For the first time in a little while, the Knicks won, and did so without any drama or sweat on my part. A balanced attack from Curry, Crawford, and Marbury, with some great rebounding and interior defense led the Knicks to victory. Game notes:
- Clyde donned a red and green plaid jacket this evening. The man can pull off just about anything.
- In the first quarter, Jeffries air-balled a free throw by the worst margin I've ever seen. He must've missed by about a foot. Yikes. Jared's range can only be seen with a microscope.
- I think the Blazers have my favorite jerseys in the league. They're slick, simple, and still show the same basic template as the uniforms of old.
- LaMarcus Aldridge is sporting one of those outline beards that seems to be all the rage amongst rookie power forwards. Craig Smith and Leon Powe have rocked the jawline fuzz as well.
- Finally, the alley-oop! Both Marbury and Crawford had an oop-tossing bonanza, with Curry being the primary recipient. Curry converted at least 5 easy dunks off of high passes. There's good chemistry on those plays, and I'd like to see the lob thrown much more often.
- Speaking of Curry, young Eddy eats double teams like you for breakfast. He did a much better job of passing out of, and even maneuvering around double and triple coverage in the paint.
- The Knicks really made the Blazers look like...the Knicks. Portland was held at arm's length for most of the game, and every time they made a little run, the Knicks produced a good O-bound or a defensive stop to kill the momentum. It was a taste of opponents' own medicine for the Knicks.
- Crawford did a great job of playing passing lanes, picking off a lot of lazy ones and even converting a sick one-handed fast break flush over Brandon Roy.
- The Blazers have a "Hustle Board" up in the Rose Garden, which posts stats like steals, blocks, and fast break points. That board does not belong in Portland.
- "Codename: The Cleaner" looks like it might very well be the worst movie ever made. I love bad movies, but come on.
- Sergio Rodriguez runs funny. He kinda steps with his heels. I'm not sure. I liked what I saw from him though, even if his name makes him sound like a professional poker player.
- Jamaal Magloire threw down a Harold Miner eyes-covered dunk on Balkman. That, or Magloire was lamenting the Blazers' poor play AND rocking the rim simultaneously, which would be some very talented multi-tasking on his part.
- Martell Webster caught an alley-oop pass from S-Rod and stuffed it right into the crotch of the rim. (The side part where the ball always gets stuck. Is there a better name for that?) It was that kinda night for Webster.
- No one besides Jeffries forced a lot of shots tonight, which indicates good ball movement and patience. Some stat lines: Curry had an efficient 27 and 10, Marbury had 17, 7, and 7. Crawford had 25 and 6 assists. Lee had 9 points, 14 bounds, and 4 very pretty assists.
Anyway, it was a good, relaxing win for the Knicks. Let's hope the momentum carries over to Seattle, where the Knicks can almost wash the previous losses of this road trip. Goodnight.
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