Keep an eye on Shandon Anderson when the Knicks take on the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight. On Monday, with Allan Houston and Keith Van Horn both on the sidelines, Anderson propelled the Knicks to a 94-88 win over the Boston Celtics. He scored 28 points and, more importantly, brought new life to the Knicks' "traffic jam offense" (sit and wait) by driving to the basket and making things happen.

Under Pat Riley and Jeff Van Gundy, the Knicks were a dreadful free-throw shooting team even though they had their chances. Now their free-throw percentages are up, but because they always seem to resort to the 18-foot jumper, it doesn't matter. In last Wednesday's loss to the L.A. Lakers, the Knicks had 6 free throw attempts compared to 47 for the Lakers.

Anderson's 28 points included 6 free throws--not a particularly high number but relatively impressive. Unjaded by stagnation, he showed off a number of dazzling acrobatic maneuvers under and near the basket. Forget Kurt Thomas, best known for committing an offensive foul from behind the three-point arc last year; Shandon Anderson is the one to watch.

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The next post will be Monday. Have a nice Thanksgiving.