Novak provides instant offense beyond arc

Steve Novak loves the fans at Madison Square Garden. He loves the way they collectively hold their breath when he catches the ball just beyond the three-point arc, the way everyone in the arena seems frozen in the moment before he launches the type of shot that can turn a game around.

"You know when you catch it, they want you to shoot it," Novak said when asked what he was thinking Wednesday night as he knocked down five three-pointers during the second half of the Knicks' 120-103 comeback victory over the Cavaliers.

Novak, who had 17 points in 17 minutes, led a 50-point effort by the bench as the Knicks overcame a 17-point first-half deficit. Novak missed his first two three-point shots before hitting five of his last six.

"He was just lighting it up," said Amar'e Stoudemire, who went to the bench in the second half when Novak came in. "He has such a quick release. He is just playing great for us."

Novak, a six-year veteran who has played with five teams, seems to have finally found a home in Mike D'Antoni's system. By knocking them down from the outside, the 6-10 Novak was able to spread the floor, opening up the inside for the other players.

"It's definitely demoralizing," Cavs rookie point guard Kyrie Irving said. "You try to make a comeback and they make big threes. The crowd is into it, and it is definitely hard to make a comeback."

A lot of people seemed to be into Novak's performance Wednesday night. At one point in the second half he was trending worldwide on Twitter. Novak, a Wisconsin native, is a big fan of Aaron Rodgers, and even the Packers quarterback was tweeting about his performance.

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Even though he missed his first two attempts, Novak said he was feeling pretty good about his shooting heading into the second half. He went through an incredible stretch in a team scrimmage Tuesday in which he didn't miss a shot, and the ball was feeling right Wednesday night even when it didn't go in.

And then, he hit his zone.

"It's like you're really in touch with your body," Novak said of the feeling he had during his 5-for-6 stretch. "Your body does exactly what your brain says."

Novak, who is averaging 7.7 points, said that over his years in the league he would watch D'Antoni's system and think how perfectly his game would fit into it. He said it was like a dream come true when Knicks general manager Glen Grunwald called. Still, he never imagined that playing in New York would be anything like it has been.

At one point in the final minutes, when Novak was back on the bench and the score got closer, the crowd began chanting for D'Antoni to put him back in. Novak took some good-natured ribbing from teammates about it, but the moment clearly meant something.

"It's cool,'' Novak said. "It's kind of like a 'good job' type of thing. To hear your name being chanted at the Garden, I'd be lying to you if I didn't say it was special."