NEW YORK _ The mood was restless at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night, the Knicks down by 16 points and fading in the third quarter when the chants grew loud, a chorus of, "We want Kanter," breaking out from all over the stands.
And just a couple of hours after he said he would not be swayed by the voices in the crowd, Knicks coach David Fizdale signaled to the end of the bench and called for Enes Kanter, who had been chatting with Garden chairman James Dolan as the chants echoed through the arena. The cheers grew louder and when a break in the action allowed him to enter, Kanter, who had not played in the last four games, stepped to center court, slid down to the floor and kissed the Knicks logo.
Maybe in another season it would have inspired a comeback victory for the Knicks. But in this season Kanter immediately fired up an air ball and the deficit steadily grew until the Knicks fell to the Dallas Mavericks, 114-90. The only cheers left came when Dirk Nowitzki entered the game late in the fourth quarter and drained a three-point field goal, a going away present for the NBA legend.
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