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 He's hurting Hobbled Johnson having an awful series for Knicks
Posted: Thursday June 24, 1999 10:08 PM
By John Donovan, CNN/SI NEW YORK -- Notes from the New York Knicks' camp on the day after they lost Game 4 of the NBA Finals to fall behind in the best-of-seven series, 3-1, to the San Antonio Spurs. On the top : Larry Johnson is talking, now -- a lot. But the Knicks would much rather he find his health and his game rather than re-discover his voice. Johnson was fined $25,000 by the NBA earlier this week for a profanity-laced outburst when he initially refused to speak to the press. It was the second time the sometimes-brooding forward was fined this postseason, both of them for the same reason. He was surrounded by the press corps before Thursday's practice and talked for more than a half hour, touching on everything from his upbringing to race relations in the NBA to ... well, you name it. Coach Jeff Van Gundy and some of his teammates were trying to urge him onto the floor so the Knicks could begin practice. That's where Johnson is sorely needed. The big forward has had his hands full in this series, trying to guard Tim Duncan, the NBA Finals future MVP. But Johnson, still hobbled by a sprained knee he suffered in the Eastern Conference finals, has had plenty of problems other than Duncan. Like the fact that he can't hit a shot even when he's wide open. "I'm feeling better, better defensively," he said. "But I still can't do some things offensively. And I'm missing some open 3-pointers." In Game 4 on Wednesday night, Johnson missed all three of his 3-point tries, was 2-for-8 from the field and scored only five points. It continued a terrible run through the Finals which has seen him shoot just 28 percent (including a shocking 2-for-15 -- 13 percent -- from 3-point range) and average just 7.8 points a game. If you want to point to one player who's killing the Knicks, it's Johnson. It's not all his fault, of course. He's giving up a good five inches -- and at least 20 pounds -- to Duncan. And he's doing it all on a bad knee. "He's not as explosive as he normally is. He's not able to slide his feet,' said Knicks forward Kurt Thomas. "With him not being at 100 percent, it really hurts us." It especially hurts the Knicks, of course, because Johnson is their main low-post option, with center Patrick Ewing sitting on the bench with a torn Achilles' tendon. Still, Johnson will be there in Game 5, trying to bring the Knicks back from their 3-1 hole -- something that no one on any team ever has done in the Finals. "We've been doing -- I wouldn't say the impossible -- but overcoming obstacles all year long," he said. "We've had injury after injury, this after that, but you know what? Here we are, in the NBA Finals." Quote to note : "I told them, they're only bound by what they believe can still be accomplished. If they believe that since no one else has done this [come back from a 3-1 hole in the NBA Finals] that it can't be done, then that will be reflected in our play [Friday]." -- Coach Jeff Van Gundy. Obscure stat of the day : Only one player is shooting at 50 percent or better in the four games against the Spurs. Marcus Camby has made 18 of his 36 shots -- exactly 50 percent. Final Finals note : The last thing the Knicks want to do is have the Spurs wrap up the NBA title on the Knicks' home court. Talk about ruining the mystique of the place. "I don't want to see them jumping around, cutting down our nets here in the Garden," Camby said. "Our fans don't want to see it and we definitely don't want to see it."
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