That is, unless you’re a big basketball fan, where from noon until late Sunday evening, you could seek shelter from the winter weather while taking in a good tripleheader of holiday hoops, featuring four New York teams (three college and one pro) all at Madison Square Garden.

Holiday Festival – Part I: Cornell Stuns Davidson In Overtime Thriller

Sometimes, the best is saved for last, but not always.

Although most of the MSG action to follow was entertaining, you had to arrive early to catch the best game of Sunday’s triple bill.

The opening game of a long day of basketball featured a terrific college basketball mid-major matchup, with the Davidson University Wildcats meeting the Cornell Big Red, to begin the 58th annual Holiday Festival, the nation’s longest running holiday tournament.

Davidson (3-8), on the strength of three freshman, overcame a 17-point first-half deficit to grab a late two-point lead in the final seconds of regulation, but Cornell beat the buzzer once, to force overtime, and then had senior forward Ryan Wittman (who scored a game-high 29 points), make a running 30-foot three-pointer as the horn sounded, to give Cornell (8-2) a stunning 91-88 overtime win.

The game was so good down the stretch, even Cornell head coach Steve Donahue caught himself playing the role of fan as much as coach. “Obviously, I thought that was an excellent game to be a part of and to watch,” he said, after the game. “Both teams really play the right way and execute well. [Each team has] 21 assists [and just] 11 turnovers, making big play after big play. My initial reaction, and I can’t help myself, is to feel bad for the opponent sometimes because I thought they did everything they could to win the game. Obviously, I am extremely proud of our guys with the way they persevered to get a win.”

Early on, it wasn’t nearly that tough for Cornell, which grabbed a 15-5 lead after a 10-0 run, capped by three straight two-point field goals from Erick Peck (who wasn’t heard from much after that, finishing the game with eight point on 3-of-5 shooting from the floor).

Davidson later scored seven straight points to cut Cornell’s lead in half, 29-22, with 6:28 remaining in the first half, but the Big Red responded with four different players scoring in 12-2 run which gave Cornell the biggest lead of the game, 41-24, with 1:31 left in the half.

The Wildcats scored seven of the half’s final ten points though, with junior Brendan McKillop, (17 points, 6-11 fg, 5-8 3-pt. fg), the son of Davidson head coach Bob McKillop, beating the first half buzzer with a left wing three-pointer to pull his team to within 44-31 by halftime, and give Davidson some much-needed momentum which they rode in the second half.

Initially after the break, Cornell built the lead back up to a healthy 50-36, just 3:10 into the second half, but three freshman whose surnames together, sound more like a law firm — J.P. Kuhlman (17 points, 6-12 fg, 4-5 3-pt. fg) Jake Cohen (team-high 18 points, 8-17 fg), and Nick Cochran (8 points, 4-6 fg off the bench) –- helped lead Davidson back.

The first two of that young trio especially impressed Donahue. “I [think] Cohen and Kuhlman are both excellent basketball players.” He added of Davidson, as those two players continue to grow and develop, “In a month, you are going to see a really good basketball team. Both are good players and I thought they played great.”

Coach McKillop was also particularly proud of all three of his freshman who played significant roles, and of his team’s ability to come back. “When adversity struck, [we were] down 17 points, [we] have three freshman out there,” he said. They played with a great deal of savvy, they made mistakes, but they also played with great heart… they put themselves in position to win the game. The next time that happens, I know they are going to win the game.”

Playing the point, McKillop scored nine points on three treys while 6-foot-4 guard Kulhman and 6-foot-10 forward Cohen scored five points apiece, and 6-foot3 guard Cochran added four points during a 27-11 Davidson surge over a span of 10:27, which gave Davidson its first lead, 63-61, with 6:23 left in the second half.

Sophomore guard Chris Wroblewski (14 points, 4-9 fg, 3-7 3-pt. fg) tied the game at 63-all on a layup before things got really tense the rest of the way.

After a Wroblewski free throw gave Cornell a 66-65 lead with 4:41 left in regulation, the lead changed hands five times, and the game was tied twice, until Cohen missed the second of two free throws with Davidson ahead, 75-73.

Each team attempted 15 free throws in the game, but the Wildcats made just eight while the Big Red knocked down twelve.

Cornell threw the ball away and fouled Cohen again, but he missed two free throws, allowing senior point guard Louis Dale, who hadn’t scored all game, to go up the left sideline, the length of the floor, before scoring on a driving layup in traffic, beating the second half buzzer, to force overtime with the game tied at 75 apiece.

Dale then scored Cornell’s first five point in the extra session, to give the Big Red an 80-77 lead.

After Wroblewski and McKillop traded three-pointers, Wittman hit one of his own, to put Cornell up 86-82, with 1:25 left in the game.

Later, Kuhlman made a big three-pointer with 16.4 seconds left, to pull Davidson to within 88-87, and with 6.7 remaining, he tied the game at 88-88 on a free throw, but he missed a second foul shot, and that set the stage for the dramatic finish.

Seven-foot senior center Jeff Foote (16 points, 14 boards) grabbed the rebound and fired an outlet pass to Wittman, who raced across midcourt and pulled up on a straight-away 30-footer that swished through the net as time expired, sending a happy Cornell team onto the court to mob their hero.

Wittman (11-23 fg, 7-16 3-pt. fg) actually said the shot didn’t feel good when it left his hands. “To be quite honest, I thought I left it short, so I was surprised it went in, but I will take it.”

And, he’ll take the experience, especially given that it occurred on a stage which he’s not used to.

“It is pretty cool playing in the Garden” he said. “My first time here. It was a great college basketball game. Two teams playing hard, Lou makes a great play at the end of regulation just to put it into overtime. There are a lot of things I liked about that game. It was a lot of fun.”

Although Wittman wasn’t sure about the shot, his coach was. “I don’t know if I have ever been around a kid that one, is a great shooter and two, [who] wants that moment [all the time],” Donahue said. “I think he has terrific confidence. More than that, I think he realizes that is his role on this team. When he has the ball, in situations where he has to make plays, we call his number and to be honest with you, I knew it, when he released it, it was in.”

A great ending to a great way to escape a snowy Sunday at the Garden.

Or, as Coach McKillop, a New York native, put it, “Here is the greatest stage for basketball in America, Madison Square Garden, and they are playing the drama out there amidst the snow storm, Christmas, and the ambiance of New York, and that is the whole nine.”

Davidson was playing its first-ever Holiday Festival game while Cornell, which was playing in the tournament for the fourth time, and the first time since 1970, won its second Festival game in seven tries. The Big Red will seek its first-ever Holiday Festival title on Monday against St. John’s, while Davidson will meet Hofstra for third place.

Save that myth for the casual basketball fan.

Real basketball followers know that’s not always the case.

And, if you’ve watched the first four New York Knick games this season, you especially know what a huge difference getting off to a good start means to their success.

It took three tries in a span of four nights, but the Knicks finally figured out what sometimes makes a strong fourth quarter hold up in an NBA game –- playing just as well in the first quarter.

Persistence pays.

So does another cliché… playing from ahead instead of playing catch-up.

After a season-opening blowout loss in Miami, the Knicks lost their next two games in pretty much the same fashion.

On Friday, New York had a big fourth quarter, outscoring the Charlotte Bobcats 27-13, which was only good enough for a double overtime loss because the Knicks came out flat and trailed 32-13 after the first quarter.

The following night, New York again dominated the fourth period, 41-26, but all that did was cancel out a miserable first quarter in which the Philadelphia 76ers outscored the Knicks 40-25, before later beating them in overtime.

On Monday night at Madison Square Garden however, the Knicks finally learned their lesson.

This time, playing from the start, with focus, passion, intensity, and a sense of purpose, a fourth quarter in which the Knicks outscored the New Orleans Hornets 40-30, didn’t go to waste.

That’s because it was coupled by New York also winning the first period, 31-24, slightly more than the final margin of victory in the Knicks’ 117-111 win over the Hornets, despite Chris Paul again doing what he does best.

The victory was the 300th regular season win in career of Knicks’ head coach Mike D’Antoni, who laid out some specific pre-game goals before the win. “Keep our intensity up for 48 minutes, play together, and move the ball,” he said.

That sounds fairly simple, but those were all areas in which the Knicks lacked while beginning the season with three straight losses, their worst start since going 0-5 in 2005.

Well, check, check, and check on all three accounts, and then some, against New Orleans (1-3), which lost its second straight on a northeast road trip.

“I thought our defense was solid most of the night,” D’Antoni said, as he finally saw his team buy into buckling down and getting serious about making defensive stops.

“Just a better flow of the game,” he added. “It felt better offensively and defensively. Each guy came in and understood what he needed to do.”

The one guy who did it best for the Knicks was forward David Lee, who scored a team-high 28 points on 13 of 17 shooting from the floor, while adding eight rebounds. “He was huge,” D’Antoni said of Lee.

Lee’s efforts were complimented by that of former starter Al Harrington, who D’Antoni has preferred to use as a spark off the bench the past two games. As he did with his game-high 42 points on Saturday, Harrington responded in that role, matching Lee’s eight boards while scoring 24 points on 8 of 21 shooting from the field in 29:43.

On Harrington seemingly accepting his new role well, D’Antoni said “I hope he likes it because he’s doing a terrific job at it.”

After trailing by 31, 21, and 23 points in their first three games, and never leading after the first quarter in any of those games, the Knicks came to play early against the Hornets, scoring 14 straight points to take a 16-6 lead in the opening period.

The seven-point lead the Knicks built after the first quarter, propelled New York to a 58-52 halftime lead. But Paul, widely considered the best point guard in the league, scored 11 of his game-high 32 to help the Hornets outscore the Knicks 29-19 in the third quarter and take an 81-77 lead going into the final period. Paul also had a game-high 13 assists with just two turnovers, and added five rebounds, while shooting 12 of 18 from the floor (including 4 of 5 from three-point range) and 4 of 5 at the free throw line.

However, it was the fast start in the opening quarter, leading to the six-point halftime lead, which allowed yet another big fourth quarter by New York to be the difference between a third consecutive late rally falling short and instead, the Knicks’ first win of the season.

For the first time on the young season, the Knicks consistently exhibited solid team play, sound defense, a good motion offense, and nice ball movement, often finding the open man and exploiting the Hornets’ interior defense for easy baskets.

Most of all, keeping their intensity up as D’Antoni wanted, often diving after loose balls, deflecting passes, and just having a better overall court awareness, ultimately carried the Knicks to victory.

Although Lee and Harrington led the way, they had plenty of help as the Knicks played a nice team game, with 24 assist on their 43 field goals.

Guard Larry Hughes, scored 20 points on 8 of 13 shooting from the field, as the latest new starter in D’Antoni’s early season lineup experimentation, as the coach searches for the best floor combinations.

Knicks’ point guard Chris Duhon scored 18 points, making 8 of 9 free throw attempts, while dishing out 9 assists and turning the ball over just twice. And, forwards Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler chipped in nine points apiece.

All around, it was largely a team effort. As Hughes pointed out, “It’s about coming out and playing hard for 48 minutes.” He added that offensively, “When we make those guys move, we can shoot the ball from anywhere. It makes the game a lot easier.” He also was happy for D’Antoni on reaching his personal milestone, saying “Congratulations to Coach!”

D’Antoni meanwhile, was happy just to get any win, and viewed the win as a positive sign of the potential of what could lie ahead when his team backs up on the court what he preaches to them in the locker room. “I was just encouraged the whole game,” he said. “We’ll just keep going forward… Much better tonight, we took a gigantic step forward.”

The Knicks can take their next step on Wednesday night, when they host 0-2 Indiana, who will first play at home against Denver on Tuesday, before coming to New York.