A look back at the best of Knicks legend Steve Novak

It is a name that makes every New York Knicks fan smile — Steve “Novakaine” Novak.

Despite never playing more than 20 minutes a game, the sharpshooter and Marquette product was a fan favorite for his two seasons with the Knicks from 2011 to 2013. He was traded that year to the Toronto Raptors to land former first overall pick Andrea Bargnani.

Whether it was his signature celebration, the great teams that he played on, or a collection of his absurd shooting statistics, Novak was one of the more beloved Knicks players of the 21st century.

And now for some summer nostalgia, it’s time to look back at Novak’s best moments and favorite attributes.

4 reasons why New York Knicks fans loved Steve Novak

4: Novak’s signature championship belt celebration

There aren’t many signature celebrations in the NBA, but my god did Steve Novak have one of the best.

Call it whatever you like, simply “the belt celebration,” or “the championship belt celebration,” or the “discount double-check celebration,” made famous by Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

The connection to Green Bay and Wisconsin is actually the origin of why Novak began doing the celebration.

As mentioned earlier, Novak went to Marquette, which is in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “Showing a little Wisconsin love,” he told reporters after a game in 2012 when he was asked about the celebration.

Believe it or not, there was also momentary drama around Novak’s belt move.

In 2013, Nate Robinson broke out the celebration against Novak and the Knicks when he was playing for the Chicago Bulls. After the game, Novak chose full-blown sarcasm and took a shot at Robinson’s famously short height.

"“It warms my heart,” Novak said of Robinson doing his celebration. “It really does. The best part about doing the belt is hearing the stories about all the little kids who hit a three-pointer and do the belt. One day, when Little Nathan grows up, his dreams come true and he can be just like me.”"

Outside of that back and forth, the celebration was almost always an extremely positive thing.

The three-point specialist seemed to perfectly time the celebration every time, never overdoing it and always sending the crowd into a frenzy.

The belt celebration is around the 1:30 mark in the video below.

3: Novak had some incredible statistics

Novak did not even play two full seasons with New York, but during the period he both led the league in a statistic — and even more impressively — set an NBA record.

During his first year with the Knicks, 2011-12, Novak shot a scorching 47.2% from behind the three-point line. It was a good enough line to lead the league in the category by almost two full percentage points.

If you were ever wondering who the five most accurate deep-ball shooters were in the 2011-12 season, here’s your answer:

1. Steve Novak: 47.2%
2. Stephen Curry: 45.5%
3. Ersan Ilyasova: 45.5%
4. Ray Allen: 45.3%
5. Mike Miller: 45.3%

It’s not bad to beat out Curry and Allen in a three-point accuracy mark.

During the season, Novak attempted 282 threes and connected on 133 of them. Those numbers come out to Novak taking roughly 5.2 threes a game and making 2.5 of them.

Now, what about the NBA record breaker?

In the 2012-13 season, Novak had a mind-boggling 2.6 turnovers per 100 plays. It both led the league that year by a wide margin and set the NBA record, which had been held previously by Matt Bonner.

Here comes an even more obscure list of the lowest turnover rates in the 2012-13 season.

1. Steve Novak: 2.6%
2. Al Jefferson: 7.3%
3. Dante Cunningham: 7.3%
4. Ryan Anderson: 7.5%
5. Marcus Thorton: 7.6%

Bonner’s previous record was 3.75%.

It is not shocking to hear that Novak had a low turnover rate given his role on the team. Running off screens and catching and shooting, he was very rarely asked or looked to make a play off the bounce or outside of his comfort zone.

Novak’s record still stands, with Langston Galloway on the Detroit Pistons getting the closest to it with a 3.7% turnover rate during the 2018-19 season. Other players to have led the league in the statistic in the time since are J.R. Smith, Otto Porter, Anthony Morrow, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.

But forget all that and focus on the important bit — Novak leads NBA history in something.

2: Novak’s best scoring performance of his career

Of course, Steve Novak’s career-high came against the Boston Celtics. Obviously, in the last couple of years, the Knicks’ rivalry with the Atlanta Hawks has become more intense, but there is still really no team Knicks fans like beating more than the Celtics.

In one magical night on April 17, 2012, Novak dropped 25 points in 28 minutes in a win against the Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce Celtics.

Novak did not attempt a two-point field goal (classic), going 8-for-10 from downtown and 1-for-1 from the free-throw line.

The game was made even more memorable by the fact that his bench partner that season, J.R. Smith, also went wild from behind the line — going 7-for-10 himself from three.

Carmelo Anthony chipped in with a casual 35 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists — one of two triple-doubles in his entire career.

The eight threes Novak made against Boston were the most that he ever made in a single game.

Novak only scored 20 or more points seven times in his career, and only accomplished the feat three times in New York.

1: Novak played during peak Melo and Linsanity

Part of what surrounds Novak with such positive memories are the teams he played for.

The Knicks have had so many disappointing teams over the past 20 years, and the fact that Novak played for two of the rarely seen enjoyable campaigns means something.

Novak was on the Linsanity team of 2011-12 and the best year of Carmelo Anthony in 2012-13, where the Knicks finished the regular season 54-28 — the best record the team has posted this century.

New York ended up losing in six games in the Eastern Conference semifinals to Paul George and the Indianapolis Pacers.

Novak played in 81 games during the 2012-13 season, averaging 6.6 points, 1.9 rebounds, and nearly two threes a game while averaging 20 minutes a contest. It is not the craziest stat line, but he was a consistent part of a lovable bench squad that included Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith, Pablo Prigioni, and Rasheed Wallace.

The 2012-13 season was also Anthony’s best season with the Knicks, as he averaged 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 2.6 assists on 45% shooting from the field.

The year prior, Novak actually missed the first game of Linsanity against the New Jersey Nets, but he then played a major role in the next few games of the run.

In Jeremy Lin’s second and third games of the magical run, Novak chipped in with two 19-point, five 3-pointer performances. Remember, Novak only broke 20 points seven times in his career, so two back-to-back 19-point outputs are noticeable.

The 2011-12 season for Lin, even though it was only 35 games, also ended up being the best of his career. He finished the year averaging 14.6 points, 6.2 assists, and 3.1 rebounds, and he promptly got paid millions of dollars by the Houston Rockets.

The ending take away? Jeremy Lin and Carmelo Anthony both had their best Knicks year with Steve Novak on the court.

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