Knicks/T'wolves: Crawford shines down the stretch

Jamal Crawford shot a dismal 29% from the floor during the preseason, leaving many Knicks fans to question whether he would be the consistent perimeter threat that he was during the 06-07 season. In Friday night's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Crawford led the way for New York with 25 points. Tonight, he again carried the Knicks with a 24 point performance, eliminating all concern of his woeful preseason carrying into the regular season.

Crawford scored 10 of his 24 in the 4th quarter and nailed several circus shots in the lane. He also added 7 assists to his impressive stat-line on the way to aiding NY in beating the T'Wolves 97-93 in the Knicks home opener. It was the Knicks first victory in their home opener since 2001 when they beat the Washington Wizards and then starting SG Michael Jordan. (I'm sorry but that sounds awfully pathetic. The last time the New York Knickerbockers won a home opener was when MJ was still playing- ouch).

I truly believe that the Knicks would be a better team if they allowed Crawford to dominate the perimeter touches rather than Stephon Marbury. Nothing against Marbury, but I think Crawford could put up all-star numbers if he received all-star touches. The man is simply a scorer. He can shoot the rock; he can take it to the rack; he can make you think he's going to drive and then pull up. His greatest quality may be that he's able to adjust his shots in the lane on the fly, which is why he often converts many flashy, jaw-dropping plays. Furthermore, Crawford and center Eddy Curry have consistently displayed a chemistry dating back to their days in Chicago that Marbury and Curry do not share.

As I was saying, this is no knock against Stephon Marbury. Starbury found his scoring touch, as he tacked on 17 points in addition to 7 assists. Marbury seemed to finally back up his statement that he would be looking for his shot more this season. The Randolph/Curry combination was once again effective as they put up 29 points and 17 rebounds combined.

One interesting thing about this game is Isiah's decision to only go 8 deep. The only guys that got off the bench were Nate Robinson, David Lee, and Renaldo Balkman. I guess Isiah is trying to give his horses as many minutes as possible. This trio provided the Knicks with instant energy as usual. Lee had an impressive 14 points and 7 rebounds in just 27 minutes.

While I understand that the Knicks have 2 guys starting in their frontcourt who demand 30+ minutes per game, I really would like to see David Lee get more minutes. While certainly not the best scorer or best pure basketball talent on the Knicks, my assessment is that he does more things well than anyone else on the roster. He provides the intangibles that deserve more than 27 minutes per game. Note to Isiah Thomas: Find a way to get this guy on the court. Good things tend to happen when he's in. Play him more at the 3 if you have to in order to preserve Randolph and Curry's minutes, but you gotta get him in somehow.

Final Thoughts:
While a win in the home opener is certainly encouraging, keep in mind that this is the Minnesota Timberwolves we're talking about. Kevin Garnett and Ricky Davis are gone. Their marquee player is Al Jefferson who is still a little bit raw in the post, and they certainly do not have a consistent perimeter scorer. Tonight was a better defensive effort, but it was against a less capable offense. It was nice to see the balanced scoring again as the Knicks had 6 players and 4 starters in double figures. I'm really liking what I'm seeing from Jamal Crawford. If he continues to get a lot of looks, he will average 20+ points per game- he's too talented not to.

The Knicks next game is Tuesday night at home against Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson, and the Denver Nuggets. Talk about a litmus test for the Knicks' defense.