Playoffs 2000:Childs turns into 'The Man' for Knicks

Childs turns into 'The Man' for Knicks
Associated Press

MIAMI -- With their season on the line and their shots off the mark, the New York Knicks stayed alive thanks to oft-maligned Chris Childs.

Childs, who splits time at the point guard position with Charlie Ward, became an unlikely hero Sunday.


	Chris Childs' shooting kept the Knicks in the game early in the fourth quarter.

Childs scored 15 points, 10 in the fourth quarter, to help lead the Knicks to an 83-82 victory, their third straight playoff series win over the Miami Heat and into their second consecutive Eastern Conference finals.

Childs played the entire fourth quarter and almost singlehandedly kept the Knicks in the game. He scored 13 straight points for New York, starting with a 3-pointer in the final minute of the third quarter and the first 10 points in the fourth.

In the final quarter he hit three crucial baskets and made four of five free throws.

"He just did everything for us," Knicks center Patrick Ewing said.

"He was huge," forward Kurt Thomas added.

Trailing 71-65 with about 10 minutes to play, Childs stepped in front a poor pass from Jamal Mashburn and turned it into a three-point play on the other end. He added a driving layup, a 17-foot jump shot and three more free throws in the next five minutes.

He didn't carry the Knicks into the lead, but he didn't let the game slip away, either. It easily could have.

"We're always looking for someone to step up, and today he did that," Ward said.

In four seasons with the Knicks, Childs has gone from a reserve to a starter and back to a reserve. He's been criticized, chastised and condemned in the toughest sports market in the country.

He's endured it all -- often without a whimper. He never complained about New York's two point guard system. He has never bickered about coming off the bench. And he has never argued over playing time.

"He's been through too much to lose his confidence," Ward said. "He played big for us. That's what we needed. Everyone's not going to click on all cylinders every night. That's why we're a team."

The Knicks spent much of the game settling for 3-pointers. They were 3-for-13 from beyond the arc through three quarters. Childs ended that. He continued to penetrate into the lane, but stopped kicking it out to an open jump shooter.

"You have to attack the basket," Childs said. "I wasn't trying to create things for myself, I was just trying to get the best shot that would keep us in the game."

Mission accomplished. Childs, who guaranteed a victory before Game 6 in New York, got exactly what he wanted. Again.

"He's incredible," Knicks guard Allan Houston said. "Whatever the difference ... there were a lot of factors. But today, Chris Childs was a big factor."

Childs also had three rebounds, two assists and a steal. His only blemish of the game came in the waning seconds when he had the ball knocked out of his hands by Mashburn.

Miami failed to convert the turnover into points, though, and Childs redeemed himself by getting open with 2.1 seconds remaining. He took the inbounds pass and threw it as high as he could into the arena as the clock expired.

It was his brief moment of celebration.

"We finally won two games in a row; now let's make it three," Childs said.