Knicks' Mozgov prepares for dunkster Griffin
Knicks center Timofey Mozgov takes a jump shot against the Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden. (Feb. 6, 2011) Credit: Christopher Pasatieri
That man from Timofey Mozgov's nightmare will be back Wednesday night. The one who just kept going up, up and up and then - with his waist above the 7-1 Russian and his left hand on Mozgov's head - literally threw the ball downward into the hoop.
It was so visually spectacular that, since that game in Los Angeles Nov. 20, people have watched rookie Blake Griffin posterize Mozgov more than 1.5 million times on YouTube.
It was a clip that brought immediate mainstream fame to Griffin - who will make his Garden debut when the Clippers visit tomorrow night - and unwittingly linked Mozgov with another European center in Knicks history who was used as a posterization prop, Frenchman Frederic Weis. Vince Carter literally hurdled over the 7-foot Weis in the 2000 Olympics in one of the most amazing dunks in basketball history.
But Weis was fortunate from one standpoint: Social networking did not exist at the time. Mozgov said his B Kohtakte page - the Russian version of Facebook - was flooded with messages and video clips of the dunk. There was no escape.
Mozgov's response to the overwhelming reaction from friends? " 'I know. I saw this. I was there. I don't want to always see this.' "
As if he had a choice. "I saw it like 20 times, maybe," he said.
And? "Yeah, that was great, without question," he said. "It was unbelievable."
Clippers forward Blake Griffin, right, dunks over Knicks center Timofey Mozgov during a game in Los Angeles. (Nov. 20, 2010) Credit: AP
Mozgov then pointed out the Knicks won the game, which to him is what will matter most in tomorrow's rematch.
"I don't want to fight with him," he said, carefully choosing his words and occasionally correcting his ever-improving English. "Of course I want the challenge, not because he's Blake Griffin but because I want to play a good game and it's an important game for us. I don't have bad feelings toward him personally."
Mozgov believes he is a different player from the one he was in November, when he was a lot more concerned about fouls and put up the ill-advised, two-handed, "I-Surrender" pose rather than physically challenge Griffin's aggressive move.
"It was, maybe, a defensive mistake," Mozgov said. "I was late a little bit and he started jumping . . . If I was jumping, maybe it would be like he does not dunk and it's just two points. But I was not jumping. Sometimes you don't want to cause injury."
In four games since Mozgov returned to the rotation, he is averaging 9.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks, including a 23-point, 14-rebound performance against the Pistons on Jan. 30. The most noticeable difference is his confidence, which he admitted took a nosedive early in the season. The Griffin dunk and the embarrassment of it certainly played a role, but it was an experience he, like many young big men in the NBA, has had to endure.
He's a little smarter now, a little quicker to read a situation. So does this mean he won't find himself in another Kodak moment with Griffin?
"Maybe, maybe," Mozgov said with a smile. "I hope this does not happen again."
