Knicks 98 - Pacers 96

By CHRIS SHERIDAN, AP Basketball Writer
January 4, 2003

NEW YORK (AP) -- Ron Artest, known as much for his temper as his defense, had a postgame tantrum that should carry a steep price tag.

Artest hurled a television monitor and then grabbed a $100,000 camera off a cameraman's shoulders and smashed it to pieces following Indiana's 98-96 loss to the New York Knicks.

It was a volatile display by any standard, even those of the volatile small forward who takes pride in shutting down many of the league's best offensive players.

On this night, however, he couldn't prevent Latrell Sprewell from leading the Knicks back from a pair of 17-point deficits.

Sprewell finished with 25 points, seven assists, five rebounds and three steals as the Knicks outscored Indiana 30-17 in the fourth quarter to snap the Pacers' four-game winning streak.

New York won its third in a row to match its longest victory streak of the season.

Sprewell finished 9-for-23 from the field and was the only Knicks starter who did not commit a turnover.

``I looked at Spree and for the first time he had life in him,'' New York coach Don Chaney said. ``He had that energy that was missing, that explosiveness.''

Howard Eisley scored 17 points and Charlie Ward had a key steal and tip-in in the final minute for the Knicks.

Jermaine O'Neal had 24 points and Brad Miller added 20 for the Pacers.

O'Neal made two free throws with 1:43 left to give Indiana a 92-91 lead before Michael Doleac hit a jumper with 1:22 remaining. Miller had a tip-in with one minute left to give the Pacers their final lead.

After Shandon Anderson missed inside, Ward came up with the game-deciding play. Jamaal Tinsley drove to the basket and threw an ill-advised blind pass behind him toward the foul line, and Ward picked it off. He drove downcourt and missed a layup, but hung around the basket and tipped the ball in after Anderson missed a tip attempt.

Reggie Miller, Artest and O'Neal missed shots on Indiana's next possession before Sprewell grabbed his final rebound. He was fouled and made both shots for a 97-94 lead.

New York fouled Brad Miller on the ensuing inbounds pass to prevent the Pacers from trying a 3-pointer, and he made both with 4.6 seconds left. Kurt Thomas missed one of two from the line with 4.0 seconds left, giving Indiana a chance to go for the win or the tie.

With no timeouts remaining, the Pacers could only manage to get the ball to the wrong Miller -- Brad -- for a buzzer-beating 3-pointer that missed.

Seconds later, Artest started breaking things.

``Tough loss, I guess,'' said MSG Network cameraman Mike Miner, who was filming in the tunnel leading from the court when Artest stormed off. After grabbing a monitor and throwing it, Artest approached Miner, yanked the high-definition camera away from him and smashed it to the floor.

Officials with the cable network said the camera's lens alone was worth about $60,000.

Before the game, Artest said he was so focused on winning the game that he turned down all ticket requests from friends and family in his native New York. He did not comment afterward.

``Obviously, Ron is an emotional guy and hopefully he'll learn from it,'' O'Neal said. ``I'm pretty sure the bill will help him learn from hismistake.''

Notes

Indiana lost for the first time in 18 games when taking a lead into the fourth quarter. ... Chaney said he was considering moving Doleac into the starting lineup. Coming off two strong games, Doleac finished with 12 points and five rebounds in 32 minutes. ... Allan Houston has made 37 consecutive freethrows, four shy of the franchise record set last season by Sprewell.

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