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Crawford's 24 points help Knicks hold off Heat in OT

Mar 27, 2008 - 3:58 AM By Larry Fleisher PA-SportsTicker Contributing Writer

NEW YORK (Ticker) -- Hopelessly out of the postseason race, the New York Knicks have been faced with rumors about the future. After one of their rare wins, they insisted they were oblivious to any speculation.

Zach Randolph scored six straight points in overtime as the Knicks snapped a seven-game home losing streak with a 103-96 victory over the Miami Heat on Wednesday night.

Jamal Crawford scored 24 points, including the go-ahead jumper with 2:28 remaining. After Crawford snapped a 95-95 tie, Randolph took over by hitting three clutch baskets and ensuring the Knicks would not set a franchise record for consecutive home losses.

One of Randolph's baskets was a layup with 18.8 seconds remaining which put New York ahead 101-96. That came after Kasib Powell missed a 3-pointer that would have tied the game.

Randolph's performance in overtime snapped a five-game overall losing streak for New York. It also was just its second win in 14 contests - both against Miami.

This win also came in the wake of reports that Donnie Walsh could be coming to replace coach Isiah Thomas in the front office after the season. Walsh stepped down from his post in Indiana two days ago, but the Knicks claimed to be oblivious to everything.

"I think we know less than you about what's going on right now," Knicks forward David Lee said. "We're just trying to play hard these last 10, 11 games. We're not the executives, we're not the coaches. We're just trying to take our place right now, let the chips fall and make the most of it."

That has been the latest event for the Knicks, who have made news for mostly the wrong reasons recently.

"We really aren't too affected by all the hoopla, who's coming, who's going," Lee said. "We got games to play. We're trying to focus on that right now. It's been a season when things have been constantly been rumored whether it's coaches, whether it's GMs, whether it's players going different places trades this and that. We've gotten used to it. I think, at this point, we're trying to make the most of it."

"The Knicks fans are very important," Crawford added. "When the fans come out and pay a lot of money to be here and support us, we try to give them a good show."

Before overtime, New York gave its fans a complete collapse in the final two minutes of regulation as it blew a nine-point edge.

"The game should have been over, and we let them slip back in," Lee said. "We had the same thing happen at their place a couple of weeks ago and we only won by a couple of points. But we were able to keep our heads up and come in and win (in) overtime, and I think a lot of that had to do with our fans."

Rookie Daequan Cook and Ricky Davis both hit clutch 3-pointers in the final moments of regulation. Cook made it a three-point game with 27.7 seconds remaining while Davis hit a pair - including one that tied it at 92-92 with 6.4 seconds remaining.

The Heat outscored the Knicks, 12-3, in the final 1:50 of the fourth to send the game into OT. They then missed their final six shots of the extra period after Davis' 3-pointer opened a 95-92 lead with 4:01 remaining.

"I think the ball should go to my hands," Davis said. "We should've got better looks in overtime."

Davis scored a season-high 28 points on a career-high seven 3-pointers while Cook added 21 before leaving the game in the extra period after he was hit in the jaw by an inadvertent elbow by Jared Jeffries.

"Daequan has a slight concussion," Heat coach Pat Riley said.

The Knicks had a chance for the win, but Fred Jones missed a desperation attempt with nine-tenths of a second remaining.

New York shot 40 percent (40-of-99) while holding Miami to 37 percent (32-of-86).

The Heat dropped to a league-worst 13-58 and failed to win consecutive games for the second time this season.

"We're at the bottom looking up," Riley said. "As long as you have that kind of attitude, I think that's what it is about. You're going to have your good days, your good months, your bad months. And you're going to have your good years and your bad years. This is just a bad year."