Your New York Knicks.

BIG NEWS: Movin' On Up!

2007-03-08T20:11:00.000-05:00

I've been hinting at a big change for a little while now and, well, the day has come. I'm permanently leaving Your NYK to join SB Nation's basketball wing. The new site is up and it's called Posting and Toasting after the classic Walt Frazier phrase.

Nothing about my actual body of work is going to change, except for the location, so don't worry about that (or do worry about that, you asshole). All that's different is that I'm part of a network, I'll have advertisements, and YOU readers get to create accounts, comment with ease, and write your own mini-posts called diaries.

I urge you to go check it out, and create an account. Help Posting and Toasting blossom into the most badassest community of Knicks fans out there! Boo-yah!

If you have any questions, email me at postingandtoasting@earthlink.net

NOW GO CHECK IT OUT.

Thursday Crumbs

2007-03-08T16:24:00.000-05:00

Hey guys. Not much doin' today, as the Knicks don't play again until Saturday. Here's what's floating around the internet for today...

- Howard Beck gives evidence to prove that Mittens needs Jamal Crawford.

- It's TNT NBA Thursday. Chicago-Orlando (Go Bulls!) followed by San Antonio-Sacto.

- From the Fanhouse, Stephon Marbury's TV show, "Stars on Stars" debuts this Friday. Kobe Bryant will be the first guest.

- Finally, a sweet video for y'all. Here's footage of the end of the game 5 victory that featured Allan Houston's game winning runner against Miami in 1999. Great stuff. The highlight might be Chris Dudley celebrating like "Yay! Yay! Yay!" as he jumps up and down.

By the way, what the hell is Van Gundy so pissed about?

That's it for today kids. Back tomorrow. Peace.

Knicks-Sonics Crumbs

2007-03-07T16:28:00.000-05:00

Here's what's floating around the internet the night after we got THISCLOSE...

- Stop Mike Lupica on the game. By the way, I wasn't completely pleased with Marbury's jacking up a three when the Knicks were up 1, but now that I look at it, Steph had 39 points, he was a red hot 8-10 from downtown, and absolutely no one else had any offense going. It's hard to argue that. I wouldn't have minded a drive to the hole instead. Just saying.

- The Father Knickerbocker breakdown. I'm happy to see that most thinking Knick fans aren't blaming Marbury for the loss. As I was leaving the Garden last night, someone said "Why does Marbury have to SUCK so much!?" That just ain't fair to a guy who dropped 40 points, and single-handedly carried the lifeless Knicks to the brink of victory. Needless to say, I stabbed that guy. Anyone know a good spot to dump a body in Northern Jersey?

- I mentioned it only in passing last night, but I don't think we're gonna see a very dominant Eddy Curry for quite some time. Reasons:
1. Crawford is without question the best on the team at finding Curry in the right spot. Collins and Marbury get their lobs into the big man picked off with regularity. Crawford is also the only one who can work the alley-oop with Curry.
2. With no Crawford, no Lee (for now) and a struggling Quentin Richardson, Curry is very easily doubled. I said it last night, but teams are perfectly willing to leave guys like Jeffries, Collins, and Rose wide open.
3. He just looks sad and tired.

- Rashard Lewis is gonna be a free agent this summer, and wouldn't rule out coming to the Big Apple. I'm not sure how I feel about that at the moment. Your thoughts?

Anyway, that's it for today. It's a real bummer that we have to wait till Saturday to make up ground after that painful loss. And even then, we have to play the very difficult Wizards on their home court. Here's hoping the Nets and Magic suck the big one between now and then. Backatcha tomorrow, kids. Peace.

EDIT: Forgot to mention, the new NBA Carnival is up over at the Hype. It's a good'un. Go check it out.

Sonics 100, Knicks 99

2007-03-06T23:17:00.000-05:00

Ow. In one of the more painful losses in recent memory, the Knicks comeback fell short against the Supersonics, 100-99. Stephon Marbury played his heart out for 47 minutes and 59.1 seconds, but missed the second of two free throws that would have sent the game into overtime. I brought my notepad with me for some game notes, but ended up abandoning that as I got into the game. If you must know my only note was something about how comfortable my Under Armour socks are. So, yeah. Since I didn't write anything down, I'll give you the best I've got in my head. It's not really gonna be game notes. It's more like Assorted Somewhat Silly Randomly Arranged Postgame Emotions. Long title. If only there were an acronym for that. Anyway, here you go:

- I mentioned that Steph played a superhuman 47:59.1. In truth, he played 46 minutes, but he was unbelievable. He got absolutely no help on offense, but completely took over. The Knicks as a team were miserable in the first half, but his hot shooting (he was 8-11 from downtown on the game) kept them in contention. Steph finished with 40 points on 13-22 shooting. The man needs a good hug.

- Quick, hazy recap of the end of the game (after the comeback, which was basically many trips to the line with some Marbury threes mixed in): A ridiculous Marbury three-point play puts the Knicks up by 1. The Knicks get a stop at the other end. Marbury misses a three, and the long rebound gets away from Curry. Rashard Lewis buries a transition three with 5 seconds left. The Knicks call time. The final play is Marbury cutting to the basket and getting fouled. Marbury calmly sinks the first. The second rims out. Game over.

- The Garden is the absolute best basketball arena on the entire planet. I fuckin love the place. We as an audience dserved a win so badly.

- I think I might dedicate a whole post to this in the next few days, but Mittens is pretty much a black hole without Lee and Crawford. JC is great at feeding the big guy and his jump shot has to be respected, while Lee makes similarly nifty passes, and is relatively competent around the rim. Without those two guys on the floor, opposing teams can easily double Curry. If by doubling, you're leaving Jared Jeffries and Malik Rose open, you can double your little heart out.

- Marbury's one missed free throw is what people are gonna remember about this game (I can't emphasize enough that aside from that one in-and-out miss, Steph was absolutely godly), but the Knicks as a team shot only 24 of 38 from the line. That just can't happen.

- Ray Allen was absolutely indefensible in the fourth quarter. He was making shots over double and triple teams, including several huge momentum-killers. The guy sitting next to me said it best: "That's just not fair."

- The Sonics as a team, really, kept up their pace in the second half. It was a different kind of comeback for the Knicks. It's hard to describe, but it just didn't really seem like a flurry of energy to get back in it, followed by emptiness. It felt like they chipped away at the lead, and were legimately in it at the end.

- No Lee, no Nate.

- The Nets lost.

- Last, but certainly not least, big ups to you guys for loading up the comments section. Thanks to Zack for taking the initiative to start the game thread banter. Thanks to Barnesgasm for telling me of the Q-Tip interview and Kenny Smith blunder I missed, as well as comparing Luke Ridnour to a " limbless, yet quadraplegic, midget orphan". Thanks to Bonafied for, well, the Nets loss. SPerez, welcome to the comment section, and Willy, good ~~look~~ luck on your paper. I think that's everybody. I really appreciate your comments, guys. They make this blog worthwhile for me. Keep it up.

I don't even know what else to say right now. I'm tired. We'll talk again tomorrow. Peace.

Game Thread: Knicks vs. Sonics

2007-03-06T15:34:00.000-05:00

The Knicks, winners of two straight, are back home this evening to take on the Sonics. For the last time this season (unless they make the playoffs, maybe), I will be in attendance. What we will be watching is surely a trap game, as was noted by Knickerblogger. Even though the Sonics are a poor team, we can't possibly expect more superhuman performances from the aching Marbury and Francis. (It would be nice, though). The good news is that Q Rich should be back, and Lee and Nate are possibilities. I'm looking for Mittens to rebound from his quiet performance on Saturday. He hasn't been making a lot of noise lately, but Johan Petro and Mouhammed Sene are two bonafide scrubs just asking to be beasted upon. I'm super excited for a potential Lee-Collison White Hustlerz Showdown tonight, as well.

Anyway, back to my original point. It's a potential letdown game, given that we're coming off two straight and playing a shitty team at home. I will do everything in my power to make sure the Knicks start off well, even if it means dodging security guards to get out there and start playing D. I don't wanna jinx anything but, assuming the Nets will lose tonight in Dallas, this game has some significance. That's all I'll say for now.

This is a game thread, so post any comments about the game, watermelons, magnesium, sun dials, and "Tombstone" as the night goes on. Remember more commentz=more winz. Recap later. Peace.

Know the Opponent- Seattle Supersonics

2007-03-05T21:34:00.000-05:00

Meet the Sonics!

#34 Ray Allen- Though most famous for his performance in He Got Game, Ray developed his acting chops playing lead roles in off-Broadway productions of Cats and Les Miserables.

#44 Andre Brown- Andre's rookie cards are used as currency in several war-torn African nations.

#4 Nick Collison- In his past life, Nick was a Ram. Not a sheep ram, a Dodge Ram.

#21 Danny Fortson- Danny has adapted to his cold Northwestern habitat by developing a protective layer of blubber to keep himself warm.

#15 Mickael Gelabale- Mickael wears the same hat size as Mr. Met.

#7 Rashard Lewis- Rashard opted to skip college, but has been spending his summers getting a degree in the Way of the Samurai.

#27 Johan Petro- Johan is quite pleased with his NBA lifestyle, but remains mildly disappointed with this country's selection of discotheques.

#8 Luke Ridnour- For one reason or another, most autograph hounds that Luke encounters are LOTR fanatics.

#18 Mouhammed Sene- Mouhammed's first paying job was as a periscope.

#31 Robert Swift- During the offseason, Robert can be found loitering outside of various malls in the Seattle area.

#25 Earl Watson- Earl's vehicle of choice is a Razor scooter.

#54 Chris Wilcox- In the NCAA, the "Chris Wilcox Rule" prohibits players from rebounding with their teeth.

#12 Damien Wilkins- At Wilkins family reunions, Damien is the valet.

#29 Mike Wilks- Mike is widely considered to be the league's "giggliest" player.

Those are you Seattle Sonics. Game thread and notes cominatcha tomorrow. (I will be in attendance).

Monday Crumbs

2007-03-05T17:29:00.000-05:00

Here's what's floating around the internet on this frigid-ass Monday...

- We've all been wondering how the hell Steve Francis suddenly got better and returned. Stop Mike Lupica knows what's up.

- Chan will be starting at the 4 for the rest of the season.

- Had a look at some mock drafts today. Possibilities:Rudy Fernandez...Daequan Cook...Brandon Rush...

Yeah. That's all I've got for today. Things are gonna slow down a little around here. The Knicks had 5 games last week alone, and have only 4 in the next two weeks. Be prepared for some short posts, some stupid videos, and some polar bears. Sonics KTO cominatcha later. Peace.

Sunday Lookalikes

2007-03-04T13:04:00.000-05:00

Dirk Nowitzki vs. Barry Pepper

See you tomorrow. Peace.

Knicks 104, Hawks 100- OT

2007-03-04T00:30:00.000-05:00

Aw yeah. For the first time in nearly a month, the Knicks pulled out two wins in a row, including a hard fought one tonight in Atlanta. Despite falling down early, the Knicks battled back to send the game into overtime and eventually take over. Stephon Marbury and Steve Francis (!?) were fucking heroic, hitting ridiculous threes and crazy layups to elevate the Bockers. Marbury had 38 (including 11 in OT), and 9 assists. Francis had 26. The bad news was that Q-Rich's bad back finally caught up to him, and caused him to sit most of the game. It's always been a problem for him, and hopefully he'll be back before long. Eddy Curry had a silent night, shooting only 3-12 for 9 points. These things happen.

Either way, good times. The gutsy play of the guards (as well as useful performances by Balkman, Collins, and Jeffries) was delightful to watch. Marbury in particular has to get some kind of recognition for the way he's stepped up his play as of late. Well played, Knicks. Good night everybody, and thanks for the birthday salutations. Back tomorrow with some lookalikes. Peace.

Game Thread- Knicks at Hawks

2007-03-03T10:17:00.000-05:00

I'll make this quick. The Knicks follow their win at home with a trip to Atlanta to take on the Hawks. New York has not won back-to-back games (or lost back-to-back games, while we're at it) since February 6th. Though the Hawks are a poor team record-wise, they handily defeated the Knicks the last time these two teams met in Atlanta on November 3rd. Granted, circumstances were different in November, and the Knicks beat them at the Garden later, but the point is this game is not to be taken lightly. The Bockers regularly come out flat every other game, so pay attention to their body language and overall effort this evening. I'm sick and tired of them shitting away easy games.

Anyway, I'm gonna be oot and aboot to celebrate my birthday tonight, so it'll be another weekend without game notes. I do hope to catch at least some of the game, though. Sorry. If anyone wants to hook them up, I'd obviously be accomodating.

Little housekeeping note: Due to some unsatistfactory use of the comments section (if you read the comments, you know what I'm talking about), I'm turning off anonymous comments. Shouldn't really be an issue. Yeah.

This is a game thread, so post any comments about the game, Greek salad, monster trucks, cottage cheese, and "Blade Runner" as the day goes on. I'll recap later. Go Knicks. Peace.

Know the Opponent- Atlanta Hawks

2007-03-03T09:34:00.000-05:00

(I was about to do one for the Sonics. Glad I checked the schedule.)

Meet the Hawks!

#11 Esteban Batista- At any given Hawks game, about 9% of the audience is made up of Esteban's groupies. On the road, the number drops to about 6%.

#1 Josh Childress- Unbeknownst to most scientists, Josh's bountiful afro is a multi-faceted ecosystem the provides the habitat for various bizarre and undiscovered species, including a mushroom that cures herpes and a fire-breathing seahorse.

#12 Speedy Claxton- Craig Claxton was morbidly obese as a child, and his nickname was derived facetiously. Though he has worked himself into peak physical form, the bitterness of the name still sticks with him.

#36 Royal Ivey- Royal is currently trying to become the first NBA player to clone himself. If he proves succesful, he will immediately become the first active NBA player to come out of the closet.

#8 Anthony Johnson- Anthony's first actions upon returning to Atlanta were to burst into the locker room before a game, holler "I'm back, bitches!", and cut the entire buffet line.

#2 Joe Johnson- In several radical religious sects of the Deep South, Joe is considered a living deity, and his every word is immediately transcribed into scripture.

#44 Solomon Jones- Solomon has spent his whole adult life training to prove those haters who said he couldn't make it in the NBA Shooting Stars Competition wrong.

#10 Tyronn Lue- Tyronn was the league's first ever WNBA call-up.

#3 Slava Medvedenko- Slava prefers the leather ball because it is "more delicious. Taste like bull."

#27 Zaza Pachulia- Zaza leads the league in Cologne Applied per 48 Minutes.

#5 Josh Smith- After a loss, Josh gets out his frustration by swatting seagulls out of the sky.

#20 Salim Stoudamire- When Salim walks into the room, all the women present simultaneously go into labor.

#24 Marvin Williams- Marvin recently purchased a yacht entitled the S.S. Potential.

#33 Shelden Williams- Shelden patterns his game after David Stern.

#42 Lorenzen Wright- Lorenzen plays basketball only because he is 7 feet tall. His real passion is for the accordion.

Those are your Atlanta Hawks. Game thread coming a little later. Peace.

Knicks 106, Warriors 97

2007-03-03T00:55:00.000-05:00

Continuing their win-one, lose-one pattern, the Knicks put away the Golden State Warriors to win their seventh straight at the Garden. Marbury and Richardson got hot from downtown, getting 34 and 30, respectively. I missed the whole damn thing, but that's a good lookin' win for the 'Bockers. I don't know where Zack's at with our game notes, but whatever. I'm ass tired right now, so I'll hit you with the Sonics KTO some time tomorrow. Peace.

UPDATE-IZZLE: Our boy Barnesgasm got some game notes in lieu of Zack's M.I.A. notes. (We still love you, Zack.)

Back to backs are hardest on the blogger, my friend. I'm feeling one of your late night boredom thingies right about now, so here's some abridged game notes to pick up Zack's slack.
Old PA guy is back. Sweet.
I get into more detail on my site, but I watched Matt Barnes warm up for like 20 minutes, and semi-interacted with Adonal Foyle and Jerome James, but fuck them.
Lots of French for Mickael Pietrus. Weird.
The warriors are missing Stephen Jackson's firepower (get it? firepower?) and Baron Davis' charity work (He loves helping kids. No humor there.) so the injuries cancel out.
Harrington is wet against the Knicks, this is like his fourth game against us this season.
What is this early lead you speak of? Don't worry, we blow it by halftime.
Unit of death sighting: Collins, Francis, Balkman, Malik, Frye. Yeech.
Curry kills Foyle and Biedrinis early. This is a theme.
Q is hitting every open shot.
At the end of the first half, Mardy Collins has played 8 minutes, touched the ball twice, and gotten called for traveling twice, as far as I can tell.
Marbury and Q are on fire. On every fast break, Jamal/Marbury pulls up at an 18 footer for no apparant reason with nobody who can possibly, and drains it.
Marbury is shitting. Watch out, and supply your own toilet paper.
All year, the Knicks give up a shitload of threes, and all year, we continue to play the 2-3 zone, which has the premise of forcingthe opponent pass along the perimeter and hit open jumpers. Zeke is merciless.
Key play of the game: Down two with 4 minutes left, Mardy Collins steals a pass at about the three point line, evades two defenders with a half court dribble, and finishes with a finger roll to tie the game. He then grabs a key rebound at the other end, and the Knicks score 10 straight to take the lead for good. The only other time "Mardy Collins" and "key" will ever appear in the same sentence will occur in 2023, when Collins, now a successful real estate agent, locks his keys inside the car out of spite after they savage him 11-5 in a game of pickup basketball, allowing him to keep his pride but not the respect of his family, and he totally busts a coathanger trying to get back in the car.
Matt Barnes: DNP. Oh well.
Huge games from Marbury (34 - ridiculous jumper tonight) Q (30, 12 - all over, knocked down at least 4 threes) 20 plus from Eddy, who needs to learn how to pass badly if we want to win more games, and an acceptable 7 and 7 from Steve Francis, which I'll take any day from a backup guard.
Knicks are 3 back of Miami, 3.5 back of Indy, 2 back of NJ, and 1 back of Orlando. Must beat the Hawks tomorrow/tonight.
I'm done, and still not tired. Matt Barnes's crack residue must have rubbed off on me.

Appreciate it, 'Gasm. I hope your encounter with Mr. Barnes was magical. Goodnight, everybody.

UPDATE AGAIN: Zack is, thankfully, alive, and hit us with some belated game notes. Thanks for the notes, homie.

ah im very very sorry. i had to catch the 1120 train back which didnt get into my stop till 1230 about and i didnt get home till close to 1. i had to go to bed when i got home because i had a SAT course this morning at 8. anyways i am extremely sorry for no notes. anyways here are just some.
Balkman had a nasty ass dunk in the pregame warmups(1 hand thomahawk with authority), he took off just as the "take me home" song started.
a knicks city dancer performed our national anthem, wasnt expecting that for some reason.
the knicks city kids are actually more talented then the knicks city dancers, but still annoy greatly, just their size and looks i guess.
collins had a mean behind the back cross-over going down the court, he looked so out of control but converted anyways.
Harrington was money early on but then really cooled down later.
frye hesited on far too many of his jumpers tonight, and thus missed.
lee was out yet again, all of the knicks bounds came from Q who had 12. he also could shoot the three all night.
marbury had a couple of nice dribble stop jump shots that you could tell were going to go in before he even stopped dribbling.
i got very nervous when the knicks went down three, i said here we go again, but they proved me wrong and went crazy in the last 3 minutes.
curry had a very quite yet effective game. still too many turnovers for my liking. he dropped 3 good passes in scoring positions for seamlessly no reason. one was from balkman under the hoop.
the guy sitting behind kept screaming cmon marbury cmon marbury pop the j pop the j over and over again and everytime jefferson came in the game he would say no dont put him back in hes not ready hes not ready hes not ready. i guess it was from his usual facial expression.
a constestant for the continental shooting game got booed. he missed about 15 shots from mid-right wing the same way each and every time- short, barely hitting the rim with no ark.
a good game for the knicks nonetheless with some very timely hooping down the stretch. sorry i couldnt give you better game notes and earlier. i apologize. next game im going to is in 2 weeks, ill try and do better. go knicks.

Forgiven, buddy. Hope you enjoyed the win!

Game Thread: Knicks vs. Warriors

2007-03-02T15:09:00.000-05:00

The Knicks are back home tonight to take on the Warriors. Fact: The Knicks have alternated wins and losses since February 6th. Fact: they just lost...badly. Prediction: the Knicks is gonna win tonight. They better not prove me wrong.

Sounds like at least one of the incapacitated squad- Lee, Robinson, and Francis- will be ready to go tonight. Or all three. Or none. Who the fuck knows? (I give the best analysis.)

I'm most likely gonna be out of the house, so I won't be providing you with any game notes this evening. If truth be told in the comments section, however, our boy Zack will be at the Garden, and will provide us with some game notes later tonight. Everyone enjoy the game, and hide the women and crack rocks, because Matt Barnes is in town! Recap coming later. Go Knicks. Peace.

Know the Opponent: Golden State Warriors

2007-03-01T20:32:00.000-05:00

Meet the Warriors!

#7 Kelenna Azubuike- Kelenna moonlights as an OB/GYN.

#22 Matt Barnes- Matt is the prototypical human being. Every cell of his body is perfect, and everything he says and does is right. Matt is without flaw.

#15 Andris Biedrins- If Andris loves one thing, it's blocking shots. If he's loves two things, they're blocking shots and chain smoking.

#11 Zarko Cabarkapa- If Zarko were a foot shorter, he'd be in weird arthouse movies.

#5 Baron Davis- In what many experts consider one of the greatest upsets of all time, Baron revealed that his favorite Ninja Turtle is Leonardo.

#8 Monta Ellis- Monta patterns his game after President Calvin Coolidge, who was known for his extraordinary leaping ability, fluid jumper, and cool demeanor.

#31 Adonal Foyle- Someday, Adonal plans to retire from basketball and seek public office. His teammates are trying desperately to nominate him for the '07 elections.

#1 Stephen Jackson- Every time Stephen looks in the mirror, somewhere, a panda dies.

#33 Sarunas Jasikevicius- Sarunas' hairstyle is now very popular amongst Lithuanian teenagers, and is known as "Tąs Drącųla".

#26 Patrick O'Bryant- Last summer, Patrick went to a convention for people named "Patrick O'Bryant" and felt out of place.

#2 Mickael Pietrus- In another example of NBA players beating the odds, Mickael was born a mer-man. Doctors thought he would never be able to play basketball due to his fishy tail, but Mickael braved the odds to develop a pair of working legs. And, well, you know the rest of the story.

#21 Josh Powell- Josh was recruited by NC State for both basketball and gymnastics, but was forced to pick one of the two.

#23 Jason Richardson- Jason is legally blind, and uses sonar to locate defenders.

And those are your Golden State Warriors. Game thread cominatcha tomorrow.

Thursday Crumbs

2007-03-01T15:28:00.000-05:00

Here's what floating around the internet the day after the Knicks nearly made me lose my lunch...

- It's TNT NBA Thursday. Tonight's telecast includes Cavaliers, Mavaliers, Cavalippers, and Sonics. Random prediction: 2 of those teams will win, and two will lose.

- Howie the Hype, one of my personal favorite blogsmiths del mundo has been abducted by the Fanhouse. (By the way, if the Fanhouse were an actual "house"- like a building- what the hell would that be like?)

- Due to various circumstances, I'm gonna have to start posting a little later in the day, probably starting next week. I'm gonna try to do the KTO's the night before a game, but crumbs and game threads are gonna come a little later in the evening.

- Skeets at the Fanhouse tells us of Stephon Marbury shedding tears over Jamal Crawford's injury. It's a little goofy, but you've gotta love the camraderie. This is certainly an improvement from Malik and Nate brawling in the nude.

- Read in the Times today that Steve Francis has magically gotten better, and might play as soon as Friday. Who didn't see that coming? David Lee sounds like he might be back for Golden State as well.

- Kevin at Clipperblog got to shoot the halfcourt shot at the Clipper game last night, and his account is a great read. (Found on TrueHoop.) I turned down an opportunity to do the contest where you have to match the Knicks City Dancer's dance moves at a game earlier this year.

Anyway, that's all for today. I'll have your Warriors KTO up some time tonight or tomorrow. Enjoy the TNT action. Peace.

P.S. When I woke up this morning, I thought to myself "Hey, you know what the blog needs? More polar bears. There's a serious shortage of polar bears at Your NYK." I'm gonna make a concerted effort to give you more polar bears, dammit.

Celtics 102, Knicks 94

2007-02-28T22:00:00.000-05:00

Ohh, the torment. In what may have been the most torturous game of the season, the Knicks came out sickeningly flat in the first half, made the predictable comeback in the second half to take the lead at various points only to go on and lose. This team just continues to amaze me. How on earth do you play that badly in the first half and then wipe it away in the second? It's like Isiah Thomas pulled the Bugs Bunny trick from Space Jam on them during halftime. Either way, it was a loss to a horrible Celtics team. Here are some very brief game notes (I skipped out on much of this one, only to come back when I saw they had cut the lead):

- It's kinda weird to see footage of Crawford's game-clincher against the Heat, knowing that during all that celebrating he had a fractured ankle.

- Balkman is now sporting some Troy Hudson style dreadtails. Not a good look.

- The Celtics had a very nice tribute to Dennis Johnson before the game, and both coaching staffs wore green "3" pins in his honor.

- Nate Robinson was out with the flu, which has been making its rounds in the Knick locker room. That meant Mardy Collins was the first guy off the bench. Yeah.

- Mardy had his moments, but, overall, was not very promising.

- Al Jefferson is GOOD. He doesn't look that big, but he's got a wide arsenal of post moves and a real nose for the ball around the basket. He had 26, 9, 5, and 2 blocks, all while essentially playing with one hand. The other was heavily bandaged.

- Watching Mardy Collins and Malik Rose hoist jumpers in the first half evoked memories of Shandon Anderson and Howard Eisley. It was one of those, "Wow, we're letting these people shoot?" moments that were so common before Isiah came.

- Paul Pierce has all of the facial expressions of a bitchy pre-teen girl. I do not like Paul Pierce and I do not like the Celtics.

- Jeffries had his best game as a Knick, despite foul trouble. He had 16 and 6 on 8-9 shooting. Marbury had 23 and 6. Q came out of his slump to have 24 and 8, including 5 threes.

Anyway. For one reason or another, of all the Knicks games I've ever seen, this may have been the most unbearable to stomach. They were so miserably listless in the first half, that it made me literally sick. They played like they hadn't been fed in a few days, or something. Then, the ups and downs of the close second half only worsened the pain. It's things like this that really test my patience. The fact that it was the Celtics makes it even worse. Ugh. Some years down the road, when the Knicks are a contender, remind me that they once played games like this. That is all. Back tomorrow. Peace.

P.S. The Heat beat the Wizards.

P.P.S. Totally forgot Bill Murray was in Space Jam. Wow.

Fuck. This.

2007-02-28T20:31:00.000-05:00

Yup. The vomiting guy is coming out again tonight. Brian Scalabrine just had a block, a 28-footer and a dunk in a matter of 5 minutes. The Knicks are down 20 in the second quarter to the Celtics- the worst team in the league. I'm not watching this shit. I've seen this game before. They'll cut it to 6, maybe 4 somewhere in the late third or early fourth quarter, and then lose by 10-12. Forget it. Maybe I'll put up a few of my game notes later.

UPDATE: The Knicks have cut it to 8, and now down to 3. I'm watching. This team owns me.

Game Thread: Knicks at Celtics

2007-02-28T15:17:00.000-05:00

The Knicks head to Boston tonight to take on the Celtics. It's their first game without Jamal Crawford. I read in the paper this morning that Q would be moving to the 2-guard and Jeffries would be starting. To me, that's acceptable for now. It'll be interesting to see how the newly freed 38 minutes are distributed among the healthy bodies. I wouldn't mind seeing more of the rooks, Balkman and Collins, at least to see what they can bring to the table in extended burn. Keep an eye on that.

I hate the Celtics with the spite of a thousand men, so I hope the Knicks can completely neuter them tonight. I implore you to join me at 7:30 this evening, as our little discussions in these parts are plenty entertaining. This here is the game thread, so post any comments about the game, Rapper Big Pooh, urology, cheese graters, and slush as the night goes on. Go Knicks. Peace.

(P.S. It sounds as if tonight is the night Boston will honor the recently passed Dennis Johnson.)

EDIT: I've gotta include this. There was talk of the Knicks saying no to a Nate Robinson dunk that involved a playboy bunny and a blackjack table. Well, J.E. Skeets at the Fanhouse found the damn thing. Here's the video. That woulda been sick.

Know the Opponent: Boston Celtics

2007-02-27T21:24:00.000-05:00

Meet the Boston Celtics!

#42 Tony Allen- While some are notorious for breaking backboards with thunderous dunks, Tony once shattered the glass during practice with a routine jumpshot.

#4 Ryan Gomes- Ryan speaks fluent Klingon.

#5 Gerald Green- In Gerald's home state of Texas, "Greenery" is a petty crime described as "jumping over unsuspecting pedestrians".

#7 Al Jefferson- Al's favorite pre-game snack is a mule.

#41 Michael Olowokandi- Michael's offseason weightlifting regimen includes grocery shopping and "Twister".

#43 Kendrick Perkins- The Celtics organization does not invite Kendrick to charity events anymore because he makes the sick children cry.

#34 Paul Pierce- In an unreleased Sports Illustrated survey of the whole NBA, Paul was voted the league's "Least Huggable" player.

#0 Leon Powe- Leon's high-fives can produce Richter Scale readings of up to 7.

#50 Theo Ratliff- In a "Weekend at Bernie's"-esque scenario, the Celtics have taken to dressing Theo's corpse in a warmup jacket and sitting it on the bench during games.

#12 Allan Ray- On Halloween, Allan startles trick-or-treaters by popping out his eyeball when he answers the door.

#9 Rajon Rondo- Rajon impresses his teammates by palming their cars.

#44 Brian Scalabrine- Like Shaq and Ray Allen before him, Brian has branched out into acting. He skips occasional practices to tape episodes of "The War at Home".

#55 Wally Szczerbiak- After basketball, Wally plans to reach out to underprivileged kids by founding the "Wally Szczerbiak Center for Kids Who Can't Read Good".

#30 Sebastian Telfair- In 2004, Sebastian was a fun-loving high school student with a budding career in film, theater, and dance. He landed his first role in the basketball drama "Through the Fire". In a bizarre event of confusion, the Portland Trailblazers, enamored with Sebastian's compelling performance, mistook the film for a documentary and drafted him in the first round. Befuddled, but pleasantly surprised with the money, Sebastian has been "playing" professional basketball ever since.

#13 Delonte West- Delonte solicits haircare advice from teammate Brian Scalabrine.

And those are your Boston Celtics. Game thread coming tomorrow.

Tuesday Crumbs

2007-02-27T15:16:00.000-05:00

Here's what's floating around the internet the day after Curry out-Shaqed Shaq...

- Fuck. Jamal Crawford needs ankle surgery, and is done for the season. That makes two key guards done for the year, and one (Marbury) visibly ailing. It's a bummer to lose Jamal just when he was starting to find a bit of a rhythm, and I wish him a speedy recovery. For now, what does this do to the starting lineup? The Knicks are probably gonna need to sign someone in the upcoming days. By the way, check out the last sentence of that ESPN article:

New York is 26-32 and was two games out of the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs entering Tuersday's game at Boston.

First of all, they use the phrase "was two games out", which sounds very much like an obituary. Losing Crawford sucks, but I wouldn't say that this dooms the team just yet. Second of all, they refer to the Boston game being on "Tuersday", which is like some combination of Tuesday and Thursday. The game is on Wednesday.

- I read the Harvey Araton article about All-Star Weekend in the NY Times this morning, and was a little dismayed. Henry Abbott of TrueHoop addresses this article, an article by Dave Zirin, and the notorious one by Jason Whitlock.

- The ever-hilarious Hype Guy with some Knicks 'toons.

That's all for today. Leave your thoughts on the JC injury, and how the Knicks might react, in the comments. Back tomorrow (Tuersday?) for the Celtics game. Peace.

Knicks 99, Heat 93

2007-02-26T22:19:00.000-05:00

Oh yes. Fresh off a disappointing loss, the Knicks rebounded to defeat Miami 99-93, in most dramatic fashion. The game was back-and-forth throughout, with neither team leading by more than 9. Jamal Crawford's three pointer sealed the deal in the final minute, as the Knicks won their 6th straight at home. Game notes:

- You know those Dunkin Donuts commercials that are narrated by John Goodman? I always picture him in a recording booth, sitting Indian style as he lays down his voice-over, surrounded by a piles of half-eaten donuts and cookies. Maybe that's just me.

- Q Rich seems to have mislaid his touch from outside, but he brings so much posting up, on the glass, and on defense, that he demands minutes. I really like that about him. I wouldn't mind seeing him post up smaller 2's and 3's a little more often.

- Interesting sequence...after a timeout, the Knicks were inbounding with 2 seconds on the shot clock. The predictable alley-oop attempt to Eddy Curry was broken up, but the tip went directly to Malik Rose, who calmly sank a jumper.

- Speaking of Malik, he came out and really delivered for the Knicks on the defensive end. He pestered Shaq constantly, drawing a charge or two and getting in his ear. Great effort from the "White D-Lee", as our boy Barnesgasm would call him.

- The alley-oop play didn't work more than once this evening, actually. Crawford kept slamming his passes off the backboard. It was strange.

- Clyde reacting to a shot of the Knicks City Dancers: "The hooplah and pageantry of the NBA!" That wasn't what I was thinking...but whatever. Oh, Clyde. How do you manage to be so cool and so uncool at the same time?

Some hooplah...a litte pageantry...but mostly boobies.
- Little note: Nate fucked up his complex free throw routine at one point the second quarter. He forgot to rub his tattoo! Nate hit the free throw anyway.

- The Knicks did not commit a single shooting foul in the first half. The Heat took ONE free throw on a technical foul. For the game, the Knicks took 39 free throws to the Heat's 8. Somewhere, Pat Riley is complaining.

- Shaq surpassed 25,000 points for his career midway through the first quarter. Good for him. In the third quarter, I hit 70,000 farts for my lifetime. Press conference tomorrow afternoon.

- Clyde on Shaq's 25K: "Imagine how many he'd have if he could shoot free throws!"

- At one point, Shaq and Eddie Jones went for the same rebound, and ended up giving it away. Shaq gave EJ a death stare that would make most grown men pee and poo at the same time. Mike Breen reminded (find, found...bind, bound...remind, reminded...you explain that.) the viewers that Jones and O'Neal had some beef back when they played in L.A. Forgot about that.

- Two of my favorite plays of the game came at the expense of Alonzo Mourning, who was preening and posturing for the crowd all night. Play Number 1: Mittens posts up Mourning, who responds by repeatedly pulling Eddy's arms, grabbing his arms, and kicking him. Despite all this, Eddy catches the pass and calmly sinks a hook shot in his face. Play Number 2: Mourning dunks over Mittens and runs back down court making some kind of celebratory ruckus. Marbury takes the inbounds pass, goes coast-to-coast and shoulder-checks Mourning to the floor while dropping in a layup. That was sweet.

- It was a tale of two quarters in the second half. In the third quarter it was all Curry, as he dropped in 16 points. In crunch time, though, the guards took over. Marbury put up 18 and and Crawford 10 in the fourth.

- Jason Kapono was seen quizically stroking his neck stubble after a dubious foul call. (By the way, I think Kapono is officially a Knick-killer.)

- Clinching play of the game...with the Knicks up 1, Malik Rose throws a pass that gets tipped by Udonis Haslem. The loose ball rolls right to Jamal Crawford, who sinks an uncontested three from the corner. Boo-yah.

- More important on that final play, however, was Channing Frye's reaction. A shot of the bench showed an ecstatic Frye (6'11'') jumping onto the back of 6'5'' Mardy Collins. Mardy didn't really seem to mind. Moral of the story: Chan needs to hit the weight room a little.

- Hmm..since we haven't had a photo in a few lines, who's up for a little more hooplah and pageantry?

I thought you might be.
- Some stat lines for y'all to nibble on...Curry had 28 and 11, including 10-13 from the line...Marbury had 25, including 3 three-pointers...Crawford had 20 on 5-10 shooting...Kapono led the Heat with 24, including 4 three-pointers.

- Final note: some ch-ch-ch-changes are going on in these parts. I'm currently working on something that's gonna make this blog bigger, prettier, and better for you readers. I won't give it away yet, but big changes should be coming in the upcoming weeks.

That's it for tonight. The Knicks are nearing that 8th seed, and picking up some wins over this upcoming stretch of sub-.500 opponents could be the push that it takes to get to the playoffs. New York needs to stop letting teams hang around though. Halftime leads must be expanded upon, to avoid letting teams hang around, as happened tonight. Either way, I'm happy for now. Back tomorrow. Peace.

Game Thread: Knicks vs. Heat

2007-02-26T16:24:00.000-05:00

The Knicks are back home tonight to face the Miami Heat. The Knicks best get their act together and make up for their loss last night by defeating the Wade-less Heat. David Lee may be returning, while it looks like Steve Francis may be done for...well...forever. Jerome James might finally make some sense in the starting lineup tonight, as there has to be someone on the floor to foul Shaquille O'Neal. Yeah.

I told you these were gonna be shorter. Anyway, this is a game thread, so post any comments about the game, the new Know the Opponent feature, fried rice, sandboxes, badminton, "Chill Factor", and komodo dragons as the night goes on. I'll be back later with your game notes. I'm starting to believe that numerous comments increase the Knicks' chances to win, so bring the damn comments. Go Knicks. Peace.

Know the Opponent: Miami Heat

2007-02-26T01:15:00.000-05:00

Hey. So it's 1 in the morning and I can't fall asleep. Most of my good ideas (like the decision to start this blog) come during bouts of insomnia, and I think I just had a new one. Basically, I'm gonna pare down the game threads, which are mostly bullshit you already know, and add in this new feature. In the KTO, as it will be known, I'll dissect (figuratively) every player on the opposing team with some made-up facts and jokes. I guess I'm bored (as are you, probably) with stating the obvious in game previews, and would rather give you something nonsensical that you can't find elsewhere. This is the 200th post at Your NYK, by the way, so I guess it's a ripe time for a little change. I'm sure this new feature will evolve, expand, or disappear as time goes on. Let me know what you think. We'll see. Anyway, here goes nothing...

Meet the Miami Heat!

#30 Earl Barron- Earl used to play for the now-defunct Florida Flame of the NBDL. The franchise was shut down when they realized that their players were "Flamers".

#51 Michael Doleac- Michael shaves his head because he thinks it makes him look like Shaq.

#40 Udonis Haslem- After basketball, Udonis plans to start his own brand of mouthguards.

#6 Eddie Jones- Though he usually chooses not to, Eddie has the ability to teleport.

#24 Jason Kapono- The net of Jason's childhood basketball hoop housed a very large hornet's nest. Thus, he never ventured near the rim for fear of being stung. To this day, Jason maintains at least a 20 foot distance from all rims.

#33 Alonzo Mourning- Alonzo roars and flexes his muscles after succesfully defacating.

#32 Shaquille O'Neal- In elementary school, Shaq was actually a pair of twins. Shaquille and Elliuqahs were two slight, sickly children. Elliuqahs was resigned to his stature, and took up reading poetry for fun. Shaquille, however, dreamed of being a basketball star. One day in 1982, while Elliuqahs was sleeping, Shaquille ate him.

#20 Gary Payton- When not playing basketball, Gary walks on all fours.

#42 James Posey- James can fit a whole basketball in his mouth.

#11 Chris Quinn- Due to a clerical error, the ballboy roster was mixed up with the team roster and Chris received his first contract to play for the Heat.

#25 Wayne Simien- If Wayne were on a desert island, he could sustain himself for nearly 2 years by eating his own biceps.

#3 Dwyane Wade- Dwyane knows the names of only three other players on the Heat. He refers to the rest by number. Not by jersey number...just by any number he chooses.

#8 Antoine Walker- Antoine's famous "shimmy" celebration is a tribute to his best friend: Jello.

#55 Jason Williams- Jason's various tattoos are actually temporary. He just never bathes.

#1 Dorell Wright- Dorell is actually one of those made-up players in NBA Live drafts. Through some combination of voodoo and wizardry, he was spawned from a Playstation 2 in early 2004.

And those are your Miami Heat. The game thread will come (much) later.

EDIT: I just realized, I probably got this idea from InsideHoops.com's old free agent rankings, which used to be chock full of hilarious bogus information. Just mentioning that.

Nets 101, Knicks 92

2007-02-25T20:49:00.000-05:00

Dammit. Just when the Knicks really needed to get over the hump, they crapped away a great first half to bow to the Nets, 101, 92. The recent Charlie Brown comparison at Knickerblogger seemed to apply once more. The Knicks were coming off a win, up by 9 at the half, and roaring to a second consecutive victory but, just like that, the Nets pulled the football away and New York found themselves on their asses once again. Really sucks. Game notes:

- David Lee sat with a sprained ankle. The Beast did not look happy to be confined to a suit. It caged in all of his hustle and ferocity. I bet Dave's gonna go home and break some shit.

- The Knicks first offensive possession of the game was a doozy. Jerome James tried to show us his Globetrotter moves by looping a retarded one-handed pass to Eddy Curry, who wasn't expecting it. Curry saved it from going out of bounds. Maintaining possession, Marbury drove to the hole and got stripped midway, but the ball caromed back to James. "Big Snacks" then stumbled, but on his way down threw in a layup. I'm pretty sure that's not how it was drawn up.

- Vince Carter takes way too damn long to shoot his free throws. It makes me wanna kick him in the head. Actually, almost everything VC does makes me wanna kick him in the head.

- It was a shootout early on...between Jerome James and Mikki Moore.

- Did you know the Oscars were tonight? I don't think I've seen more than two of the nominated movies. This blog business keeps me occupied.

What the fuck? Jared Jeffries!?
- Kerry Kittles' name was tossed around in the game thread, and I'm pretty sure I saw him sitting behind the Nets bench.

- In back-to-backs, the Knicks are 6-8 in the first game (including tonight) and 3-10 in the second game (which does not bode well for tomorrow night).

- Marbury was singin' solo in the first quarter, lighting it up for 13 points (including 3 treys) with a chorus of boos as his backup music.

- Herb Williams mentioned this pre-game, and young Mittens proved it, that Curry be a big offensive presence even when he isn't scoring, simply because he draws so many double teams.

- When Channing Frye does not hesitate, he does not miss, unless it's a three.

- Mikki Moore is the boogeyman. He scares the shit outta me.

"BOO!"
- Speaking of Moore...Renaldo Balkman was guarding him at one point, making for what might be the hairiest matchup in NBA history.

- Clyde attributed a Nets 3-second violation to the Knicks' "nagging, sagging defense". Someone needs to mash Clyde-isms up with a beat. I'm telling you it'd be great.

- Wasn't Lawrence Frank just an interim for Byron Scott? How often does the interim coach end up sticking around for as long as he has? I guess that huge win streak when he took the reigns probably helps. He's now very close to first for all-time Net wins.

- I blame the Knicks third quarter collapse on the Temptations. They performed at halftime. (Actually, it was pretty cool.)

101-92...Oh, how I wish it would rain.
- Bostjan Nachbar went nuts in this game, including one hilarious sequence. The boyish little Slav they call "Boki" showed a streak of brutish ferocity, as he dunked over Jared Jeffries and then let out a big, fat, Eastern European fist pump- BYAAAAH!- in Jeffries' face. Unfortunately, his fist pump was a little too close to said face, and Nachbar got hit up with a technical. He then resumed being the boyish little Slav they call "Boki".

- The difference between the two halves was simply that the Knicks couldn't miss in the first half, and couldn't buy one in the second half. They relied waaaaaay too much on jump shots, and were only encouraged to do so by their relative success in the first two quarters.

- Carter had 40, 9, and 8 for the Nets. Asshole.

That's pretty much it. The Knicks rode their hot shooting to a first half lead but, as was bound to happen, their reliance on the J caught up to them and they crapped away what could've been a huge win. I hate the Nets. It doesn't get easier, as the Knicks have to immediately face the Miami Heat tomorrow night. They absolutely need that one, considering the ground they lost with tonight's in-divison defeat. Back tomorrow. Peace.

Game Thread: Knicks at Nets

2007-02-25T11:27:00.000-05:00

The Knicks head across the river today to take on Mile Ilic and the New Jersey Nets. David Lee is questionable for the game, while Jason Kidd is playing through a variety of injuries for NJ. (Insert joke here). Hopefully, there's some measure of revenge for the Knicks because, as you surely remember, the Nets sunk us in January on a Splifford Robinson tip-in. That hurt. I want payback. Anyway.

People often ask me why I'm not a Nets fan. The tickets are cheaper, Continental is closer to my house, the team is better, etc. I always say that I can't just become a Nets fan. My love for the Knicks has been ingrained somewhere in my DNA, and I just can't shake it. This isn't the same for everbody, though. See, in the 90s, there were probably 6 Nets fans on earth (and 3 of them were on the roster). Abruptly, the Nets and Knicks switched places on the basketball food chain, with the Knicks putting in their first losing season in a while in 01/02, the same year the Nets went to their first NBA finals in a long time. The Knicks haven't had a winning season since, and the opposite for the Nets. Thus, in this new millenium, we've seen a crop of Nets fans arise like weeds. It's a strange breed. The Net fan probably used to be a Knick fan, but gave up on the team when they started losing. His favorite player is either Jason Kidd or Vince Carter (or even Kenyon Martin). He watches games only when they play the Knicks. He thinks Walt Frazier is annoying. He is every reason why I hate the New Jersey Nets. (For all the real Nets fans out there, with your Antoine Wright jerseys and your season tickets, bless your twisted little hearts. Keep truckin'.)

So let's win this damn thing, New York. Win it because of those treacherous Net fans. Win it because Continental Airlines Arena doesn't have a decent restaurant anywhere near it and smells funny. Win it because Jason Collins is a fugazi. Win it because Uncle Spliffy shot down your dreams. Win it for AMERICA.

That's my pump-up speech for today. If you can't tell, I really need a win today. This is the first Knicks action I've seen in a week, and I'm excited. Let's hope the guys can buck the trend of following wins with blowout losses, and put away these inferior Nets. This is a game thread, so post any comments about the game, the Meadowlands, falafel, slippers, "The Boondocks", and cray-pas as the day goes on. The game's at 6 p.m, kids. Go Knicks. Peace.

EDIT: For, like, an actual preview, head to Father Knickerbocker.

Sunday Lookalikes

2007-02-25T00:36:00.000-05:00

Yo. Finally back in Jersey after a day of travel. Since I didn't post at all on Saturday, I give you an Xtra-bonus, limited edition, twilight installment of the Sunday Lookalikes. I'm sure someone somewhere has mentioned this lookalike before, but here it goes anyway...

Mike Bibby vs. John Brown of The (white) Rapper Show

Hallelujah Holla back!

Knicks 95, Bucks 93

2007-02-23T23:31:00.001-05:00

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

2007-02-23T12:21:00.000-05:00

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

2007-02-22T18:07:00.000-05:00

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?

2007-02-22T00:07:00.000-05:00

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

2007-02-21T23:26:00.000-05:00

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

2007-02-21T09:53:00.000-05:00

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

2007-02-21T00:12:00.000-05:00

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

2007-02-20T11:23:00.001-05:00

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!

2007-02-19T09:41:00.000-05:00

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

2007-02-18T09:41:00.000-05:00

Tyrus Thomas vs. Kelenna Azubuike

All-Star Game tonight! Peace.

Game Thread: Footraces, Slam Dunks, 'n' Three Pointers

2007-02-17T19:34:00.000-05:00

I'm here in Colorado with a TV in front of me and laptop in hand. Here's your spot to talk about the Barkley-Bavetta showdown, the Three-Point Shootout, and, of course, the Dunk Contest. Root for Nate to prove to all the haters that he really can throw down with the best of them (on the first try). It's gonna be a fun night. Backatcha later. Peace.

EDIT: If you're a hardcore NBDL fan who wants to discuss that All-star Game, feel free to do that as well. Wouldn't wanna leave anybody out...

Your 2007 Rookie Game MVP

2007-02-16T23:57:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Knick sophomore DA-VID LEEEE for dropping 30 points (14-14 from the field!) to win the MVP of the Rookie-Sophomore game as the Sophs gloriously destroyed their younger counterparts. Lee was nothing short of entertaining, adding his own tomahawks to the healthy supply of stuffs from Rudy Gay, Monta Ellis, and Paul Millsap.

The real entertainment, of course, was watching TNT's Ernie Johnson try to converse with a hungover Charles Barkley and a visibly buzzed Kenny Smith and Craig Sager. (By the way, did anyone see when Kenny was talking with Murs for about five minutes? Fuckin A! That made me wanna be in Vegas.)

That's it for now. I'm leaving on a jet plane tomorrow, so I'll try to post after the dunk contest and such. Peace.

Knicks Mix Video

2007-02-16T15:20:00.000-05:00

As we head into the All-Star Break, not much is going in the Knicks world. David Lee is competing (to use the word loosely) in the Rookie-Sophomore game tonight. Should be fun. For now, I give you a fun little mash-up of past and present Knicks that I found today. Enjoy.

I'm gonna be in Colorado (not Vegas, but close) as of tomorrow afternoon, so my posts might thin out a little for the next week or so. I'll try to keep up to date with news, All-Star activity, the trade deadline, and upcoming games, but might not get a post up every day. As with the last time I was away, if anyone wants to write something- an all-star recap, a game recap...anything- over the next week, I'd be more than happy to read it through and possibly post it. Think about it. Anyway, enjoy All-Star Weekend and I'll be backatcha whenever. Peace.

Thursday Crumbs

2007-02-15T15:30:00.000-05:00

Here's what floating around the internet the day after the Knicks' "Wait, we have a game today!?" game...

- It's TNT NBA Thursday. Mavs-Rockets followed by Cavs-Lakers. Both solid games. I'm more interested, once again, to see what Charles and Kenny have to say in reaction to these new developments regarding homosexuality in the NBA. It'd make me happy to see Chuck outright trash Tim Hardaway on national television.

- Speaking of the notorious Mr. Hardaway, I laughed for a solid minute at this bit from a Yay Sports! post:

We’ve been searching and searching for anything that’ll lead to where this hatred came from, but have come up with nothing. We’re assuming he’s deeply religious or something boring like that, but hold out hope that like he was captured by a gay gang who like kept him prisoner for days at a time and like made him watch Cabaret for days on end.

Hilarious. This Hardaway business is awful, but it sure has been fun to watch him go down in flames. For more, check out Marcel Mutoni's post at SLAM (the first place I read the news), and the entire comments section. Interesting discussion.

- "Hey, maybe the Eddy Curry deal wasn't so bad!" Henry Abbott at TrueHoop breaks it down.

- The Father Knickerbocker recap of last night's meltdown

- David Friedman at Hoopshype.com has an article about Knicks assistant, Mark Aguirre. The second part is about his training of the Knicks' big men.

That's it for today. Enjoy the TNT games, and feel free to leave your comments on the Knicks, the Eddy Curry deal, or on Tim Hardaway. Back tomorrow. Peace.

Warriors 120, Knicks 101

2007-02-15T07:25:00.000-05:00

Dammit. Just when you thought the Knicks had turned a corner, they never showed up for a blowout loss to the Warriors. It was the ultimate trap game: second of a back-to-back, night after a great win, last game before the all-star break, sub-.500 opponent playing without its two stars, and the Knicks were completely unprepared. They woke up sometime in the third quarter (I said I was going to bed then, but I snuck a little watch in at the end) and actually cut a 31 point deficit to 9, but ultimately shat the game away in typical Knicks fashion. Their play was weak, slow, sloppy and disgusting to watch. Only two players did anything even resembling basketball, and they were Nate Robinson and Renaldo Balkman, who led the aforementioned high-flyin', jersey-poppin' run in the second half. I wrote down some game notes from the first two and a half quarters. Here they are:

- Pre-game: Have you ever noticed that when the camera goes to Clyde during the pre-game show he always begins his statement by rocking side to side on his heels? Oh, well he does do that.

- Jerome James was STILL starting, which meant either he or Mittens was guarding Al Harrington. I guess when you don't play any defense, mismatches aren't really an issue.

- James actually looked like he was gonna abuse the significantly shorter Harrington on the offensive end, but managed to get his shot blocked twice. He then sat for the rest of the game, as usual. Imagine how good he would be if he could run and jump!

- Malik Rose was the first guy off the bench, and he came out with a flurry of what I think were intended to be 18 foot jumpers. Well...they were from 18 feet out...and he jumped...but that's about all they had in common with the jumper you and I know. Malik took 6 shots in 8 minutes, which is about 6 too many shots and 8 too many minutes for him.

- Here's a fun quotation from the AP report.

In the first quarter alone, Thomas used 11 players -- or two more than Warriors coach Don Nelson had in uniform. Thomas said his club matched up poorly with Golden State, and it showed while the Warriors roared to a huge lead.

Neat.

- I once thought that Nate Robinson had the quickest spin move in the league, but Monta Ellis has him beat. Speaking of those two, they have very similar stature (small) and a somewhat similar game (shoot, jump real high, annoy people), but they're polar opposites in the way they carry themselves. Nate is all energy: yelling, jumping, jersey-popping, chest-bumping. Monta is as cool as can be, regardless of the situation. Both had very solid games.

- On more than one occasion, Mittens was boxing out so badly that it actually got him the rebound. Like, the shot would go up, and he'd turn his back to it and head down court. But then the shot would miss so badly that it actually fell into his hands at the three-point line. Maybe he knows something we don't. For what it's worth, Eddy's calf was clearly bothering him. I hope he gets some R & R during the break, so he'll stop resting on the court.

- There's a reason they call Stephen Jackson "Jack", and it ain't his last name. He shot anything and everything available, and somehow made a preposterous 16 of the 26 shots he took. Great game for him.

- Don Nelson was wearing a blue Warriors polo under a gray suit jacket. Just thought you should know.

- In the second quarter, Mike Breen wanted to give Clyde some Valentine's Day chocolate on camera, but Eddy was standing in the way of the shot and Breen told him to move his ass outta the way (in nicer words). It was that kind of night for young Mittens.

- Quentin Richardson was pissed about a non-call in the second quarter and figured, "Hey, we're gonna lose this thing anyway, and I really wouldn't mind some Taco Bell right now!", so he started arguing with the ref (Sean Corbin, I think.) Once he got T'd up, Q kept arguing, politely noting that it was "fucking bullshit". Then he got tossed. Ejected players are supposed to leave the arena, but Quentin could be seen standing in the tunnel in the fourth quarter with a chalupa in either hand. Smart man.

"Carrrrne asada!"
"Yo, man. Snag me a Gordita while you're there."
- Isiah probably knew what was up. During his pre-game interview, he had curiously mentioned how tough it would be to win the game.

- Other news...Hey, remember how much you hated Tim Hardaway during those Knicks-Heat series in the 90's? Well don't stop hatin', my friend! Tim's back to remind us what an asshole he is! His comments about John Amaechi make Shavlik Randolph look progressive and liberal. Tim's just bitter because MJ never returned his phone calls.

Anyway, this game sucked ass. I guess we shoulda seen it coming that the Knicks would follow a gritty road win with an unspeakable loss. Almost nobody played well, and it's a really sour taste to have to take into the all-star break, but oh well. We're 23-30 with 29 games left to play. These kind of games can't happen, though, if the Knicks wanna make any sort of gesture towards the playoffs. That's all for now, kids. Peace.

Forget it.

2007-02-15T00:00:00.000-05:00

It's 81-51 Warriors in the third quarter. This is disgusting. I'm going to bed. I'll post two and a half quarters of game notes tomorrow morning.

Game Thread- Knicks at Warriors

2007-02-14T15:31:00.000-05:00

The Knicks play their last game before the All-Star break tonight, taking on the Golden State Warriors. I got a chance to watch a full game of Warriors action when they played the Bulls the other night and, let me tell you, they are fast. Even without Baron Davis, who is having his annual knee problems, guys like Monta Ellis, ~~Derek Fisher~~, Mickael Pietrus, and Andris Biedrins (AK-47 Lite), get this team up and down the floor. They can score oodles of points in a matter of seconds, and have no shame about firing away from downtown. The recently acquired Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington are two more offensive threats and matchup problems for the Knicks to worry about.

The Warriors play small, so it's Eddy Curry's night to shine. The team plays no semblance of defense, save for the shot-blocking Biedrins, so the Knicks might be best suited to slow it down, drive, and feed the big men. This is an ideal game to demonstrate our dominance of the paint and ownership of the glass. Of course, by saying that, I probably jinxed everything. Either way, road games don't come easy, but if the Knicks can reproduce their effort from last night, they should be able to beat the Warriors. Heading into the break with two straight road wins would be a fantastic boost for this squad.

Once again, this is a game thread, so any comments about the game, tarot cards, Nat King Cole, see-saws, salmon, and "Jungle 2 Jungle" go here. The more comments, the better. (There were 2 comments on the Jazz game thread and 18 on the Lakers game thread. Those games were a heartbreak loss and an exciting win, respectively. Coincidence? I think not.) I'll be back with some twilight game notes. For those of you that commented until the wee hours last night, I thank you, and would love more of the same. Go Knicks. Peace.

Happy Valentine's Day from Your NYK.

2007-02-14T12:24:00.000-05:00

Spread the love!
Knicks-Warriors game thread coming later. Scroll down for last night's Knicks-Lakers recap. Peace.

Knicks 107, Lakers 106

2007-02-14T01:11:00.000-05:00

Wow.

Wow. What a game. Totally worth the late night fever. I thought about holding this recap off until daylight, but I might as well use this victorious buzz as fuel, eh? Anyway, the Knicks equaled their win total from last season and, hot DAMN, number 23 was a good one. The game was close throughout, starting sloppy but finishing with some fantastic possessions (and tough calls) for both teams. The Knicks won on a David Lee offensive rebound that turned into a Crawford-Curry alley-oop. Lamar Odom airballed the potential game-winner for the Lakers. More on that later. Here are your game notes:

FIRST HALF
- MSG was hosting its three-man crew tonight for the telecast, with Kenny Smith accompanying the usual Breen-Clyde tandem. I, for one, am a fan of the three-man crew. As much as I love Clyde, most of what he says is repetition. He has a trademark line for almost every scenario. Kenny is much more conversational. Because he's younger, he can better relate to today's players and encourage banter amongst the broadcast crew. I like having the two color guys, because you get just enough of each one's personality. Your NYK reader, Rodge, on the crew: "Cramming three good announcers into one booth and waiting for them to announce well is the Knicksiest thing they could've done." Touché.

- Jerome James has GOTTA be out of the starting lineup by after the all-star break, right? His presence fucks up all the defensive matchups and he throws off the rhythm of the offense. It's like a 5 to 10 point handicap built into every game. If he's just gonna sit after 2 minutes (which he's done in, I believe, every single one of his starts), then he might as well not start at all.

- Speaking of the matchups, we saw James guarding Odom, Marbury guarding Radmanovic, Marbury guarding Odom, Q guarding Smush Parker, etc. early in the first quarter. It just ain't right. Isiah played 10- TEN!- guys in the first quarter because of all the mismatches.

- New York had only 17 points in the first quarter, mostly because they were taking far too many threes. Luckily, the Lakers were doing the same, with equal incompetence. The Knicks shot 35 percent in the first and the Lakers 29 percent.

- Nate made a 6 minute cameo in the second quarter after supposedly playing extremely well in practice yesterday. I was impressed. He played under control and had one gorgeous dish to Curry for a dunk. And of course, when Nate sat down he was nothing but electric in cheering on his teammates. It's easy for the media to harp on his immaturity, but his utter energy, no matter the situation, is what makes him such an asset.

- Eddy was way too much for Bynum and Turiaf to handle early on, but got in foul trouble and had to sit for stretches.

- I'm gonna add a little to my oft-repeated Law of Frye. When Channing Frye does not hesitate, he does not miss...unless it's a three pointer. Not his shot.

- Steve Francis sighting! The man they used to call Franchise showed up to play. He got to the line and even crossed up Sasha Vujacic to drive to the hole on one play. Even Steve looked surprised after that one. He looked pretty healthy, and was actually getting some lift on his shots. He's starting to look less expendable, especially with Marbury hurting.

"Wait...where am I? How did I get here!?
- Marbury's still hurting, and did some more damage to his big toe later on in the game (shoes?), but had 9 assists, and was really making the offense flow in the first half.

- Kobe, who was surprisingly quiet in his first and last meeting with the Knicks this year, hit an impossible fadeaway three at the first half buzzer to put L.A. up by 5.

SECOND HALF
- Q had missed his first few shots, but got very hot. He's another guy who brings a great amount of passion, no matter the situation. He willed himself into a few timely threes and picked up a technical after arguing a call. You'll take the tech when he's bringing that kind of heat to his performance. Q does so much for this team.

Fire and desire, my friends.
- Clyde, pressed for time while sharing the color commentary duties, pulled off one of the most robust, flowery, Clyde-ish sentences of all-time. I might have the order of the words slightly wrong, but it was basically, "Kobe isn't shaking and baking or wheeling and dealing right now, but he is posting and toasting." That's THREE Clydeisms in one sentence. Can't stop. Won't stop.

- Fordham University in the house, y'all. Mike Breen (a Fordham alum) repeatedly pointed out the presence of fellow Rams, Smush Parker, Denzel Washington (courtside), and radio announcer, John Andariese.

- Jordan Farmar (Jewish, no?) trimmed down his troll hair, and he looks pretty slick now.

- One more reason to love the Hawks' Joe Johnson. He was in the house to catch some NBA Action on his off night. I love seeing stuff like that.

- How on earth does Steve Francis shoot such a good percentage on his free throws? He puts the strangest rotation on the ball. It looks like he's throwing sliders when he's at the line.

- Phil Jackson kinda reminds me of Gene Hackman in the Royal Tenenbaums. Probably the glasses.

Yup.
- Stevie played a big role in the fourth quarter when Steph was aching. At one point he threw a shit-diculous over the shoulder pass to a spinning David Lee for the lay-in. On another occasion, he put a hard foul on Smush Parker, which got called a flagrant 1. To Steve's credit, he immediately tried to brace Parker's fall on help him up. The mood was about right for a brawl sequel, so it was a good veteran move on Steve's part.

- Final plays of the game...Knicks have the ball with more than a shot clock remaining, and Q misses an ill-advised three. David Lee, however, grabs the O-bound and, as mentioned, Crawford throws a thunderous alley-oop to Eddy with 7 seconds remaining. The Lakers call timeout. The way things have been going the last few weeks, I assume the Knicks are going to lose. Inexplicably, the best the Lakers can offer is Lamar Odom dribbling out the clock and putting up a contested fadeaway as the buzzer sounds. If I'm a Lakers fan, I'm shitting in my britches right now.

- My player of the game award (I think I'm gonna start doing this) goes to Jamal Crawford. Jamal played about as well as he can play without dropping 52 points. He shot a solid 9-17 from the field and hit 2 of 5 threes to score 24 points. More importantly, he was getting into the outer paint (his "hot zone") and sinking some floaters, rather than attempting long fadeaways. I guess "sinking some floaters" is a bit of an oxymoron, but you get the point. Also he proved to be a burden for Kobe to defend, which may have contributed to the Mamba's relative quiet on the opposite end. Props to Jamal for a fine, balanced performance.

JC in the Hot Zone. Sounds like a porno.
- Other stat lines: 19 points (3-8 from downtown) and 12 bounds for Q. 14 and 7 for Frye off the bench. 19 and 7 for Curry. The Knicks shot 23-32 from the line and only turned the ball over 11 times, compared to 21-24 and 15 for Los Angeles.

Anyway, this may have been my favorite win of the Knicks season. A sloppy first quarter surprisingly evolved into a fast-paced, back-and-forth spectacle with the underdog Knicks emerging victorious. The Knicks, for the most part, stuck to their game in the second half, driving to the hole, and either kicking, finishing, or getting to the line. They've got 23 wins, and boy does it feel good. Goodnight, everybody. Warriors tomorrow (today). Peace.

Game Thread- Knicks at Lakers

2007-02-13T15:31:00.000-05:00

The Knicks are in Los Angeles tonight to take on Shammond Williams and the struggling Lakers. L.A. has dropped its last 3 straight and sure doesn't wanna lose a fourth to the New York team that narrowly beat them in January. The key difference is that Kobe Bryant (and Williams, of course) will be involved this evening. His absence in the last game put the reins in the hands of Lamar Odom, who was a matchup nightmare, but ultimately could not lead the Lakers to victory. Kobe relishes these games against the Knicks, and will certainly be looking to bury his recent struggles. The Lakers have two solid youngsters at center- Andrew Bynum and Ronny Turiaf- who can make some noise, but have trouble containing Eddy Curry. If Mittens stays out of foul trouble and remains patient, he can put up some great numbers. Anyway.

The Knicks need a win like whoa. Either tonight or tomorrow against the Warriors (if not both), we really need to get to that 23-win benchmark, put Larry Brown's treacherous ass behind us, and make a run at the postseason after the all-star break. All of this lollygagging- a win here, two losses there, two wins here, another loss- is not going to amount to a playoff berth. I want more than anything to see a killer instinct and a chip on the collective shoulders of these Knicks. Everyone is healthy, no one is suspended, and the schedule only gets easier, so there are no excuses left to make.

For more on the history of the Knicks-Lakers matchup (including video of Shaq-Fu demolishing a totally unexpecting Chris Dudley. By the way, remember the three Chrises- Dudley, Childs, and Mills? Didn't Chris Dudley go to Yale? Whatever happened to Chris Mills? He wasn't too bad. Kind of a fatty, though. Is this the longest parenthetical interruption ever? Possibly.) I reccomend stopping by The Association Blog for a good read. This is a game thread, so leave any comments on the game, Chris Dudley, jackals, shoeboxes, "Biodome", and skinny dipping as the night goes on.

Milk Dud wants you to leave comments!
It's a late game (10:30), and I tend to get more emotional when tired, so I'd appreciate the company whilest I exult or weep. Game notes cominatcha later. Go Knicks. Peace.

EDIT: Big news in the blog world. TrueHoop is going big league, and hooking up with ESPN. Congratulations to Henry Abbott and to the worldwide leader for signing on such a great blogsmith.

EDIT2: Knicks fans should swing by Bench Renaldo. Mutoni's got a Knicks rap video from 2000 (I think). In a related story, I still have a "Knicks 2000" license plate frame that I don't know what to do with.

Monday Crumbs

2007-02-12T15:38:00.000-05:00

Here's what's floatin around the internet after the Knicks' Salt Lake heartbreak...

- "Do you think Dwyane Wade masturbates?" It's the Basketball Jones' 100th Podcast! It's a fantastic ep, with tons of calls and clips from the past 99. Congratulations to Skeets, Tas, and JD. If you don't listen to Basketball Jones, then you are missing out, my friend.

- The Knickerblogger breakdown of the Utah game.

- The 41st Carnival of the NBA is up at LOY's Place.

- Jim Dolan: Isiah Thomas doesn't have "anything to worry about right now". Zeke's job is safe for the time being.

That's it for today. Back tomorrow with some preview-age of the Knicks-Lakers game. PEACE.

Sunday Lookalikes

2007-02-11T19:20:00.000-05:00

Andrei Kirilenko vs. the American Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)

P.S. Shoals at the Fanhouse has the scoop on Eddy Curry's new tattoo that I noticed before. It's a response to his all star snubbage. Kinda weird.

Jazzes 104, Knicks 102- OT

2007-02-11T10:10:00.000-05:00

In heartbreaking fashion, the Knicks lost their first game of their West Coast road trip to a vengeful Utah Jazz squad. The Jazzes, with Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur returning from injury, delivered a real gut punch, winning by 2 in overtime. The Knicks (all wearing headbands for one reason or another) led by as many as 10 midway through the fourth quarter, but "Sam the Eagle" Okur almost single-handedly shot the Jazz back into the game, despite crippling dehydration from a stomach virus. Jamal Crawford was blatantly fouled on a game-winning attempt, but no ref had the rocks to make the right call. (Obviously, this has gone the other way for the Knicks in the past, but I'm biased.)

Crawford led the Knicks with 29 points and 10 rebounds. Steve Francis returned to score 13 off the bench, but Stephon Marbury was off, hitting only 2 of 10 to score 7 points. Eddy Curry had 27 and 8, but 8 turnovers. Overall, it was a game the Knicks were close to taking, which made the loss even harder to bear.

All of this leads me to my question. Isiah Thomas seems to have only 2 plays down the strech. 1. Crawford shoots a floater, which has a decent rate of success, and 2. Crawford inexplicably shoots a 3, which almost never works, including last night. So I leave this to you, the reader. You're Isiah Thomas (lucky you). It's a tie game and you have the ball with less than a shot clock remaining. What's your call? Leave answers in the comments. I'll put up some Sunday Lookalikes tonight. Peace.

Game Thread- Knicks at Jazzes

2007-02-10T13:17:00.000-05:00

The well-rested Knicks are in the Beehive State this evening, to take on the injury-riddled Jazzes. Utah is without Carlos Boozer and may be without Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur. This is a tough game either way. With Okur and Kirilenko, the Knicks face shooting big men who pose matchup problems. Without those two, the Knicks might revert to their tendency to underprepare for shorthanded teams. Let's not forget Deron Williams, either. His unbelievable clutchness in the last meeting between these two teams was overshadowed by the game winning layup from Stephon Marbury. He is extremely talented and very dangerous down the stretch.

Anyway, it's a difficult but winnable game for the Knicks. They need to come to play right from the beginning, and make a point of feeding the big man. Eddy Curry will be matched up with Jarron Collins, who is half of a decent NBA center. For a much better preview, I reccomend you check out Father Knickerbocker. Keep your eye on the Utah injury report as the day progresses.

This is a Game Thread, so post all your comments about the game, chicken pox, Beau Bridges, crabcakes, and Yahtzee as the day progresses. The more the merrier. The game is a late'un (9 p.m. EST), so I might not get a recap up until tomorrow morning. We shall see. Go Knicks. Peace.

Friday Crumbs

2007-02-09T15:33:00.000-05:00

Everyone's got their name for a gaggle of short, unrelated links, be it "thumbtacks", "bullets", or "explosions". I guess mine have become "crumbs". Anyway, here are some things floating around the internet on this glorious Friday afternoon...

- Found in TrueHoop's aforementioned bullets, Isiah Thomas on homosexual players. Basically, he has no problem with it and would do anything in his power to accomodate such a player. Good. Eddy Curry originally wouldn't comment, then said he wouldn't have a problem. Jamal sounded accepting but said it might be awkward. Whatever. At least they aren't afraid of any "gayness" being brought upon them.

- Newsday's Johnette Collins on Stephon Marbury's recent resurgence. Thanks...Johnette. (By the way, I don't know if I've ever mentioned it, but I turn up a lot of Knicks articles on Knicks Online's "headlines" news feed. Very useful.)

- Finally, here's a pretty solid video of 10 minutes of Knicks highlights from the early part of the season. Worth a watch.

Enjoy.

That's all for today, kids. The Knicks finally have a game tomorrow night, as they begin their Left Coast trip in Utah. Back with a game thread and such in the afternoon. Peace.

Knicks in the Hot Zone!

2007-02-08T19:12:00.000-05:00

No, this is not the Knicks-only porno you've been waiting for. NBA.com has a relatively new feature called "Hot Zones" which gives you color-coded splits for a team/player's shots on all parts of the floor. I took the liberty of perusing some Knicks' "Hot Zones" and here's what I saw:

- The Knicks are best under the basket. They suck at the top of the key and the left side of two-point land. The Knicks are best suited shooting threes from the right corner.

- Jamal Crawford: Jamal shoots his best three-point percentage from the corners. He also shoots a fantastic percentage on the left side of the outer paint, and he's predictably better at floater shots than layups/dunks. He's not so hot from dead center in 2 or 3 point land.

- Eddy Curry's is fairly uninteresting. He does tend to shoot much more on the right side of the outer paint, and with more success. The hot spot is expectably right under the basket. He's also a sizzling 1-1 from 18 feet out on the right side.

- Channing is the opposite of Jamal. He's coldest from the corners and his best 18 footer is from dead center.

- Jared Jeffries probably shouldn't shoot much.

- David Lee VERY rarely leaves the paint. Considering that he hits 65 percent of his shots under the basket, it's hard to argue.

- Marbury's best three pointers are from dead center and from the left corner. Unlike Crawford, his shots under the basket fall with much more success than his floaters from the outer paint.

- Q's best threes are from the right side. He shoots poorly from dead center and from the outer paint area.

- Nate's much better from the right side than the left, but should probably just go to the hole.

So yeah. Not much novel information, but it's a cool little instrument they made. Check it out if you're interested and want some exact numbers, and let me know if you find anything else telling or worthwhile. Peace.

EDIT: More related to the previous post...Charles Barkley: "Kenny knows. I know. We've played with gay players before." Both Charles and Kenny had some interesting and fairly reasonable things to say about the John Amaechi business. They both pretty much expressed that a gay player in the locker room would not be a problem at all to them. They care more about skill and personality than sexuality. It's good to hear.

It's TNT NBA Thursday...

2007-02-08T15:26:00.000-05:00

...and it's gonna be a good one. Lakers-Pistons followed by Bulls-Kings. What's more interesting to me, though, is if, and in what regard, the TNT crew talks about the Tyrus Thomas deal and, more so, John Amaechi's coming out. (I'm also interested to see if MSG discusses this, or even interviews players, in their next telecast on Saturday).

I haven't said that much about either of these issues because, frankly, I don't have that strong of an opinion on either one. (I don't mean to equate them, by the way. They're both recent.) I think Thomas' statements more reflect the state of the Dunk Contest than they do his personality. As far as Amaechi goes, I hope he's happy, and I hope we don't have to hear so much about things like this in the future. For some really interesting takes on that business, I highly reccomend checking out posts at SLAM, Clipper Blog, and Free Darko.

Some more Knicks-related things (although John Amaechi was part of the Clarence Weatherspoon deal and Tyrus Thomas was selected with the Knicks' draft pick. It all comes back to NY.):

You know he's gay, but did you know he was a Knick?
- Positivity (and a much better picture of Lee's black eye) over at Father Knickerbocker.

- Eddy Curry wants out if Isiah Thomas ever gets fired. (Mittens got CLAWS, yo!)

- Nate Robinson is immature, or something. Isn't it odd that the smallest guy around (supposedly) acts like a little kid? This is disappointing to hear, because I love Nate's game and I really thought he was proving himself earlier this year. He'll come around.

That's all for today. Enjoy tonight's games and I'll be back tomorrow. Jazz on Saturday. Peace.

EDIT: Now that I look at it, I might've worded that bit about Amaechi badly. I didn't mean to say that I don't want more NBA guys to come out of the closet. I merely meant that I hope it's not such a controversial occurrence.

Knicks-Clips Crumbs

2007-02-07T15:35:00.000-05:00

Here's whats floating around the internet after last night's magical surprise...

- Russ Bengtson and Jake Appleman of SLAM with their game notes. If I could somehow have their job, that'd be neato.

- The Father Knickerbocker recap.

- Henry Abbott was in the house with David Thorpe.

- I'm trying to find photos of David Lee's god-awful shiner from last night, and this is the best I can do. You can't really grasp the sheer blue, pulsating nastiness of the thing, but you get the idea...

- One win on this road trip would put the Knicks at their win total for all of last season. Larry Brown is not a competent coach.

That's all for today. The Knicks don't play again until Saturday. Which means I might have to go back to posting strange videos for a few days. Hmmm. Back tomorrow. Peace.

EDIT: I just read an amazing article by S.L. Price about Jim Dolan, Isiah Thomas, and the Knicks management in Sports Illustrated. Put simply, it's a must-read. Really interesting stuff and a brilliantly written piece.

EDIT2: My Wizznutzz Arenas shirt came today and it's SWEET.

Knicks 102, Clippers 90

2007-02-06T22:19:00.000-05:00

Well how about that, folks? In decidedly un-Knickslike fashion, the 'Bockers turned a double-digit deficit into a double-digit lead to surprise the visiting Clippers. The Jerome James experiment was an outright failure, as James picked up two quick fouls (callllled it) and ended up playing only 7 minutes. Meanwhile, the Clippers were hot like the fire in the first half, as Elton Brand couldn't be stopped and Tim Thomas douched his way to a few threes. A complete scrapping of the James plan, some good ball movement, and the Clippers' sudden collapse helped the Knicks flip the script in the second half, as they glided to a 12 point victory. Long-ass game notes:

- Pre-game- Both Curry and James were all smiles about starting together. Conspicuous (oh snap...nailed that spelling on the first try) absence, however, of both Lee and Frye in the interviews.

- Clyde: "The last time the Knicks saw Elton, they were Branded." You know how they made that show, "Ali Rap"? Well, you know where I'm going with this.

- Long-time Clippers announcer, Ralph Lawler (picture your grandpa), has something he calls "Lawler's Law". Basically, he's come to the conclusion that the team that first reaches 100 points will win the game. This has proven a 34-1 success rate for the Clips and a 36-3 success rate with the Knicks. Yeah, it's kinda obvious, but anything to make the old guy happy.

Lawler is also the league leader in bedtime stories and prunes eaten per game.
- The beginning of the game was eerily similar to the Knicks-Heat debacle, as it took a 10-1 run by L.A. before Isiah finally called timeout.

- One thing about having Jerome James on the floor is that it makes it far too easy to double Eddy Curry. At least when Chan's starting the opposing power forward has to respect his jumper. A defender can leave James in a heartbeat without worrying about any offensive threat.

- In the first quarter, James kinda hip-checked Sam Cassell and got called for the foul. Cassell came up flappin' his gums like he always does, and nearly got into it with Jerome. Now THAT would be an interesting fight. Who's your money on?

- Eddy appears to have a new tattoo. It's mostly obscured by his jersey, but the word "Never" is clearly visible on his chest. Maybe I just haven't noticed it before.

- Pet peeve of mine: So-called "Knicks fans" whose sole attention to the Knicks is reading the papers occasionally and then parroting the whole "Marbury is so selfish" schtick. Anyone who's watched the guy play this year knows that he's busting his ass on defense and really trying to distribute the ball while playing through pain. I bring this up because the oral surgeon who was pulling my wisdoms on Friday was talking with me about the Knicks (as I gave in to anaesthesia), and threw in a few "Marbury's such a ballhog", etc. kinda comments. Had I not been slowly rendered unconscious, I woulda given him an earful. If he really watched any games, he'd see things like Marbury in a 2-on-0 setting, dishing to the slashing QRich because he knew Q was struggling. Since he's been relatively healthy, Marbury's been playing some fantastic ball.

RESPECK!
- Eddy Curry is 5th in the league in free throws attempted.

- Mike Breen pointed out that Richardson can really contribute even when he's missing his threes. It's true. He grabbed 7 boards, played some solid D, posted up smaller guys, and hit shots down the stretch.

- The artist formerly known as Tim Thomas came out guns blazing, throwing down an aggravatingly impressive dunk in David Lee's face. Replay showed that Tim, in fact, elbowed Lee in the eye whilest dunking, leaving Dave with a nasty shiner that's gonna stick for at least week. The thing swelled up something awful. Lee put up 16 and 10 anyway. (Has anyone seen Beerfest? Maybe they should hit David in the face again everytime the black eye starts to go away, as a good luck charm?)

Don't ice it...embrace it.
- The Knicks, who were down by 10 at half, started off the third quarter on a 17-2 run. Brand started bobbling passes, Cassell got selfish, and the threes weren't falling for L.A. It was a magical quarter.

- Another key to the third quarter success was Steph's realization of "Hey...hold the phone...Shaun f'ing Livingston is guarding me!" Steph overpowered the wiry youngster for some inside baskets.

- When Steph picked up his fifth foul, Nate dilligently provided him with a scowl towel as he hit the bench. Atta boy.

- David Lee has a very good understanding of mismatches. He bullied Quinton Ross and Cuttino Mobley on numerous occasions. He also bakes a mean peach cobbler.

What can't Dave do!?
- Eddy was 13-16 from the line.

- The Knicks, including the previously ice-cold Q, started hitting their threes in the fourth. That really sealed the deal.

- In one of Madison Square Garden's darker moments, the entire crowd did The Wave for a solid minute. (Who am I kidding? I love The Wave.)

- Satisfying the crowd's chants, Isiah put Nate in with 30 seconds left. Nate's got the heart of a champ.

- Doug Christie was seen doing some really complex hand signals after the game. He wouldn't happen to have an overbearing wife, would he?

Anyway, this was one of my favorite wins of this Knick season. They finally turned a bad start completely around, and stifled a hot team. I'm impressed. It's the Knicks first streak in a long time, and now they head out west to play Utah on Saturday (Christ...what are we gonna do until then!?). Sleep easy, everyone. Back tomorrow. Peace.

Game Thread- Knicks vs. Clippers

2007-02-06T15:34:00.000-05:00

Your New York Knicks are at home tonight to take on Doug Christie and the Los Angeles Clippers. L.A. is in the midst of a long East Coast swing, and is coming off a win in Boston and a blowout loss in Toronto. Elton Brand spray-farted on the entire Knicks roster the last time these teams played, dropping 32 points to go with 8 blocks. Thus, the most important storyline of tonight is the continuing Jerome James affair, as the loveable oaf will have the onerous duty of covering Brand. ClipperSteve (How did his parents know he was gonna be a Clipper fan? What a fitting choice of name!) at Clips Nation believes that Brand will either take James outside or simply push his belly out of the way and drive to the hole. It's certainly possible.

For what it's worth, today's Times article about the rotation move does provide a little bit of explanation, and quotes Channing Frye saying all the right things, which is good. It also makes Jerome James sound like a pretty cool guy, which I like. Hooray.

One thing I've remembered in the last day or two, is that with this squad, starting does not equal minutes (S≠M). David Lee, for instance, averages more minutes (30.6) than both Frye (26.3) and Jeffries (23.1), who traditionally start over him. If Jerome does a shitty job, then those opening minutes will be the only ones he plays. Should be interesting to see how this goes.

Anyway, this right here is a game thread, so post all your comments about the game, trail mix, Chris Kattan, backgammon, and tangerines as the night progresses. Now that my laptop is fixed, I'm actually gonna have it in front of me while watching the game, so I'll be able to respond to your comments as they come. Game notes coming later tonight. Go Knicks. Peace.

The Jerome James Quandary

2007-02-05T11:10:00.000-05:00

Yo yo yo. Hope everyone had a great Super Bowl Sunday. I, for one, did my first real eating in 3 days (I had my wisdom teeth pulled on Friday). After 2 days of scrambled egg-gumming and water-drinking, I ate enough food to compensate for the 48 hours of deprivation. It was glorious and obscene.

Anyway, now that that petty distraction is out of the way, the sports world can focus on more important news. Namely, Isiah's benching of Channing Frye for Jerome James. Yes, James' starting spot against the Magic wasn't a clerical error or some cute little trick. Isiah is actually putting the guy into the rotation. This inexplicably cuts into the minutes of Channing Frye AND David Lee, which is a bit puzzling to us Knicks fans.(EDIT: Brian Cronin at)Knickerblogger sums the thing up very well.

Folks have been clammoring for Lee to get MORE minutes, and not only has Isiah managed to avoid putting him into the starting lineup, but now he’s going to be receiving LESS minutes!! Saturday, Lee played his fewest minutes in two weeks. I don’t mind going to the defensive-minded James for certain matchups, but less minutes for Lee is annoying.

And Balkman is just completely buried now.

There is of the course, the possibility that Isiah is trying to showcase James before the trade deadline. Says The Cavalier,

There’s a chance Zeke is just trying to showcase James so he can trade him. Unfortunately, the only person dumb enough to fall for this is Isiah himself. Thus, a space-time paradox thingie.

Yup. (Click that link, by the way, for some hilarious photoshop action).

My take? Isiah probably is trying to showcase James, but no other GM takes Isiah seriously. Jerome could come out hitting threes, dunking from the free throw line, delivering babies, and resurrecting the dead, and other teams still wouldn't call. That's just Isiah's place in the league. I hope this phase doesn't last long, though, because James has no place in this rotation. The Knicks have the rare burden of being too stacked. They somehow have too many guys at four different positions, thus making the minutes-played distribution extremely precious. I've always been pretty easy on Isiah, but if this move somehow alienates Frye and/or Lee, it's gonna be a fucking disaster. Careful, Isiah. Caaaareful!

The Knicks are back home tomorrow to take on the Clippers. I'll see you then. Peace.

Sunday Lookalikes

2007-02-04T13:40:00.001-05:00

Lenny Wilkens vs. Smokey Robinson

P.S. Bears.

Knicks 94, Magic 86

2007-02-03T23:56:00.000-05:00

On the road and coming off a loss, the Knicks got exactly what they needed. 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. I didn't do any game notes because I wasn't at home, but one of the more important facets of the game was that Jerome James, not David Lee, started in the place of Channing Frye. James played only 15 minutes but blocked 2 shots. Frye, meanwhile, played one of his best games of the season, dropping 18 and 7, including a halftime buzzer-beating three-pointer. Darko Milicic led Orlando with 19 and 6.

Anyway, it was a much needed victory for the Knicks. They caught the Magic at the right time, and this just might spark a run to get New York back in contention. Let us hope. Back tomorrow. Peace.

Game Thread- Knicks at Magic

2007-02-03T09:43:00.000-05:00

The Knicks are in Orlando tonight to take on James Augustine and the Magics. Being out of order last night, I sat home and watched Orlando thoroughly dismantle the Nets. I love watching Dwight Howard. He dunks on everything. I'm pretty sure he dunked on the entire front row, and maybe even a ref. Either way, he's not gonna be fun to watch tonight. The Knicks lack a bona fide defender in the post, and he's gonna get his share of dunks. What's important is limiting their three-point shooting and keeping Jameer Nelson out of the paint, which is harder than it sounds.

The Knicks have lost three straight on the road, and a win tonight would be splendid after that disgusting loss in Charlotte. Post your comments on the game, the Kentucky Derby, Mad Libs, cabbage, and anything else as the day progresses. Go Knicks. Peace.

Yeah...

2007-02-02T12:07:00.000-05:00

I'm going to get my wisdom teeth out this afternoon, but I wouldn't wanna leave you readers without some entertainment. So here it is.

You're welcome. Knicks-Magic preview coming tomorrow. Peace.

Knicks-Bobcats Crumbs

2007-02-01T15:23:00.000-05:00

Here's what's floating around the internet after last night's sleepover in Charlotte...

- As Knickerblogger mentioned, sources say that Mittens will not be an All-Star. Oh well. Even though I'm pissed about his performance last night, the kid deserved a spot. Maybe this snub will put a chip on Eddy's shoulder. Maybe not.

- The Father Knickerbocker recap of last night's game

- Boy, do I wish the Knicks had a draft pick...

That's it for today. The Knicks' next game is on Saturday in Orlando, and you might not see a new post until then. I'm donating my wisdom teeth to the Dwyane Wade Foundation for Children With No Wisdom Teeth tomorrow afternoon, so I'll be out of order until Saturday. You can expect an extremely grumpy game preview coming Saturday afternoon, though. Until then, Peace.

Bobcats 104, Knicks 87

2007-01-31T21:48:00.000-05:00

Well, that was different. The Knicks flip-flopped their usual losing pattern, starting out relatively hot, and then completely tanking in the latter 3 quarters. New York looked to be on pace for a high-scoring game, but followed a 30 point first quarter with 24, 18, and 15 in the next three. Gerald Wallace had 42 points for the Bobcats, who hit 9-18 from downtown, and had pretty much a free pass to score for most of the game. The Knicks were clueless on offense, stagnant on defense, and wholly disappointing. Game notes:

- On the first possession of the game, Jared Jeffries took a hard foul from Emeka Okafor and slammed his head on the ground as he fell. Jeffries arose with bleary eyes, a hanging-open mouth, and a dazed expression...which means he was fine.

Maybe Jared's just always concussed?
- Yo, the Rookie team is gonna get trashed by the sophomores this year. It's not even fair.

- Bizarre moment in the first half. Channing Frye took a hook shot that rimmed out, rolled around a little bit and then STOPPED on the heel of the rim. It didn't get caught...it was actually balanced up there. Never seen that before. That's a jump ball, by the way, if that ever happens in one of your games.

- Clyde had a bit of a misfire in his commentary. Gerald Wallace saw lots of different looks from different Knick defenders, including Jeffries, Lee, and Frye, and had success against each one of them. Walt called this "genocide" by Wallace. I get where he was coming from, but it wasn't the greatest analogy, to say the least.

- Gus Johnson mentioned that Tracy McGrady emailed Jamal after his 52 point game to congratulate him and express his amazement at the 16 straight makes. Thought that was neat, coming from a guy who once had 13 in half a minute.

- Another interesting fact...Julius Peppers was courtside. According to Clyde and Gus, his first name comes from Dr. J, and his middle name "Frazier" comes from Walt himself. Can you imagine being so famous that complete strangers are named after you? First reader to name their child Seth gets a sweet prize, courtesy of Your NYK.

- Instead of a "clap clap" to start the "de-fense" chant, the Charlotte P.A. system plays that "OW-OW" sound from Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Chicka-chicka.

- Clyde made up for the off-color "genocide" remark with a new rhyme- "weaving and achieving", in reference to a Jamal Crawford move.

- Alright, it's probably time for some serious notes, because this was a seriously bad game. First of all, the Knicks body language was unbelievably bad in the second half. You've gotta wonder what Isiah said to them at the break. Given their horrendous records in games during which they trail at halftime, Zeke must not be a very good motivational speaker, eh?

- Isiah went small to start the second half, pulling Frye for Nate Robinson. It totally backfired, because Nate couldn't keep up with Ray Felton, and Jeffries couldn't do any better than Frye could in guarding Gerald Wallace. Come to think of it, Wallace made just about every big guy on the Knicks look like a damned fool.

DE-fense. (OW-OW) DE-fense.
- Speaking of Gerald Wallace, fuck Gerald Wallace. Fuck him. That is all.

- Mittens reeled off a quick 10 points in the first quarter, and then fell asleep for the rest of the game. He was a step late on every defensive rotation, never boxed out, and coughed up the ball every time he had it in the post.

- Marbury is in some real pain. Jared Jeffries is a real pain.

In summary, it was a piss-poor, unbelievably haphazard game against a team we should've beaten. The offense had no direction or movement, and the defense was slow and lackadaisical. Obviously, the players lacked intensity, but some blame has to be put on Isiah. He didn't seem to do anything to motivate his guys, which is becoming a chronic issue, and his strategies were either non-existent or worthless. Just a shame to watch. The Knicks get a break to sort things out, and then face the Magic in Orlando on Saturday. Back tomorrow. Peace.

Game Thread: Knicks at Bobcats

2007-01-31T15:47:00.000-05:00

The Knicks head to Charlotte tonight to play those crazy Carolina Agents, the Bobcats. The 'Cats have been a god-awful handful for New York, taking us to double overtime once, and outright shitting on us another time. It's about time the Knicks head into their building, beat them handily, and show those Bobcats who's king of the bottom-dwellers. Eddy Curry has his mittens full this evening, as he has to deal with the outside-shooting Primoz Brezec, and the chicken-smothering Emeka Okafor at the 5-spot. Should be interesting. No word on Q's status for tonight's contest.

In other news, David Lee was selected to the sophomore squad. No Chan or Nate.

Anyway, the game's at 7. I'll be back in these parts to recap later tonight. Leave your comments on the game, the NBA, medieval architecture, Jethro Tull, toaster ovens...anything. Go Knicks. Peace.

Knicks 99, Lakers 94

2007-01-30T22:16:00.000-05:00

Well, it was ugly as hell, but the Knicks pulled one out at home against the Kobe-less Los Angeles Lakers. It was a slow, lackluster game that came down to some bizarre plays down the stretch. Some Laker misses and Knick free throws won it late. Game notes:

- Isiah quoted before the game: "If you can't get up to play the Lakers, then you really have no pride." Noted.

- Backing up Isiah's message, the Knicks got off to a good start, feeding Curry and getting Frye some open looks. Smush Parker kept it close, though, as he scored the Lakers first 10 points.

- Frye had one play that I liked especially. He had an open look at a 20 footer, but put the ball on the floor and went flying in for a dunk attempt (missed) that drew Andrew Bynum's second foul. Heady move by Chan.

- Maurice Evans is all muscle. Even his head is ripped.

- Lamar Odom, who must be a nightmare to defend, got looks from Lee, Frye, Jeffries, and Malik Rose. I wouldn't say any of them shut Odom down, but he didn't completely dominate. He had 25 on 9-20 shooting, as well as 6 assists and 9 boards.

- Jeffries finally earned a little bit of that 30 million dollar contract, putting up 14 and 7. If he didn't have to sit because of some ticky-tack fouls, he might've had 20 and 10. He even hit some shots from the perimeter.

- Bynum and Turiaf did a decent job on Curry, but mostly couldn't handle the big fella. Either Curry got fouled, turned the ball over, or beasted all over the Lakers' two "big men". It was kinda funny. Bynum had some slick looks around the basket on offense, though.

LOL.
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who works with the Lakers but doesn't sit on the bench, was in the front row alongside John McEnroe. Wonder what they talked about?

- Biggest play of the game: The Knicks struggled at the end of the first half, even falling behind, but Jeffries hit a tough 3 towards the end to put the Knicks up by 2 going into the break. Considering that the Knicks were something like 2-25 when trailing at halftime (I don't think I'm exaggerating), it was a big bucket.

- David Lee has court vision, bitches. He hit Eddy Curry cutting to the rim at a tough angle, and slipped a slick dime backdoor to a slashing Jeffries in the fourth quarter. The kid does it all.

- Marbury's been shooting pretty well lately, eh? He shot 4-6 from downtown, including a long one to beat the third quarter buzzer.

- Vladimir Radmanovic hit a big 3 down the stretch, and then brought his hottest dance moves, pointing and gyrating when the timeout was called. I think that took an hour off my life.

Bosnia and Herzegovina in the house, y'all.
- I mentioned bizarre plays down the stretch...here we go. First, Crawford cut into the lane, jumped as if he was gonna pass to Curry, couldn't find him, and then just chest-passed the ball at the rim, somehow hitting the shot. Later, Maurice Evans took a 3 for the Lakers that nearly got to the bottom of the net before popping out. With 20 seconds left and a 4-point deficit, the Lakers had to foul the Knicks. Crawford brought the ball up, expecting a foul. He drew contact from Smush Parker, and his momentum carried him out of bounds. No foul was called, and the Lakers got possession. Everyone, including Parker, was fairly surprised. Finally, Jeffries blocked a Brian Cook three-point attempt, and Cook went all Kobe Bryant on Jared's face, slapping him in the eye. Jeffries immediately looked to the ground, trying to find something. Breen thought it was his contact. Clyde thought it was a tooth. I was hoping for an eyeball. It was his contact. Anyway, Frye hit some free throws to ice it, and that's how it ended.

- Injury report: Q sat with a sprained right elbow. Curry's got a sleeve on his injured calf, but looked fine. Marbury's knee looked ok, but something else was bothering him right at the end. David Lee might've bruised a rib fighting for a rebound, but I'll doubt he'll miss any games for it.

- Some stats: Curry had 27 and 9, but coughed up 7 ~~mittens~~ turnovers. Marbury had 22 and 7 rebounds. Lee had 13 bounds in 33 minutes.

Hmm. Not my best recap ever, but it wasn't really the best game ever. We'll take it. The Knicks face the Bobcats tomorrow, a team that has been quite a handful this season. Let's see if they can somehow turn this win into a streak of sorts, and start making strides before the all-star break. Backatcha tomorrow. Peace.

Game Thread: Knicks vs. Lakers

2007-01-30T15:11:00.000-05:00

The Knicks are back home this evening to take on the L dot A dot Lakers. The big news, of course, is that the Lakers are without Kobe Bryant, who is serving a one-game suspension for showing Manu Ginobili what the five fingers said to the face. (My opinion: Intentional? Yes. Worth a suspension? Not at all. Hilarious? Absolutely.)

It's surprisingly tough to know whether Kobe's absence is good or bad for deez Knicks. Here are some reasons why it might be a curse in disguise...in a fun bulleted list!
- We've already seen the Knicks underprepare for a Wade-less Heat team.
- No Kobe means more Lamar Odom, who was pretty much designed and built to poop on the Knicks. He shoots the three, rebounds, takes it to the hole, and dishes well.
- That's not really much of a list, is it?

Anyway, this here is the game thread. Post your comments here, there, and everywhere, and I'll recap later tonight. I'm reeeeally aching for a good win. Go Knicks. Peace.

EDIT: Knickerblogger talked to Forum Blue and Gold in preparation for tonight's game. Worth a look.

Knicks-Bucks Crumbs

2007-01-29T16:34:00.000-05:00

Here's what's floating around the net a day after the game that may or may not have actually happened...

- Knickerblogger has a poll: what's the most annoying part of the MSG Knicks telecast? Obviously, the Earl Monroe HIP commercials are my choice. Other possibilities include the "Take Me Home" commercials and the "Bobby Granger's Guide to the Rangers" commercials (which I actually think are really funny).

- Nate hit not one but two filthy halfcourt shots yesterday. One counted. Yeah...this game was totally made up.

- Kelly Dwyer's back on the Basketball Jones Podcast with Skeets and Tas. It will make you laugh.

That's it for today. The Knicks play the Lakers, not the Clippers, tomorrow night. Peace.

Bucks 107, Knicks 105

2007-01-28T22:35:00.000-05:00

Well, I watched some of the GameCast, but couldn't bring myself to watch the belated MSG broadcast when I knew what the outcome was gonna be, so I don't have much to say. The Knicks lost in typical fashion- slow start, halftime deficit, furious comeback, inevitable defeat. They run like clockwork. My only comment is that Eddy Curry's presence is great, but it might make the Knicks move the ball less and rely too heavily on the jumper, because he is often doubled. That's all I have to say. Here's the ESPN recap for those of you who need more than my lazy stylings.

My computer is seriously fucked and is gonna be undergoing some repairs in the next few days, so bear with me for a bit. I'll keep posting, but the regularity and timing of the posts might be a bit off. Things will be back to normal in no time. Clips on Tuesday. Peace.

Game Thread: Knicks at Bucks

2007-01-28T14:38:00.000-05:00

The Knicks head to Milwaukee this afternoon to take on the injury-riddled Bucks. Eddy Curry tore the Bucks a new one last time these two teams met, but is uncertain for this afternoon's game. Also pay attention to how Jamal Crawford follows his unbelievable 52 point game. He is streaky.

From what I understand, due a to a rule that ABC Sports has, local stations can't show other games during the ABC broadcast. Because of this, the Knicks-Bucks game won't be on MSG until 6:00. That's the word on the street. So, keep your eye on the Gamecast if you have the patience. I'll try to watch some of the late broadcast (especially if I know they won) and recap later tonight. Go Knicks. Peace.

Sunday Lookalikes

2007-01-28T14:32:00.000-05:00

Alonzo Mourning vs. Common

Feel my heat in the night

Crawford's Big Night

2007-01-27T12:58:00.000-05:00

No real news today. Just this sweet, sweet video of all of Jamal Crawford's 52 points last night. Enjoy.

Bucks tomorrow. See ya then with some lookalikes and a preview. Peace.

Knicks 116, Heat 96

2007-01-26T23:53:00.000-05:00

Wow. I wish I was there. Jamal Crawford served up a bountiful helping of ridiculous this evening, leading the shorthanded Knicks to a blowout revenge victory over the Miami Heat. Crawford dropped a full deck on Miami, scoring a career-high 52 on ridiculous shooting. It was magical. I saw most of the game, but had to revisit Knicks in 60 to catch all of Jamal's unbelievable game. Some belated and very brief game notes:

- Stats on Crawford's big night: 52 points on 20-30 shooting, including 8-10 from three point range. This includes a stretch in the middle quarters in which he hit 16 straight field goals. 16 straight field goals. Many of those were ridiculous threes off crossovers, and one was a four-point play in the final seconds of the first half. Jamal got defensive looks from Wade, Posey, Wright, and others, but no one could stop him. It was just about the most ridiculous offensive performance I've seen at the Garden. Again, I wish I could've been there.

"Good."
- Funny that Crawford goes for 52 on mostly fadeaway jump shots, only a few days after I bitch about his reluctance to go into the paint. Touche, Jamal.

"Money."
- The Knicks blew the thing open with a 15-2 run at the end of the first half.

"Raindrops."
- Crawford has 75 points in his last 5 quarters of basketball. And he hardly played in the fourth tonight.

"Zero spillage."
- On a fast break, Marbury cut into the middle of the lane, and shuffled the ball behind him with one hand to a streaking Balkman. Humpty took off from like, just inside the free throw line, and threw down a thundering one-handed slam that nearly tore down the rim. Me: "HOLY ASS BALLS!"

- I bet most people missed this, but Malik Rose unsuccesfully attempted the infamous "Clap" defense on an Earl Barron shot in garbage time. For those of you not wise in the ways of the clap, this involves loudly slapping one's hands together just as a shooter releases. It is a deadly defensive mechanism, but failed in this case. Bold move, though, by Malik.

- Crawford obviously took the cake (not literally, although that does happen in this league), but there were other fine performances in this game. Wade had 37, mostly from the line. Marbury was clearly in pain, but had 9 points and 13 assists. Channing Frye shot the ball well (7-11) to drop 16 and 6. David Lee recorded another double-double (yawn) with 11 and 12.

-I picture Dwyane Wade, James Posey, and Dorell Wright sitting at Jamal's house right now. They're at a well-lit table in an otherwise dark and smoky room. Jamal emerges with a heaping plate of food, and says "Would you like some pancakes, bitches?"

Anyway, I can't say I saw it coming but...wow. Sorry for the short and late post, but I'm kinda blown away by that whole game. The Knicks play Milwaukee on Sunday. Back tomorrow. Peace.

Game Thread: Knicks vs. Heat

2007-01-26T15:22:00.000-05:00

Did you know that that was the Heat's alternate logo? I don't think I've ever seen that before. Thanks Sportslogos.net!

The fully-equipped Miami Heat come to the Garden tonight to take on the not so fully equipped Knicks. Depending on where you look, Stephon Marbury and Eddy Curry are listed as anywhere from "questionable" to "probable". Based on what I've heard, I'd say Curry's probably out, and Marbury's probably in.

Anyway, there isn't much to say about this game that wasn't said about the last one. The Knicks need to get back to their winning ways at home. Maybe the Heat will do what the Knicks did on Monday, and underestimate the short-handed squad. I smell a 27 point run for the home team.

Gotta run, but I'll have a quick recap later tonight or tomorrow morning. As it is the weekend, I can't guarantee that I'll see all of the game, so your comments on the game action and outcome would be much appreciated. Go Knicks. Peace.

Knicks-Suns Crumbs

2007-01-25T15:47:00.000-05:00

Here's what's floating around the internet after last night's loss to the Suns...

- The Knickerblogger recap

- Jake Appleman of SLAM's game notes

- Your NYK reader, willymilly, was at the Garden last night, and had a few game notes of his own:

- When I first got to the Arena and saw Clyde's suit my eyes started to burn. How does the man pull it off?
- Whenever Eddy was out of the game there was no presence in the middle on defense and Amare rolled everyone, it was disgusting. It gave the one Suns fan in our section something to cheer about.
- "Feed the Beast" was said numerous times in the first half. I kept telling my buddy Eddy was going to have a forty point game. How wrong I was.
- The backboard dunk that you mentioned with Crawford.. from where we were sitting it looked like it went off the front of the rim. I don't remember if he passed it out to Lee who dunked after that or not.. but I'm pretty sure it went off the front of the rim.
- Nate was all over the floor and it was quite entertaining and uplifting. Even though his shooting frustrates me, he hustles and is pretty much a faster David Lee. If he could just tone down his shooting he could be key in the next couple of weeks if Steph has to take extended time or less minutes.
- When the Knicks penetrate, they score 97% of the time. I don't see why they don't do it more. Q, Nate, and Crawford are faster then almost every defender that they'll go against. The past couple of games it's been Q who has fallen victim to terrible shot selection. Nate usually penetrates more, but tonight he didn't do much, and Crawford is always half and half.

Good points. Nate is probably the fastest and craftiest slasher on the team. He has one of the quickest spin-moves in the league, and is good at drawing the double and making the quick pass. There's no reason he needs to be shooting 3's at all. Likewise, Crawford has a pretty good percentage on his drives to the basket, and Richardson might benefit from posting up a bit more. The Knicks are an in the paint team.

- An interview at the Big Picture with the Cavalier. Yay Sports is one of the funniest sites out there, and the interview is worth a read.

- Oh. It's TNT NBA Thursday. Mavs-Bulls followed by Nets-Clippers.

- Finally, you've probably seen something about the case of Genarlow Wilson, but for links to the full story and how to help, check out this post at Pounding the Rock.

That's all for today, kids. The Knicks play the Heat again tomorrow night, with or without Marbury and Curry. See you then. Peace.

Suns 112, Knicks 107

2007-01-24T22:11:00.000-05:00

Well it wasn't a win, but the Knicks kept pace with the Phoenix Suns, and saved themselves from any embarassment. Solid Knick defense and some poor shooting by Phoenix had New York leading by as much as 10 in the first half, but they went into the break down by 3. Eddy Curry had 21 of his 26 points in the first two periods, but went down in the third quarter with a strained calf. Amare Stoudemire led the Suns with 30 points. Game notes:

- Clyde rocked a cherry-red suit jacket with a black, flowered tie. This is why liquid crystal television was invented.

- Doesn't Raja Bell look kinda like the generic template humanoid when you're creating your own player in NBA Live? He's about average height and weight, of indiscernible ethnicity, and almost completely hairless. I almost feel the need to throw an afro, some high socks, and some goggles on him.

Needs a features editor.
- Why on earth would a professional sports team wear purple and orange? It's actually painful to the eye. At least the Suns give me a permanent answer in the Skittles Team Colors game. Otherwise, grape and orange would be impossible, ya know? Anybody?

- I've said it before, and I'll say it again. When Channing Frye does not hesitate, he does not miss.

- Amare Stoudemire slipped on a wet spot in the first quarter and fell kinda funny. My heart skipped a beat, but he was fine.

- Jared Jeffries played a wimpy 5 minutes and then sat for almost the entire rest of the game. I don't know what's up with the guy, but it's really disappointing. He just looks scared out there. Actually, I guess his natural facial expression alternates between "scared" and "stoned", so it's not that unusual.

- Crawford does a fantastic job of feeding Curry. Those two have really amazing chemistry, or as Clyde would say, "great ESP". Marbury is better at the pick and roll, but Crawford is superior at feeding the big fella. He had 11 assists.

- The Suns' television station does a thing where they whore out color commentator Dan Majerle for a part of the second quarter. Majerle traded spots with Clyde, and immediately went gay for Mike Breen. At least 3 times, he called Breen "handsome" or commented on how good he would look in a hat, glasses, etc. In all seriousness, as much as I hated Majerle when he was on the Heat, he's a witty, articulate, guy, and a very solid broadcaster.

A star player, a good announcer, and a total flirt.
- Remember two years ago when Crawford succesfully completed an off-the-backboard dunk twice in one season? Well, he kinda half tried it in the second quarter, with no success.

- Patrick Ewing was sitting sideline, as he's been doing frequently, only this time he was sporting a Sam Jackson beret.

- Good Nissan Trivia question: Who was the last NBA player to average 20 points and 10 assists for a season? I'll give you some time to think. Check the end of the post for the answer.

- The Knicks went to a "Hack-a-STAT" defense in the third quarter, sending Stoudemire to the line for 12 attempts. Clyde made the point that Nash and Stoudemire were the only two people moving on offense. They just ran a basic pick and roll, and if they couldn't complete it, Nash would kick it out to one of the guys camped out on the wing for a three. Whatever works.

- David Lee power dribbles like it's nobody's business. He's got the hard bounce to the kiss off the glass move down pat.

- Lee POSTERIZED Amare in the fourth quarter. He drove the lane, and Amare actually got a piece of the ball, but Lee flushed it in anyway.

Awwwww yeah.
- I don't get on Curry much for his lack of rebounding, because I'm really impressed with all the other things he's been doing, but Nate Robinson had 8 rebounds to Curry's 4. No comment.

- Speaking of Curry, he strained his left calf muscle early in the third quarter. He just seemed to come down funny, and immediately limped off the court. He was able to get to the locker room by himself, but with a significant limp. It didn't look that bad, but I'm sure we'll hear more tomorrow.

- Some noteworthy performances...Crawford had 23 in the fourth quarter to keep the game close...Q continued his shooting woes with an 0-5 scoreless performance...Nate couldn't shoot either, but pumped up the volume anyway, shooting an unsightly 5-19. He did rebound, distribute, and play some pesky defense, though...The Knicks had 21 turnovers, in part due to Marbury's absence.

Anyway, it was a tough, but surprisingly noble loss for the struggling Knicks. Hopefully Marbury will be getting back into the action soon, and Curry's injury isn't that severe. The Heat, with Wade and Shaq-fu, come to town on Friday. Back tomorrow. Peace.

P.S. Answer to the trivia question: Tim Hardaway. How 'bout that shit?

EDIT: I wrote this on my notepad, but forgot to mention it for some reason. Knickerblogger reminded me. The Knicks are a low post team. They would benefit from a serious cutback on three point attempts. The main jackers- Q, Crawford, and Nate, are all very capable penetrators, and that's gotta be the go-to move, whether it results in a score, a drawn foul, or an easy look for a big man. Points in the paint are this team's strength.

Game Thread: Knicks vs. Suns

2007-01-24T15:49:00.000-05:00

A few things before I get to the preview...

- I realized last night that I have the free trial of NBA League Pass this week. I watched the Nuggets-Sonics game last night, which was amazing. Considering that I never watch Nets games, this may have been the first time that I ever watched a local (not New Jersey local, just local) broadcast of an NBA game without having any emotional stake in the outcome. Watching a mellow, homey broadcast of a contest that doesn't include my Knicks is very therapeutic.

- Kelly Dwyer did a guest post at Free Darko and it's immensely entertaining.

- Did you ever realize that in the Suns' alternate logo (above) the purple flames form a firey bird (presumably a phoenix)? I love Sportslogos.net.

Speaking of the Suns, on to our Game Thread. Those crazy kids from Phoenix come to town tonight, bringing a 14 game win-streak with them. The Suns are, like, exponentially better than the Knicks, so here's hoping our boys (probably without Stephon Marbury) can at least keep this game respectable. I'd like to see the kids actually show up for the game, and look to get into an offensive flow and defensive effort from the outset. Former Knick, Kurt Thomas, is out for Phoenix, so there's really no one to guard Eddy Curry. Let's see what he can do.

Either way, I'm not expecting much, but the Knicks oft surprise in the level of their play. Phoenix is looking to set a franchise-high for consecutive games won, so don't expect them to just fuck around and get it done late. They are a swift, merciless team, and anything less than full effort is gonna be an embarassment in the Garden. Recap coming later. Go Knicks. Peace.

Note: I was really pleased to see a few comments in the last game thread. Let's keep it up. I love to hear what you guys think. Before, during, or after the game (you realize that includes the entire history of the universe?), feel free to share your thoughts, concerns, suggestions, and knock-knock jokes. Do it to it.

Knicks-Heat Crumbs

2007-01-23T15:17:00.000-05:00

Some links from the day after the disaster...

- Knickerblogger has the play-by-play of the first quarter. It's rather one-sided.

- Mike Dougherty on Jared Jeffries.

- From the New York Times:

“It seems like the court’s tilted, like they’re running downhill, shooting layups and making 3’s,” Lee said. “And we’re going uphill just to get the ball across halfcourt and try to get a shot up.”

Fishy. Someone should check out that American Airlines floor.

- Extreme Makeover: Hype Edition. Lookin' good, homie.

That's it for today. The Suns come to town tomorrow night at 7:30 (although the Knicks might not start playing until 8), in just about the worst possible matchup after a debilitating loss. Should be interesting to see the overall demeanor of the squad, with or without Stephon Marbury. See you tomorrow. Peace.

EDIT: My Site Meter is officially fucked. If anyone knows anything about fixing that up, I'd appreciate some help.

EDIT: Sweet Jebus, I have the free trial of League Pass and I didn't even realize it!

Heat 101, Knicks 83

2007-01-22T21:46:00.000-05:00

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.

You can't see it, but Zo's teeth are sunk into Curry's arm.
- 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.

Tragic.
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.

Game Thread- Knicks at Heat

2007-01-22T15:08:00.000-05:00

Whoa now. Whoa. Settle down. I know it's a little different, but I'm sure you'll get used to it. Yes, the game previews formerly labeled "Knicks-Opponent Tonight" are now "Game Threads". You'll notice that the actual product is eerily similar, but I'm trying to encourage a little more commenting in this house. We'll see what happens.

Anyway, the Knicks head to Miami tonight to start off a very tough week. The Heat are coming off a tough loss to Dallas yesterday, and Dwyane Wade has been playing like hot fire as of late. Miami has a great shot-blocker in Mourning and some longball marksmen in Kapono, Posey, and Walker, so this is gonna be a toughie for the Traveling Pants. Stephon Marbury is sore like a mofo, but will be suiting up. Hopefully, Steph can show Dwyane Wade the same kind of white-on-rice business that he brought to Ray Allen and Gilbert Arenas in the past few weeks, even through the pain.

It's gonna be a tough one, but let's see what deez Knicks can do. Recap after the game. Later.

EDIT: New Carnival of the NBA today at Detroit Bad Boys, and it's a great one. Check that out.

EDIT: I said "tough" 4 times in that post. Tough tough tough tough tough tough.

Sunday Lookalikes

2007-01-21T11:03:00.000-05:00

This one comes straight from Your NYK reader The District Celtic, who has a Celtics blog that is so choice. If you have the means, I highly reccomend checking it out.

From the mind of DC...Gerald Green vs. Chris Brown

Run it!

Knicks 108, Pacers 106

2007-01-20T21:36:00.000-05:00

Ahhh. The Knicks nearly blew another close game, but just pulled one out in Indiana, winning by two. While numerous travels and backcourt violations in the final minute nearly gave the game away, Nate Robinson hit 3 of 4 clutch free throws to win it. I actually managed to catch the latter 3 quarters of this game. Game notes:

- This may have been one of the worst officiated games I've ever seen. I swear nearly every call was wrong.

- I wish Ike Diogu went to a team that was gonna play him. He got 5 minutes off the bench, but I think that kid could be something given the minutes.

- I'm sure you've heard me rip on Bruce Bowen and Paul Pierce, but Mike Dunleavy is definitely an outside shot for my least favorite player in the NBA.

- Did you know that Isiah, Mark Aguirre, and Herb Williams were all in the same (1981) draft class? I did not.

- Marbury did something to his leg last night against the Nets, and did something more tonight. He was in quite a bit of pain, and was icing down his left knee on the bench. Don't be surprised to be hearing about this by tomorrow morning.

- Do you think that when Europe was writing "The Final Countdown", they envisioned it being played in every single clutch setting of every basketball game in the country?

"Vad är basketboll? "Låta oss gå äta något Swedish Fish."
- Curry only had 1 rebound, but looked more like himself with 26 efficient (10-12) points, even in foul trouble.

- My face turns bright red during Knicks games. It used to happen just at the Garden, but now I can be alone in my home and be bright red by the final buzzer.

- David Lee led the Knicks with 44 minutes, and dropped 20 and 16, walloping Jeff Foster (6 and 3 in 19 minutes) for the crown of MVFFRWG (Most Valuable Fan-Favorite Rebounding White Guy).

Suck it, Jeffrey.
- After the opening night embarassment, Isiah said that the Knicks would get revenge on Indiana. Considering that this was a real sacktap of a loss for the Pacers, I think Zeke got what he wanted.

Anyway, it was far from perfect, but the Knicks finally closed a game. The schedule gets tough this week, as they face a formidable Suns sandwich on some Miami Heat bread (that's MIA, PHO, MIA for those of you too dense for my poetic skillz). Back tomorrow with some Lookalikes. Peace.

Knicks-Pacers Tonight

2007-01-20T12:28:00.000-05:00

First of all, a few things about the Nets game.

- Maybe Channing should stop shooting at halftime, and Crawford should start shooting at halftime? Maybe?

- ~~Curry~~ Mittens had 11 boards, but missed the biggest one at the end. He also only took 7 shots and had 4 turnovers. I promised myself I wouldn't cry.

- Man, both of those final possessions in both of the last two heartbreakers were kinda rough. Both times, the defense really held up until the last second. On Wednesday, Curry helped out too soon, leaving Butler open. Last night, Curry couldn't quite box out Splifford Robinson, who got the tip-in.

- As you could tell by last night's post, I was pretty distraught after the game. I went downstairs and watched the T-Wolves lose to the Pistons in 2OT after a glorious show without Kevin Garnett, though. That made me feel a little better. (Speaking of Garnett, does he ever win fights? Remember when Anthony Peeler elbowed him in the face?)

Alright, onto tonight's game. The Knicks get to show their real resiliency, as they face the new-look Pacers the night after a draining loss (although I did hear Kenny Smith on TNT say that back-to-backs were easier than normal games). I think I've been hexing the Knicks by saying that these games are important, so I'll go ahead and tell you that this Pacers game is totally meaningless. So there. Pay attention to the battle of David Lee against Jeff Foster. Whether or not these guys are guarding each other, it's gonna be a fucking war for rebounds around the basket.

David Lee, you have met your match.
One more thing. As a few people have noticed, I tend to miss a lot of games, even important ones, on the weekends. The fact is that I've gotta get out of the house sometimes, and weekends are the time to do it. I often cut things short or skip out on people so I can watch at least SOME of every game, but I apologize for what I miss. I really do try. And I always watch Knicks in 60 if they end up winning. On that note, I wouldn't be surprised if I missed quite a bit of the game tonight. I implore any of you who are watching these games to get on the comments section and spill your thoughts. I might even start calling these things Game Threads, to really get that across. This is Your New York Knicks, everybody. I wanna know what you think.

Go Knicks. Peace.

Nets 101, Knicks 100

2007-01-19T22:46:00.000-05:00

Ugh. I'm not in much of a mood to recap. I caught most of the second quarter and the fourth quarter. This sucks. We'll talk tomorrow.

Knicks-Nets Tonight

2007-01-19T14:57:00.000-05:00

And here it is. My least favorite team on the planet, the New Jersey Nets, come to the Garden tonight to take on the Knicks, who are probably still reeling from their painful loss to the Wizards. The Nets' best center is Mikki Moore (read: sucks ass), so Curry's gotta step up his game from his shit performance on Wednesday. The Kidd-Marbury matchup is always fun to watch.

Anyway, I'm gonna try and catch as much of this game as I can, and I'll certainly hit up the Knicks in 60 if they win the thing. Recap of whatever I see coming lataz. Go Knicks. Peace.

Knicks-Wizards Crumbs

2007-01-18T15:48:00.000-05:00

A few links floating around the internet after last night's heartbreaker...

-When the game is tight the Knicks should definitely play Marbury, Crawford, Lee, Curry, and...who? Brian Cronin at Knickerblogger wonders.

- The Bullets Forever recap of last night's game

- Isiah doesn't appear to be looking at any deals. I think that's good.

- From J.E. Skeets at the Fanhouse, Mark Cuban wants a "Hoops Day in America". Every day is Hoops Day at Your New York Knicks.

That's it. Nets tomorrow, kids. Peace.

EDIT: If checking out my visitor stats is your cup of tea, note that my Site Meter is about 9 hours slow. Don't let the small numbers deceive you, I got mad visitorz.

Wizards 99, Knicks 98

2007-01-17T21:28:00.000-05:00

Ohh it hurts. Well I guess it was time. The Knicks have had their share of dramatic wins...I suppose they were due for a dramatic loss. Oh well. The Knicks turned a 14 point deficit into a 1 point lead with 12 seconds remaining (on a Crawford leaner), but a defensive breakdown led Caron Butler to put in a game-winning dunk for the Wiz. QRich was fantastic with 35 points and 10 rebounds, while Caron Butler led Washington with 27 and 10. Game notes:

- Arenas had on some bright green Gil Zero's in the first half, but switched to blue ones after the break. He had a pretty boring game.

- Jared Jeffries heard some pretty vociferous boos from the Verizon Center crowd. Why? I don't remember the departure being messy, or him having any issues with teammates.

Gilbert welcomes Jared back to D.C. with a hearty dry hump.
- In the first quarter, Steph picked up a tech for arguing, and Isiah immediately went up to the ref and started mouthing off. He even seemed to implore the ref to T him up too. And he got it. It's a nice gesture to stick up for your guy, but enough is enough, man.

- David Lee had a sick bank shot tip-in at the end of the first half buzzer.

- Gus Johnson is hilarious. Q had a nice tip-in off a Curry miss, and Gus all but shit his pants, belting out a startling "BAWW!" that nearly broke my television. Gotta love that enthusiasm...

Easy there, buddy.
- Curry just looked tiiiired. He was playing most of the first half just like his early-season self...the same type of play that made me start calling him "Mittens". If he falls into a slump, I'm gonna be so sad.

- GJ pointed it out, but Caron Butler has an offensive game very similar to Carmelo Anthony's. He likes to square up, measure the shot, and then release it lightning-quick in the defender's face. He looked awesome.

- Crawford had one of the shittiest games I've ever seen. Like the last game, he hit some clutch shots, but he spent most of the game traveling and hanging up one-handed passes.

- The Wizards dancers are NAKED.

¡Dios mio!
- I doubt I'll be able to find a picture, but Kelvin Cato was sporting a full-on Andre 3000 getup, with this dark gray kinda patterned-looking suit and a vest or some shit. I only saw it briefly, but the damage was done.

- Marbury, as he's been doing, played fantastic off-the-ball D on Arenas. Everyone else kinda sucked.

Anyway, it was a painful loss for the Knicks but, now that I think about it, that might've been the first really heartbreaking loss of the season. And instead of chipping away at the big lead, and then falling back, they actually almost won the damn thing. So that's good. The Nets come across the river on Friday, and that game is enormously important. Curry's gotta bring the heat. See you tomorrow. Peace.

Knicks-Wizards Tonight

2007-01-17T14:53:00.000-05:00

The Knicks face Roger Mason and the Wizards this evening. The game tips off at 7 o'clock D.C. time (same as here, but it sounds cool). Wizards über-blogsmith, Pradamaster, sent me some Knicks-related questions for his blog, Bullets Forever. My answers are over there. Two can play that game, so I sent him some questions of my own. Here's what he had to say:

Your NYK: Gilbert Arenas keeps making bold predictions and turning his back on airborne game-winners, but he always pulls through. When and if Gil misses one of these ballsy shots, how are Washington fans going to react?

Bullets Forever: First off, I don't think he's going to miss unless teams try to double team him at the end of games, but I'm sure he'll pull a Matt Hasselbeck at least once and fail to pull through on a guarantee. I'm guessing Wizards fans will probably gasp in shock if Arenas misses agame-winning shot. It's become that much of a certainty.

On a slightly different note, none of Arenas' game-winning shots have been the difference between a win and a loss. Not once have the Wizards turned to Arenas to hit the game-winner when they're trailing this season. Arenas' game winners against the Bucks and Jazz were both with the game tied. I know he had that shot in the playoffs last year, but it'll be interesting to see if he has the same swag when the game is really on the line.

YNYK: Who's the second banana on this team: Butler or Jamison? Or are they of equal significance?

BF: Butler is the second banana, no question. In the midst of all the Arenas hoopla, Butler is having a monster season. He's upped his scoring average to nearly 21 points per game, and he's grabbing over 8 rebounds, an astounding number for a small forward. More importantly, Butler is the only man in the starting lineup other than Arenas that can always be relied on to create his own shot. That's really important, especially in the Wizards' offense.

Jamison has really become a glorified third option at this point. He gets most of his points on spot up jumpers and those funky looking floaters in the lane. I recently wrote about how there's no way Jamison deserves the type of minutes he gets, and while he's still an important piece, it's impossible to argue that he's more valuable than Caron.

YNYK: Have you gotten to see any Andray Blatche? Before he got shot, I thought he might be a sleeper from that draft class.

BF:I've argued many times for more playing time for Blatche, but he's still very raw and makes a ton of mental errors. However, this is what you should expect from a high-school player who was shot only a year ago. The Wizards lack a real spark off their bench, which is proving to be a real shortcoming. Blatche is the only player who can really provide that, and he doesn't need to play much to potentially make an impact. The problem is that Eddie Jordan yanks him too quickly when he makes a mistake, which is the wrong way to go. Blatche ideally should be playing 10-15 minutes a game behind Jamison.

YNYK: If you got to vote one player (and their contract) off of the Wiz, who would it be?

BF: Jarvis Hayes. No question. Many Wizards fans would say Brendan Haywood, but his production is not bad considering his price tag and the price tag of comparable centers on the open market (see Samuel Dalembert, Nene). With Hayes, however, it's really time for him to go. He takes ill-advised shots on offense and doesn't do enough defensively to merit the time he gets. The Wizards are forced to play him simply because they have nobody else. Hayes is shooting below 40 percent, yet still frequently launches 10 shots a game, many of them contested. He's done with his rookie contract after this season, and I really hope Ernie Grunfeld will let him go and use his money to sign a more defensive-oriented wing backup.

YNYK: Finally, where would you rank the Wizards among Eastern Conference teams? Are they contenders to go deep?

BF: The Wizards have the potential to beat anyone in the East, but because of the nature of their game, they can also lose to anyone in the East. They're going to benefit heavily from the East's suckiness, because only Cleveland would really give them trouble in a playoff series. I'd probably rank them behind Cleveland and Detroit at this point, but there?s little separating them from those teams and the teams behind them (e.g. Chicago, Orlando, Indiana). If they get a good draw, there?s no reason they can?t reach the ECF, but a bad draw can doom them to another first-round exit.

Neato. Muchas gracias to Pradamaster for hooking that up. Anyway, it's a big, big game tonight. The Knicks have been iffy on the road, and the Wiz are a hot team that shot the lights out in their last meeting. I'll recap after the game (which is the ideal time to recap). Go Knicks. Peace.

Knicks-Kings Crumbs

2007-01-16T16:32:00.000-05:00

I had a longer post, but my computer kinda crashed, so I've gotta start over. The abbreviated version:

-An article on David Lee's rebounding from the Star Ledger

- More on Lee at Knickerblogger.

- Not Knicks related, but this post at Yay Sports made me laugh so hard I think I strained something. I'm day-to-day.

- One last thing. A while back, I pointed out (mockingly), the blue pin that Isiah Thomas has been wearing. Turns out I had no reason to mock, because this pin represents Autism Speaks, a research organization. I read this a few weeks ago, and meant to mention it, and a reader finally reminded me today. Isiah has done a great deal of charitable work for this organization. So, my apologies.

- Some love for Stephon from the Big Lead over at the Fanhouse (which is the shit). Solid points. Mr. Marbury's been playing like a healthy, well-adjusted point guard over the last few. As Clyde would say, he's got some pep in his step.

That's all for today. The Knicks are in Washington tomorrow, which is a huuuuuge statement game for this up-and-down team. See you then. Peace.

Knicks 102, Kings 97

2007-01-15T15:34:00.000-05:00

OK, so I've tried about 12 different opening sentences, and I'm just gonna be straightforward and say that the Knicks played the Kings today, and it's also Martin Luther King Day, and there's a joke somewhere in there. If you find it, let me know. Either way, the Knicks outlasted the Kings in a very exciting battle, that featured 29 lead changes and 20+ point outbursts from Marbury, Curry, Kevin Martin, and Shareef.

The closing minute was particularly exciting. Crawford and Lee put the Knicks up by one with a haphazard runner and a pair of free throws, respectively (I probably didn't need to say respectively. You coulda guessed which was which). Shareef neé Shareef countered with a slick hook shot. Crawford came the other way and hit ANOTHER stupid runner. Then, Corliss Williamson pretty much iced it by setting an illegal screen out of bounds, allowing NY to regain possession and finish it with free throws.

Very exciting. The Traveling Pants (get it? Knickerbockers?) head to Washington on Wednesday to take on Gilbert Arenas and the streaky Wizards. Should be a good one.

Anyway, as I mentioned earlier, it is Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. Dr. King would be turning 77 today. I urge everyone who hasn't already to take a little time to read something about him or by him. King's autobiographical account of his contributions to the Civil Rights Movement, Stride Toward Freedom, is what I believe to be one of the most interesting and inspiring works I've ever encountered. I'll leave you today with a little passage:

" Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals. Without persistent effort, time itself becomes an ally of the insurgent and primitive forces of irrational emotionalism and social destruction. This is no time for apathy or complacency. This is a time for vigorous and positive action"

Backatcha tomorrow, kids. Peace.

EDIT: Gilbert Arenas dropped 51 today. I love this guy.

Knicks-Kings Tomorrow

2007-01-14T20:18:00.000-05:00

I'm not gonna be around when the Kings come to town tomorrow afternoon, so I'll preview the damn thing right now. The last game between these two teams was fairly shitty for the 'Bockers. Even though Brad Miller got tossed early on, Ron Artest was ridiculously hot from the field, dropping a career high 39. I wouldn't expect Artest to put on that same kind of performance again, but you never know with Ron-Ron.

Anyway, look for Mittens to have a big game (seems like I say that a lot, eh?). Brad Miller plays defense about as frequently as he dresses nicely*, and Kenny Thomas and Corliss Williamson are like a combined 4'3''. Bring it, big man.

*(Never)
I'll be back tomorrow afternoon. Go nuts with some comments if you see the game, cause I ain't gonna catch a second of it. Go Knicks. Peace.

Sunday Lookalikes

2007-01-14T13:29:00.000-05:00

Eric Snow vs. Sam Cooke

Good Times!

Bobcats 126, Knicks 110

2007-01-13T13:15:00.000-05:00

Well the Knicks got lit up at the Garden last night, but they did a fine job of demonstrating my predictin' skillz. As I predicted yesterday, I didn't catch much of this game. I watched most of the second quarter, and then a small chunk of the fourth. As I also predicted, one team blew out another, with the Bobcats toasting the Knicks for a big victory. There really wasn't much to it. The Knicks played a solid offensive game and rebounded well, but were slow enough on defense to let the Bobcats shoot 59%, hitting 10 of 18 from downtown and only turning the ball over 10 times. I think the Bobcats are one of the better matched teams for the Knicks. They have Okafor (10 blocks last night) to stop Curry and any slashers, have hot shooters in Carroll and Morrison, and a solid distributor in Felton.

This loss isn't the end of the world, as long as the Knicks get their collective act together on defense, and prevent this from becoming a losing streak on Monday against Sacto. It will be interesting to see how they react.

That's it for today. I'll be back tomorrow with some lookalikes and whatnot. Peace.

Knicks-Bobcats Tonight

2007-01-12T15:10:00.000-05:00

What up, kids. The Knicks look to establish their longest win streak of the season tonight, as the Charlotte Bobcats come into the Garden. The last game between these two, as you might remember, was a bit exciting. I was in attendance as the Knicks won on a David Lee tip-shot in the second OT. Because I believe this to be the phenomenon, I expect tonight's contest to be not nearly as close. I'd even venture to say that it'll be a bit of a blowout in one way or the other. Count it. Look for the Knicks to step up their perimeter D in this one, as they got torched by Gerald Wallace and one half of Adam Morrison a few weeks ago. Moving on.

Here are some interesting posts from around the internet:

- As a jew who loves basketball, and tends to believe that jews love basketball more than most, I find this post at Free Darko, regarding Elie Seckbach, very interesting. Make sure to check out the comment section.

- Mr. Marbury finally got that talk show he wanted. It's called Stars on Stars. I'll leave this one to Yay Sports.

Well, it’s about time Steph lets us see the real him, because every version of the fake him since he’s entered the NBA can best be described as “miserable and angsty”.

We’re hopeful that this will be everything we want it to be, ie Stephon says, “Hey guest, look at my huge diamond-encrusted watch. Do you have a huge diamond-encrusted watch?”

And then the interviewee is like, “Yeah, here’s my huge diamond-encrusted watch. It’s huge. Also encrusted with diamonds.”

Then they just sit there and stare for awhile, when Steph blurts out, “I have mine set to Eastern Standard Time. I can dribble good.”

Hilarious. If you don't like Yay Sports, then you're probably a loser, or a terrorist.

- One last, unrelated, thing. Last night, as I fell asleep, I was thinking about that trend that Bill Simmons has often mentioned, of announcers saying that an injured player is "out with a knee", or something of the like. I wondered to myself if the pregnant WNBA star, Lisa Leslie, would be deemed "out with a fetus" (EXACT words) for this season. I chuckled aloud, and considered working that line into today's post. Peep this. In reference to this post today about pregnant athletes, Deadspin's "Blogdome" had this headline. That's fucking bananas. I kid you not about any of this. Anyway, the moral of the story is that Deadspin employs a team of mind-reading phantoms that highjack your funniest thoughts while you sleep. That's what makes the site so good. Those clever bastards.

Deadspin's Will Leitch.
Enjoy the game. I probably won't catch the whole thing, but I'll pretend I did and put something up late tonight or tomorrow. Go Knicks. Peace.

It's TNT NBA Thursday

2007-01-11T15:18:00.000-05:00

Tonight's TNT twinbill is Bulls-Nets (yawn) followed by Cavs-Suns, which should be a fun one. I'm excited. Thursday's my favorite day of the week. Or it's in the top 5, anyway.

In other news, congratulations to Howie the Hype for this baller-ass picture of Gilbert Arenas with his merchandise. By the way, if you click that link you'll see the first words of the post saying "Oh. My." and then a word so small that it can't be seen by the naked eye. Well, with long and toilsome calculations, as well as some expert cutting-and-pasting I discovered this minute word to be..."Shiva!" Scandalous. Anyway, props to Señor Hype.

Sweeeeet.
Perhaps I should get into the shirt business, eh? Do you think Renaldo Balkman would pose with a t-shirt that says "Watch Me Do the Humpty Hump"? Intriguing...

Someone get me Photoshop so I can out-design the Hype!

Enjoy some basketball this evening, I'll be sexing up your computer screens once again tomorrow, as the Knicks face the Bobcats. Peace and humptyness forever.

Knicks 106, Sixers 99

2007-01-10T22:51:00.000-05:00

The Knicks pulled out a solid win over the Sixers this evening, bringing my personal attendance record to 3-3 this season. The game was a semi-blowout, as the Sixers drew kinda close late in the fourth (hence the final score). New York showed balanced scoring, with 5 guys in double figures, and there was good chemistry evident from the opening tip. Very nice. I like. Game notes:

- Wow. I wrote my game notes with a marker on a flimsy notecard balanced on my knee. My handwriting looks like it's in Arabic or something. Not gonna be easy to decipher this shit.

- During pregame warmups, the Sixers held a mini dunk contest, and Andre Iguodala nearly put down an off-the-backboard rock-the-baby reverse windmill. It was 98% filthy. (By the way this is written on my note card as "Iggy reeeeeee wine off BB".)

- The Sixers coaching staff might have more game than their starting lineup. Mo Cheeks, Henry Bibby, and Moses Malone are all relegated to the Philly bench. I guarantee that a 57 year old Henry Bibby could take Kevin Ollie's roster spot.

- After the Sixers' starting lineups are announced, they all form a circle and Sam Dalembert breakdances in the middle. I've seen guys like Rasheed do this, but I never took Samuel for a dancer. Who knew?

- When Channing does not hesitate, he does not miss. It's that simple.

Just let it fly, Frye.
- In the second quarter, the Sixers took to a "Hack-a-Humpty" defense, fouling Renaldo Balkman on three consecutive possessions (if I remember correctly). Ren went 3-6 from the line.

- The Knicks City Dancers did a very good number to Jimi Hendrix's "Fire". Unusual choice.

- Couldn't Bobby Jones just go by "Bob" or "Rob" or "BJ" or something? We have enough fucking Bobby Joneses. Jeez.

"Yo, get yo own name, ma fucka."
- No Knicks City Kids this evening. My theory? Measles.

The Knicks City Kids maintain a winning spirit in their quarantine center. God bless 'em.
- Robinson and Richardson returned. Nate was quiet (scoreless), but played some solid D and helped distribute. Q was lights out from downtown. He should always be on Curry's side of the court when we're feeding the big man. You just can't double off of Q.

Anyway, 'twas a good win at the Garden. Lots of people showed up, the team played as a unit, and they pulled it out without much sweat. Well done. The Knicks' win streak is at 3 games, and the Bobcats come to town on Friday. That's all for tonight. Peace.

Knicks-Sixers Tonight

2007-01-10T15:12:00.000-05:00

The Knicks take on Philly this evening. It is New York's first game in nearly a week, so it should be interesting to see how they start things off.

Let's take some roll call...
Quentin Richardson...Here.
Nate Robinson...Glad to have you back, Nate.
Chris Webber...Absent.
Larry Brown...Present.

I will be in attendance this evening, and I see this as a very important game for the Knicks. They really need to show sharpness after such a long break, as well as chemistry with their full rotation. Hopefully, the shooting (or threat thereof) of the returning QRich and Nate will free up the paint for Curry. If Marbury, Crawford, and now Robinson can put up some of the great off-the-ball D we've been seeing recently, then the Knicks should be able to stifle Andre Miller and Iguodala en route to a victory. Let us hope.

Again, I'm gonna be at the game, so expect a recap a little later than usual, when I return from the city. Go Knicks. Peace.

EDIT: In defense of Isiah Thomas, from LZ Granderson at ESPN. It's an interesting read, and I agree with some of the points he makes. Let's hope that, in the spirit of things, Isiah avoids signing Chris Webber. If he signs Chris Webber, I might throw the rage to end all rages.

David Blaine With the Knicks

2007-01-09T15:34:00.000-05:00

This is from a few years back, but it's pretty cool.

David Blaine doing some card tricks with Allan Houston...

(Check out Kurt Thomas' fro at the end there!)

...and Glen Rice

Pretty cool. Well, FINALLY there's a game to play tomorrow night, so we can get back to our normal routine. Keep an eye on the Nets and Raptors tonight, as the Knicks are vying for a shot at first place in the Atlantic Division. Peace.

Here's a Video

2007-01-08T15:54:00.000-05:00

Ummm, this video is marked as a "tribute to David Lee", but I'd say it's more just a tribute to three letter words. Either way, it's pretty funny, and actually kinda scary. Enjoy.

Yeah. I wouldn't mind a game right now. I don't know if I'm gonna make it to Wednesday. Backatcha tomorrow. Peace.

Larry Brown Wants to Coach the Sixers!

2007-01-08T15:10:00.000-05:00

It's the truth! It says so right here. Says Brown:

"I didn't come here to be involved in the coaching," he said. "After last year, I think I need to step away from coaching for a while, and I'm 66. I don't know if that's what I'm looking to do."

Hmm. Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot to translate that from Brown-speak into English. Here we go:

"I didn't come here to be involved in the coaching, but I'm gonna end up doing it anyway" he said. "I'm going to play coy now, but eventually I'll take over the reigns, trade constantly, and drive this motherfucking team into the ground because I am a bitchy, friendless, lunatic splooge basket. I also hate basketball and America."

Interesting remarks from soon-to-be Coach Brown. He seems to have conveniently left out, however, the fact that he is a pedophile as well.

Exhibit A.
Anyway, let's just say that a Knick victory over Philly on Wednesday would have a little added pleasure for me and, I imagine, much of the Knicks organization. Good stuff.

Possibly a cool video coming later.

EDIT: Sam Rubenstein beat me to the punch. The feelings are mutual.

Sunday Lookalikes

2007-01-07T15:35:00.000-05:00

There we go...

Yakhouba Diawara vs. Delroy Lindo

See you tomorrow.