Officials at Madison Square Garden last night ejected a fan when a Knicks' fan showed his deep frustration with the slumping team and held up a sign demanding that Coach Isiah Thomas -- who was sitting just feet away -- be canned.

Security officials took the "Fire Isiah" sign away from the unidentified fan in the fourth quarter of the game against the Indiana Pacers.

And then, when the man kept heckling the Knicks and their coach, security removed him from the seat and booted him from the Garden. The fan wasn't the only person upset -- chants of "Fire Isiah" rained down throughout the Garden during the game's final minutes.

Knicks' spokesman Jonathan Supranowitz -- who was sitting in front of the fan for several quarters -- said the man was not the regular season ticket holder of the seat he was in.

"It's the first time I've ever seen this guy," Supranowitz said.