The Knicks resisted a late charge by the lowly Grizzlies and held on to win 98-90. Eddy Curry led the team with 26 points and 15 bounds before fouling out, and had his overall best game as a Knick. The guys nearly shat the bed towards the end, but some stops and a few tough shots from Richardson and Marbury enabled the Knicks to hold on. Game notes:
- Curry had several Mittens moments (fumbled a few passes and shanked some alley-oops) but I was impressed with his effort overall. David Lee was a damn monster in big minutes.
- Kenny Smith's catchword of the night was "recognition", and I can see where he's coming from. At times the Knicks seem to lack not only effort, but an understanding of their situation and the appropriate way to adapt to it. There were a few lapses in recognition late in the game, but I'd say overall the effort and understanding were present.
- Two things for non-MSG viewers...There was a shot of Malik Rose playing with Nate Robinson's toddler son before the game. Also, a view of the announcers showed that Kenny Smith likes to eat Twizzlers during the broadcast. Thought you might wanna know.
- Marbury isn't really an alley-oop guy is he? Francis and Crawford like to set it up for Lee and Curry, but Marbury's strictly a bounce pass guy. Either way, both he and Francis did a nice job facilitating the offense this evening.
- Possible nickname for Crawford: Chilly Bones? Exhibit A: He's really friggin' skinny. Exhibit B: He can go terribly cold in his shooting stroke. Exhibit C: He always has to warm up his hands by blowing into them when he's at the free throw line. Just a thought.
- Pau Gasol took a page out of Cuttino Mobley's book and wore a scarf on the sideline.
- Humpty's got some new hair going on. He kept the dreads in the back, but decided to cornrow the part that's in front of his headband. It looks positively retarded.
- Thought for a new All-Star contest: The NBA Olympics. Obviously, this is impossible because of the injury risk, but wouldn't you like to see which guys could win the 100m dash, the high jump, or the shot put? Tony Parker and T.J. Ford come to mind for the running. I believe Rodney Carney was a high jumper in high school, and Nate Robinson can certainly get up there. Hypothetically, who do you think would compete in this?
- David Lee and Brian Cardinal had an old-fashioned streetball shootout for a few minutes in the fourth quarter. Cardinal said "you got served" with a few jumpers in Lee's face, and then Lee was all like "yo, yo, yo" with some fancy moves around the basket. Shit was tight!
Anyway, the Knicks managed to do just too little to win comfortably and easily. They looked good for most of the game, but left some doubt as they were unable to completely put the game out of reach for some time down the stretch. Like Kenny Smith said, it's all about recognition, kids. We've gotta understand when the momentum might be shifting, when patience is needed, and who the hot shooters are. Rekanize. Goodnight, everyone.
2 comments:
Is David Lee the official starter yet? Channing Frye looks too pre-pubescent for the NBA.
It's tough to say. Lee's certainly played up to the role, but the fact that he's willing and used to sitting on the bench probably leaves Frye in the starting spot.
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