An irate Isiah Thomas guaranteed yesterday the Knicks will reverse their home misfortunes and start edging toward .500. He delivered his message during a morning-shootaround rant in which he threatened "drastic measures" will be taken if things don't turn.
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The victory occurred before a sparsely attended, sometimes-dead Garden. The announced crowd of 15,233 was the season's second-lowest mark and among the lowest of the past 12 years.
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In addressing their home mental block before the game, Thomas said, "They need to be more afraid of me than the crowd, more afraid of what I can do than what the crowd can do."
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Isiah's answer yesterday was to guarantee their turnaround and make threats. Thomas indicated one of those measures would be benching guys after halftime. But don't discount Thomas' implication about trades, which will pick up Dec. 15 when draft picks and free agents signed over the summer can be dealt.
Isiah's rant also was the first time he expressed displeasure with their record. "We got to break this habit," Thomas said. "If they don't stop it, I will take drastic measures."
Thomas has never been this forceful publicly - a sign of his desperation. Thomas said he told his players, "We're winning at home. The habits that are forming the last couple of years, tanking in December, we're not tanking in December. We're winning at home."
