How do you respond to a month long benching from a head coach who has called you both immature and unfocused? Drop forty one on a team poised to challenge for a top three seed this postseason.
In easily the most incredible story of the 2009-2010 NBA season, Nate Robinson responded to his first playing time in over 30 days by dropping a smooth 41 on 18 for 24 shooting. Nate didn’t just have a great game – he was virtually unstoppable. The alleged selfish Nate also handed out eight assists, and torched the Hawks flex defense for the 38 minutes he played tonight.
Mike D’Antoni and Nate Robinson have been at odds concerning Nate’s focus on the game and his team the entire season, and it looked as though Nate wouldn’t play another minute in New York for the rest of the season. D’Antoni seemed pretty content to let him rot on the bench, and the team wasn’t going to trade one of the many expiring contracts they have , a move completely counter intuitive to their 2010 plans.
Not only did Nate drop 41 and 8 in a game where he wasn’t a volume shooter, but did it after undoubtedly coming off the bench in a situation where most players would be incredible rusty. D’Antoni mulled over giving Nate a few minutes today to possibly work him back into the lineup, and Nate responded by going all Kobe Vision on the ATL.
The winner of this dick measuring contest? Nate Rob looks like a player too talented to ever be benched, and shows up his coach by single handedly winning a tough roadie. D’Antoni looks like a brilliant coach who changed Robinson’s mindset on the game and increased his focus tenfold. And of course, the Knicks for the second time this season went into Atlanta and stole a game.
Perhaps stole isn’t the proper word – this was Class C Armed Robbery at it’s finest. The Knicks were down fourteen with only minutes left in the game, but rallied late and forced overtime.
Travis Yost is a native New Yorker and recent Arizona State University product . He is the team beat writer for the Ottawa Senators over at Hockey Buzz, and covers all sports here at The Prose. 