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An hour before Saturday's annual Knicks Open Practice began, a line of fans waiting to enter the building extended the length of the Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex at Hofstra University. Over 2,000 season subscribers, fans and the media alike came to enjoy the event, see the team scrimmage and -- at least for one special day -- feel a part of the team.

As the doors opened, the Knicks City Dancers greeted fans and immediately let visitors know they were in for a big day.

"I'm pretty sure that will end up being the high point of my day," remarked one visitor from Rockville Centre after being met at the door by KCD Amy.

At a lot of events, a smile and a hello from any of the dancers might well be the best part of the day, but it was only the start for those on hand Saturday.

The Open Practice helps the Knicks give fans an opportunity to better know the team and the organization. As they made their way into Hofstra's arena, fans were greeted by the sight of the ever-popular Rollin' Knicks wheelchair-basketball team holding a scrimmage of their own.

"I've never seen them play before," said one visitor. "These guys are always fun to watch."

Sarah Brigham, a member of the women's basketball team at Hofstra, was also impressed by what she saw.

"I have a lot of respect for what these guys do," she said. "They are showing great skill and determination."

James Davis, Jr., who came to the event with his two daughters, said he wanted to introduce his family to the entire Knicks team.

"I want them to love the team the way I do," Davis commented. "It's great to see the team for free and so close to home," he added.

Hofstra student Dale Johnson agreed.

"I love the Knicks," said Johnson. "To see these guys up close and personal is a rare opportunity -- I just had to be here."

Many aspects of the Open Practice drew people out to Hofstra, but ultimately the day ultimately came down to one thing: The Knicks giving their fans a chance to be a part of the team and to have unique access to their heroes on the hard-court. The fans loved it.

Moments after the Rollin' Knicks left the floor to cheers, the fans got to their feet again to celebrate the arrival of the Knicks City Dancers on the court. The dancers were decked out in game-night gear; and they brought their game-night performance as well. Fans applauded as the KCD performed an energetic and exciting dance to Lil Mama's "Lip Gloss."

As entertaining as the dancers were, this was still part of the warm-up act. Fans had come to see their Knicks team up close and they were not disappointed.

After the dancers finished, the Knicks players entered the court from the locker-room and through a human tunnel made up of some of the team's youngest fans. The crowd roared, as the kids got to be a part of the Knicks team, greeting and high-fiving with their heroes. Many fans crowded around the Knicks entrance, hoping to catch the eye of their favorite players.

Players laughed and smiled as they ran through the tunnel of fans.

"When fans get this chance to be this close to you, it's always a good thing," said Knicks President, Basketball Operations, and Head Coach Isiah Thomas. "Our fans have been great to us, and a day like this is a rare and special day."

After the team assembled on the court, Nate Robinson took the microphone and addressed the crowd. He explained that the team would conduct a practice, and that fans would have a chance to see a part of the team's usual workout. Robinson closed with a shout-out to the fans:

"Hopefully we'll see you at the Garden this year," he said. "We love you ... thank you for your support!"

It was a two-way street on Saturday, as the fans got to feel closer to the players, and the Knicks got a taste of their home-crowd support. Fans were cheering and screaming player's names -- just trying to make that personal connection. Several times, Jamal Crawford or Zach Randolph, among others, responded to the fans in the stands, with a smile and a mouthed word or two.

Despite their bonding with the fans, the players still had the business of a workout and scrimmage. Trainer Roger Hinds explained the warm-up drills the team would do. First, players dribbled the ball back and forth across the width of the court, high-stepping the entire time to stretch out their quads and loosen up. Then the team did slide steps, simulating a defensive stance during a game.

Eventually, the team was loose and Thomas entered, going right to center court to address his players. Thomas drew huge cheers as he addressed his team.

Before the scrimmage, the team had drills to perform. With the team split into two, each working under one basket, players formed a rotation. A player was fed the ball on the block from a coach; he then dribbled once, spun and layed it in, with a teammate defending. The drill gave fans a sense of how the Knicks post up and how team can hone that skill.

That first drill was followed by an outside shooting drill in which players performed repeated give-and-gos, running to the corner where they would stop and pop the jumper and move on. After that came the 2-on-1 drill, a fan favorite, where players simulated defending and running the fast break.

In a 2-on-1 fast break, there are a lot of opportunities for open dunks, and the players took full advantage for the crowd. The team had fun hamming it up a bit, throwing down some crazy dunks. Robinson showed why he is such a fan favorite with a furious dunk that brought the house down. , David Lee also showed why he won a dunking contest in high school with a hellacious slam. But Thomas said he wanted players taking things seriously and when some wild attempts led to a couple of turnovers, Isiah blew the whistle and admonished his team:

"Do not turn the ball over," he exclaimed, allowing a bit of intensity to show.

Following that, the team did a few more drills including one practicing off-the-ball defense and ball denial.. Never looking at the ball, focusing solely on staying in front of their opponent, the players worked to stop their man from getting the ball and then, if he got it, from scoring. At this point the fans might have been working hard, but these players were working hard.

"This is one of the best events we have every year. To be able to come out here and fans get to see us for free and really experience what we have to go through in practice every day -- to see that it's not just playing games -- it's a great thing," Knicks center Eddy Curry said.

After the ball-denial drill, the players split up into teams again. It was time for the scrimmage. Fans got an inside look into an issue many are talking about -- how Curry and Randolph will work together on the court.

"They looked good working down low together," said Knicks fan Corey Anker of Dix Hills. "It's practice, not a game, but I liked what I saw. "

Fans were also intrigued by the different personalities of the two units that faced off against each other in the scrimmage. The trademark hustle and energy that the Knicks second-unit came to be known for last season was evident in their play. The first unit did well to match that energy, but seemed to feature more set plays. The scrimmage really served as a unique insight into the team for the fans that got to see them play.

Stephon Marbury agreed that the open practice was something special:

"It's different. Giving the fans an opportunity to see what we do before we … play a game. They normally don't get a chance to do that, so for that to happen was a lot of fun," Marbury said.

As exciting as the day was for season subscribers and fans, the players seemed to get just as much out of it.

"It's always great to be able to come out here and be with the fans. There's a lot of young fans and it's fun to get a chance to dunk a few balls, run up and down the court, get a good practice in, but at the same time, do it in front of our fans and potential season ticket holders," Lee said at the end of the day.

The Open Practice was about connecting with their fans, and on that count, it was a tremendous success, at least in theeyes of Knicks captain Marbury.

"The fans give us energy," Marbury said, summing up the mood of the day.