updated 5:21 p.m. ET Dec. 11, 2007

GREENBURGH, N.Y. - Isiah Thomas insists fans can influence the way his team is playing.

Whether the New York Knicks coach expressed that belief to anyone in the Madison Square Garden crowd Monday night remains a mystery.

Thomas was repeatedly asked Tuesday about a season ticket holder’s claim following a loss to Dallas that the coach scolded fans near the bench for not being more supportive of the team. He eventually acknowledged that perhaps there was a discussion.

“I think I said to the refs, too, I said to the ref, ’If (the Mavericks) let us hang around and we can scrap our way back into the game, we’ll have a chance to win it,”’ Thomas said after practice. “And I think I may have said that to one of the fans sitting there. ’If we just hang around in this game and we keep fighting, we’ll have a shot of winning it.’

“I don’t recall being combative. I think everything I’ve tried to say here has been pretty positive about what the fans want, what we want to give them.”

That would differ from the account Mara Altschuler, a fan sitting near the Knicks’ bench, gave to reporters after Monday night’s game. She said Thomas told fans they were a poor “sixth man” for the team, contrasting their lack of support with what colleges like Indiana or North Carolina get at home.

The Knicks (6-14) have the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference and entered the season following a sexual harassment lawsuit brought by a former team executive. The Garden and Thomas reached an $11.5 million settlement with her Monday, and commissioner David Stern announced Tuesday there would be no league punishment.

“Fire Isiah!” chants resound throughout the Garden. Though the Knicks say they understand the fans’ right to boo a poor performance, the players clearly are bothered.

“They feel like we should be doing something, they’re going to let us know about it,” guard Jamal Crawford said. “And sometimes you can use that as motivation. But you also don’t want to feel like you have a lot of road games as well when you’re at home.”

Thomas said he’ll occasionally talk to kids sitting near the bench. He twice was criticized early last season after it was reported he made seemingly threatening remarks to San Antonio’s Bruce Bowen and Denver’s Carmelo Anthony — the latter moments before the start of a brawl.

NBA crowds and media sit closer to the action than in any other major sport, and it’s easy to hear conversations a coach might wish remained private.

“We play in a very intimate environment and that’s the beauty of our game — the fans are up close,” Thomas said. “They get to hear and see your frustration. They get to feel your sweat, see your pain, live with your misery, celebrate your joys. That’s the beauty of our game. It’s up close and very personal.”

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Thomas and Crawford say fans don’t come to the Garden planning to boo, although the jeering starts when the coach is announced during pregame introductions. Thomas thinks that’s contributing to the Knicks’ poor starts.

“I believe that the fans positively impact performance, whatever sport it is,” Thomas said. “The fans impact and they have a positive way of motivating you. But the boos motivate us also because we know that the fans want more and they deserve more and we want to give them more.”

The crowds were just as harsh this time last year, but became supportive following the Knicks’ spirited play while short-handed after the brawl.

“We were in a similar situation last year where we had to win our fans back and I think we can do it again this year,” Thomas said. “We can win our fans back. Last year we had a difficult time at home winning our fans and eventually we won them back and I believe we can do it this year.”

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