Rockets 93 – Knicks 89
Jalen Rose officially became a doomed passenger on Team Titanic yesterday.
It could have been a storybook Super Bowl Sunday moment at the Garden – Rose with the ball behind the arc, seven seconds left and the Knicks down three.
But this Knick season has no room for fairy tales. Rose’s Knick debut ended with his ill-advised 25-foot, 3-point heave from straightway getting partially blocked by Houston’s Stromile Swift. Rose’s debut ended in the Knicks’ 11th loss in 12 games, ended with the Knicks’ record falling to a humiliating 14-32 after a 93-89 defeat to Jeff Van Gundy’s last-place Rockets.
“I wanted that one very bad,” Rose said. “I would’ve liked to see what happened if he hadn’t blocked that shot.”
Seeing how the season has gone, it probably would’ve rimmed out.
Mysteriously, Knicks president Isiah Thomas did not show up to watch his expensive new addition shoot 4-of-12 from the field and commit four turnovers. But Rose, who finished with 16 points in 41 minutes, was in passing mode, dishing out 11 assists.
“I was looking for anybody who was open,” Rose said.
The best things about Rose’s first game were that the Knicks moved the ball better and his presence got Jamal Crawford going. Crawford broke his massive slide, scoring 24 points, including a wild late burst that got the Knicks back into contention in the final 30 seconds.
Otherwise, this trade of Rose-for Antonio Davis looks like shuffling of deck chairs on Team Titanic, which owns the league’s second-worst record.
The Knicks are now the butt of jokes on Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update, with Tina Fey reporting the other night: “Epiphanny Prince broke the girls high school record with 113 points in Murry Bergtraum’s 137-32 victory. But, to be fair, it was against the Knicks.”
And so Rose fit right in yesterday, making the key gaffe at the key moment. Rose should’ve passed, instead of trying to shoot a wild shot over a flying 6-11 Swift.
“He’s a 6-11 athlete, he jumped up and blocked the shot,” Rose said of Swift. “He made a heck of a play.”
Actually, Maurice Taylor, with 10 seconds remaining, should have launched the potential game-tying shot. The Knicks were out of timeouts after David Wesley hit 1 of 2 free throws to keep them within three.
Taylor was freed on a Eddy Curry pick behind the arc. Taylor hesitated, then handed off to Rose.
“It was 9½ [seconds] on the clock,” Taylor said. “I was caught in between of getting a better one or taking that one. I should’ve shot it. I would’ve been better for us if I shot it. But at the same time I saw Jalen curling off and thought he could get one up. It was my fault. With no timeouts, I probably need to put it up.”
Rose, who did not get booed during introductions, also committed a stupid foul with 1:26 left, pushing Wesley after he caught an inbounds pass 29 feet from the hole. The Knicks were in the penalty and Wesley sank both to put Houston up 84-79. “You can’t make those kind of mistakes against a team like Houston,” Rose said.
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Rose buds at Garden
Stats compiled by Jalen Rose, getting his shot blocked by Rockets ‘ Tracy McGrady,in his Knick debut.
Minutes: 42
Points: 16
FGA: 12
FGM: 4
FTA: 6
FTM: 6
Rebounds: 6
Assists: 11