Steph: 'I Played Like Garbage'

Link: One day after getting booed out of the Garden in the Knicks' home opener, Stephon Marbury said the jeering was deserved and expects a similar serenade if he stinks out the arena again tonight against the Spurs.

"You take the bitter with the sweet," Marbury said. "It's part of the game. I accept that."

"I'm aware of how I played. I'm not going to sit here and say I didn't play like garbage. I deserved to be on the back page with garbage next to it because I played like garbage. But I know that and I can man up to it. I just played bad."

It's clear Marbury is trying to rectify the mess. He was the last one off the practice court yesterday after taking extra jumpers following an unexpected practice. Sweat poured down Marbury's bald head after the intense shooting session.

"If you come from New York and you're not good, you're going to hear it, you're going to get it," Marbury said. "I expected to be on the back page. I didn't expect to be on the back page when we won. I expect to be when we lost."

In his most pitiful performance since before Lincoln High, Marbury committed six turnovers, shot 1 of 9, had one assist and four points in Saturday's just-like-last-season 109-95 loss to the Pacers that dropped the Knicks to below .500 at 1-2. Marbury's last couple of errant [Swearing is not permitted at Clublakers. You must edit this post prior to submitting.] were punctuated by boos and a "Fire Marbury" chant after which he said he played "like garbage."

Isiah Thomas became irate when it was suggested Marbury may not have been prepared for the season because of his 21-day sneaker tour right before training camp. Marbury's $14.98 discount "Starbury Ones" for low-income families have taken up a lot of Marbury's time, so it could have taken away from his court time.

The Stephon Marbury who missed all six of his shots and became an afterthought for the Knicks against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night is not the player he says he can be.

“Playing the way how I’ve been playing, it’s not the way how I play,” Marbury said after practice Tuesday. “I haven’t been playing as aggressive as I normally would be.”

Marbury said that he had struggled to balance his roles as a scorer and a distributor, overcompensating to the point where he was not shooting enough and was making turnovers while attempting [Swearing is not permitted at Clublakers. You must edit this post prior to submitting.].

Sound familiar?

Last season, under Coach Larry Brown, Marbury was asked to become a pass-first point guard. He reluctantly assumed the role before announcing in March that he would return to playing like “Starbury,” with scoring becoming his top priority.

The biggest difference from last season seems to be Marbury’s willingness to sacrifice scoring for the greater good. “Last year, I was told to go on the basketball court and play a certain way,” he said. This season, he said, he had embraced his role without prodding.

While Marbury has received the same message about his role this season, the messenger is different. Marbury clashed publicly with Brown last season, and their relationship deteriorated. But Marbury has a close relationship with Isiah Thomas, the team’s president and first-year coach, making his role easier to accept.