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"No, no one’s contacted me....It did (bother me), but I guess that’s life," Ewing said during an interview with TNT. "I’m in a great situation here in Orlando working (as an assistant coach) with (Dwight Howard). If it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t happen. But yes, it did bother me."

Ewing, who has worked for the Wizards, Rockets, Magic and NBA TV since retiring, has said in the past he would love to return to the Knicks either as a head coach or assistant coach.

"Obviously I played in New York, I know the area, I know the team, I know the fans, I know everybody," he said. "I know the media. So naturally I would love to interview." [NY Daily News]

Stephon Marbury is continuing his rehabilitation from ankle surgery in Phoenix, according to a source. Marbury is hopeful of returning to the Knicks for the final year of his contract, but it is believed that Walsh will attempt to trade the controversial point guard during the offseason. Jackson and Thibodeau would both welcome the opportunity to work with Marbury

So how does Patrick Ewing factor into the Knicks' search for a head coach?

The Hall of Fame center, who has put in his time as an NBA assistant coach, has aspirations to be a head coach. When he was in New York with the Orlando Magic on April 6, Ewing said, "I'm always pursuing it." Yesterday, he was asked if he has heard from the Knicks about the job.

"Nobody has talked to me," Ewing told the Orlando Sentinel.

The proper protocol would involve Donnie Walsh seeking permission from the Magic to speak with Ewing, which, according to a person with knowledge of the situation, hasn't happened yet. Ewing has made it clear that he would not promote himself, so it will be up to Walsh to reach out to Ewing if he's at all interested in checking his credentials for the job.

At least before he settles on Mark Jackson, who in the early going appears to be not only the front-runner but the only runner in the race.

"I think it would probably be best if they came to me," said Ewing, who is in his fourth season as an NBA assistant coach and is known for his work in mentoring all-star big men Dwight Howard and Yao Ming.

There is a thought that if Jackson gets the job, he might reach out to former teammate Ewing to see if he'd want to join him in New York. Despite an outcry from fans to bring back the franchise's greatest player - Isiah Thomas had no interest last summer when Ewing was looking for a job - it is not a given that Jackson would make the call, nor would Ewing accept the invitation to leave Howard to work with Eddy Curry.

Experienced candidates are dropping out of contention to take other jobs. The Bucks hired Scott Skiles yesterday and Rick Carlisle is considered the favorite for the Bulls' opening.

Even Jeff Van Gundy put a quick end to any talk of an unlikely return to the franchise he coached from 1996-2001. The chances of Van Gundy's coming in as Jackson's top assistant are as likely as Thomas working off the rest of his contract coaching the Liberty.

Jackson and Walsh have yet to have a formal interview, but such formalities are easy to schedule and could be done sometime this week.

The only other viable candidate for the job at this point is Celtics associate head coach Tom Thibodeau, who might get a call from the Bulls. Though Boston is in the midst of a playoff series with Atlanta, coach Doc Rivers said Sunday that he would allow his assistants to interview for vacant positions during the playoffs.

"Obviously, if they really want them, they'll wait," Rivers told reporters in Boston. "It just depends on the situation. The only thing I won't allow is someone to be named as a head coach until we're done."

Walsh yesterday met with Herb Williams to discuss the longtime assistant coach's future with the team. Williams would like to be considered a serious candidate as head coach, but at the very least he wanted to know what his status would be if someone else got the job. Williams has survived three coaching changes so far.

Isiah Thomas fired as coach of New York Knicks.

Thomas was fired as the New York Knicks coach Friday after a season of listless and dreadful basketball, a tawdry lawsuit and unending chants from fans demanding his dismissal.

Thomas lost a franchise record-tying 59 games this season, and along the way seemed to lose the support of his players, who didn't always play hard for him the way they did last season.

"I can't really tell you where he failed with the club. I think that we reached a point this season when our team didn't compete for a long time," new team president Donnie Walsh said. "The bottom line is that we haven't won and the team didn't look like it was motivated to try to win and be competitive."

Walsh said that isn't always the coach's fault, but Thomas is blamed for enough already — sometimes unfairly, Walsh added.

"I feel like some of the bigger events that happened on the way with Isiah have overshadowed some of the good things he's done for the franchise," Walsh said.

Walsh said no player brought up Thomas' name during their exit meetings Thursday, though Walsh said he wasn't going to be asking for it, anyway.

Thomas, the coach for two seasons, will remain with the organization in an unnamed role, reporting directly to Walsh, who said he informed Thomas of the decision Friday.

"It's very difficult to be the coach and general manager," Walsh said. "Maybe it was too much."

Walsh took over Thomas' role as team president April 2, and his first big decision was to change coaches as he begins the process of turning around a team that never won a playoff game in Thomas' tenure.

"I just believe a new voice, a new coach, is necessary to change the direction of the team," Walsh said. "This is a coveted job. People want to coach here."

A message was left for Thomas at his New York office.

The Knicks finished 23-59 in their seventh straight losing season.

Two of those 59-loss debacles came in the last three years, when the Knicks solidified themselves as the NBA's most dysfunctional franchise with poor play on the court and embarrassing behavior off it.

This season alone, Thomas was found to have sexually harassed a former team employee, feuded with point guard Stephon Marbury and benched center Eddy Curry — the players Thomas acquired in the two biggest of a number of moves that never panned out.

Walsh wants a new coach in place by the draft in June, when the Knicks will finally have their lottery pick again after handing over their last two to Chicago in the Curry trade.

Walsh said he hasn't talked to any candidates, but mentioned former Knick and current TV analyst Mark Jackson, and assistant coach Herb Williams as people who likely would be interviewed. He said he has no timetable to make his decision.

"Obviously, when you're losing, there has to be a culture change," he said. "There's no easy answer. ... We've got to work 24-7 to become competitive."

And Thomas will be a part of that. Without getting specific, Walsh said there were assignments he'd feel completely comfortable giving to Thomas.

"I will be in touch with Isiah a lot," he said.

Thomas went 56-108 in New York and is 187-223 as an NBA coach, leading the Indiana Pacers to the playoffs in three straight years from 2000-03. Larry Bird fired him after becoming team president, a move Walsh — who had hired Thomas as coach — was originally against but eventually went along with.

Thomas was hired as the Knicks' team president on Dec. 22, 2003, and he acquired Marbury from Phoenix weeks later. The Knicks made the playoffs that season, getting swept by New Jersey, but haven't gone back despite their annual spot atop the league's highest payroll list.

Though the salary cap was already out of whack by the time Thomas arrived, he didn't help matters with some questionable moves. He gave a $30 million contract in the summer of 2005 to center Jerome James, a career 4.3 points per game scorer who hasn't been healthy or productive, and seems bothered by neither. A year later, Thomas used his mid-level exception on Jared Jeffries, who has limited offensive skills.

Still, Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan remained confident in Thomas, even making him coach in June 2006 after firing Larry Brown following one season. But that came with an ultimatum, as Dolan warned Thomas to show "evident progress" in one season or be fired from both positions.

The Knicks went 33-49 last season. Dolan rewarded Thomas with a multiyear contract extension with more than a month left after New York moved into eighth place, but the Knicks collapsed under a series of injuries and missed the postseason.

Things went poorly this season from the time training camp opened.

The jury came back with its verdict that day, finding that Thomas and MSG sexually harassed former team executive Anucha Browne Sanders and ordering the company to pay $11.6 million in damages. Criticized by Al Sharpton and Rutgers women's coach C. Vivian Stringer for comments he made in his taped deposition, Thomas seemed downcast during most of training camp — and never had much reason for better spirits when the season began.

The Knicks started 2-1, then dropped eight in a row as the Thomas-Marbury feud sent the season spiraling out of control. Marbury responded to Thomas' plans to bench him by skipping a game in Phoenix, and the players reportedly voted to make Marbury sit out a game when he returned. Instead, Thomas played the point guard more than 33 minutes off the bench in a game in Los Angeles against the Clippers.

It soon became obvious that Thomas' draft night acquisition of Zach Randolph had set back Curry, who lost his confidence and later his starting job. Speculation was rampant by Thanksgiving that Thomas' job was in jeopardy, and it only heated up after the Knicks' nationally televised 104-59 loss at Boston on Nov. 29.

Chants of "Fire Isiah!" sometimes started minutes after home games, and even Dolan's strong relationship with Thomas couldn't convince people the coach would last.

In NEWSDAY, Anthony Rieber writes, "The Knicks could be without Zach Randolph when they face Shaquille O'Neal and the Miami Heat Sunday night at the Garden. Randolph learned of the death of his grandmother late Friday night and flew to Indiana. Coach Isiah Thomas said Saturday that the power forward is "questionable" for Sunday."

In the NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, Frank Isola writes, "Jerome James inched closer toward oblivion on Friday when it was revealed that the backup center will have foot surgery Monday and will be sidelined indefinitely. James, who arrived for training camp out of shape and immediately suffered a right knee injury, will have surgery to remove a cyst and a small bone spur from the top of his right foot. The cyst had been drained but it has come back."

NEW YORK, Nov. 9 (AP) -- For the Orlando Magic, it's right from a terrific trip to a tremendous test.

Dwight Howard had 22 points and 20 rebounds, Jameer Nelson added 24 points and 10 assists, and the Magic completed a perfect four-game road trip with a 112-102 victory over the New York Knicks on Friday night.

No time for celebrating, though. The Magic return home to face Phoenix on Saturday night.

"To go on a four-game trip, win them all, it's difficult to do,'' Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "It's a good accomplishment. It's hard to relax and enjoy it because you have a fairly decent team staring in your face tomorrow night at home that can make you look bad.''

Orlando also won at Washington, Minnesota and Toronto in the first 4-0 road start in franchise history. The Magic never before had four consecutive road wins without a home game in between.

"It's great,'' forward Hedo Turkoglu said. "It will be greater if we win tomorrow, too, and have a couple of days off.''

Turkoglu scored 12 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter for the Magic (5-1), off to their best start since also winning five of their first six in the 2002-03 season. Rashard Lewis also finished with 21.

"I think it's because our team is maturing,'' Howard said. "Everybody coming to practice we work hard, we get in the games, we try to work hard. We know when we're down we stay positive and try to make it up on the defensive end.''

Howard had his first 20-20 game of the season and seventh of his career while outplaying the Knicks' big-man tandem of Zach Randolph and Eddy Curry. Curry grabbed only three rebounds.

Randolph had 23 points and 13 rebounds for the Knicks, giving him double-doubles in all four games. Curry and Quentin Richardson each scored 19 points.

"Those guys just hit a lot of big shots in the fourth quarter and throughout the game,'' Randolph said. "Rashard hit a couple of 3s back-to-back, got fouled on one. The guy shot well from the field tonight. We didn't execute like we were supposed to. Dwight Howard is an All-Star in this league, a strong, physical player.''

The Knicks were trying to move two games over .500 for the first time since Jan. 1, 2005. Instead, they turned it over 20 times and fell to 2-2 after their two-game winning streak was snapped.

"We weren't patient enough to continue to pound the ball inside, get good shots and go to the foul line,'' Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said. "I thought that every time we got impatient, Orlando capitalized on our impatience.''

In a closely played game between teams who believe they've improved, there were 20 lead changes and 11 ties in the first three quarters. Neither club was ahead by more than seven, and Orlando brought a 77-73 lead to the final period.

Curry's three-point play 33 seconds into the quarter cut it to one, but Keyon Dooling answered with a three-point play and Turkoglu hit a 3-pointer for an 83-76 lead.

"We kept playing but we finally started making shots and started getting stops on the defensive end,'' Lewis said. "We were able to pick the lead up.''

Randolph twice brought the Knicks within four, but Turkoglu and Lewis had 3s and Turkoglu had another bucket during a 10-0 spurt that extended Orlando's advantage to 95-81 with 5:29 to go.

Howard grabbed 10 rebounds in the first quarter, which ended in a 28-all tie. The Knicks led 49-48 at halftime.

Notes: Patrick Ewing, the Knicks' career scoring leader, received a loud ovation during a third-quarter timeout. He is in his first season as a Magic assistant, working on Howard's development. "So far it's been great,'' Van Gundy said. "I think obviously in Patrick you're bringing in a guy with incredible credibility, because first of all the career he had and second of all the kind of person he is. Very humble guy, intelligent guy, who I think can really impart to Dwight what he needs to do to become a great player.'' ... Knicks G Jamal Crawford was given the NBA's Community Assist Award for October. Crawford unveiled the "Crawford Library'' at a public school in the Bronx. ... Van Gundy on the Knicks: "They got a lot of talent. Look, when you have a $90 million-plus payroll, you're going to have some guys that can play. Let's not act like it's a miracle. They've got one of the highest payrolls in the league and they're going to put a lot of talent on the floor.'' ... Knicks reserve Jerome James will have surgery on his right foot Monday and is out indefinitely.

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NEW YORK, Nov. 9 (AP) -- For the Orlando Magic, it's right from a terrific trip to a tremendous test.

Dwight Howard had 22 points and 20 rebounds, Jameer Nelson added 24 points and 10 assists, and the Magic completed a perfect four-game road trip with a 112-102 victory over the New York Knicks on Friday night.

No time for celebrating, though. The Magic return home to face Phoenix on Saturday night.

"To go on a four-game trip, win them all, it's difficult to do,'' Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "It's a good accomplishment. It's hard to relax and enjoy it because you have a fairly decent team staring in your face tomorrow night at home that can make you look bad.''

Orlando also won at Washington, Minnesota and Toronto in the first 4-0 road start in franchise history. The Magic never before had four consecutive road wins without a home game in between.

"It's great,'' forward Hedo Turkoglu said. "It will be greater if we win tomorrow, too, and have a couple of days off.''

Turkoglu scored 12 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter for the Magic (5-1), off to their best start since also winning five of their first six in the 2002-03 season. Rashard Lewis also finished with 21.

"I think it's because our team is maturing,'' Howard said. "Everybody coming to practice we work hard, we get in the games, we try to work hard. We know when we're down we stay positive and try to make it up on the defensive end.''

Howard had his first 20-20 game of the season and seventh of his career while outplaying the Knicks' big-man tandem of Zach Randolph and Eddy Curry. Curry grabbed only three rebounds.

Randolph had 23 points and 13 rebounds for the Knicks, giving him double-doubles in all four games. Curry and Quentin Richardson each scored 19 points.

"Those guys just hit a lot of big shots in the fourth quarter and throughout the game,'' Randolph said. "Rashard hit a couple of 3s back-to-back, got fouled on one. The guy shot well from the field tonight. We didn't execute like we were supposed to. Dwight Howard is an All-Star in this league, a strong, physical player.''

The Knicks were trying to move two games over .500 for the first time since Jan. 1, 2005. Instead, they turned it over 20 times and fell to 2-2 after their two-game winning streak was snapped.

"We weren't patient enough to continue to pound the ball inside, get good shots and go to the foul line,'' Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said. "I thought that every time we got impatient, Orlando capitalized on our impatience.''

In a closely played game between teams who believe they've improved, there were 20 lead changes and 11 ties in the first three quarters. Neither club was ahead by more than seven, and Orlando brought a 77-73 lead to the final period.

Curry's three-point play 33 seconds into the quarter cut it to one, but Keyon Dooling answered with a three-point play and Turkoglu hit a 3-pointer for an 83-76 lead.

"We kept playing but we finally started making shots and started getting stops on the defensive end,'' Lewis said. "We were able to pick the lead up.''

Randolph twice brought the Knicks within four, but Turkoglu and Lewis had 3s and Turkoglu had another bucket during a 10-0 spurt that extended Orlando's advantage to 95-81 with 5:29 to go.

Howard grabbed 10 rebounds in the first quarter, which ended in a 28-all tie. The Knicks led 49-48 at halftime.

Notes: Patrick Ewing, the Knicks' career scoring leader, received a loud ovation during a third-quarter timeout. He is in his first season as a Magic assistant, working on Howard's development. "So far it's been great,'' Van Gundy said. "I think obviously in Patrick you're bringing in a guy with incredible credibility, because first of all the career he had and second of all the kind of person he is. Very humble guy, intelligent guy, who I think can really impart to Dwight what he needs to do to become a great player.'' ... Knicks G Jamal Crawford was given the NBA's Community Assist Award for October. Crawford unveiled the "Crawford Library'' at a public school in the Bronx. ... Van Gundy on the Knicks: "They got a lot of talent. Look, when you have a $90 million-plus payroll, you're going to have some guys that can play. Let's not act like it's a miracle. They've got one of the highest payrolls in the league and they're going to put a lot of talent on the floor.'' ... Knicks reserve Jerome James will have surgery on his right foot Monday and is out indefinitely.
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NEW YORK, Nov. 6 (AP) -- Zach Randolph had 22 points and 17 rebounds, three other players scored more than 20 points, and New York erased a series of double-digit deficits to beat the Denver Nuggets, 119-112, Tuesday night.

"Coming in, you knew it was a big game,'' Randolph said.

Seemingly on the verge of being run off the floor, the Knicks instead blew by the Nuggets with a fourth-quarter rally, then held on behind huge plays from Randolph and Eddy Curry in their best outing since being paired together.

"I think that's what Isiah had in mind when he brought Zach in here,'' Curry said. "I had a lot of fun tonight. This is probably the most fun I had in a basketball game.''

Jamal Crawford led the Knicks with 25 points and Curry added 24, nine in the fourth quarter. Stephon Marbury had 21 points and nine assists, and Renaldo Balkman led a spirited bench effort with 11 points.

"Our whole team, I like the tenacity that we played with. I like the intensity that we played with,'' Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said.

Allen Iverson scored 32 points and Carmelo Anthony had 24 for the Nuggets, who led by as many as 15 and were still ahead by 10 going to the fourth quarter before dropping their second straight.

"It's early in the season and we did a lot of good stuff, but not good enough to beat a team that was hungrier than us in the fourth quarter,'' Nuggets coach George Karl said.

Iverson briefly had to leave the floor after bloodying his lip defending Marbury with under 2 minutes left.

Down 92-82 to start the fourth, the Knicks tied it at 102 on Curry's bucket with about 5 minutes left. After a final tie at 108, Marbury put New York ahead for good with two free throws with 2:32 remaining, then Curry blocked Marcus Camby's shot on the other end and the Knicks stayed ahead from there.

"We had this game and we just gave it away tonight,'' Anthony said. "We had it in our hands and we couldn't maintain the lead. That was a team that played hard every possession. Maybe we took a couple of possessions off and they capitalized off that.''

New York outscored Denver 37-20 in the final 12 minutes.

Robinson and Smith entered during the same stoppage with 3:56 left in the first quarter, with Smith making his season debut to loud boos following a three-game team suspension for an incident at a nightclub.

The Knicks shot 70 percent in a fast-paced first quarter, and still trailed 37-32. Linas Kleiza made all five shots and scored 12 points, Iverson had 11 in his first action at Madison Square Garden since late in the 2005-06 season, and the Nuggets shot 67 percent.

The lead grew to 50-35 when Eduardo Najera dribbled the length of the floor for a layup, bringing out the first boos directed toward the Knicks at home this season. But New York fought back to tie it at 60 before Denver ran off the final six points of the half.

"Last year we would have lost this game by 15 points,'' Knicks reserve David Lee said.

The Nuggets quickly restored the double-digit lead in the third, and again back came the Knicks, tying it at 82 behind a flurry from Crawford during an 11-1 spurt. The Nuggets then scored 10 straight to take a 92-82 cushion into the final period.

Notes: Denver F Kenyon Martin sat out so he could play Wednesday at Boston. The Nuggets aren't using him in back-to-back games while he works his way back from knee surgery. ... The game featured three of the top four picks from the deep 1996 NBA draft: Iverson (No. 1), Marcus Camby (No. 2) and Marbury (No. 4). Thomas drafted Camby while he was an executive in Toronto. ... Randolph is the first Knicks player to open a season with three straight double-doubles in points and rebounds since Patrick Ewing 15 years ago. ... The Knicks have sold out their first two games at MSG for the first time since the 2001-02 season.

NEW YORK, Nov. 4 (AP) -- Jamal Crawford scored 10 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter and the New York Knicks won their home opener for the first time in six years by beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 97-93 Sunday night.

After a loss at Cleveland in their opener, the Knicks finally had something to celebrate thanks to Crawford, who keyed the stretch in the middle of the fourth quarter that allowed New York to build enough of a cushion for the final minutes.

Zach Randolph added 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Knicks, who had lost five straight home openers since beating Washington on Oct. 30, 2001. Stephon Marbury added 17 points and seven assists, and David Lee scored 14 points.

Ryan Gomes scored 19 points for the Timberwolves, who fell to 0-2 in their first season since trading longtime star Kevin Garnett to Boston over the summer. The Wolves had won four in a row and 10 of 12 against New York.

Al Jefferson, also acquired in the Garnett deal, added 16 points and 12 rebounds.

The game was tied at 81 with 7 minutes left before Crawford's jumper gave New York the lead for good. After two free throws by Marbury, Crawford made a pair, then he made another jumper for an 89-81 lead with 5:18 remaining.

Minnesota twice pulled within three and had a chance to tie after calling timeout with 11 seconds left. But Antoine Walker missed a 3-point attempt and Randolph made a clinching free throw with 2.2 seconds to play.

The Knicks were greeted with a supportive sellout crowd. Coach Isiah Thomas received a loud, mixed reception during pregame introductions .

The Wolves started quickly, shooting 59 percent and leading by as many as 10 in the first quarter before settling for a 28-21 advantage. The Knicks turned things around with a sizzling second quarter, shooting 12-of-14 (86 percent) in a 33-point period that sent them to halftime ahead 54-50.

New York opened a four-game homestand. The Knicks host Denver on Tuesday night in the first meeting between the teams since last year's brawl at Madison Square Garden that led to seven suspensions, including a 15-game penalty for Denver's Carmelo Anthony, who led the NBA in scoring at the time.

Notes: Thomas and Minnesota coach Randy Wittman, college teammates for two years at Indiana, shared a pregame hug and chat.

"I'm here as a friend. I haven't seen him in a while and that's kind of all I'm going to indulge in,'' Wittman said. "He's going through some tough times, absolutely, and I just told him he could pick up the phone at any time and call me.'' ... The NBA players weren't the only good athletes at MSG. New York marathon champions Paula Radcliffe and Martin Lel were at the game, as was welterweight champion Miguel Cotto, who takes on Shane Mosley here Saturday.

Video Review from Los Angeles Lakers - Phoenix Suns 119-98
Video Review from Cleveland Cavaliers - New York Knicks 110-106. LeBron Scores 45 points
Video Review of Boston Celtics - Washington Wizards 103-83. Kevin Garnett leads his team to victory

Cleveland 110, New York 106

CLEVELAND, Nov. 2 (AP) -- Isiah Thomas was having scary flashbacks. As Cleveland's star drove the lane, found open teammates and basically took over, New York's coach could only think of one other player.

LeBron James looked just like Mike.

Jordan, that is.

"He was as good as that other No. 23 I played against,'' Thomas said. "He was exceptional. He wasn't going to let his team lose.''

James scored 45 points and Daniel Gibson made four 3-pointers - three off passes from James - in just over two minutes in the fourth quarter to rally the Cavaliers past the Knicks 110-106 on Friday night.

Playing with more energy, James bounced back from a 10-point performance in a season-opening loss to Dallas by scoring the most points ever by a Cleveland player against New York. World B. Free dropped 39 on the Knicks in 1984.

After looking unworthy of calling themselves defending Eastern Conference champions against the Mavericks, the Cavaliers got big plays from James, big shots from Gibson and a big win before embarking on a tough, six-game road trip out West.

Gibson, Cleveland's shooting star in last season's playoffs, finished with six 3-pointers and 24 points. He made four 3s in a span of 2:17 of the fourth, when the Cavaliers turned a three-point deficit into an eight-point lead.

"When he's that open, it's almost like a practice shot,'' James said.

Three of Gibson's 3-pointers came off assists by James, who drew double- and triple-teams before finding his sweet-shooting sidekick.

"That's the thing about LeBron that everybody loves,'' Gibson said. "He had 45 but he's still finding his teammates and getting everybody involved.''

Drew Gooden added 14 points and Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 12 rebounds for Cleveland.

The Cavaliers trailed 86-83 when Gibson, sporting a haircut with a star shaved into his head, began hitting 3s. It was almost a replay of Game 6 in last season's conference finals, when he buried Detroit by scoring 19 points in the fourth to send the Cavs into the NBA finals for the first time.

The Knicks never recovered.

"It was very fast,'' Jamal Crawford said. "That gave them some life. It got away from us.''

Crawford scored 25 points and Zach Randolph had 21 points and 14 rebounds in his debut with the Knicks, who were finally playing a meaningful game following a turbulent offseason that included a jury finding Thomas and Madison Square Garden had sexually harassed a former team executive.

The Knicks had built their lead by pounding the ball inside to Randolph and Eddy Curry, who finished with 18 points. Curry, though, missed five free throws and the Knicks went 14-of-23 from the line.

Nate Robinson added 19 points for New York.

"Overall, I was pleased with our effort,'' Thomas said. "We had to do a better job at the foul line. If we could do a better job from the foul line, it's a different ballgame. In a six-point basketball game, it's the little things that beat you.''

With the Cavs in jeopardy of falling to 0-2, James and Gibson teamed up to turn things around, combining to score 20 straight points in the fourth.

Gibson's 3-pointer tied it 86-all, and James converted a three-point play before Gibson's second straight 3 made it 92-87. After Stephon Marbury countered with a 3 for New York, Gibson floated into the corner as James drew a double-team.

Gibson found an open spot, caught a soft pass from James and dropped in his third 3-pointer in less than two minutes to put Cleveland up 95-90.

Following a turnover by New York, Gibson came down and knocked down his fourth straight 3, a shot that had Cavaliers fans thinking about last spring's memorable night when Cleveland clinched the East at home.

"LeBron will get guys open shots,'' Robinson said. "You have to pray they miss them, but Gibson didn't.''

Less than an hour before tipoff, Cavaliers coach Mike Brown summoned James to his office for a talk. If Brown's message was to be more assertive, Cleveland's superstar listened and then went right at the Knicks.

He scored 23 points in the first half as he continually pushed the ball toward the basket or posted up his defenders.

"I didn't think I played Wednesday night with the energy I needed to play with,'' James said. "The guys feed off me.''

Notes: It was James' 18th career game of 40 points or more. ... Like everyone, James has been keeping an eye on the unfolding Kobe Bryant drama. Part of James wouldn't mind if Bryant ended up in the East. "As a competitor, I would love to play against Kobe Bryant four times a year,'' he said. "As a fan, it's almost like when Mike (Jordan) played for the Wizards. You really can't see Kobe playing for anyone but the Lakers.'' ... The Knicks are 36-26 in openers. ... Cavs F/G Sasha Pavlovic ended his holdout and signed a three-year contract extension on Wednesday, but the Serbia native wasn't able to play until he sorted through immigration red tape. He got his U.S. visa on Friday and is expected to practice Saturday.

Add Emeka Okafor to the long list of players from the class of 2004 who didn’t receive contract extensions before the deadline this past Wednesday. Are NBA teams being stingy or smart? Maybe Okafor, Deng, Gordon and Igoudala are asking for too much. Kobe is a lame duck in L.A., how much longer before Buss and company ship the disgruntled star out of town? It’s likely he’s not going to end up in Chicago, at least not this season. Knick fans do you cringe when you hear that Stephon Marbury is going to shoot more? Could Ron Artest end up back home with the Knicks? Click above for more of todays NBA hearsay.