Wrap-Up: Brown gets first win as Knicks coach (AP) Updated: 2005-11-15 09:33
Larry Brown downplayed his first win with the New York Knicks. His players
felt differently.
Brown won for the first time
in six games as New York's coach, with rookie Channing Frye scoring 19 points in
a 105-95 win over the floundering Sacramento Kings on Sunday night.
Stephon Marbury had 17 points and seven assists for the Knicks, who jumped to
a big early lead and hung on late to halt their worst start in 18 years during
Brown's first season in charge of his hometown team.
"We were very resilient, and we played with a lot of heart," Marbury said.
"It's just one game, but winning that first game after we lost the last five,
that's tough to do. Coach was happy we won, and we were happy to win for him. He
deserved it."
Brown's club won by making 54 percent of its shots — and finding an opponent
with even worse late-game execution. The Knicks wasted second-half leads in both
of their previous two games, and blew most of a 19-point lead in Sacramento, but
hung on when the Kings couldn't capitalize on several chances to rally.
"It feels good. I always feel good after a team tries hard," said Brown, the
only head coach to win championships in the NBA and NCAA.
"We had a lot of guys contribute. To win one on the road against a pretty
good team is a good feeling. ... People don't win in this building much, so it
feels good."
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