Isiah Thomas stood on the sideline - that in itself was more than he did in the previous two games - and while his team was being pummeled on the court, he was taking a beating from the fans. A breaking point was reached somewhere in the fourth quarter of last night's 99-89 loss to the Mavericks at Madison Square Garden, when Thomas decided he would give the fans behind the Knicks bench as much as they were giving him.
According to a fan who was seated there, Thomas told the fans it was their fault that the Knicks were making fundamental mistakes such as missing layups and blamed them for not offering support for his struggling team.
"He said it was the Sixth Man, the fans," said Mara Altschuler, a Manhattan resident who marched right to press row after the game to give her account of Thomas' verbal exchange with the fans. They booed him mercilessly throughout the game and serenaded him with chants of "Fire Isiah!" It's become a nightly refrain here at the Garden. (...)
