--To no one's surprise, Isiah Thomas is no longer the Knicks' coach. Donnie Walsh, the team's new president of basketball operations, relieved Thomas of his duties in his first of what figure to be at least several major moves.
--Rarely did the Knicks raise a hand defensively this season. They ranked among the most generous teams in the league because there was nobody waiting near the rim to cover up the perimeter mistakes. Since the league began tracking blocked shots, no team in history has swatted fewer shots than New York, which has 208 this season. --While the Knicks began playing out the string right around the All-Star break, the New York fans kept showing up. Somehow, the organization averaged 19,100 patrons and ranked among the league's top 10 despite posting the worst home record in franchise history.
"They've been great to us this year," Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said. "I thought in the first half of the season, there were some very unusual and unique circumstances we had to deal with as a franchise, as players and coaches and everything else. But our fans stuck with us and we appreciate them."
QUOTE TO NOTE: "Let's just say it's been a very unique year. I don't think the things we've had to go through, they just aren't normal in an NBA season that I've experienced." -- Knicks coach Isiah Thomas, on the team's seventh consecutive losing season.
