The Knicks mounted a furious fourth-quarter comeback to beat the Bucks, 91-88, Friday night at Madison Square Garden.  

The Knicks dragged through three quarters before showing their first signs of life since being wiped out in Boston Thursday night, 104-59.

Jamal Crawford led the way and put the Knicks up in the closing seconds with a side-angle jumper that went off glass.  He apologized to Knicks fans for the Boston debacle during his post-game interview on the court.

Fred Jones also played a key role in the win, scoring all 10 of his points in the final period.  Jones did not see action until an injury to Stephon Marbury's shoulder forced him out of the game.  The comeback was initiated and completed with Marbury in the locker room.

Crawford and Zach Randolph each had 25 points to lead the Knicks.  Michael Redd had 27 points for the Bucks.

10. Patrick Beverley ? Guard ? Arkansas

Beverley is another hard-nosed, versatile, talented SEC guard (they are riddled with them). Last season he was the highest scoring freshman in the conference (13.9 points per game), and also led his team in scoring. Due to that fine season, expectations were raised very high for this year, many touting him as a candidate for First Team All-SEC. He leads the Razorbacks in scoring again this season at 14.3 per contest, and the 6?1? guard is also third on the team in rebounds at 4.7 per game, slightly up from last year?s average. He also uses length to make an impact defensively (again, like many SEC guards) ? he averaged 1.7 steals per contest last year, and has 7 steals and 4 blocks through his first six games so far this season. Early on, there is worry that there isn?t strong evidence of improvement from his freshman year to his sophomore year. His shooting percentages are almost unchanged, and his assists are down while his turnovers are up, twice committing 5 in a game already. But if the Razorbacks have any visions of improving on last season?s 7-9 conference record, they need Beverley to be ?the man? offensively, providing more reliable percentages and take better care of the basketball.

9. Sundiata Gaines ? Guard ? Georgia

Even though he is only 6?1?, Gaines entered the college ranks as a shooting guard. But a problem developed: he couldn?t shoot. Through his first three seasons, he is shooting a combined 41% from the field and 30% from long distance. They seem OK on the surface, but if you take away the 45% he shot from the field in season 2, and the 35% he shot from downtown last year, the numbers would be a lot lower. The just of it is, he is not one of the top scoring options on the team. What he is is a dynamic and versatile talent at the point guard position, and one of the top rebounding guards in the country. His board numbers have climbed every year, from 4.9 to 5.1 to 5.7 to 6.0 so far this season. His passing game has also improved, climbing from 2.9 to 3.4 to 4.8, and he is dishing an adequate 4.6 so far this year. He is also a fantastic perimeter defender which great instincts. He has never averaged less than 2 steals per game, and has stolen more than 2.21 for his career. His scoring is up a bit this year to 11.4 thanks to a dominating game against Grambling State (27 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals). There was hope that his improved 3 point shooting last year was a trend, but so far he is just 2 for 14. Then again, it?s still early, and he could add the ability to shoot to further increase his versatility and impact.

8. Devan Downey ? Point Guard ? South Carolina

Downey sat out last season because he transferred from Cincinnati after a solid freshman year in 05-06 that saw him earn Big East All-Rookie team honors (averaging 11.9 points, 4.3 assists and 1.9 steals). He immediately was dubbed the new starting point guard after senior Tre Kelly graduated, taking with him his All-SEC numbers from last year (he posted 18.9 points and 5.1 assists per game). So Downey has some big shoes to fill, ones that may be difficult for a player only 5?9? in height. To counter that, however, he has tremendous speed and rumors of a wingspan up to 6 feet. 7 games into the season, Downey is doing his best to take over where Kelly left off, leading the Gamecocks in points (18.0), assists (4.9) and steals (3.3), while also contributing a very solid 4.3 rebounds. What he misses from the field (38.8% field goal shooting so far) he makes up for at the line (84% on 25 attempts) and from long range (15-for-32 from 3, good for 47%). South Carolina isn?t exactly littered with impact players, scoring options, or major talent, so expect Downey to carry the load all season and be amongst the SEC scoring leaders at year end.

7. Nick Calathes ? Guard/Forward ? Florida

Calathes isn?t even the biggest name in his school?s freshman class, as that would belong to point guard Jai Lucas. However, his game is probably the biggest, and it is making an immediate impact (where Lucas? so far is not). Despite being listed as the team?s starting small forward (he is 6?6?, and the starters at the guard spots are 6?0? or shorter), Calathes plays all three perimeter positions over the course of the game and has proven to be the best passer on the team, dishing out a team high 5.6 assists through the first 7 games (currently 2nd in the conference). He is also leading the team in minutes (30.4), and is second in scoring (13.0) and steals (1.1). His 3.3 turnovers could certainly be better, as could his shooting percentages (43% from the field, 30% from three point land), but remember, he has only played 7 games in his college career and is carrying the load for a team that has won back to back national championships. The McDonalds All-American and two-time state of Florida?s Mr. Basketball is also a very intelligent player, and a gym rat, so expect his game to constantly get better, especially throughout year one.

6. Anthony Randolph ? Forward ? LSU

Most within the program thought that with Glen Davis gone, the team would belong to junior forward Tasmin Mitchell ? who averaged 11 points and 8 rebounds in the first two games before suffering a severe ankle injury six minutes into the third game that will sideline him for the season ? but it has been the freshman Randolph carrying the Tigers. And with Mitchell out of the picture this year, Randolph will continue to be counted on heavily. At this rate of production, Randolph as separated himself with Calathes and Patrick Patterson as the top freshmen in the conference. Randolph is a five star recruit and one of the top incoming small forwards in the country. He can play inside and out, can rebound, and is tougher than his lanky 6?11?, 220lb frame would indicate. Through six games, he is second on the team in points (14.0) and first in rebounding (8.0, tied for fifth in the conference). He also leads the team in blocked shots (2.8, 2nd in the SEC), and second in steals to Mitchell with 1.8 (tied for 7th in the SEC), so he is making his impact on both ends of the floor. He has tremendous instincts and athletic ability that help him achieve these defensive numbers, reminding some of ex-Tiger Tyrus Thomas. The depleted Tigers will need everything he can give.

5. Shan Foster ? Guard/Forward ? Vanderbilt

Last year it appeared that Foster?s offence had hit a plateau ? showing virtually no statistical improvement from his sophomore year to his junior, where his slight increase in rebounding and assists was negated by decreases in field goal and 3-point percentages. Perhaps, though, that was largely due to then-teammate Derrick Byars (who happened to be the coaches? choice for SEC Player of the Year). With Byars gone, however, Foster has stepped up his offensive game. He leads the team in minutes (31.0), points (18.8, an increase of over 3 points from last year), steals (1.4), three-point percentage (51.5%, 20-for-39), is second in rebounds (5.4) and has increased his field goal shooting to over 49%. He has led Vandy to a perfect 5-0 record to start the season, but it will be interesting to see how he handles being the focal point in the offence in February and March, where the games are much more crucial.

4. Patrick Patterson ? Power Forward ? Kentucky

For a team with virtually zero inside presence, being able to land such a lauded recruit in Patterson was a big-time win for new coach Billy Gillespie. In his senior year of high school last year, the 6?9?, 219lb Patterson averaged 17 points, 12 rebounds and 4 blocks per game ? not exactly jump off the chart numbers for a future NBA player, but good nonetheless. Through the team?s first five games he is second in minutes (30.4), points (15.8), assists (2.0) and blocks (1.2), and first in rebounds (8.8), steals (2.2), and field goal shooting (66.7%). Not bad for a freshman. But what if you take away his first game, where he played only 13 foul plagued minutes? Over the last four he is averaging 18.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 0.8 turnovers, 2.5 steals and 1.5 blocks. He is even showing incredible stamina, playing all 40 minutes of the team?s last game. He has earned the trust of his coaching staff and teammates, providing leadership and having a great impact on both ends of the floor while leading his team to a 4-1 record to start the season.

3. Jamont Gordon ? Guard ? Mississippi State

The 6?4?/225lb Gordon is simply one of a kind: a natural shooting guard, transformed into a point guard that on occasion plays power forward. As you can see from some of the forwards on this list, Gordon is bulkier than a lot of the power forwards in the SEC, and the country for that matter. He also has great speed, a nose for the ball, basketball instincts, and athleticism that enables him to be one of the best rebounders in the conference (7.1 per game as a sophomore last year, 6.8 as a freshman). In addition to the rebounding, he became more of a facilitator last year, averaging 5.3 assists in addition to his improved shooting stroke (went from 13.8 points to 16.0, from 26% from three to 34.7%). Simply put, there is no one player in the country who can guard him all over the floor wherever he plays. Last season also marked the first ever triple double in Mississippi State school history, as Gordon notched 15 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists against conference rival Vanderbilt. With lack of help surrounding him, Gordon has taken on more of a scoring role to begin the season, averaging 17.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists and an ugly 4.0 turnovers. His shooting is still improving, up to 48% from the field and 37% from long range, and he should earn a second consecutive All-SEC nod. The Bulldogs need every bit of what he brings to the table just to finish .500 (they are 3-3 so far).

2. Chris Lofton ? Guard ? Tennessee

Can last year?s SEC Player of the Year be able to duplicate his success? His 20.8 points per game led the conference last year, and he did it with incredible efficiency (47.9% from the field, 41.9% from long distance, 81% from the free throw line). Though he poured in 17.2 points per game in his sophomore year, I am not sure anyone envisioned a 20 average from this shooting guard in a point guard?s body (6?2?, 200lbs). He has great athleticism though, and never stopped working to better himself. More than ever before, he has had to deal with defenses designed to slow him down, and it has worked to start the season (as seen by his paltry 36% field goal percentage and 36.5% 3 point percentage). One of his many issues is he can be a bit of a ?chucker? ? for instance last game he shot 8 for 21 from the field, including 8 for 20 from long distance. He will need to do a better job of relying on teammates when his shot isn?t falling. He is averaging a full assist more than last season, so he may be starting to understand that, but the Smith trio is ready to help (JaJuan, Tyler, and Ramar are averaging 37.1 points combined, with two shooting over 55% from the field). Accepting help offensively, and providing help defensively will be a welcome addition to his moniker as a big game shooter.

1. Richard Hendrix ? Power Forward ? Alabama

It appears that someone (yes, Richard, I am looking at you) took offence to being left out of the preseason All-American discussion. After a better-than-average sophomore season (14.6 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.2 blocks, conference-leading 60.2% field goal percentage), he has exploded to start this season. The 6?8?/265lb low post brute has started his junior year with 5 straight double doubles (including 23 rebounds in the first game of the year) and has failed to score 20 points only once. Add it all up and he is averaging 22.8 points, 14.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.0 steals, 2.6 blocks and shooting 63.8%. There is a word for that, and that word is ?outstanding.? With his improved defensive mechanics, and a lower foul rate, this figures to be very much a trend and not a mirage. He will carry the team on his burly shoulders, and the Crimson Tide are only happy to oblige.  

Click here for his Big 10 Preview for 2007-2008

Click here for his ACC Preview for 2007-2008

Click here for his Big 12 Preview for 2007-2008

Click here for his Pac 10 Preview for 2007-2008

Nick can be reached at nickobergan@hotmail.com

RealGM Radio is now airing every Thursday night from 9:00 to 10:00 PM Eastern on Sirius Radio 186 (Hardcore Sports Radio) and last night was the first episode.

The show is hosted by Cabral "Cabbie" Richards of The Score, Brendon Lynch, Sacha Kargl and former RealGM Radio host Aaron Bronsteter.

Each episode will feature an interview with a current NBA player and Atlanta Hawks star Josh Smith was the first such guest.  Smith discussed the differences between the Hawks of 2007-2008 and previous seasons, as well as what Josh Childress would do if someone were to cut his 'fro.

Jerome Williams touched on what it's like to play for Scott Skiles and how he can get under your skin, while RealGM writer Brent Diggins explained his reasons for the Bulls' troubles.

Click on the following links to listen to the podcasts:

Segment 1

Segment 2

The Austin Toros have re-acquired forward Marcus Williams who had been injured during the preseason and waived their seventh-round selection in this years D-League Draft, guard Daryl "Majic" Dorsey.

Williams who was in uniform today and scored 12 points against the Sioux Falls Skyforce, was the San Antonio Spurs' second round selection in the 2007 NBA Draft after playing two seasons at Arizona. He averaged 13 points a game in 2005-06 and 16.6 points and 6.7 rebounds the following season for the Wildcats. In 2007 he was named to the All Pac-10 team.

Chris Bosh of the Toronto Raptors and LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers combined for 78 points when the teams met last Saturday in Cleveland.

Each has suffered an injury since, and in each case participation in Friday's game between the teams at the Air Canada Centre was a game-time decision.

A couple of other Raptors were expected to play Friday after the morning shoot around - point guard T.J. Ford and forward Andrea Bargnani.

James merely watched his teammates take part in the shoot around on Friday morning after he suffered a sprained left index finger in the first half of Cleveland's loss to the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday.

Bosh did not practice Thursday with the Raptors and instead was undergoing diagnostic tests for a strained right groin, an injury that developed in Tuesday's practice and forced him to leave Wednesday's victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in the first quarter.

Jazz forward Carlos Boozer and center Mehmet Okur both sat out the pregame shootaround and will wait until they warm up before Friday night's game to decide if they'll be able to play against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Boozer, the NBA's third-leading scorer, suffered a sprained right ankle in the second quarter of Wednesday's victory over Philadelphia. He did say the swelling has gone down the last 48 hours. "Just trying to get that pain out of there," Boozer said.

Boozer played the entire second half of the Sixers game on the bad ankle. Okur, however, left the game in the third quarter with back spasms and did not return, although he came back from the locker room to watch from the bench in the fourth quarter.

Okur has been alternating between ice and heat treatments the last two days. He said, "I feel a lot better now but not 100 percent." Boozer went for X-rays, and Okur for an MRI exam Thursday that came back negative for more serious injuries.

The NBA today denied a game protest filed by the
Dallas Mavericks over their 111-107 loss to the Indiana Pacers on November 23.

The Mavericks filed the protest because a basket by Indiana's Troy Murphy with 9:59 remaining in the second quarter was mistakenly recorded as a 3-point field goal instead of a 2-point field goal (making the score 41-25
in Indiana's favor), and the Mavericks contended that this extra point had a clear impact on the outcome of the game.

The NBA's review confirmed that Murphy's shot was mistakenly recorded; the Official Scorer erroneously  believed that one or more referees had given the signal for  a 3-point  field  goal. In fact, no referee made such a signal, nor was any referee aware until after the game that the Official Scorer had awarded 3 points to Indiana as a result of Murphy's shot.

Although he concluded that an inadvertent error was made by the Official Scorer, NBA Commissioner David Stern determined that it did not have such a clear impact on the outcome of the game that a replay of the contest should be ordered.  Murphy's  shot occurred with almost 34 minutes of regulation time remaining in the game, providing Dallas with a substantial opportunity to overcome the 1-point error.  Dallas lost the game by four points.

Although NBA rules would have allowed the game officials to correct the scoring error at any time prior to the end of the game, it was not brought to their attention until after the game.

Steve Nash surprisingly returned to Phoenix in the summer of 2004, so could he eventually return to Dallas?

"First of all, I'm happy in Phoenix," said Nash.  "But I'd have no problem going back and playing for a team in Texas, even the Mavericks! It's not as though there was some irreconcilable divorce with Dallas; it was just best for me to move on at that time. I was wanted more in Phoenix; that's the way it is in sports. But if Phoenix doesn't want me one day, I have nothing against considering one of the Texas teams."

A popular perception around the NBA is that Bulls' cCoach Scott Skiles comes with an expiration date.

The theory is Skiles pushes his players hard, and it works for a while, but they eventually begin to tune him out. Now some critics have concluded that could be an explanation for the Bulls' 3-10 start this season.

Asked about the issue following Thursday's practice at the Berto Center, Skiles stated confidently that it doesn't exist.

"I've never personally thought I ever even came close to (going over) an edge," he said. "You've got to be careful. If a team trades a player and a player says things, you've got to be careful what you're buying into. That's just the nature of pro sports."

Skiles was referring to repeated negative comments in the past from guard Jason Kidd, who spent two years with Skiles in Phoenix. The Suns' demise in 2001-02 coincided with the trade that sent Kidd to New Jersey for Stephon Marbury.

"Now, if I had people every day, my assistants and so forth, tell me, 'Hey man, you're getting near the edge. You've got to knock it back a few notches,' then I would put some credence into it," Skiles added. "But I haven't, and I don't. (The criticism) doesn't bother me hardly at all anymore."

It seemed like just yesterday that Jermaine O'Neal was a perennial All-Star, appearing in national commercials and challenging for league MVP honors.

Three-plus years, even more injuries and numerous trade rumors later, O'Neal's stock, status and numbers have plummeted to levels not seen since he rode the bench in Portland.

O'Neal has missed 73 games the past three-plus seasons due to injuries. His latest setback is to his left knee, which required offseason surgery and has limited him to 10 games this season.

"You're always going to be open to criticism in professional sports," said O'Neal, who is averaging 13.2 points -- 11 fewer than in 2004-05. "I know people are saying I'm not the same player I used to be. I accept it because it is what it is. I've been hurt the last few years. I believe once I get over the hump, and I believe I'm going to get over it, I'm going to be the player I was before."

When O'Neal gets healthy is anybody's guess. He might play tonight at Seattle.

The Pacers are 5-1 without him this season, leading many to wonder if they would be better off without him. (They are 84-81 with him in the past three-plus seasons, 44-44 without.) Several scouts who have attended recent games suggested they are better without him because his style doesn't mesh with Coach Jim O'Brien's up-tempo offense.