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Crawford scores career-high 52 as Knicks rout Heat

Jan 27, 2007 - 5:08 AM NEW YORK (Ticker) -- Jamal Crawford exacted revenge on the Miami Heat all by himself.

With center Eddy Curry sidelined, Crawford nailed 16 consecutive field goals en route to a career-high 52 points as the New York Knicks routed the Miami Heat, 116-96, to snap a two-game skid.

Hitting from all angles, Crawford tallied the highest output for New York since Allan Houston scored 53 points against the Los Angeles Lakers on February 16, 2003. He tied for the sixth-best scoring game in Knicks history, falling shy of Bernard King's record 60-point outburst on December 25, 1984.

"It's a lot more special because this is the world's greatest arena and you have legends as far as Patrick Ewing, Allan Houston - Knicks legends," Crawford said. "Then you got Isiah Thomas coaching. He's one of the best players ever. So I think it's just special."

On Monday, Miami embarrassed New York, using a 27-0 run to take a 40-12 lead into the second quarter en route to a 101-83 victory without superstars Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal.

Crawford had scored 23 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter of that game and picked up right where he left off on Friday.

"It actually started in the last game, in the last quarter against Phoenix," New York coach Isiah Thomas said. "He ran off a couple of baskets in a row, and he was in a nice rhythm. Then he came to practice (Thursday) and shot the ball well and also (Friday morning) in practice.

"He's in a nice zone now, so I told him not to get around too many people and just kind of try to stay balanced and stay focused and stay in a quiet, peaceful place that you're at right now. The game was moving kind of slow for him and I said to keep it slow and he said, 'You're right, everything seems really slow.' And I said, 'Stay right there, don't leave. You're in a nice spot.'"

With Curry, the Knicks' best inside threat, sidelined, Crawford put on a remarkable shooting performance, torching the Heat with acrobatic mid-range jumpers and deep 3-pointers. The 6-5 guard shot 20-of-30 from the field, including 8-of-10 from the arc, and notched the impressive total despite attempting only four free throws.

"It was good to see guys get in the zone like that where they couldn't miss, and the most impressive thing was, I thought we set good screens for him," Thomas said. "He took 30 shots and scored 52 points on 30 shots, so he was very efficient. I thought that was the most impressive thing about it. And he never really got out of character. Everything was nicely done."

Crawford did not even realize how spectacular his effort was.

"I guess late in the game when Nate (Robinson) kind of whispered something to me," Crawford said. "But it has to come in the flow of the game. If it's not there, it's not there.

"Even the ones that went in (all) net didn't feel that good coming off my hand. I'm like, 'Oh, man, we had to be on to something.'"

After missing Wednesday's game vs. Phoenix with a knee injury, guard Stephon Marbury collected nine points and 13 assists and had a big impact on Crawford's performance.

"I think Steph was one of the first guys to see I was hot," Crawford said. "He recognized early, 'Jamal, you're hot.' And I was just playing at that point."

"I thought Marbury was great at reading the situation," Thomas said. "He saw that Crawford really had it going and he kept force-feeding him."

With eight minutes left, Crawford came off a pick and nailed a short jumper to hit the 50-point plateau. After his baseline jumper nearly two minutes later gave New York a commanding 110-85 lead, Crawford was taken out by Thomas to a huge ovation with 6:51 remaining.

"Usually we are used to having Eddy in the post as our go-to guy," said Knicks forward David Lee, who had 11 points and 12 rebounds. "It is a different feeling to have a jump shooter like that. What makes Jamal tough to cover is his ability to put the ball on the floor and keep people off-balance."

Crawford surpassed his previous career high of 50 points set on April 11, 2004, as a member of the Chicago Bulls.

Wade scored 37 points for Miami, which shot just 43 percent (31-of-72) and has dropped four of its last five games.

"Guys got to look at themselves in the mirror more than anything and try to put their best foot forward," Wade said. "But I'm not a motivator. I have never been. Everybody is looking for me to say a speech and it is not going to happen. That is not my job. My job is to go out there, every night, and prove to my team what I bring to the table."

After scoring 11 points in 15 minutes in just his second game back from injury, O'Neal also is unhappy with his team's effort.

"I am getting sick and tired of this," O'Neal said. "I have never been five games under .500 for my career. It is embarrassing."