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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
NEW YORK (AP) – Vince Carter finally showed some spunk, and
Lenny Wilkens showed he's not too old to come up with something
creative.
|  | | Vince Carter rebounded from his disappointing Game 1 performance with 22 points on Thursday. |
Carter became a successful playoff performer for the first time
Thursday night, turning from a timid player into a tough one as the
Toronto Raptors routed the New York Knicks 94-74 to even their
first-round series 1-1.
"This is big for us: Our first playoff win as a franchise and
my first playoff win," Carter said, "so I hope this was a
confidence builder."
Carter, coming off a poor performance in Game 1 that dropped his
career postseason record to 0-4, went on an offensive tear in the
second half to help the Raptors turn it into a rout.
Carter scored 22 points and got the better of Latrell Sprewell
several times when they were matched one-on-one.
"I went up to him afterward and told him to remember this
feeling," teammate Antonio Davis said. "Now, at least, he
knows."
Tied 1-1, the series resumes Sunday at Toronto with the Raptors
now holding homecourt advantage. They'll also be secure in the
knowledge that Carter can perform under pressure and Wilkens isn't
too old to try something new.
Toronto threw a different look at the Knicks, moving Chris
Childs into the starting lineup, sliding Alvin Williams over to
shooting guard and limiting rookie Morris Peterson to seven minutes
in a reserve role.
Williams tied his career-high with 23 points and Childs had
seven assists before leaving with a pulled hamstring late in the
third as the Raptors were using a 31-15 run to pull away.
Wilkens also used power forward Jerome Williams at times to
defend Sprewell and Houston. Sprewell shot just 3-for-12 and
Houston was 5-for-11.
"I'm not afraid to try anything," said Wilkens, 63, the
winningest coach in NBA history. "The players were receptive and
we had plenty of time to work on this."
Carter was at his best during the second-half run. On one drive
into the lane he looked like he was about to pass after leaving his
feet looking at Alvin Williams, but instead turned and knocked down
a running 14-footer for a 65-52 lead.
Carter blocked a shot by Othella Harrington on New York's next
possession, then stepped back and stroked a 23-foot jumper early in
the fourth to make it 68-52.
"On a couple of them I surprised myself," Carter said.
Carter followed that by blowing past Sprewell on consecutive
drives. With Toronto ahead 74-54, he crept up next to Mark Jackson
of the Knicks and whispered in his ear for several seconds,
grinning the whole time.
"That was not taunting or anything," Carter said. "I was just
having a good time."
The fans, however, weren't. And they showed as much by heading
for the exits with six minutes left.
Kurt Thomas led the Knicks with 23 points and 12 rebounds.
Marcus Camby, playing three days after his mother and two sisters
were held hostage at their home in Connecticut, was clearly not
himself and had just two points and two rebounds in 31 minutes.
Camby had just two points and no rebounds in 10 minutes of the
first quarter, while Carter scored just four points in the first
quarter on 2-for-5 shooting and Toronto led 20-16 after one.
Thomas scored on consecutive putbacks to pull the Knicks into a
35-35 tie, but the Raptors scored the final four points of the
second quarter. Thomas led all scorers at the half with 15, while
Williams led Toronto with 14.
Davis gave Toronto its first 10-point lead, 53-43 on a pair of
foul shots with 7:17 left in the third, and Carter started getting
aggressive shortly thereafter as Toronto built a 66-52 lead
entering the fourth.
"We talked a lot about being ready and in tune, and we weren't.
Everything we did well in Game 1 we didn't do well," Houston said.
"Our whole mentality was different."
Game notes
Former Knicks center Patrick Ewing sat courtside (three
seats away from Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones) and received
a warm ovation from the crowd. Asked who he likes in the series, he
said: "I have friends on both teams, but I'm rooting for the
Knicks. I still consider myself a Knick." ... Charles Oakley got a
major haircut, trimming his long locks down to military length. ...
The Knicks barely eclipsed their all-time playoff low of 67 points
set against San Antonio in the 1999 NBA Finals.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Toronto Clubhouse
New York Clubhouse
Raptors-Knicks Series Page
NY love shown for Ewing upon return as fan
RECAPS
Toronto 94
New York 74
LA Lakers 106
Portland 88
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Vince Carter says it took a team effort to thwart the Knicks in Game 2 (Courtesy: TNT).
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Lenny Wilkens stresses the need for Vince Carter to take enough shots.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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