NBA FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
ATLANTA 19 18 27 16 80
NEW YORK 19 15 22 15 71 FINAL
Extended Box
ATLANTA (80) AT NEW YORK (71)
ATLANTA
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
CRAWFORD F 18 3-6 0-0 1 2 3 0 3 0 1 6
HENDERSON F 28 3-9 8-8 1 3 4 1 2 2 1 14
MUTOMBO C 27 2-4 4-4 2 6 8 0 5 0 4 8
BLAYLOCK G 31 5-12 3-3 1 4 5 3 1 2 0 15
SMITH G 36 4-14 6-7 1 3 4 5 3 3 3 14
CORBIN 23 4-10 0-0 2 5 7 1 3 0 0 9
JOHNSON 24 2-5 1-2 0 1 1 5 0 0 2 5
LONG 21 0-8 1-2 0 4 4 0 4 1 0 1
MCLEOD 12 2-5 4-4 1 3 4 0 1 0 1 8
WEST 20 0-0 0-2 1 3 4 0 3 0 0 0
GRAY DNP - COACH'S DECISION
SHEPPARD DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 25-73 27-32 10 34 44 15 25 8 12 80
(.342) (.844) TEAM REBS: 11 TOTAL TO: 13(3 PTS)
NEW YORK
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
JOHNSON F 33 3-9 0-0 4 6 10 0 3 0 1 6
THOMAS F 15 1-4 2-2 2 3 5 1 3 0 2 4
EWING C 34 8-21 7-9 3 3 6 1 3 1 1 23
HOUSTON G 35 4-13 6-8 0 2 2 1 5 1 2 16
WARD G 31 0-7 3-5 0 5 5 5 4 1 2 3
CAMBY 18 0-3 1-2 2 3 5 0 1 0 0 1
CHILDS 26 1-5 0-0 0 2 2 3 3 3 0 3
DUDLEY 14 1-2 2-5 0 3 3 0 3 0 0 4
SPREWELL 34 4-12 3-4 2 4 6 2 0 0 3 11
BRUNSON DNP - COACH'S DECISION
WINGATE DNP - COACH'S DECISION
WILLIAMS DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 22-76 24-35 13 31 44 13 25 6 11 71
(.289) (.686) TEAM REBS: 19 TOTAL TO: 12(13 PTS)
ATLANTA 19 18 27 16 - 80
NEW YORK 19 15 22 15 - 71
BLOCKED SHOTS: ATLANTA - MUTOMBO 3, CRAWFORD 2, WEST. NEW YORK - DUDLEY
2, CAMBY 2, HOUSTON, WARD, EWING.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: ATLANTA 3-12 (.250), CRAWFORD 0-1, BLAYLOCK 2-4, SMITH
0-3, CORBIN 1-3, MCLEOD 0-1. NEW YORK 3-13 (.231), JOHNSON 0-1, HOUSTON
2-3, WARD 0-5, CHILDS 1-3, SPREWELL 0-1.
TECHNICALS: NONE.
OFFICIALS: JACK NIES, NOLAN FINE, TOMMIE WOOD.
A - 19,763. T - 2:20.
Box Score
ATLANTA (80)
fg ft rb
min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp
Crawford 18 3-6 0-0 1-3 0 3 6
Henderson 28 3-9 8-8 1-4 1 2 14
Mutombo 27 2-4 4-4 2-8 0 5 8
Blaylock 31 5-12 3-3 1-5 3 1 15
Smith 36 4-14 6-7 1-4 5 3 14
Corbin 23 4-10 0-0 2-7 1 3 9
Johnson 24 2-5 1-2 0-1 5 0 5
Long 21 0-8 1-2 0-4 0 4 1
Mcleod 12 2-5 4-4 1-4 0 1 8
West 20 0-0 0-2 1-4 0 3 0
Gray DNP - coach's decision
Sheppard DNP - coach's decision
_______________________________________________
TOTALS 240 25-73 27-32 10-44 15 25 80
_______________________________________________
Percentages: FG-.342, FT-.844. 3-Point Goals:
3-12, .250 (Crawford 0-1, Blaylock 2-4, Smith
0-3, Corbin 1-3, Mcleod 0-1). Team rebounds: 11.
Blocked shots: 6 (Mutombo 3, Crawford 2, West).
Turnovers: 13 (Mutombo 4, Smith 3, Johnson 2,
Crawford, Henderson, Mcleod). Steals: 8 (Smith 3,
Blaylock 2, Henderson 2, Long).
NEW YORK (71)
fg ft rb
min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp
Johnson 33 3-9 0-0 4-10 0 3 6
Thomas 15 1-4 2-2 2-5 1 3 4
Ewing 34 8-21 7-9 3-6 1 3 23
Houston 35 4-13 6-8 0-2 1 5 16
Ward 31 0-7 3-5 0-5 5 4 3
Camby 18 0-3 1-2 2-5 0 1 1
Childs 26 1-5 0-0 0-2 3 3 3
Dudley 14 1-2 2-5 0-3 0 3 4
Sprewell 34 4-12 3-4 2-6 2 0 11
Brunson DNP - coach's decision
Wingate DNP - coach's decision
Williams DNP - coach's decision
_______________________________________________
TOTALS 240 22-76 24-35 13-44 13 25 71
_______________________________________________
Percentages: FG-.289, FT-.686. 3-Point Goals:
3-13, .231 (Johnson 0-1, Houston 2-3, Ward 0-5,
Childs 1-3, Sprewell 0-1). Team rebounds: 19.
Blocked shots: 7 (Dudley 2, Camby 2, Houston,
Ward, Ewing). Turnovers: 12 (Sprewell 3, Houston
2, Thomas 2, Ward 2, Ewing, Johnson). Steals: 6
(Childs 3, Ewing, Houston, Ward).
____________________________________________
Atlanta 19 18 27 16 - 80
New York 19 15 22 15 - 71
____________________________________________
Technical fouls: None. Flagrant fouls: None. A:
19,763. T: 2:20. Officials: Jack Nies, Nolan
Fine, Tommie Wood.
Game Story
NEW YORK (Ticker) -- Another fourth-quarter collapse, another
poor shooting performance and another ugly effort down the
stretch by Patrick Ewing turned the Madison Square Garden crowd
against the New York Knicks.
The home fans clearly did not approve of another disappointing
effort by the Knicks, who were playing their third game in as
many nights and suffered their third loss in four games, 80-71
to the Atlanta Hawks.
Mookie Blaylock scored 15 points to pace the Hawks, who made
just 5-of-17 shots in the fourth quarter but held the Knicks to
an anemic 2-of-18.
"My shot was flat tonight," Ewing said. "We just couldn't get
the job done, I don't have an excuse for it. They outplayed us,
they were the better team tonight."
Ewing scored 23 points but hit just 8-of-21 shots and 1-of-6 in
the final period, which New York opened by missing its first six
shots. The Knicks did not hit a basket in the fourth until a
3-pointer by Allan Houston with 6:38 to go.
That shot had the Knicks within 66-61, but Chris Childs, the
league leader in 3-point percentage, threw up an air ball from
beyond the arc. Shortly thereafter, Ewing missed a pair of
jumpers inside of 10 feet and the Hawks reeled off seven
straight points.
"That's New York. We all agreed in the locker room after the
game that we heard it," Houston said of the boos. "But if
you're not used to that, being in New York, then welcome. We
can't do anything about the fans. We have to look in the mirror
and get the job done."
Ewing missed crucial free throws late in regulation and overtime
Sunday, when the Knicks blew a seven-point lead in the final
five-plus minutes and lost in overtime to Toronto, 85-81. That
came three days after New York was limited to just two baskets
in the first 10 minutes of the fourth quarter in an 86-78 home
loss to the Orlando Magic.
The point guard duo of Childs and Charlie Ward combined to shoot
1-of-12 from the floor. The Knicks finished under 29 percent
(22-of-76) overall.
"I'm worried about my team because right now, we're very
fragile," said Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy. "With four minutes
to go, we're still in the game. As we came to the huddle after
a timeout, I didn't like the looks in their faces. For the first
time all season, we started making excuses."
Atlanta was not much better at 34 percent (25-of-73), but sank
27-of-32 free throws and scored 13 points off 12 turnovers by
the Knicks. New York made 24-of-35 from the line and managed a
measly three points off 13 turnovers by the Hawks.
Steve Smith and Alan Henderson contributed 14 points apiece as
Atlanta posted its sixth win in eight games. The Hawks went to
9-5 on the road and handed the Knicks just their fourth loss in
16 home games.
"I feel very good about our team," said Hawks coach Lenny
Wilkens. "They worry the (crap) out of me sometimes because we
play great, then we won't hit the broadside of a barn. But I
feel by the time the playoffs come, we're gonna be in pretty
good shape."
The Garden crowd was in a bad mood relatively early, booing the
Knicks as they went to the locker room trailing at halftime,
37-34.
Ewing opened the third quarter with a three-point play to tie
the game, but Smith answered with one of his own that sparked a
9-0 spurt and put Atlanta ahead to stay. Smith had a jumper and
two free throws around a tip-in by Chris Crawford to make it
46-37 with 8:25 remaining.
"We got good communication, didn't let guys get too many open
shots and kept a hand in Houston's face and Childs' face, the
premier 3-point shooter in the league," Henderson said.
Providing the crowd with more reason to show its displeasure,
New York failed to make a run and was down by as many as 12
points in the period. An unlikely source gave the Knicks a lift
late in the third, with Chris Dudley scoring the final five
points to cut the deficit to 64-56.
New York had a chance to grab the lead as Atlanta missed its
first five shots of the fourth period. But the Knicks' only
points through the first six-plus minutes of the quarter were
two foul shots by Latrell Sprewell.
"It's not surprising," Sprewell said of the crowd's reaction.
"When you don't play well and don't win, and people spend their
hard-earned money, they want to see a good effort. We have the
best fans, they are rooting for us, but we are not getting the
job done."
New York, which got no closer than seven points in the final
minutes, went 1-2 over the last three nights after going 3-0
during the same stretch earlier this month.
Houston scored 16 points but was 4-of-13 from the floor and
teammate Larry Johnson grabbed 10 rebounds but shot just 3-of-9
for six points. Sprewell was 4-of-12 for 11 points.
"We just don't have any rhythm right now," Houston added.
"We're out there just thinking and being hesitant. That's not
mentally what's going through your mind when you're playing well
offensively. ... We have to refuse to let it get any worse."
