Isiah Thomas promised a lineup shakeup if the Knicks do not respond from last night's Boston massacre and beat the Bucks Friday night at the Garden. Struggling center Eddy Curry (four points, 2-for-11, three rebounds) after one of his worst outings as a Knick in the 104-59 catastrophe could be headed to the bench, or even Stephon Marbury, again.

Thomas didn't hear TNT's Charles Barkley's prediction that he will get fired if the Knicks lose to Milwaukee tonight, but he sure sounded like a man desperate for a victory.

"We'll see (tonight)," Thomas said about a lineup change. "It will be an interesting game for us. We can end up winning three of our last four or take another step backwards."

"Let's see how we respond. It's depending on how we play (tonight)."

The bond between Thomas and Marbury still seems strained with Thomas saying they have only a "coach-player relationship" now.