"The last time Timberwolves rookie point guard Jonny Flynn had a debut game in New York's Madison Square Garden, he never got a grip on his nerves.

As a Syracuse freshman in 2007, Flynn missed all six of his shots, including five three-point attempts, in a Preseason NIT tournament game against Ohio State. For a kid from Niagara Falls, it seemed the bright lights of the "World's Greatest Arena" were too much, too soon.

Flynn played seven more games in the Garden during his college career and hardly anyone remembers his star-struck performance against the Buckeyes. Flynn averaged 16 points and three assists in two other games at the Garden his freshman year and then 20 points and nine assists in five Garden appearances last season.

Three months into his NBA career, Flynn brings his pro game to the Garden for the first time tonight against the Knicks — the team he idolized growing up in upstate New York.

"This is a game I've been looking forward to since I was drafted by the Wolves," Flynn said. "I've got a lot of good memories from the Garden. The Knicks were my favorite team when I was younger. I watched a lot of their games when they had Patrick Ewing, John Starks ..."

Flynn was 5-3 in Garden games during his two-year career at Syracuse. As a member of the Big East Conference, Syracuse regularly plays in the Garden, which hosts the conference's postseason tournament. "