Basking in his most extended playing time of the preseason and with the Garden crowd buzzing at just about his every move, Knicks' guard Nate Robinson tossed in 20 points, grabbed nine rebounds and handed out four assists in 28 minutes. The 5-foot-7? playmaker also might have sewn up the role of first guard off coach Isiah Thomas' bench.

"I'm way better than where I was this time last season," Robinson said Tuesday. "I'm more focused. Everything is just coming so much easier for me."

Robinson's confidence is still high from his MVP performance with the Knicks summer league team, a move which surprised many since summer league is usually for roster hopefuls along with rookies and second year players.

"Coming in, it being my third year, I already knew the ropes," he said. "It was just fun and games for me. A lot of people don't think [the MVP title] was a big deal, but there's a lot of tough players in there."