Despite Loss, Crawford, Ewing Jr. Ignite Garden Crowd in Preseason Finale

Oct. 24, 2008

Jamal Crawford found his offense, Patrick Ewing Jr. might have found a roster spot, and the Knicks found the will and determination to make another strong comeback attempt on Friday night at Madison Square Garden.

In a game that appeared out of reach midway through the third quarter, Crawford, Ewing and the Knicks made a big fourth-quarter run before falling just short in a 111-110 decision to the New Jersey Nets, as New York ended its preseason with a 3-4 record.

Coming off their lowest-scoring performance of the preseason in a 101-90 loss to Boston on Tuesday, the Knicks came out strong offensively on Friday night.

New York scored 35 points in the first quarter and made seven of its 12 three-point attempts in the first half. But New Jersey was hot from the field as well, hitting nearly 60 percent of its shots en route to a 62-57 halftime lead.

The Nets built their lead to as many as 21 in the third, but behind clutch shooting from Crawford and a big lift from a group of bench players, the Knicks continued to hit the three ball and cut into New Jersey’s lead until the final few seconds of play.

The Knicks outscored their division rival by nine in the final period, but were unable to make it 10 for the win after Crawford came up short on a long, well-contested jumper as time expired.

The Knicks shot 16-for-28 from three-point range for the game.

Crawford, who was moved to the bench against the Celtics, made his way back into Coach Mike D’Antoni’s starting lineup and finished with his best game of the preseason -- not only offensively but perhaps on the defensive end as well.

“I was really happy with Jamal,” D’Antoni said. “He came out and had a good game. I think that was huge for us and I thought he played real well on both ends.”

The veteran guard, who entered the matchup averaging a shade under nine points, poured in a game-high 30 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field, including 5-of-7 from beyond the arc and 7-of-8 from the line.

"I felt good out there, and now it's time to make the transition to the regular season,” said Crawford, who also had seven assists. “I haven't been too concerned with the preseason. I've focused on setting my teammates up and other stuff. But now, the real season is here and I'm ready to go."

Crawford did everything he could in the fourth quarter to help four teammates -- Mardy Collins, Malik Rose, Anthony Roberson and Ewing -- solidify their spots in D’Antoni’s rotation, which typically only has room for eight to 10 players.

The four reserves, playing with Crawford, were on the court for a majority of the final period and each player contributed in the stretch run.

"Being down in the fourth and being able to put something good together, I think Mardy Collins, Anthony Roberson, Pat Ewing and Malik (Rose), all those guys played a part in our coming back,” Crawford said. “It felt good (to be out there with them) because those guys are still looking to establish themselves and get better and better. I can see their confidence growing every game."

Rose had 12 points and eight rebounds, Collins tallied 11 points and Roberson scored six. But no player stood out -- possibly in the entire preseason -- quite like Ewing.

Ewing finished with seven points, a steal, a block, a behind-the-back pass, two thunderous dunks and a new fan base that chanted his name in the closing minutes.

“He’s athletic, he’s enthusiastic,” D’Antoni said. “A couple of his dunks got us going.”

The Knicks have to trim their 16-man roster down to 15, and D’Antoni will have three more practices to determine his rotation for the season. There’s no guarantee that Ewing will be on the team come Wednesday, but he couldn’t have had a better audition.