The Knicks have been, at various times this season, baffling, disappointing, and disheartening. Not until tonight, however, have they actually made me feel sick to my stomach. The Knicks showed up about 10 minutes late for their game against the Shaq-less, Wade-less Miami Heat. The Heat, in what seemed like a matter of seconds, turned an 8 point lead into a 15 point lead into a 26 point lead as New York stood and watched. You read that correctly. They led the Knicks 29-3 at one point in the quarter, eventually ending the period up 40-12. At some point, the Knicks wiped the sleep out of their eyes, stretched, put their sneakers on, and chipped away at the gargantuan lead, even cutting it to 6 at one point. The comeback gave away late in the fourth however, as Jason Williams hit two running daggers from downtown to stifle the Knicks attempt. All but handed an opportunity to beat an under-manned team, the Knicks played the most disgusting basketball I've seen in quite a while. Not to mention that Marbury's injuries finally caught up to him, and he sat the second half. Whatever. Game notes:
- I've never been to American Airlines Arena, but the place looks straight-up goofy. Even when seats are full, there are these huge red swaths of open space between the sections, which make the building look damn near empty. Give the Miami fans credit for getting really loud, though.
- Noticed that the little design shaved into Wade's hairline is a number 3.
- Curry started the game with a resounding swat of an Alonzo Mourning attempt. It was the only play even resembling a defensive effort in the first quarter.
- You know that HIP commercial that bugs me so much? The one with Earl Monroe? Well, I realized that when the lady comes up and challenges the Pearl to a game of one-on-one, and then sinks that shot, she's shooting from fucking halfcourt. That commercial sucks.
- It probably should've happened earlier, but Isiah clearly stirred the Knicks during a timeout when they were down 29-3. He sat them down, and then simply walked away, standing with his head hung as the players frantically coached themselves. I liked it, to be honest.
- The 27 point run was the largest in Heat record and, I believe, the largest in Knicks record. The first quarter was the Knicks' second worst of all time. The largest was a 42-12 deficit against the Pacers in 1980. (From ESPN).
- Watching Alonzo Mourning play basketball makes me want to eat my own eyeballs. He gets away with anything he wants out there, and takes full advantage of it. He had numerous fouls go uncalled (including trying to pluck out one of Channing's eyes), as well as a goaltend or two that just went unnoticed. I've never liked the guy.
- On a similar note, people keep calling David Lee a "blue-collar" player. I can see how someone who doesn't watch him much would have that notion, but think otherwise. Sure, he grabs a lot of rebounds, but he a. plays some pretty-boy defense, and b. always prefers the double-pump tomahawk to the basic stuff. He likes to hustle, but he's got some flash to him too. "Blue-collar" isn't really his game. There are ups and downs to that.
- Some boxscore notes...Curry had 26 points, but played miserable defense...QRich had a rare stinker from downtown, shooting 2-8...Nate made his first noise on offense, with 11, but played miserable defense for most of the game...Lee had 15 boards...Jason Kapono had an efficient (9-14) 22 points for the Heat.
- The Knicks are 2-24 when they trail at halftime. Which means they're 16-1 when they lead at halftime.
- I was trying to think of some sort of visual, artistic representation of the Knicks' performance in this game, but I think it can be best illustrated with Ron Rothstein's necktie.
Anyway, sorry if I'm a little pissed off, but this is the kind of effort that really tries one's loyalties to a sports team. I still love my Knicks, as I stayed with them through the predictable comeback and the inevitable defeat, but it disgusts me to see them put out that kind of effort against a depleted team. Even teams like the Spurs get criticized for mailing it in, so the Knicks certainly can't get away with it. It should be interesting to see how the Knicks fare (presumably without Marbury) on Wednesday against the far superior Phoenix Suns. Until tomorrow, peace.
EDIT: I was happy to see a few comments on the game thread. Keep it up, kids.
4 comments:
Thank CHRIST I missed this one. Jesus.
I realize this is like saying the sky is blue, but the defense is a huge problem. And here's the thing -- if Steph can get off his ass and D people up, it's about desire, not ability. Isiah needs to convince these punks to give a shit about getting stops. Either that, or Isiah needs to start giving a shit.
Absolutely. I don't know who it was that convinced Marbury to start hustling on D, but he should be in charge.
I did like that when Q was disgusted with the defense he spoke up and called them out.
by the way, you picked the right game to miss, martha. good call on that one.
This season I have no turned off a Knicks game that i started watching unless it was completely necessary (aka obligations other than TV). But my god I came very close on this one. Lets start Malik Rose the next game! Hell we probably will not win anyways, it might be a nice mix up. That guy is a crafty player, almost as crafty as his talking, see: pulling shorts on Pacer's O'Neal last game.
Post a Comment