--C Eddy Curry did not play in the opener and spent the second half icing a sore knee in the locker room. He missed training camp with an infection and was surprised to learn his poor conditioning was keeping him out of coach Mike D'Antoni's rotation on the eve of the season. "I'm definitely stunned, especially since he didn't tell me that," Curry said. "I haven't talked to him. I'm here with him every day. All he has to do is tell me, let me know what's up. So I'm definitely stunned to hear that from you guys, but we'll see what happens."

--F Wilson Chandler was impressive during the preseason until he sprained a knee in the preseason finale. He was ready for the opener, getting 17 points and nine rebounds in 23 minutes against Miami. Chandler had no problem getting into the middle of the defense, then soaring for easy baskets. "You have to give most of the credit to the coach," he said. "It's a different system and we didn't have a lot of time to learn it, but our first win puts a mark on the season."

--G Jamal Crawford didn't let an uneven preseason get in the way. He scored the first seven points of Wednesday's opener for the Knicks and wound up with a game-high 29 points. Crawford didn't have any problem fitting into the system. He was especially good without the ball, which had been a problem in the preseason, and went 4-for-10 from behind the arc.

MEDICAL WATCH:

--F Jared Jeffries (fractured left fibula) is using a hyperbaric chamber in hopes of speeding the healing process, but he's expected to be out until December.