The Post Is Prologue: Magic @ Knicks

Orlando Magic (1-1)
at
New York Knicks (1-2)
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
7:30 P.M.

Following weekend losses to Boston and Portland, the heavy hitters just keep coming as the Knicks face Dwight Howard, Vince Carter and the powerhouse Orlando Magic at the Garden tonight. To make matters potentially worse for the 'bockers, Orlando is coming off a stinging 96-70 rout in Miami. Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, in typical VG fashion, was not pleased with his team's outing in South Beach and I'd have to assume that the players themselves were pretty angry after losing Round 1 of the Squabl for the Sunshine State.

Having swept three games with ease from New York last season, Orlando has to be looking to get well tonight. Vegas has them as 7 point favorites with the over/under at 202. If the Magic cover that spread then I actually have a hard time seeing the game hitting that over. Even when getting blown out by the Heat, they still didn't let up 100 points. I guess that Vegas is looking at the Magic's 112-83 win over Washington in their opener and assuming that the Knicks are good for a few more buckets than the Wiz (while being just as pliant defensively). Perhaps.

With impressive effort in the Knicks' first three games yielding lackluster results I'm keen to see how the ballclub comes out tonight. Has their confidence been shaken or are they also going to come out with a chip on their shoulder because they feel that they had one stolen from them at home by Portland? Hmmm....

Things to Look For:
-Can Danilo Gallinari break out of his slump? How much leash does D'Antoni give him?
-Can the Moz inch his career point total closer to his career foul total? Or, does Dwight Howard have him fouled out before the first TV timeout?
-How does D'Antoni account for Howard? And, after Moz is tethered to the bench with fouls?
-How does Stan Van Gundy account for Amar'e?
-How and when does Amar'e assert himself in this game? Will he play more than 36 minutes f necessary?
-How is the crowd's intensity? It's a midweek game following the home opener. The crowd was TNT on Saturday night, chanting DEEEE-FENSE from the first possession.

In what I aim to be a season-long habit, I've been trading emails today with a blogger who covers the Knicks' opponent. Below you'll find a back-and-forth with Brian Serra, a contributing blogger at Howard the Dunk and the founder of MagicBasketballOnline.com. He's on the Twitter and the Facebook if you're into it.

WWOD?: How does it feel for Florida to be the center of the basketball universe? What, if anything, did you take away from the first Heat-Magic clash?

HtD: Honestly, I think those of us in Orlando enjoyed it quite a bit more when all we had to worry about from Miami was if Wade was going to drop 50 on us or not. However, there is no denying that the fans of both franchises are now talking a lot more smack back and forth than I have ever previously seen.

The first Heat-Magic game last Friday was obviously a disappointment to the Orlando fans and it showed that our undefeated preseason was truly meaningless and that the team is not as far long as we all thought.

WWOD?: Aside from health, what specific factor will determine how far this Magic team goes?

HtD: The team MUST get physically and emotionally stronger. When you get slapped, how do you respond? This was the biggest problem heading into the offseason last year and while everyone seemed to be talking the talk about it being improved, it clearly hasn’t. Unfortunately, this team is riding heavily on Vince Carter right now and his rollercoaster play will likely determine if the Magic are able to return to the Finals or if they head home in the second round.

WWOD?: What is your favorite part of rooting for a team coached by a Van Gundy brother? Least favorite?

HtD: The favorite has to be the Van Gundy mannerisms. He gives great quotes all the time and you love his passion. The thing that seems to wear on fans, and sometimes the players, the most is the constant yelling and screaming. Although I do think he is becoming a little more mild-mannered as he has figured out the players distinct personalities and how far he can/can not push people.

WWOD?: During the second half of his career, Patrick Ewing excelled on offense largely because of his soft touch from midrange and the baseline, do you think that Dwight Howard can develop that shot under Ewing's tutelage? What parts of Howard's offensive game do you expect to develop as he matures?

HtD: Dwight has already begun showing his ability this season to knock down face-up jumpers and is taking them with increased confidence and making us think that we might need to change the name of the site to HowardtheDuncan. The shots he is making and taking now aren’t new to him either. They are things he has worked very hard on in practice and just lacked the confidence to expand them into his regular game. Dwight spent some time this offseason in Houston working with Hakeem Olajuwon and he’s said the biggest take away for him was being 100% confident in the shots he is taking. With Ewing, for whatever reason, he never developed that. However, there is no denying that Patrick has contributed over the last few years to Dwight’s tremendous growth both offensively and defensively.

WWOD?: What unheralded player in your rotation should a Knicks fan keep an eye out for when watching the Magic tonight?

HtD: You mean Knicks fans didn’t buy tickets to tonight’s game to see the return of Chris Duhon?? Duhon aside, the Magic have a very deep bench. J.J. Redick is probably someone the Knicks should keep an eye on as he is the player now that Knicks fans will be praying Andy Rautins turns into in 5 years. When he first came into the league, Redick was slow and undersized. J.J. worked hard every year to turn into a scrappy and versatile player and of course always has the ability to shoot the ball. If Rautins is going to be an NBA success story, he should be studying the history of J.J. Redick.

Also:

Haunting Moments From Knicks History

Some say that adversity reveals the true measure of a man. Others claim that prosperity provides persons the freedom to show their true colors . I posit that Halloween is actually key to knowing someone else. Because there are two types of people on Halloween. People who love it and people who don't. Just like in partisan politics, neither party is likely to be swayed by any rationale from the opposition. And one's relation to Halloween really tells me just about all I need to know about them.

While there are social mores and likely various local statues to discourage me from going door to door, trick or treating in costume, my lack of insurance leaves me without a dentist or physician to dissuade me from starting my Halloween with several bowls of Count Chocula and Boo Berry cereals. The local A&P didn't have any Franken Berry or Yummy Mummy or else those would have been part of my morning feast as well. Not exactly the breakfast of champions, which is sort of fitting for this post.

To celebrate Halloween, I'll be going to Atlantic City to see Phish recounting some of the most terrifying moments in the history of the Knicks. So, gather 'round the up-turned flashlight boils and ghouls, inch closer to your neighbors and see if you watch these macabre moments without your blood curdling. Be warned: the walls may bleed orange and blue and Isiah Thomas may return from the grave at any point while you're web browser has this page open. And, if you say Frederic Weis three times while staring into your computer monitor, Vince Carter will come to your place of business and emasculate you in front of your peers and countrymen.

The Charles Smith Layup Line

The summer of 1993 season holds enough horrors to keep several NBA fan bases awake at night. Promising Nets shooting guard Drazen Petrovic died in a car wreck on June 7 in Germany. Draz had averaged better than 22 during the previous season and was named All-NBA Third Team. His star was on the rise and he was a leader of the NJ squad that included Kenny Anderson and Derrick Coleman. Assuredly two players who needed strong leadership more than most. Shortly after Petrovic's death, rising Celtics star Reggie Lewis died of a heart attack while practicing at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. With Magic Johnson's stunning retirement and announcement that he'd contracted HIV not too far in the rearview it was a strange time in the NBA. Michael Jordan was establishing himself as the league's dominant force but this was not fait accompli.

In fact, Patrick Ewing and the New York Knicks finished the regular season with the best record in the Eastern Conference during the 1992-93 season. After brushing aside Indiana and Charlotte by a combined 7-games-to-2 tally, the Knicks stormed out to 2-0 lead over the Bulls in the best-of-seven Conference Finals. Reports filled the papers that Jordan had been gambling in Atlantic City until as late 2:30 a.m. the morning of the games in New York. Times scribe Dave Anderson chastised Jordan, along with everyone who paid for a ticket, for his late nights and lauded "the Knicks' home casino advantage."

Perhaps inspired by the doubting buzzards circling above (or just because he was that damn good), Jordan pulled the Bulls level by winning games 3 and 4 of the series in Chicago. The traveling circus returned to the Garden for the pivotal Game 5, and the contest was as taut and even as one would expect. The Bulls were the defending champs and the Knicks were the team poised to knock them off. Looking back, it sounds foolish to say that the Knicks were poised to knock off the Bulls. But back then they really, really were. They won 60 that year, going 3-1 against Chicago along the way. Patrick had gone for 24 and 12 per night with 2 blocks and 2 assists. The Knicks had been dogged all season long, resourceful and tight knit. They allowed the fewest points per game, and, perhaps most importantly, they trusted each other. Which is why, with the game on the line, Ewing flipped the ball to teammate Charles Smith rather than forcing up a shot and hoping for a bailout foul call. Smith got the rock right underneath the rim. All he needed to do was lay it in and the Knicks would have regained control of the series. But Smith couldn't get the ball to go down. He tried. Was stopped. He tried again. Was stopped. Again. Then once more. And no points. Yes, I still believe that he was fouled. Several times. But he shrunk in the moment, no doubt about it.

This failure haunts me more than any other during my time as a sports fan because this was one of the few times when the Knicks really were the better squad. I truly believe that. And the damage from this moment was hard to salve over. It sapped the Knicks of the one thing that they had in spades all season lon, and through the first 11 games of the postseason, belief. They believed they would win. They believed they were better than Jordan. And after losing this series, I don't think the team ever really regained that feeling. Just think, had they won this game, and either Ewing or Charles Barkley (who led Phoenix to the Finals) wins a title then the narrative of the 1990s NBA is entirely different. Especially if Jordan still retires before the following season.

Jordan Dunks Over Ewing


Reggie Miller


Olajuwan block


1999 NBA Draft

Happy Birthday Big Fella

It was 48 years ago today that Patrick Aloysius was born to Dorothy and Carl Ewing in Kingston, Jamaica. As a young boy he took to cricket and soccer, where played in the net. First his mother and later his father emigrated to the United States when he was 11 years old. They settled in Cambridge.

At this point, Patrick had yet to touch a basketball. Yet within 10 years he had taken his high school team to the state championship and his college team to the national championship. At Georgetown, he would be the most dominant collegiate player in the country, leading the Hoyas to the Final Four three times. He won a Gold Medal in 1984. In 1985, he was drafted by the Knicks. By 1988, he was my hero. In 1992, he won another Gold Medal as the starting center of the "Dream Team" In 1997, he was announced as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history. Through it all he played with fire and dignity, whether on mediocre teams or when being targeted by the media for failing to deliver on the promises they made for him when he arrived in the Big Apple. Today he is an assistant coach of the Orlando Magic and still busts his tail by all accounts as he tutors Dwight Howard and works toward a head coaching gig.

Whereas most athletes are, to borrow from a contemporary of Patrick's, not meant to be role models, I'd like to think that the Big Fella's integrity and effort, the way that he never left any game having given anything less than his best effort, did make me a better person. Watching him vie for a title year after year, as the injuries mounted and the naysayers gathered taught me that there are rewards to be gotten and pride to be taken from the manner in which one makes their journey regardless of the final destination.

Happy Birthday to you, Big Fella.

Alonzo Mourning Will Forget Your Birthday Even If You Offer Him a Kidney

While perusing the website of the Worldwide Leader at work I noticed that former Knicks nemesis-turned-sympathetic figure-turned-self-aggrandizing back-up Alonzo Mourning was hosting a live chat. I dropped by. Not so much because I care what he's selling. But maybe to find something to make fun of him about. You know, the usual. But then it dawned on me to ask him if he'd wished Patrick Ewing a happy birthday yesterday. After all, Ewing mentored Mourning early in his career and the two Georgetown alums are supposedly very close friends. I mean, Ewing did offer to donate his kidney to the guy.



I'd like to think that Mourning will actually call. And that it will brighten Patrick's day. That's sort of cool. I think. Although I don't want to be responsible for getting Mourning off the hook for forgetting his buddy's birthday. Patrick deserves better friends. I bet Dikembe Mutombo called.

The Big Fella's B-Day

All of me here at WWOD? would like to send out best birthday wishes to Patrick Aloysius Ewing. Forty seven years ago today, Patrick was born in Kingston, Jamaica. He is now enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame. And in my living room, where the 1989 Costacos Borthers poster "Ewing Security" is proudly displayed.

Not only does Patrick hold Knicks' franchise records for games, minutes played, filed goal attempts, field goals, free throw attempts, free throws, defensive rebounds, total rebounds, steals (think about that for a second), blocks, fouls, points, blocks per game, offensive wins shares, defensive wins shares, and overall win shares but his tireless work ethic, dogged determination even when hobbled by injury and a supporting cast that was almost always deficient were all examples that I still draw on. The Big Fella was a role model for me. Just don't tell Oak.

Most of my friends growing up ripped on Patrick's looks (in a not entirely unracist way), the sweat dripping from his body at the free throw line and his lack of NBA championship rings. They rooted for Michael Jordan or Larry Bird or Magic or none of the above yet still harbored a general dislike of the Knicks. My Knicks. But, when I looked at Patrick out there I saw a guy who was playing his tail off at both ends of the floor. A guy who did lose some big games (and the last game of every playoff run of his career) but not for lack of trying. To me, a kid without illusions that I was any blue-ribbon world beater, I saw something heroic in him. He wasn't as tough as Oakley. Or as mercurial as Starks. He was just constant. 20 points. 10 boards. A few blocks. And every last ounce of energy that he had that night.

The fact that his career was tinged with melancholy as the years wore on only endeared him to me more. His was a quest that we can all relate to. As was it's conclusion. He wanted to be the best. And he had the talent but not the help. Or the breaks (and by "breaks" I don't mean injuries, which he had in spades). This is life. I don't know any Michael Jordans. I don't know anyone who just wins. But I know plenty of Patrick Ewings: Hard working folks who give it their all day after day with little hope of raising the Larry O'Brien trophy. Most of us don't get the victory parade. Even if we give it our best. Which we usually don't. I know I don't. Not all the time, at least. But Patrick did. Night after night. It was inspiring to me. It still is.

Happy Birthday, Big Fella.


And, yes, I do believe that the ball did clear the cylinder in play No. 3. I will always believe that.

In honor of the Patrick's big day, let's take a look back at his career:

The NBA Playoffs: Where Tragedy Happens

“Show Me a Hero And I’ll Write You A Tragedy”
-F. Scott Fitzgerald

There are 30 franchises in the NBA, 30 in the Major Leagues, 30 in the NHL and 32 teams playing in the NFL. That gives us 122 professional sports teams in this country’s four major sports. Each team has proud veteran players, talented young prospects, struggling journeymen and a legion of loyal fans. Each organization has one goal: a championship. 118 of those teams have failed or will fail in 2009. They will not win a championship. Some will lose small battles with such regularity that their larger failure — not winning a title — will mostly go unnoticed. Others will achieve many miniature milestones and seem perilously close to glory before coming up short. Sort of like the 18-1 Patriots in 2008. Or the Dallas Mavericks in 2007, who steamrolled through the regular season only to be shocked by the Golden State Warriors in the opening round of the playoffs.

Each brand of inadequacy tells a different story and falls into a different genre. The rollicking journey of the Matt Millen-era Detroit Lions is a farce. The heartwarming account of the Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling-led 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks is a romantic comedy. And the taught tale of near misses and squandered opportunity of the 1990s New York Knicks is a tragedy.
Hall of Fame center Patrick Ewing is one of the 50 greatest players to tread the boards in an NBA game. He owns nearly every career record in Knicks franchise history. He has two gold medals and an NCAA championship. He has a degree from Georgetown University. He has amassed millions of dollars playing a game that he didn’t learn until middle school. Yet, he is considered a failure by some.

Many retired sports heroes find themselves draped in melancholy rather than championship banners. Their greatest victories always in semifinals and quarterfinal rounds and informed by the season-ending loss lurking just over the horizon. Their defining moments are defeats. These men are tragic figures. Their prodigious talents and Herculean efforts undone by their own incurable flaws or by circumstances that were beyond their control. Or by John Starks’s scene-stealing 2-or-18 monologue in Game 7 of the 1994 NBA Finals. Increasingly encased in ice due to injury and enveloped by a reputation as a guy who couldn’t win the big game, Ewing’s suffering was performed nightly at Madison Square Garden for 15 years. His suffering was for our sake. It was meant to give us pleasure, even though we often ended up suffering right alongside the Big Fella.

For Aristotle, a tragedy had to be concerned with the deeds of great men. Greek tragedies featured kings and persons of divine or royal heritage. It was believed that only the suffering of someone so great could bring catharsis to a mass audience. Some modern tragedians attempted to place the common man at the center of a tragedy. In today’s royal-less world, though, professional athletes are commoners become kings. Perhaps most notably, the 24-year-old Adonis from Akron dubbed "King James" of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The dramas of professional athletes — televised by ESPN, TNT and allegedly VS with a pomp and circumstance befitting monarchs — compose today’s tragic canon. The elegiac accountings of the Boston Red Sox pre-2004 championship drought have replaced King Lear for two generations of Americans as the standard for woe. Entire cities rise and fall with their respective sports franchises just as they once did with their potentates. Local economies are propped up by playoff runs and civic pride is buoyed by banners in the rafters. To watch the fans celebrating the Cavs Game 5 victory at Quicken Loans Arena on Thursday night in Cleveland was surely to witness a mass catharsis. Those Midwesterners were purified by what the Lebronaliers accomplished last night in Cleveland. And, just as completely, they will be devastated if their team is eliminated by the Orlando Magic in Game 6 or 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The feelings of sorrow and angst would be extreme in Cuyahoga County. Past defeats would mingle with future ones in the minds of many.

Likewise, a season-ending defeat for any of the other three teams still competing for the NBA championship would be just as devastating. For the first time in a long time, each of the semifinalists for the Larry O’Brien trophy has a legitimate claim to being the Association's top team. There will be no moral victories this season. No one is happy just to be here. There will be just one happy ending. Three teams and three cities will feel the weight of this loss as heavily as Atlas feels the weight of this world on his shoulders. Television cameras will beam pictures of three sets of tearful fans and despondent hoopsters around the country. Loss will be felt keenly by three cities, who will incorporate the defeats into their self images. It will become a part of who they are. It will become a part of the story that they tell about their lives and the life of their city.

With this in mind, I have paired the Cavaliers, Magic, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Denver Nuggets with the piece of tragic literature that best exemplifies the way they are likely to lose and the particular way in which they got to this point. Check back over the next few days as I break down, character by player, the ways in which each of these teams is an uncanny simulacrum for these tragic tales.*

The Cleveland Cavaliers
Death of a Salesman, by Arthur Miller









The Orlando Magic
Oedipus Rex, by Sophocles





The Los Angeles Lakers
Hamlet, by William Shakespeare








The Denver Nuggets
Cyrano de Bergerac, by Edmond Rostand


*Yes, I know that there is an argument to make that the final scene of Cyrano keeps it from being a tragedy. I disagree. Cyrano never got the girl. He never got over his feelings of inadequacy and never saw himself for the swashbuckling ladies’ man that he could have been. Even if Roxanne puts together the pieces, it is only after Cyrano is nearly dead and after dusk has fallen - meaning that she couldn't see his face. It is sad. And a tragedy. For the sake of the Nuggets write-up you’re just going to have to go along with me. Or not.

High Top Finance

WWOD's Investment Strategy

A few months ago, there was a lot of hype around construction/infrastructure companies that would benefit from President Obama's stimulus package. There has also been a resurgence in exchanging cash 4 gold, although it must be noted that Atlantic City was way ahead of the curve here. Speaking of dens of sin, I even emailed my brother (supposedly the financially-minded one) about this possibly being a good time to get in on the Vice Fund. Needless to say, those with some liquidity have been looking for ways to make a buck off the dire state of the economy and those with fewer bucks have been looking for something that will hold it's value better than their 401k.
Well, look no further. Because the place where you should be funneling your money isn't CDs or T-bills. It's Patrick Ewing's line of sneakers. You should be hording these things. Because they are going for several hundred dollars a pair on the secondary market. These things were the hotness (at least to me) back when I was younger. And my sister, somewhere, has the pair of black EWING hightops that I rocked in rec league basketball as younger man. For reasons unbeknownst to WWOD?, these sneakers are no longer being produced. They're like the Faberge Eggs of athletic footwear. Every few weeks I'll notice a pair pop up on ebay and without fail they'll fetch several hundred dollars. I would guesstimate that $400 seems to be about the average price to obtain a set of these things. But that paltry sum certainly will not bring home a pair of the highly sought-after blue suede model of these deadstock sneaks. Unlike most everything else in this economy, you can trust EWING sneakers. They should only appreciate in value.

PAAA-TRICK CHEWWW-INGGG

The Big Fella Pushing Candy Bars



I'm amazed. I'm saddened. I'm confused. I'm envervated. I'm ashamed. And, then I'm amazed all over again. Hunger is not one of the things I'm feeling. Although if the people at Snickers have developed a candy bar wrapper that tears like that then I would have to buy one.

Hopefully the ad wizards that came up with this one will convince Pat to stay in the shilling game and re-establish his line of sneakers. Those things were the hotness and they are now fetching hundreds of bucks a pair on eBay.

Not 4 Long

Favre Retires After 1 Season With Jets
(And, I try for a tabloid-style headline)

I'm relieved. Not quite "oh-she's-not-pregnant" relieved, but definitely "don't-worry-antibiotics-will-take-care-of-it" relieved. Brett Favre will not be under center for the New York Jets next season. The play calling and the running game will not be held hostage by history. The future is now. I'm not sure if the future is bright. I'm not sure what the Brett Ratliff Era will bring. Or, if it is even upon us. But it is now. And, Brett Favre is in the past.

At least, until he comes out of retirement in eight weeks and signs a one-year deal with the Vikings.

Perhaps, the most lasting legacy that Favre will leave in the greater New York area is the abundance of dark green No. 4 jerseys. It was (at least from April to October) the top-selling jersey in the NFL this season. And, now it is as relevant as an Emmit Smith's Cardinals jersey. It joins the ranks of those jerseys that will always make you do a double-take when you see them in a crowd. It will become a cautionary tale for aging legends in future years.

Once during a SNY broadcast of a New York Mets game, should-be Hall of Famer turned Broadcaster Keith Hernandez referred to his final days in Cleveland as "the wilderness." And, that is the name I've given to the pantheon of wayward sports jersey. Whenever a player's pride and lack of creativity keeps them on the field long after their bodies and minds have ceded that which once made them great they find themselves in The Wilderness.

The Wilderness: New York Branch

Joe Namath's Rams Jersey

Walt Frazier's Cavaliers Jersey

Willie Mays' Mets Jersey

Patrick Ewing's Magic Jersey

Keith Hernandez's Indians Jersey

He's In. And You're Not.

Patrick Aloysius Ewing Enters the Hall of Fame

Save the Date: September 6, 2008

It was announced today that my generation's Captain, Patrick Aloysius Ewing, is a Finalist for selection to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. Akeem The Dream and Pat Riley are also up for selection in their first year of eligibility and all three seem like no-brainers.

Ewing, Olajuwon and Riley.

A weird combination with so many links and memorable moments shared between them. Also eligible are Chris Mullin, Adrian Dantley, Dennis Johnson, Don Nelson and a few other folks. The selections will be announced during the Final Four. And, the next day I'll start planning my trip to Springfield, MA for the ceremony.

Here's what the HOF website had to say about Pat:

PATRICK EWING - Player, a two-time Olympic gold medal winner (1984, 1992) and a three-time consensus First Team All-America (1983, 1984, 1985), led Georgetown University to three appearances in the NCAA Final Four and the 1984 national championship earning Most Outstanding Player recognition for his efforts. The 1986 NBA Rookie of the Year landed a spot on 11 NBA All Star rosters including ten in a row from 1998 to 1997. A member of the NBA 50th Anniversary Team, Ewing scored 24,815 points during his 17-year NBA career to go along with 11,607 rebounds. Named Parade Magazine's National High School Player of the Year in 1981, Ewing remains the New York Knicks, all-time leader in points, rebounds, blocked shots, steals and field goals made.

Sure sounds like a first-ballot Hall of Famer...