http://www.newsday.com/sports/basketball/knicks/ny-spknix144005991oct14,0,5186680.story?coll=ny-knicks-print
GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- It's Game 1 of the exhibition season, not the playoffs. But Tim Thomas has neither forgotten nor forgiven Nets center Jason Collins for the hard foul that knocked Thomas out of the first-round playoff series that the Nets swept last April.

Thomas and Collins will be face to face tonight at Wachovia Center in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., for the first time since the Knicks forward drove to the basket in Game 1 of the playoffs and was met by Collins, whose right arm stopped Thomas in midair and sent him crashing down on his back. The season-ending injury to Thomas ended the Knicks' slim chances of advancing, since they also were playing without injured Allan Houston.

Asked yesterday if he believes he has a score to settle, Thomas answered logically. "How can you settle it?" he asked.

The playoff opportunity is long gone. In many ways, so is the intensity of the rivalry. Nets forward Kenyon Martin, whom Thomas described as a fake tough guy, has been traded to Denver. All-Star point guard Jason Kidd still is recovering from knee surgery and has let it be known he wouldn't mind following Martin out of town now that new Nets owner Bruce Ratner has decided not to compete for the NBA title.

But Collins is still there, and when it was suggested that the Nets center has begun to develop a reputation for cheap/hard fouls, Thomas raised his eyebrows and said, "Has? Has? Leave it at that." As if to say the rep is well established.

There has been no apology from Collins since the incident.

"No. Never. None," Thomas said. "Some guys are cowards about it, so you know. It is what it is."

The way Thomas sees it, Collins' foul had a major effect on the outcome of the series. Thinking of the playoff success he had against the Nets the previous season when he was with Milwaukee, Thomas said: "It just took out a scorer, somebody that in the series the year before gave them trouble ... I probably won't be the last guy he takes out like that."

Last spring, Thomas talked as if he wanted to hurt somebody in a Nets uniform, but Collins isn't expecting anything out of the ordinary. Nor does he think he did anything wrong.

"I made a solid basketball play," Collins told reporters covering the Nets yesterday. "Anyone who knows anything about basketball knows I made a good play."

Discussing his relationship with Thomas, who grew up in nearby Paterson, N.J., and still has family there, Collins noted that they share the same Los Angeles-based agent, Arn Tellem. Collins also played in a charity baseball game organized by Thomas two summers ago.

"Hitting a baseball was harder than I remembered," Collins said.

Whatever charity existed between the Knicks and the Nets is a thing of the past. Thanks to the offseason changes made by both teams, the Knicks would like to believe they can overtake a Nets team that has won three straight Atlantic Division titles. But Nets forward Richard Jefferson said the Knicks shouldn't expect a free pass.

"There were similar statements made after they got Stephon Marbury [last season]," Jefferson said. "But a lot of things are easier said than done. There are guys that are part of this franchise that have known nothing but winning and aren't just going to give it up."

Notes & quotes: Forward Kurt Thomas, who was on the trading block all summer, was named tri-captain yesterday along with Houston and Marbury. Thomas called it an honor but said it didn't mean his place with the Knicks is secure. Thomas said, "Patrick Ewing was a captain and he got traded, right?" ... Newcomer Jamal Crawford will start at shooting guard in place of Houston (sore knees) ... Coach Lenny Wilkens plans to limit Marbury to fewer than 30 minutes a game during the preseason.