There are freak injuries then there is the one suffered by San Antonio Spurs forward Stephen Jackson in Madison Square Garden.

Jackson was hurt early in the first quarter Thursday night on an innocent-looking play. After missing a 3-point shot from the corner, Jackson got a slight bump from Knicks forward Amare Stoudemire and fell backwards onto a kneeling waitress who happened to be near New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who was sitting courtside. It was unclear if the waitress was serving Bloomberg, who was seen eating a box of popcorn shortly after the play. And there is no truth to the online chatter that Bloomberg was ordering a soda. New Yorkers will get that joke.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich called a 20-second timeout at the 2:57 mark of the quarter to allow Jackson to head for the locker room. The 13-year veteran hobbled off the floor and did not return. The Knicks went on to beat the Spurs, 100-83, snapping San Antonio’s seven-game winning streak. Watch the play:

Spurs guard Tony Parker shoots over Jazz forward Paul Millsap in Game 3. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

For the Utah Jazz to beat the San Antonio Spurs in their best-of-seven series, they almost have to play a perfect game. But pitching a perfect game is probably not a realistic goal at this point goal for team who is still learning how to win on a consistent basis.

But one thing this Jazz team won’t do is quit. It’s just not in their DNA and the leaders of the team won’t just roll over and hand the Spurs a victory.

“Just come out and bang, man. Show energy, play with a lot of pride and get out there and continue to fight,” said forward Paul Millsap, who has been held to nine points in each of the last two games.

Utah is probably not looking to win four in a row at this point. It’ll settle for just one win against the top-seeded team in the West.

“Go out there and stay positive. This is the playoffs so you’ll never know what can happen. We just have to stick with it,” Utah forward Josh Howard said.

The Spurs have been scary good in the series, playing efficiently on offense and locking down on the Jazz main scorers defensively. Utah has no answer for Spurs All-Star guard Tony Parker, who is averaging 24 points in the series and dominating his matchup against an old nemesis in Devin Harris.

San Antonio’s incredible depth also appears to be wearing on the Jazz, and one of its top bench players is forward Stephen Jackson, who won a championship with the Spurs in 2003 and would like to add another jewelry to his collection.

“We don’t want to give them any life. We want to go out there and be aggressive and try to finish this thing,” Jackson said. “We’re still going to respect them like we’ve been have. We’re just going to continue to get the job done.”

Led offensively by the explosive trio of Baron Davis, Jason Richardson and Stephen Jackson, the 2007 Warriors embraced the “We Believe” mantra and treated the fanatic Bay Area faithful with a playoff performance for the ages. Davis, Richardson and Jackson never saw a 3-point shot they didn’t like, and that fearless attitude spread like wildfire on the entire roster. Also on that underdog team were the well-traveled Al Harrington and Matt Barnes, and two young players in second-year guard Monta Ellis and third-year center Andris Biedrins.

The architect of the “We Believe” Warriors was Don Nelson, the “Mad Scientist” who was known for his free-wheeling offense and wacky game plans. Nelson had a leg up on the Mavericks because he knows their personnel very well, having drafted the core of the ’07 Dallas team.

Forward Matt Barnes, who now plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, enjoyed his finest hour when he was with the Golden State Warriors in 2007. (GETTY IMAGES)

Golden State won the season series against Dallas during 2006-07, and that template fueled the Warriors to the biggest playoff upset since the 1994 Denver Nuggets shocked the Seattle SuperSonics.

Bay Area sports fans have not been excited about its Warriors since ’07, a magical moment frozen in time it seems in the minds of Warriors fans. There is real optimism this upcoming season – once the lockout ends – because the new-school Warriors have the pieces to push for a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

On Saturday, Nov. 5, at the San Jose Event Center the “We Believe” 2007 Warriors will play in an exhibition game against the current crop of Warriors, featuring young “Dubs” Stephen Curry, David Lee and Dorell Wright and one holdover  from the 2007 squad – Ellis. The game tips off at 6:30 p.m. PST.

Scheduled to participate in the exhibition game and play for the “We Believe” Warriors are Richardson, Harrington and Bay Area native Barnes, the game’s host. A few former Warriors who weren’t on the 2007 team (Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison, Anthony Morrow and C.J. Watson) are also tentatively on the program.

Jackson and Davis, the two leaders of the ’07 squad, are not scheduled to appear, although there is still a chance that Davis could make a surprise appearance.

“With the lockout, we’re all thirsty to do something,” Barnes told the San Francisco Examiner. “I got the idea from a friend of mine who’s a promoter in the Bay Area. He approached me about doing an old vs. new Warriors game, and then I thought how it’d be cool to do it with 2007 team. That team is pretty legendary.”

A portion of the proceeds will go to Matt Barnes’ Athletes vs. Cancer Foundation.

After his much publicized blow-up during an exhibition game earlier this month against the Los Angeles Lakers where he picked up five personal fouls and one technical in less than 10 minutes, the former captain of the Golden State Warriors claims that Kobe Bryant is being allowed to play a certain way that affords him an unfair advantage.

“To beat a dead horse, (Bryant) was just playing dirty,” Jackson told the San Francisco Chronicle. “He was getting favoritism out there. I’m not saying the refs were cheating. I’m not saying that at all. I think he was getting away with stuff that I couldn’t get away with, and I didn’t think it was fair.

“So I reacted on it, and if it happens again, I’m going to react the same way.”

Stephen Jackson, left, is not a big fan of Kobe Bryant these days. (GETTY IMAGES)

Jackson added: “I’m not a fan of Kobe. I’m not somebody who looks up to him. I’m a grown man, so when I go out there and play the game, I play the game. I feel like I’m just as good as him. I might not get the publicity or the notoriety he gets, but I feel like I can play with anybody in the NBA.

“I think everybody should feel like that. Everybody should be a competitor, and I don’t back down from anybody. I’ve never been like that, and I’m not going to start today.”

This makes for an interesting Jackson-Bryant rematch next week when the Warriors play the Lakers again Tuesday in Ontario, Calif.

Jackson, who has gone public with his trade demands and has not been discreet about his displeasure with the direction the Warriors are heading, committed five personal fouls and was hit with a technical foul in less than 10 minutes. Jackson voiced his anger at the coaching staff when he was taken out of the game at the 2:50 mark of the quarter. Nelson eventually sent him to the locker room to cool off. Jackson never returned.

This is just the latest in a long line of very poor conduct demonstrated by Jackson. The nine-year vet has a rap sheet that would make T.I. jealous.

Stephen Jackson wants to get traded, but the Warriors are not budging.

In 2004, Commissioner David Stern suspended Jackson for 30 games for his involvement in the Palace Brawl that saw him go up in the stands and threw punches at fans. In 2006, there was a published report that Jackson and three other Indiana Pacers teammates were involved in a heated argument with patrons at Club Rio in Indianapolis. Jackson was punched by one of the patrons and was hit by a car, rolling onto the hood. His injuries were considered minor. Jackson says he fired several gunshots from a 9-mm pistol as an act of self-defense. However, prosecutors later said he fired first. He was charged with a felony count of criminal recklessness. He served a seven game suspension at the beginning of the 2007-08 season.

Jackson said he was upset because the coaches left him in the game despite his foul trouble, and he felt they didn’t stick up for him with the replacement referees.

“I felt like I didn’t get handled right in the game,” Jackson told the San Jose Mercury News. “I know I did what I’m supposed to do, being a man. I’m not going to let Kobe throw elbows at me.

“(Things are) always made out to make me look bad. At the end of the day, I wouldn’t disrespect Coach like that. But I was mad at our staff for not having my back. If I’m going to go out there and bust my (butt) for you, I expect you to have my back.”

Jackson reiterated that all of his frustrations stem from his desire to win and his hope that the organization wants to win as much as he does.

“My whole thing is I want to win,” Jackson said. “They should be able to respect that. I want to win. That’s just me. I’m still going to go out there and play hard and do what I do. But I want to win.”

Rumors are swirling that Jackson prefers a trade that would send him to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The question is, do the Cavaliers want a loose cannon on the team?