<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Isiah Thomas cautioned reporters yesterday not to turn the Knicks' season into a battle of wills between the embattled head coach and the team's disgruntled fan base. But it may be too late. The fans already have started chanting "Fire Thomas," and Thomas didn't help himself after practice yesterday when he said that Wednesday's crowd at Madison Square Garden had the wrong take on the Knicks' 113-102 loss to Washington. "I can't expect them to understand the game the way I understand it or see it the way we see it," Thomas said. "It's better that the punishment is given to myself than to the players. The players got to think and move free and perform. We had a good day today." Thomas believes that the Knicks were simply beaten by a hot-shooting Wizards team that made 14 of 20 three-pointers. He didn't blame it on a lack of effort or defensive breakdowns, which could be perceived as an indictment of the head coach. Washington was indeed playing at a high level but the Wizards had also dropped their first eight road games, including a 20-point loss to the Knicks on Nov. 15. And even if Thomas wants to chalk it up as a loss to a better team, he runs the risk of further alienating the fans by making comments that some could interpret as the Knicks' president questioning their basketball IQ. "People were kind of giving it to me," said Thomas, who told his players immediately after the game to keep their heads up and ignore the boos. "As being the leader of the team, when you get the bad medicine, you teach them how to swallow the medicine. "It was a bad night. We accept it, but we're still very proud men and we're going to conduct ourselves in that way." Thomas is in a unique position because Garden chairman James Dolan has given him a one-year ultimatum to improve the franchise. The Knicks' 7-14 record and their dwindling home attendance haven't helped Thomas' cause. So in an effort to bolster his case, Thomas usually points out that the Knicks are playing hard and showing fight. He also doesn't miss the opportunity to remind everyone that Jared Jeffries has been sidelined since the preseason and that Channing Frye also is out with an ankle injury.</div> Source
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">"I can't expect them to understand the game the way I understand it or see it the way we see it,"</div> Jerome James.
Yes Isiah no one understand the game as well as you which is obvious by your incredible tenure in New York. How dare anyone criticize the genius that is Isiah Thomas.
I understand that Isiah is a jackass and the team isn't that great, but booing your home team and chanting to fire your head coach is an idiotic approach to get things to get better. It actually makes things worse.
<div class="quote_poster">Franchise4Ever Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I understand that Isiah is a jackass and the team isn't that great, but booing your home team and chanting to fire your head coach is an idiotic approach to get things to get better. It actually makes things worse.</div> Not necessarily, there is a reason why cities like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles are referred to as big markets. The fans are demanding of there teams, they expect a winner. Why would you not boo when you are paying hundreds of dollars to watch a team that quite frankly has looked like crap for several years now? Sitting quietly and holding your tongue does not get things done. You think with the love affair Dolan has with Isiah, if the fans weren't booing, he would be in any rush to fire Thomas should the team not turn around? I doubt it.
<div class="quote_poster">Franchise4Ever Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I understand that Isiah is a jackass and the team isn't that great, but booing your home team and chanting to fire your head coach is an idiotic approach to get things to get better. It actually makes things worse.</div> new york has always been known as a "no bulls*it" town. If you're not doing your job or if you suck people will tell you.
Well the team deserves some sort of punishment for screwing up so badly for the past 6 years. Unlike most fanbases, New Yorkers are still loyal enough to go out and buy tickets to the games. IMO, the Knicks are lucky that their fans are only booing and not giving up on the team like most fanbases would.
<div class="quote_poster">phunDamentalz Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">new york has always been known as a "no bulls*it" town. If you're not doing your job or if you suck people will tell you.</div> I know, I used to live there. <div class="quote_poster">Quoting GameFace:</div><div class="quote_post"> You think with the love affair Dolan has with Isiah, if the fans weren't booing, he would be in any rush to fire Thomas should the team not turn around? I doubt it.</div> He already has the burner under Isiah, further pressing the subject isn't helping any. I know everyone always says that the fans shouldn't affect the Knicks play but it does, especially evident by their flip flop record of doing better on the road than home.
<div class="quote_poster">Franchise4Ever Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I know, I used to live there. He already has the burner under Isiah, further pressing the subject isn't helping any. I know everyone always says that the fans shouldn't affect the Knicks play but it does, especially evident by their flip flop record of doing better on the road than home.</div> If the Knicks played as consistent at home as they do at home, then the boos wouldn't come. After paying in many cases hundreds of dollars for seats, we don't have the right to boo a team playing with no effort that faces a 20-point deficit? Many times our boos inspire a run and the Garden explodes with cheers. This is New York 24/7. This is how we get down.
This is demoralizing. I see why the fans do this. This should hit Isiah that the fans want to see a team that wins instead of the team they have right now.
