OT - Nate returns and scores 41 (video pg. 4)

[Kakapato]

Shooting on his own basket AFTER the buzzer. Watch the clip. D'Antoni overreacted, the guy clearly waited for the buzzer and then took a shot. If he took the shot on his own net at the buzzer, then you have a point. But is D'Antoni gonna bench a guy for taking a practice shot after the buzzer? Sounds like a nut to me.

So are the other players in the league stupid because they try shots from their half when they have only 1 second to the end of the quarter?

Of course they are, because people will see a FGA on their boxscore and their % would fall.
Nate, I think, is one of this people: he doesn't take the game seriously (as a job)... if Mike asked to try the three with a 1 second left YOU SHOT THE BALL! Bottom line.

Mike did the right thing benching him; Nate is earning so much money being in the NBA, but he's acting like a clown... Probably he has learned.

[Natural11]

D'Antoni is a moron with his doghouse. Why would you bench one of your best players for so damn long.

Knicks were playing much better AFTER they benched Nate. Like some people have said, Nate's problem is his attitude and focus. D'Antoni sent a strong message to Nate, the team still got their wins, and now perhaps they'll have the best of both worlds; A better Nate and an improved team.

[ATLTimekeeper]

How could anyone question D'Antoni? He benches Nate and they play better than they've played since Nate's been in the league, then he gets maybe the best performance of his career out of him against one of the league's elite teams. How is that not great coaching?

[vaaron]

hopefully Nate has learned. i imagine the coach had talked to him previous to his benching and having to resort to it at as a last resort. hopefully he can learn from this or his return trip to the bench will likely be a lot longer. next few games will tell the story as he can't pour in 40+ every game.

[plainballing]

D'Antoni is a moron with his doghouse. Why would you bench one of your best players for so damn long.

Knicks were playing much better AFTER they benched Nate. Like some people have said, Nate's problem is his attitude and focus. D'Antoni sent a strong message to Nate, the team still got their wins, and now perhaps they'll have the best of both worlds; A better Nate and an improved team.

Gotta agree, if Nate behave then he will probably be one of my favourite also. These are paid-pro basketball players, not random guys from pickup...so why not act like a pro?

[sca]

take it in D'Antoni

D'Antoni is a moron with his doghouse. Why would you bench one of your best players for so damn long.

HAHA Nate Robinson baby!!! He should have given D'antoni the biggest staredown after hitting that clutch 3 over Bibby. I was on the edge of my seat cheering for Nate the whole game. That was fun as hell to watch. D'antoni's face was priceless!

Talk about Ownage....

Unsurprisingly, people don't get it. If anything, Nate should be thankful to D'Antoni.

[Fairview4Life]

I already knew he'd go back to Robinson, specially against a talented team like the Hawks. There was no way they were winning this game without Robinson, look at the show he put on the 4th quarter and OT. You just don't bench players of his caliber, period.

Yes, what a shock that he didn't sit Nate for the entire rest of the season. What a crazy prediction on your part. How could you have ever known that? You should be out buying lottery tickets.

You know what's even crazier? The Knicks beat those same talented Hawks in Atlanta, on December 4th, the 2nd game after D'Antoni sat Robinson on the bench. They also beat another talented team, Portland, 2 games after that without Robinson. It's amazing how they are now 1-1 against the Hawks with Robinson and 1-0 without him.

The Knicks were 3-14 with a transcendent talent in Nate Robinson playing a big role before he was benched. They proceeded to go 9-6 without him, including the Phoenix game he was pulled early because of that (Please Use More Appropriate Word) shot. Maybe, just maybe, D'Antoni didn't come crawling back to Robinson because the Knicks so desperately needed his talent against the mighty Hawks. Maybe D'Antoni just sat him for a nice round 15 games. Or maybe something else happened behind the scenes and Nate was ready to come back and play like a professional athlete and not a 13 year old child. Who knows.

[HotPot]

Knicks @ Hawks Nate Robinson 41 points epic recovery - 4th qtr and Overtime

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8VB7LUqM10

[Gold Chain]

Total ball hoggery and kind of a fluke.

That kind of play usually loses a team the game, but Nate was on fire.

I invite him to try that again against any other team who now knows that he will try to Micheal Jordan a game all by himself.

[AB_21]

Wow. Very impressive.

[Rembokz]

Fluke, watch next game he'll shoot a 3 in his own basket again

[Lionel Messi]

Total ball hoggery and kind of a fluke.

That kind of play usually loses a team the game, but Nate was on fire.

I invite him to try that again against any other team who now knows that he will try to Micheal Jordan a game all by himself.

He had 8 assists and didnt look shy about passing at all.

The hawks did a horrible job defending him though, he was blowing by his defender and there was almost no help D.
Bad coaching and bad defending imo...he's fast, but how do u let him get to the rim without anyone meeting him there?
There was also a play where he was baseline against joe johnson and joe johnson just let him run in for the easy reverse layup...

[Gold Chain]

Total ball hoggery and kind of a fluke.

That kind of play usually loses a team the game, but Nate was on fire.

I invite him to try that again against any other team who now knows that he will try to Micheal Jordan a game all by himself.

He had 8 assists and didnt look shy about passing at all.

The hawks did a horrible job defending him though, he was blowing by his defender and there was almost no help D.
Bad coaching and bad defending imo...he's fast, but how do u let him get to the rim without anyone meeting him there?
There was also a play where he was baseline against joe johnson and joe johnson just let him run in for the easy reverse layup...

I hear you and that's all fine and good as I said. Nate was on fire and had a fantastic game.

I watched that reel and he was doing everything himself almost all the time.

There's a reason he won't be on the team after 2010 imo.

[RAPTORS4LIFE4]

Dang...... and he was benched for like 16 straight games? lmao

[Abba Zabba]

How could anyone question D'Antoni? He benches Nate and they play better than they've played since Nate's been in the league, then he gets maybe the best performance of his career out of him against one of the league's elite teams. How is that not great coaching?

+1000. It seems so obvious, yet people are seeing blue and calling it red. The human race is scary.

Listen to what Nate had to say:

Nate was surprised when Coach D'Antoni entered him into the game late into the first quarter.

"I got nervous," Robinson said. "I don't know. I felt kind of sick. I was just real, real nervous. I was just going to do everything [D'Antoni] asked me to do.

So what did he do? He shot great percentages, he passed the ball well. Things coaches want to see. Things that help your team win.

[disc0]

Total ball hoggery and kind of a fluke.

That kind of play usually loses a team the game, but Nate was on fire.

I invite him to try that again against any other team who now knows that he will try to Micheal Jordan a game all by himself.

We were kind of like 'Everybody get out of his way," D'Antoni said.

Robinson said teammate Jared Jeffries said, "'Don't pass it, whatever you do.' He just told me, 'It's yours. Whatever you do, we're behind you 100 percent."

http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=300101001

[Avenger]

I love how so many people are falling for this clown based on one game

[Lionel Messi]

Total ball hoggery and kind of a fluke.

That kind of play usually loses a team the game, but Nate was on fire.

I invite him to try that again against any other team who now knows that he will try to Micheal Jordan a game all by himself.

He had 8 assists and didnt look shy about passing at all.

The hawks did a horrible job defending him though, he was blowing by his defender and there was almost no help D.
Bad coaching and bad defending imo...he's fast, but how do u let him get to the rim without anyone meeting him there?
There was also a play where he was baseline against joe johnson and joe johnson just let him run in for the easy reverse layup...

I hear you and that's all fine and good as I said. Nate was on fire and had a fantastic game.

I watched that reel and he was doing everything himself almost all the time.

There's a reason he won't be on the team after 2010 imo.

Ok, that's fine.

btw im not a fan of his...i used to be when he first came in, because i was also much shorter than my peers and i loved that he was such a sick dunker at a height of 5'6 (5'9 my ass).
Anyway, im not on his bandwagon, i dont think we should trade for him.

He'd probably be a great 6th man on a good team but we have no room for another defensive liability in our backcourt.

[C_Money]

I don't see how Nate Robinson didn't show up Mike D'antoni. D'antoni went out and said it was basketball related why he wasn't playing which was clearly BS. 41 points with 8 assists in his first game back was clearly a **** you sign. There's alot of haters out there but when your OWN COACH is a hater too??? wow...

[Avenger]

I don't think Mike D did anything wrong, he wants players to play his style(especially non superstar players) or not play at all, which is what any self respecting coach should do. Nate Robinson doesn't play the fast paced, unselfish and smart passing game that Dantoni wants and combine that with his incredibly bad basketball IQ, it was a no-brainer to not play him.