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NEW YORK -- If the attorneys for New York Knicks coach and president Isiah Thomas could have erected a halo over Thomas' head, they would have.

Thomas took the witness stand in his own defense on Tuesday to begin to answer the charges of sexual harassment made against him in the Anucha Browne Sanders v. Madison Square Garden lawsuit.

And when he did, the message he and his lawyers were trying to convey was clear: Isiah Thomas, raised by his single mother, on the tough West Side of Chicago, could never, ever sexually harass anyone.

AP Photo/Edouard H.R. GluckIsiah Thomas' video deposition provided plenty of tabloid fodder in New York.

At his lawyers' prodding, Thomas presented his life story, focusing on the positives of where he came from and what he has become.

Thomas grew up poor, "the baby" amongst six brothers and two sisters. He spoke with pride of his poverty, making sure to emphasize he was not from the "rich" South Side, but rather the "poor" West Side.

Thomas recalled that he was a shoeshine boy, and that if not for his basketball talent he probably would be in the military or pumping gas right now.

Then breaking out a grin, he said, "Without bragging, they say I was pretty good."

He recounted how he became a Hall of Famer and was named to the list of the 50 greatest players of all time before becoming an NBA executive and coach.

Oh, and what happened with his ill-fated stewardship of the CBA? That wasn't his fault, he said; the owners he left behind were better off.

Why was he fired as coach of the Indiana Pacers? Larry Bird is a Celtic. Thomas said he is a Piston.

And how did he learn about sexual harassment? He said his first lesson on how to treat women came from his single mom when he was 10 years old.

Cue the trademark Zeke smile. The jury was being wooed.

It went on and on until Judge Gerard Lynch finally ordered, "Let's move on."

So they moved on and the jury began hearing Thomas' denials. He said an incident in which he allegedly dragged the plaintiff by the arm and accosted her after a loss to the Jazz never happened. In fact, according to Thomas, he spoke with Garden president Steve Mills after that game and didn't even raise his voice. Browne Sanders might or might not have been present, Thomas said.

Thomas' testimony began on Tuesday afternoon and will resume on Wednesday, when he is expected to continue to deny that he sexually harassed Browne Sanders.

This trial is shaping up into a classic case of "he said, she said." In such a case, according to ESPN legal analyst Roger Cossack, the members of the jury often side with the person they like more. On Tuesday, Thomas laid the groundwork to win the likability contest with Browne Sanders.

Garden owner James Dolan took the stand prior to Thomas on Tuesday and made a much better presentation than in his widely-panned deposition. A Madison Square Garden spokesman declined comment leading into Dolan's testimony, but it seemed obvious Dolan had been coached.

Dolan looked different than he did in the 11-minute portion of his video deposition shown last week. In the deposition, which was taken on December 11, 2006, Dolan wore a shiny black mock turtleneck and slumped back in his chair, as he does when he sits on the baseline at the Garden as the Knicks falls behind.

On Tuesday, Dolan wore a blue suit and a gold tie. His goatee appeared better groomed. He sat up straight for the most part.

His body language was not perfect. He squinted a lot, looking as if he were peering into the sun and not into a well lit Federal Court room. He also had trouble getting Browne Sanders' name right. He mostly called her Sanders. Every once in a while, he referred to her as Browne Sanders.

The Garden's version of events is that in the fall of 2005 Browne Sanders resigned because she felt she could not do the job. (There is no documentation that Browne Sanders ever resigned, and she did continue working.)

By the end of the year, Browne Sanders filed her sexual harassment claim. Dolan testified that was designed as leverage. "She asked for $6 million to make the complaint go away," said Dolan, which, he added, he declined to pay.

Dolan said he fired Browne Sanders because she meddled in the Garden's investigation into her sexual harassment claim. It was the final straw, in his view, from an underperforming executive. He emphasized that Browne Sanders was not performing well in her job. On cross examination, Dolan was asked if Thomas has done "quite a good job" as Knicks coach and president.

After a few moments, Dolan said, "Yes."

Thomas will have another opportunity to impress his boss when he resumes on the stand on Wednesday. The verdict is expected on Friday.

Andrew Marchand is the Managing Editor of 1050 ESPN NY.