Isiah Thomas was engaged in a running dialogue with fans at Madison Square Garden Monday night while his hapless team was being run off its home floor by the Dallas Mavericks.
Just when you think things can't get any more bizarre, Thomas, according to a season-ticket holder, blamed the fans for being "a bad sixth man" during the Knicks' 99-89 loss to the Mavericks.
On several occasions, the Knicks' embattled coach could be seen talking to fans at center court near the Knicks' bench. Longtime season-ticket holder Mara Altschuler claimed that Thomas blamed the fans for the Knicks' problems. When some fans began chanting Jeff Van Gundy's name, Thomas replied, "You ran him out of here as well," according to Altschuler.
Thomas later appeared surprised when asked about his conversations with fans. He didn't deny them but rather gave a convoluted answer that didn't exactly clear things up. "I was just, uh, trying to make sure, um, that we kept the team together and we stayed focused on what we were doing and trying to win a basketball game," Thomas said. "Our fans are great. They support us and they show up and we're glad they're here." (...)
