"Patrick Ewing was humbled, John Starks kissed the Knicks' logo at center court and Latrell Sprewell shouted profanities at James Dolan.

History tells us to expect the unexpected whenever a popular former Knick returns to the Garden for the first time in an opposing uniform, and few have been as popular as Nate Robinson, at least with the fans. Mike D'Antoni and Dolan, the chairman of Madison Square Garden, won't roll out the red carpet for Lil' Him tonight but the orange and blue supporters will smother him with adulation

"He said he might shed tears," Eddy Curry said.

Robinson's first trip to New York since being traded to Boston in February adds intrigue to a matchup between teams headed in opposite directions. The Celtics are fighting for playoff position while the Knicks (27-49) are trying to avoid 50 losses for the third consecutive year, a subject D'Antoni enjoys addressing as much as he enjoys talking about Robinson.

"I don't know where we're going with this," was D'Antoni's response on Sunday in Los Angeles when asked about the mark.

He was less expansive when the conversation turned to Robinson, the diminutive backup guard who found himself in the head coach's doghouse in December. The bitterness toward Robinson began last summer when, according to sources, Dolan was upset that team president Donnie Walsh had re-signed him. D'Antoni was not in favor of the move either, but few anticipated it would manifest in Robinson being benched for 14 straight games."