A chorus of "Fire Chaney" chants echoed through Madison Square Garden on a
night that was supposed to be all about Stephon Marbury's home debut and Jeff
Van Gundy's return.
In a game that turned into a blowout just moments after the opening tip, Van
Gundy's Houston Rockets scored 23 of the game's first 25 points to humiliate the
revamped New York Knicks 111-79 Thursday night.
The buzz that filled the building turned into boos in a matter of minutes as
coach Don Chaney's team came out flat. The first "Fire Chaney" chant began with
6:49 remaining in the first quarter after the Knicks fell behind 19-2, and the
chant was revived and got louder several times.
The loss was the fourth in a row for the Knicks, their second straight since
acquiring Marbury and Penny Hardaway in an eight-player trade with Phoenix.
Marbury played poorly for the second straight game, scoring six points on
3-for-12 shooting. His lowlight came late in the third quarter when he went up
softly on a two-on-one break and had his layup rejected on a spectacular leap by
Steve Francis.
Francis dominated the point guard matchup, scoring 25 points with five
assists. Every Houston starter reached double figures, with Jim Jackson getting
21, Yao Ming scoring 15, Cuttino Mobley adding 14 and Kelvin Cato 10. The
victory margin matched Houston's largest of the season.
Moochie Norris and Keith Van Horn had 17 points to lead the Knicks.
The Rockets made their first seven shots and eventually went ahead 23-2 after
Francis dribbled through three defenders for a virtually uncontested layup.
Marbury did not have an assist in the first quarter, and he didn't make his
first basket until converting a tip-in with 10 seconds left in a first quarter
that ended with the Rockets ahead 31-14.
Van Gundy shook his head in disgust midway through the second quarter as the
"Fire Chaney" chant broke out again. Van Gundy never endured that kind of
treatment from the New York fans when he was the Knicks coach — even after he
quit with two seasons remaining on his contract.
When he first returned to the Garden on the night the Knicks retired Patrick
Ewing's number, Van Gundy got the second-loudest ovation.
He received another warm ovation before this game, sitting stone-faced on the
bench while the crowd cheered. That reception, however, paled in comparison to
the one Marbury received during player introductions.
After what transpired in the first few minutes of the game, however, they
were the last ovations of any kind.
Marbury had the initials TYT written on his ankle tape, an acronym for Take
Your Time. But with the Knicks dropping to 14-23, team president Isiah Thomas
trying to make more personnel moves and the fans already targeting Marbury's
coach, patience at the Garden is in short supply.
More than half the crowd was gone by the time the final buzzer sounded and
Van Gundy knocked fists with Ewing and walked off wearing a satisfied smirk.
Van Gundy's abrupt resignation Dec. 8, 2001, stunned the Knicks organization.
Publicly, Van Gundy said he had simply lost his focus, though he told his
players he had personal issues he needed to address.
Allan Houston said he still hasn't gotten over the way Van Gundy left, noting
that a player with similar problems would have been treated differently.
"I'm not saying his situation didn't call for what happened. But players
can't have personal things and say, 'I'm done.' In that way, I have mixed
feelings," Houston said.
Notes:@ Houston, the league's leading foul shooter, missed a pair from the
line in the second quarter — just his ninth and 10th misses of the season. ...
Jackson, an 89 percent free throw shooter, was fouled on a 3-point attempt and
missed all three foul shots. ... A fan behind the Houston bench got the
dour-faced Van Gundy to laugh when he yelled to the coach: "Hey Jeff, you smile
on Christmas?"
