The Clippers come to the Garden on Friday night with five compelling connections. They boast four former Knicks — two who participated in last season’s 17-65 disaster — and a Brooklyn product who won an unprecedented four straight PSAL championships with Lincoln at the World’s Most Famous Arena.
Pablo Prigioni: This will be the first time the former Spanish League point guard faces the Knicks in his NBA career, and he’s still playing a nice reserve role. Prigioni, part of the 54-28 club in his “rookie’’ season in 2012-13, asked to be traded at last February’s deadline and he hit paydirt. Prigioni went to the Rockets, and played a key bench role in Houston advancing to the Western Conference Finals after Patrick Beverley went down.
Shocking a lot of folks, Prigioni didn’t return to Spain as he suggested he would and signed with the Clippers in July as a free agent. Prigioni, 38, has seen his minutes increase since Christmas, a key part of the rotation the last 12 games, when the club has gone 10-2. He had eight steals in 15 minutes in a recent game against the Heat. Coach Doc Rivers recognized Prigioni’s plodding, no-frills, gritty game earlier this week.
“Pablo’s just like, ‘Hey, Jamal [Crawford], Austin [Rivers], you guys just go and I’ll help you guys out,’’ Rivers related. “That way you don’t have to bring up the ball every time and I’ll hassle the point guard on defense.’’
Cole Aldrich: Knicks president Phil Jackson wanted to bring the big center back for the veteran’s minimum. But the 26-year-old 7-footer got a sweeter two-year offer from the Clips at that rate — with a player option — thanks to a big recommendation from Clippers assistant Mike Woodson.
Aldrich has been firmly in the rotation the past dozen games, averaging 16 minutes in that span as the club copes without Blake Griffin. His rolling to the basket has spaced the floor and been a catalyst for the offense. He’d made a lot more impact than has Knicks center Kevin Seraphin.
Last week, after a particularly effective outing, Aldrich was interviewed on-court and was therefore the last to enter the locker room. The team’s new tradition is the last player to enter the locker room after a game must dance.
Clippers center DeAndre Jordan tweeted: “I never want to see that again!!! I’m scarred.”
Jamal Crawford: The former Knicks combo guard, obtained by Isiah Thomas, has been the subject of trade reports since the summer. He will be a 2016 free agent, coming off a mid-level exception deal, and remains a productive player. The pros: He loves New York and playing at the Garden, is still instant offense off the pine and the triangle offense doesn’t need a traditional point guard. The cons: Crawford’s defense has never been stellar and the 35-year-old is no spring chicken.
Crawford helped keep the Clippers afloat Thursday in Cleveland with 16 points (6-of-9 from the field) in 27 minutes in the 115-102 loss. He’s averaging 18 points in the past six games as the first guy off the bench.
Mike Woodson: The former Knicks head coach who guided the club to 54 wins in 2012-13 also got Carmelo Anthony to play defense and rebound. But he never got him to pass. Woodson took pride in letting Anthony play isolation ball, not pressuring him to be something he was not. As Woodson sits on the sideline next to Rivers on Friday, he may not recognize the made-over Melo who sometimes doesn’t look at the rim early in a game.
Lance Stephenson: Former Knicks president Donnie Walsh twice passed on Stephenson in the 2010 draft in taking second-round picks Landry Fields and Andy Rautins. Neither is still in the league. But Stephenson is experiencing his second straight disappointing season after last season’s flameout in Charlotte, and finds himself out of Rivers’ rotation.
During overtime on Monday night against the Rockets, Stephenson and Josh Smith could be seen slap-boxing during a timeout while the Clippers coach barked instructions. Smith is reportedly getting traded back to Houston. Charlotte will not take back Stephenson, who has appeared in just 34 games, making 10 starts. The Clippers took Stephenson’s contract in the offseason in exchange for the Hornets acquiring Spencer Hawes and someone named Matt Barnes (immediately waived). The rough-and-tumble Stephenson is averaging 4.1 points. He should’ve stayed in Indiana.