Center Focus After ’Abnormal’ Game

“I think I had an abnormal reaction to an abnormal situation,” Knicks Coach Isiah Thomas said with a shrug when asked about the technical foul he received with little over two minutes to go in the Celtics game. “Last night, I thought it was a very abnormal game. It was a game that I don’t think I’ve ever seen in all my years in pro basketball. It was just a very weird game.”

“ I’ve never seen a game where there were 63 free throws shot by the opponent in your building,” Thomas, still in amazement, shook his head. “In all my experience in basketball, I’ve never been in a game like that. I‘ve never played in one. I never coached one. So we’ll just put it to the side because there’s no way to look at that abnormality except that it was abnormal.”

Of the referees, Thomas said, “we definitely need to change their perception because, clearly, they don’t think highly of us.”

“My reaction? All I can say is that nowhere in my book I saw this type of abnormality coming. And that is what I said to the team. I don’t know if it was the full moon or what but the whole thing was out of whack last night.”

Seeing no point in looking back, Thomas was looking forward. “Yes, we’ll play Yao Ming different (tomorrow night at the Garden against the Houston Rockets),” he smiled. “And I hope it works. But I looked it up and last night he had 37 (points) again. Sure, we’ll double-team him more. He’s so smart and he’s so clever you have to throw different looks at him. You can’t give him one steady diet. Even then, he takes different things in small doses -- then he gobbles them up like they were tasty.”

The ever-improving Yao, who had the monster game to end all monster games against the Knicks and Eddy Curry ten days ago with 35 points, 17 rebounds, and 8 rejects, obviously merits major attention. “I’ve been watching that film,” said Curry. “But I have not been watching it TOO much.”

Thomas, without a doubt, has not lost one ounce of confidence in Curry. “With young big guys, you just have to stay patient and keep coaching them,’” he said. ”I remember the same questions asked about Yao. I can recall the same questions asked about Jermaine O’Neal when I got him from Portland: “Well, he’s been in the league six years now. He’s 23 years old.” It’s not how it works. I don’t recall a 23 year-old big man coming in and just being totally dominant. It takes time. You just have got to be patient. You’ve got to work him through the process. And then they become…”

“I remember when I had Jermaine I was asked all the same questions. Does he have the focus? Does he have the potential? Is he hungry enough? Is he this? Is he that?”

“But it really takes time, and it really takes patience. Eventually they get there. Then one day they are on the All Star team.”

“There’s always doubt. There are always questions about big guys. I saw Patrick Ewing last night. Do you remember what the Knicks record was when Patrick was 23? I’m just saying it takes a while before they all of a sudden…”

“They keep maturing. They keep growing. Then one day they wake up and realize they are bigger than everyone else.”