text: Sports writers debated whether it 's a triumph for 1 ) Knicks guard Allan Houston , a previous underachiever who scored 32 points in the decisive game ; 2 ) Coach Jeff Van Gundy , who had nearly been fired earlier in the season ; or 3 ) New York , whose prestige was already bolstered by cleaner streets and lower crime .
  
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  32 points is the most that Allan Houston has ever scored in a game .