Chastised Little Nate back in Knicks' rotation
Photo credit: Newsday/Paul J. Bereswill | File - Knicks Nate Robinson argues a foul call in the second half as Portland Trail Blazers played the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. (March 22, 2007)
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Nov. 22: Celtics 107, Knicks 105
Nate Robinson was back in the Knicks' rotation Sunday and had a much better sense of direction.
Robinson, who had been lambasted by coach Mike D'Antoni after heaving the basketball at the wrong basket in a win over the Nets on Saturday, came off the bench to score 19 points and shoot 7-for-11 in a 107-105 overtime loss to the Celtics. "Coach D'Antoni said just go out there and be you, and I took his advice," Robinson said. "I watched a lot of film last night and just tried to pick spots where I can help this team."
Clips of the misguided three-pointer - which went in but didn't count - and D'Antoni chewing out Robinson Saturday had been all over ESPN and YouTube. But D'Antoni said he wasn't worried that it made the team look bad.
"If that's as dumb as we get, that's not too bad," he said. "It's better than a lot of things that happen on the court, off the court, between the court. I don't think that's a problem. That's just a reaction. I want him to play harder and better. He got the message and we're cool."
Fans' cheers thrill Curry
The game was Eddy Curry's first at the Garden since March 2008, and he was thrilled with the cheers he got when he entered the game late in the first quarter.
"I was so nervous when I first came in," Curry said. "I definitely was expecting boos when I first came out. I was pleasantly surprised."
One person who was not pleasantly surprised by Curry was Rajon Rondo, who was whacked by Curry between the shoulder blades in the fourth quarter. Don't be surprised if Curry, who was called for a flagrant foul on the hit, gets some sort of additional punishment from the league.
Curry, who had just missed a shot, said he was frustrated by the aggressive defense that Kendrick Perkins was playing on him and took it out on the wrong guy.
