The fact that the Knicks managed to defeat the Bucks in the second overtime session Wednesday night turned Bargnani from the goat of all goats into a mere footnote in New York’s eighth win of the season.
The former No. 1 overall pick is still being roasted for doing his best Philip Seymour Hoffman-from-Along Came Polly impression rather than just holding the ball and letting the clock expire, but he knows the backlash could have been a lot worse.
“It was aggressive and it definitely was a mistake,’’ Bargnani told reporters after the game, according to the New York Post. “It’s a good thing we won the game and stayed together.”
Knicks center Tyson Chandler, playing in his first game in more than a month, was visibly upset after Milwaukee rebounded Bargnani’s shot and called timeout with 11.3 seconds to play. The miss forced New York to play another five minutes of basketball — Bucks forward John Henson scored to send the game into double overtime — but Chandler said after the win that all is forgiven.
“I told [Bargnani] don’t worry about it,’’ Chandler said. “That’s what you got teammates for. We’ll cover for you. We’ll get this win and all will be forgotten. It will be a good learning experience.”
The victory was the fifth in nine games for a Knicks team that began the season 3-13.