In the Post today there is a laudatory statement by deranged and inspired boxing promoter Don King about my friend and yours James Dolan:
"From the philanthropic and the humanitarian aspects as well as sports and entertainment, he's a guy who speaks his mind, says what he means and means what he says, and is willing to accept the consequences. That's what you have in this man I pay tribute and salute, Jim Dolan."
Yup, that's creepy and makes me uncomfortable. The reason for King speaking so passionately about someone who isn't himself is that Dolan is taking a footing a large portion of the bill for this weekend's fight between Roy Jones, Jr. and Felix Trinidad at the Garden. He put up an estimated $8 million in "site fees" for the bout this weekend that would have been awesome if it was ten years ago. After all, these two have almost 80 years between them at this point.
All in all, it seems like Dolan has made another poorly judged investment with this fight and will end up losing money when all is said and done. But, he will have another larger-than-life figure whom he can pal around with for a bit. And, clearly that's all that matters with this guy.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
"Clever Girl"-Robert Muldoon
They couldn't do it against Houston last week. And, they'd rarely been asked to do it before that. But the past two nights, the Knicks have defended and held a lead against teams trying to come back against them late in the game. They're learning how to win basketball games right before our eyes.
There were two crucial moments during last night's win against the NJ Nets and both came with less than two and half minutes left. The first was when Nate Robinson checked back in with 2:27 showing on the clock and the scored knotted at 99 apiece. Using a 12-2 run the Nets had come all the way back from a double-digit fourth quarter deficit and most of that run occurred with Nate on the bench. The second decisive moment came with 59 ticks remaining and the score tied at 102. Jamal Crawford hit a three-pointer from the right side of the arc to give the Knicks the lead that they would not relinquish. The pass came from Robinson. This was the start of the 7-0 run that wrestled control back from the Nets and iced the contest.
There were two crucial moments during last night's win against the NJ Nets and both came with less than two and half minutes left. The first was when Nate Robinson checked back in with 2:27 showing on the clock and the scored knotted at 99 apiece. Using a 12-2 run the Nets had come all the way back from a double-digit fourth quarter deficit and most of that run occurred with Nate on the bench. The second decisive moment came with 59 ticks remaining and the score tied at 102. Jamal Crawford hit a three-pointer from the right side of the arc to give the Knicks the lead that they would not relinquish. The pass came from Robinson. This was the start of the 7-0 run that wrestled control back from the Nets and iced the contest.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Pre-Gaming: Knicks at Nets
Tip-Off: 7:30 PM @ Izod Center, East Rutherford
The Knickerbockers are looking for their first three-game winning streak of the season tonight against the Nets. And, all the numbers are against them. First of all, the team hasn't strung together three wins all year long. Secondly, the Nets have dominated the Knicks since Kidd surfaced in the swamp. And, last but not least, this is technically a road game and such games have not been the team's forte.
All of that being said, this is a winnable game. If the team puts forth the sort of cogent effort that they did last night and scores with nearly as much efficiency then they can put together a legitimate STREAK. The Nets are struggling this season and have been saved from the tri-state area's scorn only be the debacle across the Hudson.
Of course, the Knicks could be satisfied with their two wins and come out flat against a team that they've already beaten. If December was any indicator that is how it will play out.
The Knickerbockers are looking for their first three-game winning streak of the season tonight against the Nets. And, all the numbers are against them. First of all, the team hasn't strung together three wins all year long. Secondly, the Nets have dominated the Knicks since Kidd surfaced in the swamp. And, last but not least, this is technically a road game and such games have not been the team's forte.
All of that being said, this is a winnable game. If the team puts forth the sort of cogent effort that they did last night and scores with nearly as much efficiency then they can put together a legitimate STREAK. The Nets are struggling this season and have been saved from the tri-state area's scorn only be the debacle across the Hudson.
Of course, the Knicks could be satisfied with their two wins and come out flat against a team that they've already beaten. If December was any indicator that is how it will play out.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
"We won one yesterday. If we win today, that's called two in a row. Win tomorrow, that's called a winning streak. It has been done before."-Lou Brown
Knicks beat Wizards for second straight win
Yeah, it's a winning streak, just our third pair of consecutive victories this season.
Yeah, it's a winning streak, just our third pair of consecutive victories this season.
Pre-Gaming: Knicks versus Wizards
Tip-Off: 7:30 PM @ MSG
I must admit that I bought these tickets just for the chance to see Gilbert Arenas, one of my favorite players in the Association to watch, play in person. Unfortunately, Agent Zero had his second knee surgery of 2007 in November and is still in street clothes. Up until last night I felt like I had made a serious mistake including this game in my ultra-expensive mini-plan for this season. And, then I found out that the Wizards had pulled off their improbable home-and-home sweep of the vaunted Boston Celtics thanks to Caron Butler's game-winning bucket. All of a sudden the Wiz seemed like a pretty good team to go see on a Tuesday night.
And, all of a sudden, this is a big game for the Knicks that take the floor tonight. The Wizards are not a great team but they are a solid team that plays hard and plays to win on a nightly basis. They are an honest basketball team, which is exactly what I want the Knicks to be and what, dare I say, the Knicks (or at least some of them) have shown hints of becoming over the past week or so against the Spurs, Bulls, Rockets and Pistons.
Things to Know:
Like the Wizards who will be without Arenas, the Knicks will be without their "best" player as Marbury continues to be sidelined with an ankle injury and a bruised psyche. Caron Butler has assumed a leadership role for the Wizards and has been a monster on the court. Can Nate continue to play well for the Knicks and can the team find some cohesion?
Both teams are coming off surprising wins over superior opponents. The Wiz are coming off that shocking sweep of Boston and the Knicks are fresh off their mind-bending rout of the Pistons.
The Zach-Hole: He played well (meaning he shot the ball well) against the Pistons. What does he do tonight?
Brendan Haywood versus the Knicks frontcourt: The man in the pivot for the Wiz is averaging ten and a half per game so far this season and less than that for his career. Still, he is a traditional center listed at 7-feet which is a recipe for disaster for the Knicks regardless of any scoring prowess.
Caron Butler versus ?: Renaldo Balkman was back in the rotation on Sunday night. Butler seems like the sort of player that we should assign to Balkman.
I must admit that I bought these tickets just for the chance to see Gilbert Arenas, one of my favorite players in the Association to watch, play in person. Unfortunately, Agent Zero had his second knee surgery of 2007 in November and is still in street clothes. Up until last night I felt like I had made a serious mistake including this game in my ultra-expensive mini-plan for this season. And, then I found out that the Wizards had pulled off their improbable home-and-home sweep of the vaunted Boston Celtics thanks to Caron Butler's game-winning bucket. All of a sudden the Wiz seemed like a pretty good team to go see on a Tuesday night.
And, all of a sudden, this is a big game for the Knicks that take the floor tonight. The Wizards are not a great team but they are a solid team that plays hard and plays to win on a nightly basis. They are an honest basketball team, which is exactly what I want the Knicks to be and what, dare I say, the Knicks (or at least some of them) have shown hints of becoming over the past week or so against the Spurs, Bulls, Rockets and Pistons.
Things to Know:
Like the Wizards who will be without Arenas, the Knicks will be without their "best" player as Marbury continues to be sidelined with an ankle injury and a bruised psyche. Caron Butler has assumed a leadership role for the Wizards and has been a monster on the court. Can Nate continue to play well for the Knicks and can the team find some cohesion?
Both teams are coming off surprising wins over superior opponents. The Wiz are coming off that shocking sweep of Boston and the Knicks are fresh off their mind-bending rout of the Pistons.
The Zach-Hole: He played well (meaning he shot the ball well) against the Pistons. What does he do tonight?
Brendan Haywood versus the Knicks frontcourt: The man in the pivot for the Wiz is averaging ten and a half per game so far this season and less than that for his career. Still, he is a traditional center listed at 7-feet which is a recipe for disaster for the Knicks regardless of any scoring prowess.
Caron Butler versus ?: Renaldo Balkman was back in the rotation on Sunday night. Butler seems like the sort of player that we should assign to Balkman.
Monday, January 14, 2008
The End of an Error?
Reports are coming out that (meaning I read them on other websites) Stephon Marbury is going to need season-ending surgery to remove bone spurs from his ankle. If true, it is possible that we have seen the last of Starbury at the Garden.
Stay tuned.
[Update: Stephon isn't under the knife just yet. Apparently he is having an MRI on Thursday to determine IF he actually does have bone spurs in his ankle. All that happened yesterday was that Steph admitted that IF he does have bone spurs that he WILL opt for surgery immediately rather than trying to continue playing through the pain as he has been and as he did during the 2002-2003 season.]
Stay tuned.
[Update: Stephon isn't under the knife just yet. Apparently he is having an MRI on Thursday to determine IF he actually does have bone spurs in his ankle. All that happened yesterday was that Steph admitted that IF he does have bone spurs that he WILL opt for surgery immediately rather than trying to continue playing through the pain as he has been and as he did during the 2002-2003 season.]
Q: What is far more improbable than what happened in Dallas last night?
A: The Knicks beating the Pistons last night.
In fact, the Knicks didn't just win, they blew the Pistons out, leading by as many as thirty points in the second half. The dozens and dozens of people who saw the game can corroborate this story, as can these newspaper articles:
The News
The Post
The Times
In fact, the Knicks didn't just win, they blew the Pistons out, leading by as many as thirty points in the second half. The dozens and dozens of people who saw the game can corroborate this story, as can these newspaper articles:
The News
The Post
The Times
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Pre-Gaming: Knicks at Pistons
Tip-Off: 7pm @ MSG
If Eddy Curry falls in the paint during a Giants playoff game does it make a sound?
I guess it does because Curry is a big boy but I don't think that too many folks will be listening. In fact, I've been racking my brain all day and I can't think of one person that I know who will be watching the Knicks tonight when the Pistons come to town. Not one single person. Everyone will be watching the Giants/Cowboys game. MSG is selling off tickets at $10 a pop so maybe the in-house crowd won't be as bad as the at-home crowd.
The Game
The Pistons have won 13 of their past 15 games (losing only to Boston and Dallas), while the Knicks have lost
nine of ten and fifteen of their last eighteen. So, there's that to bear in mind when placing your bets.
Oh, and the Pistons have won ten of their last twelve games against the Knicks.
[Ed note: I will be watching. I think]
If Eddy Curry falls in the paint during a Giants playoff game does it make a sound?
I guess it does because Curry is a big boy but I don't think that too many folks will be listening. In fact, I've been racking my brain all day and I can't think of one person that I know who will be watching the Knicks tonight when the Pistons come to town. Not one single person. Everyone will be watching the Giants/Cowboys game. MSG is selling off tickets at $10 a pop so maybe the in-house crowd won't be as bad as the at-home crowd.
The Game
The Pistons have won 13 of their past 15 games (losing only to Boston and Dallas), while the Knicks have lost
nine of ten and fifteen of their last eighteen. So, there's that to bear in mind when placing your bets.
Oh, and the Pistons have won ten of their last twelve games against the Knicks.
[Ed note: I will be watching. I think]
It's like a carousel: you pay the quarter, you get on the horse, you go up and down and around. Circular. Circle. The Flow, feel it."
Great article in today's News, by Filip Bondy chronicling the Knicks cycles of bad basketball going back decades.
Bondy contends that every generation of Knicks fans has seen an extended period of ineptitude and refers us to swoons in the 1960s and 1980s to support this point.
Bondy contends that every generation of Knicks fans has seen an extended period of ineptitude and refers us to swoons in the 1960s and 1980s to support this point.
No News is Bad News. Or not.
Since I wasn't the only one who perked up a bit with Saturday's stories about Isiah's imminent sacking, the Garden felt compelled to issue a statement.
As reported in the Post (and probably elsewhere), Garden spokesman Barry Watkins proclaimed that "there's nothing new" concerning Isiah's job status.
OK, there's nothing new today. That's not great news. But, it's not quite as bad as it seems. In fact, it's better news than we've had in a while. Previously, MSG employees, just like Mr. Watkins, have been sent forth bearing ridiculous and undeserved plaudits and votes of confidence that were as miscast as the worst that Diebold ever was responsible for.
So, on the bright side, Dolan and his peons passed on supporting Isiah by merely stating that he has not, in fact, been fired.
For a team and organization that consistently moves backwards, standing still is a good thing.
***
Of course, Isiah himself is handling all of these reports with characteristic poise and sensibility. According to the News, he has flatly denied that he confided to anyone anywhere that he will ever choose to step down as coach. Or as he put it:
"I will never ever, ever quit, ever."
As reported in the Post (and probably elsewhere), Garden spokesman Barry Watkins proclaimed that "there's nothing new" concerning Isiah's job status.
OK, there's nothing new today. That's not great news. But, it's not quite as bad as it seems. In fact, it's better news than we've had in a while. Previously, MSG employees, just like Mr. Watkins, have been sent forth bearing ridiculous and undeserved plaudits and votes of confidence that were as miscast as the worst that Diebold ever was responsible for.
So, on the bright side, Dolan and his peons passed on supporting Isiah by merely stating that he has not, in fact, been fired.
For a team and organization that consistently moves backwards, standing still is a good thing.
***
Of course, Isiah himself is handling all of these reports with characteristic poise and sensibility. According to the News, he has flatly denied that he confided to anyone anywhere that he will ever choose to step down as coach. Or as he put it:
"I will never ever, ever quit, ever."
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