They may still be eight days away from Michael Jordan, but the Knicks can already feel his presence.

Jordan, whose comeback begins at Madison Square Garden a week from tomorrow, grabbed the Knicks' attention Saturday night with a performance that was vintage Jordan.

"I didn't see it," Allan Houston said, "but I heard he made it look pretty easy."

Against the Nets, Jordan scored 41 points in 33 minutes. He made 15 of 24 shots and hit 9 of 11 free throws. The Wizards lost, but even in preseason, the individual performances have meaning.

"He got 41 in 33 minutes," Jeff Van Gundy said following the Knicks' three-hour practice at SUNY-Purchase yesterday. "I watched the fourth quarter live. I'll tell you what, he's pretty good. I said from Day One I thought he'd be a dominant player. So our guys are going to have to be ready."