Al Harrington rocks Warriors

Players often claim they have no grudge against their former teams, but Al Harrington, now with the Knicks, was pretty vocal while with the Warriors stating that things weren’t working out with him and coach Don Nelson in Golden State.

On Saturday, when the Knicks hosted the Warriors, Harrington went off for a huge game. Here’s the Contra Costa Times (Marcus Tompson II) reporting:

Warriors forward Al Harrington said he had this date marked the moment he got traded to the New York Knicks. His controversial clashing with coach Don Nelson led to his eventual departure from the Warriors, who traded him for guard Jamal Crawford on Nov. 21. But he couldn’t completely move on with the reunion date looming so close. Saturday, it happened, and Harrington showed up. “I dreamed up 60, 30 rebounds, 15 assists,” Harrington said with a smile. He wasn’t that far off. Harrington had 36 points and 12 rebounds in 39 minutes as his Knicks took down his former Warriors 138-125 at Madison Square Garden. Harrington played like the versatile weapon he always claimed to be. He knocked down 5-of-7 from 3-point range, grabbed four offensive rebounds and had a handful of dunks. He was playing up to the crowd and chest-bumping with his teammates.

It should be noted, however, that I (InsideHoops.com editor Jeff Lenchiner) put up 23 points, 8 rebounds and 12 assists against the Warriors that same game. And I’m not even on the Knicks. That’s how bad the Warriors defense was. Still, good game by Harrington, who could start to fit very nicely in the Mike D’Antoni small-ball scheme of things in New York.