Jamal Crawford has been around long enough that it takes a lot worse than shooting a dreadful 28 percent in the preseason to concern the eighth-year guard or the Knicks.

"I'm not worried about it because I shot a lot better in practice than I did in those [preseason] games," Crawford said yesterday as the Knicks prepared for their season opener Friday at Cleveland.

Crawford also appears to have the backing of Knicks' coach Isiah Thomas.

"The last thing I'm worried about is [Crawford] being able to score," Thomas said.