Jamal Crawford

LeBron James had 50 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in one of the most spectacular performances in the NBA this season, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 119-105 victory over the New York Knicks last night in Madison Square Garden. James shot 16-for-30 from the field, including 7-for-13 from three-point range, in his second 50-point game this season. Excited fans were standing and chanting "MVP!" in the final minute. "I've dreamed about playing well in this building and it's overtaken of how I could ever dream about," James said.

Stephon Marbury scored a season-high 28 points, Zach Randolph added 25 points and 14 rebounds, and the New York Knicks beat the visiting Utah Jazz, 113-109, last night. Jamal Crawford had 22 points for the Knicks, who have won two in a row following an eight-game skid. Carlos Boozer scored 16 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter, but the Jazz had its three-game winning streak snapped. In other games: At New Orleans, Marko Jaric scored 21 points to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves over the Hornets, 103-94.

A promising season has turned into something else for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Panic. Not long ago, the playoffs looked like a sure thing. Now, nothing about the Cavs' future is certain. Jamal Crawford scored 25 points and Maurice Taylor had 16, including 11 in the fourth quarter, as the visiting New York Knicks damaged Cleveland's playoff chances - and improved the Sixers' in the process - with a 95-89 win over the Cavaliers last night. "It was like we were just playing to play," Cleveland's Le-Bron James said.

Kevin Garnett sank the go-ahead basket with 14 seconds left, then stole the ball under the Knicks' basket as the Boston Celtics overcame Carmelo Anthony's 42 points and beat the depleted New York Knicks, 96-93, last night to take a 2-0 lead in their playoff series. The visiting Knicks played the second half without Amare' Stoudemire, who had back spasms, and Chauncey Billups missed the game with a sore left knee. Garnett hit the decisive jump hook after backing Jared Jeffries into the lane.

Baron Davis would have been too good no matter whom the Knicks started at point guard. Davis had 31 points, seven assists and six rebounds, and the Golden State Warriors ruined Stephon Marbury's return to the lineup last night with a 108-82 victory, sending host New York to its seventh straight loss. Stephen Jackson added 23 points for the resurgent Warriors, who have won three straight after an 0-6 start. Jackson missed all of those losses while serving a seven-game NBA suspension, but Golden State is clearly a different team with its captain on the floor.

No questioning the Knicks' effort on this night. Jamal Crawford made the go-ahead basket with 28 seconds left, and New York erased a 17-point deficit last night to beat the visiting Milwaukee Bucks, 91-88. One night after they were accused of quitting during a 104-59 loss in Boston, the Knicks surged back in the fourth quarter to win for the third time in four games. Crawford and Zach Randolph led New York with 25 points apiece. Fred Jones provided a huge spark by scoring all of his 10 in the fourth quarter in place of Stephon Marbury, who had 13 points but left midway through the third quarter with a right shoulder muscle spasm.

In the visitors' locker room at the Wachovia Center, while his teammates pulled on their uniforms, Stephon Marbury, in black Converse and jeans, typed on his BlackBerry. From 2004-07, Marbury, the face of a failing New York Knicks franchise, started every game he played. Last night, coach Mike D'Antoni, who is in his first season with the Knicks, placed the 31-year-old Marbury on the inactive list for their game against the 76ers. In New York's first game, a 120-115 win over the Heat on Wednesday, Marbury was active but did not play.

Stephon Marbury's layup just beat the buzzer, and gave the undermanned Knicks a stunning 97-96 overtime victory over visiting Utah last night. Two nights after a brawl with Denver that led to 10 ejections, New York - down to eight players because of suspensions and injuries - bounced back from a dismal first quarter and knocked off the Northwest Division leaders. Marbury had 29 points and eight assists and Jamal Crawford added 18 points - all after halftime - and the Knicks found a way to win despite making only two field goals in the final 8 minutes of regulation to get forced into the extra period.

Jalen Rose and the Toronto Raptors ended New York's winning streak with a record game. Rose had a season-high 31 points and host Toronto reached a franchise-high in points, ending the Knicks' six-game winning streak with yesterday's 129-103 rout. Morris Peterson added a season-high 28 and Chris Bosh had 23 for the Raptors, who surpassed the previous record of 128 points - done twice. They last did it March 13, 2005, against the Sixers. Toronto also scored at least 30 points in all four quarters for the first time in franchise history.

The green uniforms weren't the only thing that looked different about the New York Knicks last night. Jamal Crawford scored 15 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, including the tiebreaking jumper with 2.2 seconds left, and the Knicks rallied to beat visiting Detroit, 105-103. Eddy Curry added 16 points for the Knicks, who were decked out in green to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. They looked nothing like the team that is 19-45 in Larry Brown's first season as coach after two seasons with the Pistons.

Chris Paul already is getting to work with the Los Angeles Clippers. The four-time all-star point guard reported to the Clippers' Playa Vista training complex on Thursday, meeting his teammates and even getting on the court during practice. A day earlier, the Clippers acquired Paul in a four-player trade with New Orleans. Meanwhile, Houston general manager Daryl Morey refused to answer questions about a three-team deal rejected by the NBA a week ago, citing legal reasons.

Kevin Garnett sank the go-ahead basket with 14 seconds left, then stole the ball under the Knicks' basket as the Boston Celtics overcame Carmelo Anthony's 42 points and beat the depleted New York Knicks, 96-93, last night to take a 2-0 lead in their playoff series. The visiting Knicks played the second half without Amare' Stoudemire, who had back spasms, and Chauncey Billups missed the game with a sore left knee. Garnett hit the decisive jump hook after backing Jared Jeffries into the lane.

Atlanta Hawks coach Larry Drew didn't mince words describing his team before the game against the 76ers Wednesday night at the Wells Fargo Center. Drew called his team fragile. He was more restrained in his postgame talk but in no better mood after the Sixers defeated the Hawks, 105-100. These teams are going in opposite directions, and the Hawks' once-tight grip on the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference has loosened considerably. The Sixers (37-34) now trail Atlanta (40-32)

Lou Williams said he always enjoys going back to his home state of Georgia to play, but the sixth-year 76ers guard has another incentive when his team visits the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday. Not only will many familiar faces be in the crowd at Phillips Arena, but Williams will get a chance to match himself up against the standard of NBA reserves, Atlanta guard Jamal Crawford. Last season, Crawford was named the NBA's sixth man of the year, and he currently leads NBA reserves in scoring, averaging 16 points per game.

Dick McGuire, part of a basketball Hall of Fame family and longtime member of the New York Knicks organization, died yesterday of natural causes. He was 84. The Knicks said McGuire died at Huntington Hospital in Long Island. McGuire, whose brother Al coached Marquette to an NCAA title and is also in the Hall of Fame, still worked for the Knicks as a senior basketball consultant. Dick McGuire was a part of the Knicks' organization for 53 of its 64 seasons. He was Hall of Famer Walt Frazier and Phil Jackson's first NBA coach, and was responsible for the drafting of Mark Jackson, who would later pass him on the team's career assists list.

The Sixers were the sixth seed in the East. The conference finalists (Orlando, Cleveland) got better on draft day before anybody made a choice. When you get perennial All-Stars like Vince Carter and Shaq, you definitely improve. Boston will get Kevin Garnett back. Atlanta got better with Jamal Crawford. Washington got a lot better with Randy Foye and Mike Miller. The Sixers get Elton Brand and the No. 17 pick, UCLA's Jrue Holiday. A point guard, the freshman Holiday played out of position at UCLA because senior Darren Collison played point.

Donnie Walsh is against buyouts and Stephon Marbury is opposed to taking one. So even though the two met Thursday, neither gave an indication that anything happened to speed up Marbury's long goodbye from the New York Knicks. The New York Post reported yesterday that Walsh, the team president, and Marbury met at the team's practice facility for preliminary discussions about a buyout. Marbury confirmed the meeting before the Knicks faced Oklahoma City last night. "There's nothing going on, man," Marbury said.

The first quality victory of the Mike D'Antoni era came the way the New York Knicks used to win games: with defense. Jamal Crawford scored 32 points, and the Knicks toughened up defensively in the second half to end the Utah Jazz' undefeated start with a 107-99 victory yesterday. Zach Randolph had 25 points and 14 rebounds for the Knicks (4-2), who moved two games over .500 for the first time since they were 16-14 on Jan. 1, 2005. Chris Duhon added 16 points, nine assists and five rebounds in a strong all-around game.

Nothing could dampen the enthusiasm of Philadelphians yesterday - not bumper-to-bumper traffic along I-95, not a Dallas Cowboys fan in the Wachovia Center, and certainly not the New York Knicks. Two days after a disappointing season opener, the Sixers dominated the Knicks, 116-87. South Philadelphia had become a block party, congesting the highway and turning side streets into parking lots. Philly celebrated its Phillies. Afterward, many of those exuberant fans spilled into the Wachovia Center.

In the visitors' locker room at the Wachovia Center, while his teammates pulled on their uniforms, Stephon Marbury, in black Converse and jeans, typed on his BlackBerry. From 2004-07, Marbury, the face of a failing New York Knicks franchise, started every game he played. Last night, coach Mike D'Antoni, who is in his first season with the Knicks, placed the 31-year-old Marbury on the inactive list for their game against the 76ers. In New York's first game, a 120-115 win over the Heat on Wednesday, Marbury was active but did not play.