NEW YORK –– Entering his first game against the team that amnestied him last December, Baron Davis insisted it was all about basketball and that he held no grudges against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
But it must’ve felt sweet for Davis to contribute significantly to the Knicks’ 120-103 come-from-behind victory over Kyrie Irving and the Cavs.
In his best game yet as a Knick, Davis had eight assists, four points and no turnovers as the second unit fueled a 71-42 second-half rout that turned the game around.
“For me, my whole motivation is trying to get back,” Davis told reporters.
The Cavs opted to amnesty Davis once they drafted Irving, the former Elizabeth (N.J.) St. Patrick star, with the No. 1 overall pick. Davis, who is owed $21 million by Cleveland, signed with the Knicks for the $1.5 million veteran’s minimum but had to sit out two months while he recovered from a herniated disc.
In his first three games back, Davis went 1-for-12 from the field with seven turnovers.
Last night he filled in ably for starting point guard Jeremy Lin, dishing a perfect one-handed alley-oop to J.R. Smith that extended the Knicks’ lead to 99-86 after they trailed by 17 in the first half.
“He really has a vision that, not many people are born with that,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said.
Point guards thrive under D’Antoni’s speedball system. In the past it was Steve Nash. Now it’s Lin and Davis hopes to benefit, too.
“For a good part of my career, I wasn’t having fun and I didn’t really enjoy the game and I wanted to enjoy the game again,” Davis said. “I figured if I played in this system that’s fit for my talents then I’ll be able to do that.”
Ideally, Lin plays 30-35 minutes a game and Davis contributes effectively in the 13-18 minutes he plays.
“It just depends on how the game is, too,” Lin said when asked about his ideal number of minutes. “If I’m feeling great, some days it may be 40, 40+ if we don’t have a game the next day. And then if Baron’s clicking and the second unit’s going like they were today, maybe it’s 25, 30. So it doesn’t matter to much to me.
“Obviously, I’d love to play but I understand that our team is so deep and so we need to utilize that and let that second unit go to work like they did tonight.”
Photo: EPA
