Kevin Seraphin dedicates Knicks' win to victims of Paris terror attacks

Kevin Seraphin made a statement with his haircut and his play.

It was an emotional day for the Knicks' backup big man from French Guiana, but his spirits were lifted by his performance Sunday, which gave the Knicks the boost they needed to capture a 95-87 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans.

The morning began for Seraphin with an early visit from his barber.

Seraphin, who has a home about 45 minutes outside of Paris and spends his summers there, had the word "PARIS" carved into the hair on the back of his head with a peace sign in support of the victims of Friday's attacks. The "A'' was in the form of the Eiffel Tower.

"I just wanted to do something creative and something different," Seraphin said. "Not just put something on my shoes or anything. I didn't have time to make a tattoo or anything."

Before the game, the French national anthem was played at the Garden to show solidarity as the blue, white and red of France's flag filled the JumboTron. Seraphin sung the words and fought back tears.

"I had like goose bumps," he said. "I wanted to cry but the camera was [there], so I was like, I can't do that."

Seraphin didn't play in the previous game Friday night against the Cavaliers and was in for only 2:34 the game before that, so he didn't know if he would be called upon. But Derek Fisher went to Seraphin in the second half with the Knicks trailing 55-54, and he ended up being a game-changer.

Seraphin shot 6-for-8 and had 12 points and two assists in 14 minutes, sparking the Knicks to a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter. Seraphin helped the Knicks improve to 5-6 and, for at least a little while, it helped him forget about what happened in France.

"For sure, it's kind of a hard time, just crazy out there," said Seraphin, whose parents and brother weren't in Paris during the attacks. "There's no one on the street, there's nothing. It's just hard. My family, my mom and dad live in Paris. But at one point, we cannot be scared of it and we just have to fight through it. I also play for the Knicks. I have to be professional. So basically, I've got to keep working. It's a hard time. We're going to keep working."

After the game, Seraphin tweeted, "This win is dedicated to all the victims of Paris."

The Knicks led 86-81 when Seraphin left with 3:36 remaining and held off the Pelicans (1-9) despite a huge game by Anthony Davis. The All-Star big man, who returned after a two-game absence because of a right hip contusion, finished with 36 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots.

Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 29 points and 13 rebounds. He went 4-for-4 from the free-throw line in the final 30 seconds to hold off the Pelicans. But Anthony said if the Knicks had given out a game ball, it would have gone to Seraphin.

"He deserves it," Anthony said. "He was ready. He came in and he was a big part of our run we made in the second half."

"Just to see him and kind of know what he's dealing with and what he's going through emotionally . . . but for him to be prepared today when his number is called is big."

Fisher praised Seraphin for being able to focus on playing when he had more important things on his mind.

"Kevin literally was carrying it with him," he said. "You see the haircut that he had on the back of his head, so it obviously meant a lot to him and he was impacted by it. I think that says more about who he is, the fact that he could go out and still have a good performance."

Said Seraphin, "I helped my team down the stretch. I was ready. The coach called my name. He's been talking to me, tell me to stay ready. He finally called my name and I was ready. Pretty happy about it."

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.