They don't give out trophies for the preseason. No banners are hung, no parades are held. Coaches will tell you that as much as they want to win every game, final scores aren't as important as player development and team building, and records don't matter. 

Anyone who watched the New York Knicks beat the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden last night knows differently. 

Derek Fisher played Carmelo Anthony 34 minutes, 10 more than any other Knick, and the most he has logged in any preseason game this year. He watched as Anthony scored 30 points and led the Knicks to a come-from-behind 103-100 victory in the final 2014 preseason game at the world's most famous arena.  

With training camp dedicated to installing the Triangle offense and acclimating a team with 7 new players to a rookie head coach, preseason expectations were purposely kept to a minimum. "Time" was the buzzword going in, with everyone from J.R. Smith to team President Phil Jackson preaching patience. But with only one preseason game left after this one, Friday night in Montreal, Quebec, against the Raptors, the time had come to see what the team could do.

After trailing by as many as seven points in the first quarter, the Knicks came back to cut the deficit to one by the end of the period. The Wizards again went up by as many as seven when John Wall (10-16, 29 points) hit a technical costless throw assigned to Samuel Dalembert at the 4:24 mark of the second. The Knicks rallied back to take a 51-50 halftime lead, closing the half on a Tim Hardaway Jr. driving layup. 

After watching the Knicks get beaten by a young, athletic Milwaukee Bucks team 120-107 on Monday night, the Garden crowd began to grow restless as the Wizards lead ballooned to eight at 70-62 at the 4:52 mark of the third quarter. Amar'e Stoudemire stopped the bleeding by hitting a driving shot off a nice assist from Anthony. Still, Washington seemed to have the game in control with a 79-72 lead going into the fourth quarter. 

The Knicks began chipping away at the lead with a Cole Aldrich bucket to start the fourth. The lead was down to one when Fisher subbed Anthony in for Amar'e Stoudemire at the 7:24 mark of the fourth, and Anthony played the rest of the way. After two Carmelo costless throws gave New York a 97-93 lead with 2:15 left in the fourth, John Wall made a 20 foot jump shot and followed that by stealing the ball from J.R. Smith and going the length of the court for a breakaway dunk to tie the game at 97.  

Pablo Prigioni's three-pointer with 1:22 left put the Knicks up by three until Washington reserve Rasual Butler's three-point bomb tied the game with 33.2 seconds to play.

After a Knicks timeout, Anthony isolated on the left side, faced up against his defender and elevated over him for the shot. The Garden held its collective breath. Anthony's go-ahead jumper from the left wing dropped with 13.9 seconds remaining, and ultimately proved to be the game-winner. Anthony added the foul shot to complete the traditional three-point play and set the final margin. Otto Porter Jr. missed a three-point try in the final seconds and time ran out on the Wizards' hopes. 

There was a palpable sense of relief after the final buzzer sounded, with the Knicks having won a game that, at the very least, felt like it meant something to both teams. Anthony hitting a game winning shot down the stretch, for the first time in a long time, after so many misses in big shots last year, felt like it meant even more to the Garden faithful. It felt like basketball.

For the first time in the preseason Fisher seemed to be developing a feel for his new personnel and how they fit together. Fisher tightened his rotation and the Knicks defense tightened down the stretch. New York outscored Washington 31-21 in the fourth quarter.

When the Knicks tip-off against Toronto tomorrow night at the Bell Centre in Montreal, they will have a chance to avenge their earlier 81-76 preseason loss to the Raptors. It won't count in the standings come April, but it will be interesting to see how Coach Fisher approaches the game. Will he look to rest his starters, or use it as one final tune-up for the real thing which starts next Wednesday when the Knicks host the Chicago Bulls in the season opener at Madison Square Garden? Either way, it will be the final opportunity for the Knicks to work out the kinks before the games start to actually count, as they will, whether the Knicks are ready for them or not. 

Knick Thoughts:

Derek Fisher continues to show how different he is than Mike Woodson. Gone is the permanent scowl that Woodson wore like a part of his uniform. At the six minute mark of the fourth quarter, Cleanthony Early checked out of the game and headed to the end of the bench. After checking to make sure all the players were in place on the court, Fisher walked to the baseline to give Early a high five. 

Don't seem to remember that happening all that often last year.  

Good job Fish. 

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About the author
Joe Barbour
Joe Barbour hails from Brooklyn NY.