ATLANTA -- It was one of the most remarkable, dramatic performances under adversity in Knicks history. Nate Robinson made Hotlanta hotter than it ever has been on New Year's.
Robinson waited 14 games, a full month, to unleash his fury on the court. He did so last night on the Hawks in a stunning return -- a LeBron James-esque performance that ushered in a new decade and sparked a magical New Year's night.
Escaping Mike D'Antoni's doghouse, Robinson, scoring every which way, from put-backs to scooping layups to 3-pointers to pull-ups, poured in 41 points in 38 minutes to will the Knicks to a thrilling 112-108 overtime victory at Philips Arena.
PHOTOS: NATE HELPS KNICKS BEAT HAWKS
In rallying the Knicks from a 15-point, early fourth-quarter deficit, Robinson's performance raised the debate on whether his exile was too severe. Perhaps D'Antoni should be fined $25,000 for benching Robinson 14 straight games.
"I wanted the world to see I can still play the game of basketball," said Robinson, who was fined $25,000 for his agent publicly requesting a trade. "It's a new year, new start and I'm not looking back."
And neither is D'Antoni, who acknowledged "Nategate" is over after Robinson scored 19 of the Knicks' last 21 points. Robinson made 18 of 24 baskets, killing Atlanta from the outside in the first half and on drives in the second half. Robinson tied his own franchise record for most points by a reserve in a game.
"Obviously, he had a lot of pent-up emotions," said D'Antoni, who leaked he was likely going to play Robinson at yesterday's morning shootaround. "And it all came out. He played great and now we have to concentrate on winning."
Asked if he had any regrets about the month, D'Antoni said: "I can't see what would've happened if I didn't do it. When I did it, we were struggling, we had as good a month as we had in eight years. Would we have had a better month? I don't know, but we're going forward."
Going forward with Mr. Robinson, who will make his Garden return tomorrow against Indiana. The casualty for now is Larry Hughes, a DNP.
"We've seen this a lot of times," D'Antoni said. "Thank goodness the new year brought a new solution. We had a great month. Maybe we'll have a better January."
Asked what the exile taught him, Robinson said, "It taught me a lot how to be humble. We have the best job in the world and not to take it for granted."
Robinson entered with 3:01 left in the first quarter after D'Antoni called timeout and chewed out the players as they trailed 20-11. Robinson didn't realize D'Antoni wanted him in the game, mistaking the call for "Nate" with "Dave."
"He's got that accent and I thought he said Dave and my teammates said, 'You're in,' " Robinson said. "I got nervous, butterflies and my stomach got sick."
None of it showed. He was effective immediately. Robinson missed his first shot -- a 3-pointer that rimmed out. But the Knicks got the offensive rebound and Robinson scored on an offensive put-back, his first points since late November in his first action since Dec. 1 against Phoenix.
Robinson saved his best for the end, catching fire in the fourth quarter and into overtime. Robinson scored 11 points in OT, making 4 of 5 baskets, driving around all Hawks defenders, including Mike Bibby and his buddy Jamal Crawford, who hugged him at the final buzzer.
Robinson sealed it in OT when he scored high off the glass on a layup, completing a 3-point play to break a tie and give the Knicks the lead for good at 108-105 with 2:09 left.
Robinson's teammates fully embraced this magical night -- chest-bumping and high-fiving him across this torrid late stretch. When Robinson hit a 3-pointer from up top with 1:33 left, making it 111-105, several players poured of the bench and onto the court to chest-bump Robinson, led by Chris Duhon and David Lee.
"I have nothing but happiness for him," Lee said. "I'm happy he was able to get his moment after being out so long."
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