Bender's Dramatic Comeback Sparks Knicks Big Comeback
At the 2:39 mark of the first quarter, with the Knicks down 18 points, a tall, thin player stood up from the bench and walked over to the scorer’s tables. To just about everyone’s surprise in the entire building, it was Jonathan Bender, the Knicks’ newest player who hadn’t played in four years because of knee problems.
And what came as even more of a surprise than Bender being on the floor so early in the game - after signing with the Knicks less than a week ago - was how quickly the 7-footer readjusted to the NBA game.
Bender played like he had been waiting for this day for a long time as he lifted the Knicks with his energy and finished with nine points, two rebounds and a block in Friday’s 95-91 come-from-behind win over the L.A. Clippers at the Garden. A day after wearing an NBA uniform for the first time since suiting up for the Indiana Pacers on Nov. 5, 2005, he played 14 minutes in three short stints off the bench.
“I was really excited and had a lot of adrenaline going out,” said Bender, who suited up Thursday against the Bulls but didn’t play. “I just wanted to get out and do good and definitely make my first shot. After I got that off my back, I felt pretty good from there.”
Wearing pads on both knees, Bender didn’t avoid contact from the moment he stepped on the floor. Just seconds into his remarkable comeback, the forward challenged Clippers center Marcus Camby, one of the elite shot-blockers in the game, for his first bucket of the night. Bender then knocked down his only three-point attempt seconds later and finished the night shooting 2-for-4 from the field.
“He gave us a big boost,” teammate David Lee said.
The Knicks were plus-8 with Bender on the floor and took their first lead of the game on his two free throws early in the fourth quarter. When he left the game for good with less than eight minutes left to play, the Knicks held a four-point lead. New York would only trail again one more time, when Baron Davis knocked down a trey with 36.2 seconds left to give the Clippers a 91-90 lead, but the Knicks responded with a David Lee tip-in eight seconds later to seal the win.
“Jonathan came in and gave us a couple points and you could just see the energy pick up in the team,” Coach Mike D’Antoni said.
Bender, the fifth overall pick in the 1999 draft, played seven seasons with the Pacers before sitting out indefinitely to rehabilitate the knee injuries that began to affect his basketball career since his quick growth spurt in the summer leading up to his senior year of high school. The injuries forced him to miss 172 games over his previous three seasons before the chronic pain sidelined him in February 2006.
Although the 28-year-old isn’t quite pain-free all the time, he now knows his body well enough to get rid of pain through stretching routines and various workouts. He said he felt good after the game, but he doesn’t want to push himself too much right away and plans on taking it day-to-day.
“I’m going to try to work myself in real easy,” Bender said. “There’s no big rush.”
There is no rush from the Knicks’ standpoint, either. The acquisition of Bender was made for the future mainly because Bender was too good of a talent to pass up and the Knicks feel he could play with just about anyone in the league. Bender is known as a solid three-point shooter who can also get to the rim, making him the ideal fit in the Knicks’ run-and-gun system.
“He’s the type of player who is a multi-purpose guy and no matter who comes in next year he could fit in,” D’Antoni said. “That’s kind of what we want to develop and we’re definitely going to give him a good look this year. I don’t know where he is compared to four years ago and don’t know if he could ever get back there, but he looks good, he runs well and he’s a great kid. He has a great shot at something good.”
Game Notes: Lee led the Knicks with 25 points and 11 rebounds. … Chris Duhon added 17 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. … The Clippers were led by Chris Kaman’s 20 points and nine boards. … New York recorded its eight sellout of the season. … The Knicks, who snapped a two-game skid, are 6-3 in December. … The Knicks return to action Sunday against the Bobcats
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