QUARTER-BY-QUARTER ANALYSIS
First quarter: The Bobcats opened the game with only nine players in uniform with Gerald Wallace (concussion), Jahidi White (shoulder) and Eddie House (excused absence) out of action. The first quarter stayed close throughout with neither team taking more than a four-point lead. The period featured seven ties and four lead changes. Emeka Okafor led the Bobcats with 12 points. Jamal Crawford had 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting for the Knicks. Nazr Mohammed added nine points and six rebounds.

Second quarter: The second period continued much like the first with the teams trading the lead through the first eight minutes. Charlotte led 45-43 with 3:55 remaining when the Knicks went on a 14-4 run fueled by two Tim Thomas three-pointers to open a 57-49 advantage. The Bobcats answered the run with two baskets by Primoz Brezec just before the half to cut New York’s advantage to four (57-53). Crawford finished an amazing half with 27 points on 11-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-4 three-pointers. Okafor led Charlotte with 17 points. Brezec added 14 points and nine rebounds.

Third quarter: The Knicks stretched their lead to seven (63-56) before the Bobcats went on a 7-0 run capped by a Brevin Knight three-point play to tie the game. New York answered with six consecutive points and held a seven-point lead at 71-64 when Steve Smith and Keith Bogans began to make their presence felt. The pair combined for all 14 points in a 14-6 run as the Bobcats took a 78-77 lead with just over a minute remaining. The Knicks answered with two more Crawford baskets to take a 81-78 lead heading to the fourth. Crawford scored 10 more points in the quarter to raise his total to 37.

Fourth quarter: The first nine minutes of the fourth quarter featured five ties and five lead changes as the Bobcats and Knicks slugged it out like two heavyweight fighters. Steve Smith broke a 96-96 tie with a three-pointer and then, after a Kurt Thomas free throw, hit a 20-foot jumper to give the Bobcats a 101-97 lead with 1:52 remaining. On New York’s next possession, Crawford drove the lane and Knight came away with his fifth steal of the night. Charlotte then hit 6-of-10 free throws down the stretch to seal their fourth victory of the season. Okafor finished with 20 points and 18 rebounds. Steve Smith had 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting off the bench and Knight dished out 18 assists. Crawford was held to four points in the fourth quarter and finished with 41.

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GM & HEAD COACH BERNIE BICKERSTAFF SAYS...
(on the game) Six turnovers is pretty remarkable. We forced 20 turnovers and I thought Emeka (Okafor) went in and got everything that came off the boards. I think he had three rebounds in the first half and ended up with 18. The Knicks shot the basketball well. They shot 60 percent from the field in the first half and were 80 percent from the three-point line. We talked at halftime that they shot that well and we were only four points down. What an amazing performance that (Jamal) Crawford had. We were up in him and we were defending him and he made tough shots. We told them if they keep making shots like that, then we’ll tip our hats to them.

(on playing short-handed) Guys had to step up and we had to do it collectively. It has to be that way. I thought there was excessive urgency. We made plays that weren't necessarily offensive plays. Jason Hart went and got a big steal. Emeka went and got a big rebound. These are the things that we talk about having to do during winning times. That doesn't necessarily mean you have to put it in the basket, but you have to get stops.

(on Brevin Knight’s performance) He had 18 assists tonight. We try to keep him on the floor. Jason (Hart) comes in just enough and there are some things that we know that we can do with Jason offensively to maximize what he does. He makes some shots off some of the sets that we run. There was as stretch where we ran Brevin at Jamal Crawford and tried to take the ball out of his hands. That's something that Brevin did on his own. That had nothing to do with me or the coaching staff, but that's what you like -- guys who are out there and they understand the game. If you have to coach everything, you have problems.

(on getting a win on the road) We’re going to enjoy this one tonight. We understand that we need to get a win on the road. What we do as a coaching staff, is we never put ourselves in the position where winning is a must. We just go out and we play and we try to do the right things and if we’re good enough, then fine. We haven’t played bad on the road. We’ve played in some places where the fans were tough, we haven’t played bad. This team has no fear and I still say that.

(on Steve Smith) He hit big shots. We didn’t expect to use him as much as we did. But what we’ve done is we’ll play him three or four games and then sit him so he gets his legs back. He’s been sitting for a while so he had his legs tonight. It was an appropriate time because with (Gerald) Wallace out, he was the next man up. It’s all about savvy with him.

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INSIDE THE LOCKER ROOM

BREVIN KNIGHT
(on the game) It was a great team effort. We did a good job of making stops in the end when we had to. They shot the lights out in the first half but we just hung in there. We came in down four and told ourselves we still had a chance. Everybody played hard and we got us a win.

(on playing with only nine players) I feel good. I feel like I could go out and play as much as you need me. The old man (Steve Smith) went out there tonight and gave us some minutes and he felt good. Emeka (Okafor) had a great game. Primoz (Brezec) played well. It was just a great team game.

(on his performance) I didn’t even know I had 18 (assists). I told my guys to help me out. As long as they keep making shots, I’ll keep passing it to them.

STEVE SMITH
(on the game) It was a good game. We played a complete game. We haven’t been completing games when we get a lead. Tonight we came in and made a conscious effort. We all played good down the stretch and made big plays on both ends. On a night when Jamal Crawford was so hot, we still came in there and played hard and gave ourselves a chance to get a win.

(on playing with nine players) That was big. To only have nine players dressing and play that hard. Emeka played unbelievable for us with 20 points and 18 rebounds. He controlled the paint for us.

(on his performance) The old fella just tries to contribute when I can.

EMEKA OKAFOR
(on the game) It was a total team effort. Everybody contributed when they needed to contribute.

(on playing short-handed) When your backs are against the wall, you do what you have to do. We just dug in deep and pulled out that win.

(on his performance) The first half I wasn’t really rebounding, so I tried to rebound more in the second half and grab some boards. They (New York) were hot, they shot like 60 percent in the first half and we were only down four and we were in this game. We just played our game and we won.

(on getting more confident every game) That’s how it should be. With every game you get more comfortable.

(on fan support) The fans were great tonight, especially at the end of the game. They made it fun for us to play and gave us positive energy.