Despite Loss, Knicks Impress in D’Antoni Home Opener

Photo Gallery: Game Action: Philadelphia 116, Knicks 109

Despite coming up on the short end of a 116-109 decision to the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, the new-look Knicks drew rave reviews from the fans in their Broadway debut under Mike D’Antoni.

In a game that was tighter than the final score indicates, the Garden crowd rose to its feet on numerous occasions, as the Knicks put on a display of acrobatic dunks, deadly accuracy from behind-the-arc, and, perhaps most important of all, all-out effort and hustle on each possession.

Even though it was a meaningless preseason game, D’Antoni treated it with the same passion and fire that he brings to the games that count. Disgusted at the officials for what he deemed unfair treatment of his players and lack of fouls called on Philadelphia, D’Antoni came to the aid of his team, drawing a technical foul in the process.

The fans’ positive energy for their new coach, as well as the team itself, was palpable enough for the Knicks to notice on the court as well.

“It was very positive and upbeat out there, and it was refreshing,” said Jamal Crawford, who finished with eight points and three assists in a concerted effort to get his teammates involved. “Hopefully, we can sustain this and keep going forward, but next time pull out the win.”

On the court, however, New York was unable to stop the Sixers’ Andre Iguodala in the fourth quarter, as the Philly star scored nine points in the final frame to lift the visitors to victory.

Despite the loss, the Knicks -- and those in attendance -- were upbeat about the team’s performance, which saw five players score in double-figures.

Most noticeable was the performance of Wilson Chandler, who recorded a double-double with 20 points and 10 boards. The second-year pro also made shot 5-for-6 from behind the arc, an improvement for which he credits his coaching staff.

“I’ve been working on that a lot with the coaches,” he said, “especially with Phil Weber. Mostly we work on shooting every day before and after practice, and he’s been a big part of my improvement there. I can’t take credit for it.”

Chandler was also thrilled to be playing quality minutes in crunch time. “It felt good to be out there during the stretch,” he continued. “I’m always up for a challenge, and I’ve never been scared. I’m excited, maybe even too excited sometimes, so I need to get better with that a little bit.”

Nate Robinson led all scorers on the team with 21 points, nailing four three-pointers, while Zach Randolph and David Lee scored 17 points apiece. Lee continued his solid preseason, recording seven boards and a remarkable game-high seven assists. Randolph meanwhile notched 10 rebounds to round out a double-double.

Impressing the second night in a row was Mardy Collins, as the third-year pro shot a perfect 5-for-5 from the field for 10 points in just under 11 minutes, mostly on strong, aggressive moves to the hoop. While many expected the likes of Crawford and Robinson to thrive in D’Antoni’s system, Collins has been just as effective.

“I feel really comfortable here,” he said. “A lot of people have said how they don’t think this system really fits me because it is a shooting style offense, but it really does because the court is wide open and it’s giving me lanes to get to the basket. I’m good at getting to the basket and finishing in the open net. Coach called for me before I went in saying he knows I can get to the basket, so I went out and did just that. Anytime the call says for me to go to the basket, I’m going to try and take advantage of it.”

Collins’ teammates noticed as well.

“Mardy has just been great,” said a beaming Crawford. “He’s playing well and really starting to nail that corner shot.”

Eddy Curry also made his preseason debut, recording three boards, one point and one assist in six minutes of the first half, and Chris Duhon was also solid in his Garden debut as a Knick. The pass-first point guard tallied six points and six assists in addition to one very impressive blocked shot.

New York returns to action Friday night when the Knicks travel to Boston to take on the defending NBA champion Celtics.