<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">It was either a self-imposed freezeout or Stephon Marbury simply was trying to abide by Larry Brown's "play the right way" mantra in a very passive-aggressive manner. The day after the Marbury-Brown soap opera resurfaced in Orlando, the two main characters were sticking to their theories as to why the headstrong point guard took only seven shots - without making one - in Wednesday night's loss to the Magic. Not surprisingly, their views were polar opposites, and Marbury seemed disappointed that Brown went public with his criticism without ever addressing it with him. "He didn't say one word to me about (Wednesday) night," Marbury said following practice yesterday at Marquette University. When asked if he should talk to Brown about what transpired, Marbury told reporters: "I don't need to talk to him. He needs to come tell me what he wants me to do. From when he came here I was willing to make the sacrifice and I'm still wiling to do that. I'm still willing to do whatever it takes to win in New York." Marbury then offered a terse "no comment" when asked about his relationship with Brown. Marbury appeared uncharacteristically detached during a 105-95 loss that dropped the Knicks' record to 7-20. Although Marbury defended Grant Hill well in the fourth quarter, his performance on offense had Brown scratching his head. "That wasn't a typical Stephon Marbury game," Brown said yesterday. "I thought he defended great. I thought offensively he wasn't aggressive at all. I ran plays for him, he didn't look to shoot. We need him to play at both ends of the court." Brown added that the issue is "over in my mind" and that he didn't feel it was necessary to meet with Marbury. "I've got 12 guys that suit up and 15 guys on the team and we've got to try and get better," Brown said. "That's my focus today." After watching a tape of the game, Marbury said he passed up open shots to get a teammate a better shot. He also said he "took a backseat" because Eddy Curry and Jamal Crawford were scoring. Brown, however, saw things differently. "In my mind he had a lot of good looks that he didn't look to take," Brown said. "You can hurt your team by doing that." Coincidentally, Marbury's first game without a field goal in nearly four years came two days after he was booed during a home loss to the Nets. Marbury is clearly emerging as a scapegoat for what is shaping up to be an ugly season. It is easy to point a finger at Marbury because of his salary - he is owed approximately $73 million through 2008-09 - and his reputation for playing losing basketball. He also makes things hard for himself by coming across as the NBA's unhappiest millionaire. Perhaps sensing that he is taking the fall for Isiah Thomas and Brown, Marbury could have been trying to prove a point to fans, the media and the head coach by playing the way he did against Orlando. Marbury said he's made the adjustment to Brown's coaching style and that he is criticized if he shoots too much or not enough. "It's the same song," he said. "It's never going to change. There is no in between with me." Of course, blaming Marbury alone isn't fair. Thomas and Brown have to be held accountable as well. Thomas constructed the roster and Brown hasn't done a good job of maximizing it. Thomas, the Knicks' president, is caught in the middle of the Marbury-Brown feud and no doubt advised Marbury to yield to Brown's demands that he be more of a distributor. Thomas probably never thought Marbury would take it to such an extreme. Marbury, who turns 29 in February, appears to be playing like he wants out, and in fact, if not for his bloated contract, he would have been traded already. But Marbury says everyone is reading too much into his body language. Yesterday, he professed his undying love for the Knicks, saying he'll do anything to stay in New York and help the team win. Then, in the next breath, he said: "On the first and the 15th I'm still going to get paid whether they decide to (trade him)." "Hey," Marbury added. "I play basketball to win. I don't play it for no other reason. I play it to win, and I play it to feed my family. I love Mr. (James) Dolan for that. And I love him for bringing me here. Once we all get to the point where we've had enough, that's when it's going to be enough." INJURY REPORT: Both Eddy Curry (calf) and Quentin Richardson (back) are listed as questionable. Bucks point guard T.J. Ford (foot) is out. </div> http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketba...9p-321798c.html ^^^^^Source
