Spike Lee, unofficial fan No. 1 at Madison Square Garden these days, was asked how he thought the Garden crowd would respond to the return of Pat Riley.
"They're going to be on him," said Lee before taking his courtside seat for Riley's first appearance since he jumped the New York Knicks to become a part-owner/general manager/head coach of the Miami Heat.That they were.
Riley was showered with a chorus of boos when he made his entrance onto the Garden floor before Tuesday night's Knicks-Heat game. Riley responded by blowing kisses to the Garden crowd and waving for the Knick faithful to bring it on.
The boos increased when Riley's name was announced (as opposed to a tremendous ovation for Don Nelson, the new Knicks coach). Among the boos for Riley, however, were a smattering of cheers.
And then, just before the opening tip, John Starks, Derek Harper and Patrick Ewing went over to shake their old coach's hand and give him a hug. The boos again were everywhere, but in the end, they were met with some more cheers.
"Typical New York," said Saundra Foreman from her perch in the top row of seats.
"We wouldn't be New Yorkers if we didn't do it," said Foreman's friend, Sharon Murphy.
Love him or hate him, Riley's mere presence was as much the story as the game.
There were obscene chants. There were also some signs scattered among the crowd. Where fans used to parade around the aisles with a capital D and a fence (igniting chants of dee-fense!), one fan paraded instead with one that said, "Nelson Dresses Better Too!"
But, once the game began, the animosity seemed to die down, at least until the Knicks put the game away and the crowd began a serenade of "Ri-ley, Riley" late in the third quarter.
The snowstorm evidently accounted for a number of empty seats in the building.
Most of those inside, where it was warm and dry, definitely did seem to care. There were the stars, such as Lee, who pointed out what he felt was the inconsistency between Riley's actions and the philosophy he has publicly espoused.
"Reading his book, `The Winner Within,' he writes that his father told him, `Son, there's a time when a man has to be a man,' " said Lee. "His own words of wisdom should apply to him. He should have faced the media and the fans instead of resigning by fax."
There were others, such as the former Garden president Bob Gutkowski, who said they were present mainly for the spectacle of Riley's return.
"I think the fans were hurt," Gutkowski said. "One, because Pat decided to leave and two, because they were not crazy with the way he left. But the most important thing was that Pat Riley gave the city of New York four exciting years. And once you get beyond the hurt, you should be thankful for that."
There were the die-hard fans, such as Omar Davis, who were not so forgiving.
"I'm a Knicks fan," said Davis. "I'm not a Riley fan anymore."
And there were those, like the actor Peter Falk, who were there just for the game.
"I think in six months, this will all have blown over," Falk said.
What apparently won't blow over is Riley's staying charisma, which was manifest even in the middle of a storm of a boos.
"Pat's a stud, I like him," said Nancy Jewell, who was watching the game with her friend, Kathryn McCarthy.
"I kind of liked the way the boos were overcome by the cheers," added McCarthy.
But not everybody would admit to enjoying all the noise.
"When I'm at a Knicks game, I'm quiet, just like Woody Allen," said Spike Lee, with a wink of the eye. "Me and Woody never say nothing."