totally lost.

 

[Weasel]

Duncan Is Absent, Marbury Is Present

After going 0-15 this season against teams with winning percentages of .600 or better, the Knicks finally won. That they did it against a Spurs team missing Duncan, a two-time most valuable player, did not bother anyone.

Malik Rose then put the finishing touches on the victory, scoring 10 points in the fourth quarter in his first game against his former team. He finished with 18 points, his highest total as a Knick. He pressed early on, going 2 for 10 through three quarters before settling down.

NO TIM TO LOSE

Marbury was a picture of dominance in scoring 13 straight points in the third and single-handedly dismantling the Spurs during a dominating 11-0 run that gave the Knicks a four-point advantage after three quarters. Marbury scored 15 in the quarter, more than the entire San Antonio roster, while the Knicks forced the visitors into 17 turnovers for the night.

"We just played our game," Marbury said. "We got all the hustle points and played extremely hard on both sides of the court."

Knicks climb while Tim sits

The Knicks overwhelmed the San Antonio Spurs last night at the Garden, beating Duncan's supporting cast, 88-75, by holding the Spurs, who went nearly 12 minutes in the second half without a field goal, to 28 points over the final 24 minutes.

"The Spurs went to a small lineup where they like to spread you out and play the drive-and-kick game," said Malik Rose, who replaced Thomas in the starting lineup and scored 18 points against his former mates. "We did a good job of communicating, staying matched up and that is what helped us contest all of their shots."

Defense, Stephon rock Garden

The Knicks cranked up their own defensive intensity during an amazing 25-1 run spanning the third and fourth quarters, turning the Spurs' offense into a Duncan-less doughnut. Missing their own injured center, Kurt Thomas, the Knicks spent much of the game searching for their offense until Stephon Marbury took over with a 31-point effort to lead the Knicks to an 88-75 win.

"I was really nervous," said Rose, who still totaled 18 points. "There was a lot of emotion going on before the game ... I wasn't playing too well. Thank God for halftime."