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Tuesday, Mar. 14 8:00pm ET
Sprewell leads Knicks with 27 points | |||||
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
NEW YORK (AP) -- Never able to beat a certain Michael, Jeff Van Gundy prevailed over a different sort of mike. After a late compromise by the commissioner's office freed Van Gundy from the obligation of wearing a microphone, the Knicks had everything go their way on the court, too, as they defeated the Houston Rockets 91-85 Tuesday night. Latrell Sprewell scored 27 points, reserve John Wallace added 17 and Marcus Camby returned from the injured list and made a big defensive play as the Knicks won their third in a row. About two hours before tipoff, the Knicks learned the league office had temporarily dropped its requirement that coaches wear a microphone for nationally televised games. It was good news to Van Gundy, one of the most outspoken critics of the league's policy. Instead of Van Gundy wearing a microphone, a boom microphone was positioned near the Knicks' bench. The only time Van Gundy was closely miked was during timeouts. "This is how it was in the finals and I think it's a great compromise on the NBA's part for not being intrusive on coaches," Van Gundy said. "I hope they see fit to continue to give coaches the option not to wear it." Van Gundy said he thought a wave of negative publicity had something to do with the league's shift on the microphone matter. Teams had been facing fines beginning at $100,000 for coaches refusing to be miked. The issue will be revisited Wednesday by the league office and the coaches' association after they review how well the compromise worked in this game. TNT used just one snippet of sound from Van Gundy as he exhorted his team to protect the ball better and take quality shots late in the third quarter as the Rockets were making a run. "You don't need any big microphones in the huddle, you don't need any cameras into the locker room until after the game," Patrick Ewing said. "I think it was a wise decision." Wallace gave the Knicks a quick lift when he came in early in the first quarter after Allan Houston picked up two quick fouls. Wallace scored nine points in less than three minutes, making all four of his shots, to help the Knicks pull ahead for good. After trailing by as many as 17 early in the third quarter, the Rockets made a run in the fourth and pulled to 64-63 on an alley-oop dunk by Kelvin Cato with 9:40 left. The Knicks missed two shots on their next possession, and Walt Williams was leading the fast break when Camby prevented the Rockets from getting a shot that could have put them ahead. Camby, activated earlier in the day after missing more than five weeks with a strained knee ligament, reached in and poked the ball away from Williams, leading to a steal by Sprewell. "I was able to get a hand on it," said Camby, who finished with two points and two rebounds in 15 minutes. "That was one of the few moments I had tonight. I'm looking to have many more Friday." Sprewell then turned downcourt and hit a jumper, and Kurt Thomas followed with a layup for a five-point lead. Houston pulled within two points with 5:15 left on a three-point play by Cuttino Mobley, but Sprewell had a steal and jumper to end the threat. The Rockets got no closer the rest of the way as Ewing scored six of his 16 points in the final three minutes. Steve Francis led Houston with 32 points and Shandon Anderson had 17. The Rockets lost their fourth straight.
Game notes | ALSO SEE NBA Scoreboard Houston Clubhouse New York Clubhouse RECAPS Toronto 85 Golden State 78
New York 91
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