Knicks 95, Bucks 93

The Knicks played like ass, but still managed to beat the Milwaukee Bucks on a pair of Chan Frye free throws with .8 seconds remaining. Eddy Curry, for maybe the first time in his life, rebounded more than he scored, putting up 10 points and 11 boards, along with 7 turnovers (almost a triple double!) Stephon Marbury and Jamal Crawford each put up 22 points. David Lee had 10 and 9 in only 22 minutes. Mo Williams torched the Knicks once again, putting up 28 points to go with 10 bounds (and 8 turnovers...that was a theme in this game). I missed the whole damn thing being out here in Colorado, so without further ado, I give you game attendee and Your NYK homie, Rodge:

You want game notes? Here's the insider scoop.
Carlos Villanueva wrapup: no hair.
Poor attendance tonight.
During warmups, Jerome James played a fake one on one games with Malik Rose. Threes were taken. There were no casualties.
Actually, Jerome took down one of the ball kids on a drive to the hoop, so make that one scarred for life, none killed, none wounded.
New Knicks PA announcer, which gets me pissed off since I can do most of the old guys calls at will. I'm biased, but he sucks.
Brian Skinner should rethink his hair situation. First off, not a great lookin guy. Second off, the no hair on top but creepy beard with no moustache looks just weird. He looks like a Black Amish guy or an ancient Egyptian pharoah.
During introductions, the crowd applauded Jerome James. Next time I go to MSG I'm gonna sneak in a double-barrelled shotgun and take down the first five applauders I see. Or just Jerome James.
Also, not to pile on Jerome, but he's listed on the big screen as 6'11, 245. Isn't he 7'2 and at least 280?
Aren't the Knicks City Kids creepy? Just wondering.
Mo Williams: Knicks Killer.
At halftime, I checked out a memorabilia booth the Knicks were setting up, and one of the items was the famous Steph finger roll ball over Mehmet Okur. I was ready to buy it, but the asking price was about 980 dollars more than I had on me, so I walked away.
Does Bruce Bowen play for the Bucks? Nate Rob and Lee both came down on peoples feet, and Lee left for the rest of the game save a tiny stint. Surprisingly, Jeffries replaced him well, although he still can't finish.
Who is Jared Reiner?
Marbury was sick down the stretch, drainin 3s, jumpers, taking it to the rack for fouls, and this one time taking a fader that bounced up off the rim about 3 feet and dropped down.
Good god, Jamal Crawford. Thats all I gotta say.
Oh yeah, and fuck you too, Mo Williams.
Did anyone see what happened on the final play? Marbury held the ball for 15 seconds, drove, and put up an airball, but Bogut got called for a loose ball foul with .8 seconds left. I didn't see the foul, but it must've been big for them to make a call with .8 seconds, and I still have no idea what happened.
Up one at the line with .8 seconds left, I say you brick intentionally. Channing Frye, however, doesn't care for such antics.
In closing: 2 games back from the Heat and the Magic, so get pumped.
Game Notes: Not my cup o tea. I'll leave this to you in future, although hey, 1-0 in Rodge-noted games.

Many thanks, Rodge. He managed to touch all of my favorite subjects: facial hair, Bruce Bowen hatred, and Knicks City Kids. I might as well just hand the blog over to him! Again, I appreciate the game notes. Good stuff.

The Knicks next game is on Sunday against the Nets. Back then tomorrow. Peace.

Game Thread: Knicks vs. Bucks

The recently ravaged Knicks are back home this evening to take on Damir Markota and the Milwaukee Bucks. Both teams are stricken with multiple injuries. Charlie Villanueva and Earl Boykins are both hurting for Milwaukee, while Stephon Marbury and Quentin Richardson might be out for your Knicks. David Lee should be returning to play from his hangover flu-like symptoms.

The last time these two teams met (a game that may or may not have actually happened), the Michael Redd-less Bucks surprised the Knicks with hot outside shooting and solid defense. Basically, if the Knicks show the same kind of perimeter defense that they did on Wednesday, they're gonna get torched by Mo Williams and Michael Redd. Hopefully, they'll have a bit of a fire lit under their collective asses after that embarassment in Philly.

This is your game thread, so leave any comments about the game, false teeth, coloring books, "Sister Act", and marbles as the day goes on. I'm missing this one (last time, I promise), but I'll throw together some kind of recap after the game. Your comments help. Go Knicks. Peace.

P.S. I just can't get enough of those old Bucks logos. That deer intrigues me. How would you describe its expression? How do you spin a basketball on a hoof? I know it has antlers and the team is the "Bucks", but doesn't it have very effeminate features? I wanna get to the bottom of this.

Thursday Crumbs

Here's what's floating around the internet after 30 teams put the "dead" in "deadline"...

- R.I.P. Dennis Johnson. The NBA legend died at 52.

- David Crockett at Knickerblogger, in regards to the Sixers game, compares the Knicks to Charlie Brown. A solid parallel, in my opinion. Just when the Knicks show potential, they fall flat on their face. And just like Lucy's football, it gets me every time. (The same could be said, as is pointed out in the post, for misleading blowout losses that make it seem as if the sky is falling. This team is fickle.)

- As you surely know, the Knicks didn't make a deal. Pretty much nobody did. I'm happy for the Knicks and disappointed in the rest of the league. It was kinda like the boys and girls at a 7th grade social, with the various teams standing across the room from one another and checking each other out, but never actually dancing. Pussies.

- Unrelated, but the Nugg Doctor got to visit a Nuggets practice. Unfortunately, he couldn't snatch me a sock to finish my Eduardo Najera shrine. The search continues...

- I like to include at least one picture with every post...so here's a three-toed sloth.

Hell yeah.
That's it for today, kids. Tonight's TNT doubleheader features Chicago and Cleveland followed by Miami and Dallas. The Knicks next game is tomorrow against the Bucks. I'll have your game thread tomorrow (possibly early in the morning). Peace.

Wheeling and Dealing?

Ok, I couldn't wait. The trade deadline is 3 p.m. EST and I'm buggin' out. Rumors are flying from all different directions, but a deal does not seem as inevitable as it has in past seasons. One thing before I delve into this: I can think of almost no trades of which I'd approve. The team is just starting to show signs of unity and chemistry, and I'd hate to see that broken up. Isiah has made some dubious moves in the past, as well. That said...here we go:

- TrueHoop asks if Channing Frye is gonna go anywhere. He might be the Knicks' best bargaining chip. As much as I love Chan and his fuzz-stache, moving him would free up a starting spot for David Lee, and could bring in someone of value, or maybe a draft pick.

- Ian Thomsen hints that the Knicks might want Vince Carter. That sound you hear is my stomach gurgling.

- This article mentions two important ideas. One is the notion of a trade revolving around Channing and Rashard Lewis, which it deems unlikely. The second is Isiah's assertion that the Knicks will not be making any moves today. He's "99.9%" sure of it.

I open this up to all of you. Should the Knicks make a trade? Are the Knicks going to make a trade? Which valuable players are expendable? What do we need? How dirty would you feel about Isiah if the Knicks did make a trade? (My answers: No. No. Frye, maybe. If anything, a backup point or a good 3 point gunner. Extremely dirty.)

This should be interesting! Let me know what you think. Peace.

P.S. If you're anywhere near Darius Miles or Kenyon Martin, kidnap them. You only need to hide them for 16 hours or so.

Sixers 104, Knicks 84

Kyle Korver is an asshole. I missed this game and I'm glad. Here's the recap. Apparently the Knicks cut a deep deficit to 5 behind some Renaldo Balkman activity, but eventually caved to lose in a blowout. Korver had 6 three-pointers and tied a career high with 31 points. It was a trap game, indeed.

That's all for today. I'll be back tomorrow to talk trade deadline. Peace.

EDIT: Forgot to mention...David Lee was out with the ever-mysterious "flu-like symptoms" and Quentin Richardson busted his shoulder. Awesome.

Game Thread: Knicks at Sixers

I might not be around the computer later so I decided to go Early Mornin' Tony on you and get the Game Thread up right now. The Knicks play the second game of a back-to-back tonight (or as the Pounding the Rock guys would call it, a SEGABABA), heading to Philadelphia to take on the Sixers. I mentioned last night that this is a bit of a trap game. The Sixers are plainly shitty since the Iverson trade, but can surprise you with guys like Iguodala, Miller, and Korver (as in the last meeting).

On the other end, the Sixers have ab-so-lutely no one to match up with the the Artist Formerly Known as Mittens. (Ooh! I think I'm gonna start calling Eddy that! Maybe I'll even come up with a cool symbol to take the place of his name!). Samuel Dalembert can block some shots but reminds me of one of those huge inflatable men with the wiggly arms that you sometimes see at car dealerships. He's skinny. Steven Hunter and Shavlik "Gayness" Randolph don't provide much help. It's Eddy's time to stay out of foul trouble and beast all over these Sixer "big men".

"Starting at Center, 6'11'', from Seton Hall University..."
By the way, you realize that if Larry Brown were still coach he'd probably be starting Malik Rose tonight, just because they're playing in Philly? What a fool. 24 wins, Larry, 24.

This here is a game thread so post any comments about the game, Larry Brown, grasshoppers, "Wild and Crazy Kids", sunblock, and swiss cheese as the day goes on. I'll probably be missing this one again, so your filling me in on the nuances of the game would be much appreciated. Go Knicks. Peace.

Knicks 100, Magic 94

Boo-yah! I'll make this quick. The Knicks overcame an 8-0 early hole (probably a result of the continuing Jerome James Experiment, which would be a good name for a band) to take control and defeat the Orlando Magic. Eddy Curry picked up 5 fouls but shot 8-9 to drop 20 points to go with 6 rebounds. Jamal Crawford led the backcourt with another 20 points, including 3 three-pointers. Your Rookie-Soph MVP, David Lee, contributed 14 points and 16 rebounds off the bench, although he did have seven turnovers. The Knicks as a team were an efficient 30-37 from the line. The Manchild led the Magic with 27 points and 14 boards.

As you can probably tell, I missed the entire game and am just going by the boxscore. Oh well. Here's the ESPN recap if you're interested. Side note: Bo Outlaw still plays basketball!?!?!?!? I always liked him.

Anyway, it's good to surpass last year's win total and look towards the future. The Knicks' next 8 games are against sub-.500 teams, so this stretch of the season is pivotal for any playoff hopes. The next game is tomorrow night in Philadelphia, and is a bit of a trap game. Hopefully, the Knicks can start hot and soundly defeat an inferior Sixers team, rather than letting them hang around and threaten. Back tomorrow with your game thread. Peace.

Game Thread: Knicks vs. Magic

And we're back! The Knicks start their most important stretch of the season tonight at the Garden against the Orlando Magic. According to this John Hollinger article (found on Knickerblogger), this just might be the most important game of the season. The Magic are just about where the Knicks strive to be, sitting in the 7th seed at 27-26. This game begins an almost month-long stretch of struggling opponents, which means New York best get their winnin' shoes on tight.

The last time these two teams played (2/3), the Knicks handily defeated the Orlandoans (Orlandoans? Orlandans? OrlandAHNS), 94 to 86. Here's what I wrote after that game:

The Magic couldn't buy a bucket and couldn't handle Eddy Curry (27 points), and the Knicks beat them easily with efficient shooting and strong defense.

Hopefully, the Knicks are ready to rebound (in all senses of the word) after their embarassing loss to the Warriors. I'd love to see them pound the rock into the post and get Eddy Curry another big game against the Magic big men. Limiting the easy attempts (and sticker applications) of Dwight Howard is key to keeping Orlando in check on the other end. Darko Milicic also had a career game in the last meeting.

Lots of questions surrounding this game, too. Jerome James isn't still starting, is he? Is David Lee taking his spot? How is Stephon Marbury feeling? What's Steve Francis' role? How on earth does Dwight Howard get more points for a basic windmill than for the sticker dunk? Doesn't Las Vegas mean "The Diamonds" in Spanish? Does Orlando Bloom root for the Magic? Orlando Cabrera? Aren't 3 Musketeers bars overrated? Nougat in general is kinda bland. What the fuck is nougat anyway? I'd rather have a good Snickers bar any day of the week. I think I'm drifting here. That'll be all.

What were we talking about?
Anyway, I'm still out of town, so I'll very likely miss this whole game. This is a game thread, so post all comments about the game, candy bars, the Swiss Family Robinson, lemurs, Neptune, poison ivy, and the metric system as the game goes on. Since I probably won't get to watch the game, I value your comments today more than ever. Bring it. I'll be back with a short recap (maybe I'll post some of your comments) after the game. Go Knicks! Peace.

EDIT: Happy Birthday Stephon Marbury!

Nate Got Robbed!

Hope everybody enjoyed the All-Star Game. Just thought I'd relay this information I read in a post from The Big Lead at the Fanhouse. Apparently Nate Robinson, your dunk contest runner-up, was practicing a dunk in which he jumped over a blackjack playing Playboy bunny. According to the article (click the link to the Fanhouse to get there), Knicks management turned down the idea for "safety reasons". Like what? Is she gonna pull a Bruce Bowen on him?

Playboy Bunnies have been known to undercut.
Bullshit. That sounds like it would've been a spectacular dunk, as well as a perfect tribute to Vegas. It's kind of a shame. If the league gave Dwight Howard his 12 foot rims, Nate his playboy bunny, and found some decent judges, we might have had a really great dunk contest.

As far as last night goes, the actual ASG has always been my least favorite part of the weekend, and I watched only scattered parts. The highlight of the night, to me, was Shawn Marion throwing down a filthy windmill jam, and then walking away from the scene while letting out a huge, sleepy yawn. Totally Vegas. Oh, I also enjoyed Toni Braxton. I didn't remember Toni Braxton being so hot?

The Knicks' next game is tomorrow against Orlando. I'll be back then with your game thread. Peace.

Sunday Lookalikes

Tyrus Thomas vs. Kelenna Azubuike




All-Star Game tonight! Peace.