Who knows what the reason is?

Maybe it is playing in front of the bright lights in the big city, or maybe there’s something in the water at the hotels that other teams stay at, but one thing we know for sure is the fact that “The Mecca” brings out the best in people.

We saw that Wednesday night as the Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry gave a performance for the ages, dropping 54 points in a losing effort.

One day later, we can actually reflect on how special of a night Curry really did have and regret the fact that the Davidson product was one pick away from wearing a New York Knicks jersey.

But with all the special performances by opposing players in Garden history, where does Curry’s 54 rank?

Let’s take a look.

10. Richard Hamilton drops 51 in 2006:

Rip’s game against the Knicks as a member of the Detroit Pistons isn’t really talked about much as one of the best performances by an opposing player, but it is certainly worthy of making the list. Hamilton was an impressive 19-for-37 from the field and 12-for-12 on free throws, but the Knicks won in triple overtime.

9. LeBron James scores 50 in 2008:

You knew he was going to have a big game at The Garden sooner or later and during this 2008 contest, LBJ certainly put his name among the greats in Garden history. James had 50 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds and four steals in leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 119-105 victory, by making 16-of-30 shots from the field, including 7-of-13 from 3-point range.

LeBron said after the game:

“I’ve dreamed about playing well in this building and it’s overtaken of how I could ever dream about,” James said. “To get a standing ovation in the greatest basketball arena in the world, it was a dream come true for me. It’s one of the best things that ever happened to me.”

8. Rick Barry scores 57 in 1965:

It was Barry’s rookie season with the Warriors and he didn’t succumb to the biggest stage in the world, making 18 of his 29 shots and missing just one of his 22 free throws, but it wasn’t enough as the Knicks ultimately defeated the Warriors 141-137.

7. Reggie Miller’s 1995 postseason:

Miller’s heroics in Game 1 of the 1995 playoffs will always be remembered, painfully for Knicks fans, but as good as Miller’s eight points in 11 seconds was in terms of history, Game 5 of that series may have been an even better performance as Miller scored 39 points and dished out six assists, but he turned in one of the best fourth quarter performances in playoff history as he scored 25 points to lead the Pacers to  Game 5 win, although the Knicks would go on to win the series.

6. Curry’s 54 in 2013:

You don’t see nights like we saw Wednesday night as Curry was simply unbelievable. Curry drained a remarkable 11-of-13 three-pointers, just one shy of the NBA record and added six rebounds, seven assists and three steals, but Golden State ultimately lost one of the more entertaining games a basketball fan could ever watch.

Jun 21, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) celebrates winning the 2012 NBA championship at the American Airlines Arena. Miami won 121-106. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-US PRESSWIRE

The Oklahoma City Thunder and the rest of the NBA had no answer for LBJ during this entire postseason, and the excellence that NBA fans saw from King James was something we haven’t seen since the days when Michael Jordan was busy three-peating in Chicago.

The likes of Dirk Nowitzki, Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant have put together dominant Finals performances since 1998 when Jordan won the last of his six championships, but no one since then has put together the dominant playoff run that LeBron just did to capture his first title.

Just look at what LBJ accomplished the entire postseason.

He not only got to lift the Larry O’Brien trophy for the first time but did so by averaging 30.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.9 steals, all while shooting 50 percent from the floor.

In addition, he closed out the Thunder with a 26 point, 13 assist, 11 rebound triple-double.

Dominance is the appropriate word, and we haven’t seen that type of play since Jordan.

MJ averaged over 30.7 points per game in 12 of his 13 postseason appearances. The game was much different then, but during his title years he was unstoppable.

You knew Jordan would get the ball and there was nothing you could do about it. That’s the quality James had this year.

Kobe had a couple of nice playoff runs in 2001, when he averaged 29.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.1 assists, and in 2009, when he averaged 30.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.5 assists resulting a pair of championships.

But even with the heroics of Bryant, the run LeBron just had was better, considering the pressure he was under.

James has a long way to go before he equals the likes of MJ, or even Kobe, when it comes to postseason success, but for one small stretch for the Miami Heat, what LeBron just accomplished was something that was definitely reminiscent of the days of Jordan.

Follow Matt Shetler on Twitter for news, reaction and analysis from around the NBA.

Follow Buckets Over Broadway on Twitter

Apr 2, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Anthony Davis waves to the crowd after cutting down a piece of the net after the finals of the 2012 NCAA men

That was the case Wednesday night when the New Orleans Hornets stole the No. 1 overall pick away from the Charlotte bobcats and won the right to draft Kentucky freshman Anthony Davis.

The Hornets moved up from the fourth spot, where they had a 13.7 percent chance, to earn the pick.

You have to feel bad for Michael Jordan and the Bobcats as 2012 has been a season of one loss after another and this was no exception. The Bobcats fall to the No. 2 pick, but they no longer are in position to land the game-changer they need in Davis.

For the Hornets, they have a new owner in Tom Benson and things have started out good in the Benson era as they land a new superstar.

No other team moved up in the draft, but the Hornets weren’t the only winners as Portland and Golden State have the No. 6 and No. 7 picks respectively so each team gets to keep that pick instead of losing it to Brooklyn and Utah.

Complete Draft Order

1. New Orleans Hornets

2. Charlotte Bobcats

3. Washington Wizards

4. Cleveland Cavaliers

5. Sacramento Kings

6. Portland Trail Blazers (via Brooklyn Nets)

7. Golden State Warriors

8. Toronto Raptors

9. Detroit Pistons

10. New Orleans Hornets (via Minnesota Timberwolves)

11. Portland Trail Blazers

12. Milwaukee Bucks

13. Phoenix Suns

14. Houston Rockets

15. Philadelphia 76ers

16. Houston Rockets (via New York Knicks)

17. Dallas Mavericks

18. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Utah Jazz)

19. Orlando Magic

20. Denver Nuggets

21. Boston Celtics

22. Boston Celtics (via Los Angeles Clippers)

23. Atlanta Hawks

24. Cleveland Cavaliers (via Los Angeles Lakers)

25. Memphis Grizzlies

26. Indiana Pacers

27. Miami Heat

28. Oklahoma City Thunder

29. Chicago Bulls

30. Golden State Warriors (via San Antonio Spurs) 

Second Round

31. Charlotte Bobcats

32. Washington Wizards

33. Cleveland Cavaliers

34. Cleveland Cavaliers (via New Orleans Hornets)

35. Golden State Warriors (via Brooklyn Nets)

36. Sacramento Kings

37. Toronto Raptors

38. Denver Nuggets (via New York Knicks)

39. Detroit Pistons

40. Portland Trail Blazers (via Houston Rockets)

41. Portland Trail Blazers

42. Milwaukee Bucks

43. Atlanta Hawks (via Phoenix Suns)

44. Detroit Pistons (via Houston Rockets)

45. Philadelphia 76ers

46. Washington Wizards (via Dallas Mavericks)

47. Utah Jazz

48. New York Knicks

49. Orlando Magic

50. Denver Nuggets

51. Boston Celtics

52. Golden State Warriors (via New Jersey Nets)

53. Los Angeles Clippers

54. Philadelphia 76ers (via Memphis Grizzlies) 

55. Dallas Mavericks (via Los Angeles Lakers)

56. Toronto Raptors

57. New Jersey Nets (via Miami Heat)

58. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Oklahoma City Thunder)

59. San Antonio Spurs

60. Los Angeles Lakers (via Chicago Bulls) 

Jan. 2, 2012; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Orlando Magic assistant coach Patrick Ewing during the game against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE

Ewing has interviewed for the head coaching position with the Charlotte Bobcats but it’s doubtful he will be considered for the now open Orlando job.

Back after he interviewed in Charlotte, sources close to the situation said that Ewing had a real good chance to land the job, which is good news for Ewing.

What’s bad is that more teams aren’t calling as Ewing himself feels he’s ready to be an NBA head coach after spending nearly the last decade as an NBA assistant. For some reason, though, Ewing has drawn very little interest around the league and absolutely none from the Knicks.  Whatever the hang-up may be, Ewing spent this season broadcasting his interest in a head-coaching position, and hopefully he lands the job in Charlotte.

Had you told me 20 years ago that one day Ewing would be working for Michael Jordan, I wouldn’t have believed you.

But if Ewing doesn’t land the Bobcats gig, it isn’t the worst thing in the world. While I know he wants to be a head coach, going to work for Jordan, who’s shown no ability as an executive , except the ability to run the Bobcats into the ground wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Then there’s the fact that the Bobcats roster is stripped of talent.

Possibly landing Kentucky’s Anthony Davis could be attractive, as could rookies Kemba Walker and Bismack Biyombo, but other than that the cupboard is bare in Charlotte. That would be the purest definition of one working his way up from the bottom.

However in today’s age of the NBA, coaches aren’t given a long period of time  to make an impact. The NBA is a win now type of league, so taking the Charlotte job could be very risky for Ewing.

Yet if he doesn’t take it, will Ewing ever get the opportunity?

It’s not a good sign that teams haven’t show interest over the years, so who knows what the future holds.

All I know is that Ewing was a leader on the court and is a leader off the court. I can’t speak for what type of X’s and O’s guy he is but if I’m a general manager looking for a leader , I don’t think I could go wrong by hiring Ewing.

Hopefully one day Ewing will get the opportunity he’s been waiting for.

Just the name alone probably makes Knick fans want to vomit. It is unfortunate for Charles Smith that he will always be one of the most infamous Knicks. Smith was a decent player, but will always be remembered for one moment; 1993, Game 5, Bulls. Enough said. (more…)

When I arrived at 100 Legends Way (A.K.A the grimy back lot behind Boston’s North Station where the the satellite trucks make their home) on Sunday afternoon prior to Game 1, I was struck by how nondescript the arena’s exterior was. For all who haven’t been there, it is essentially a big, brown rectangular block that rests over Boston’s northernmost commuter rail station. In that way it is similar to Madison Square Garden, which hovers above Penn Station. That is about where the similarities end aesthetically speaking.

(more…)

Unless you’re a Knick hater/Bulls fan/basketball historian or purist, here’s something you probably won’t want to watch today. But in this crazy world of ours, there exists a wonderful proverb most New Yorkers may be unfamiliar with: Things could be worse. Force your eyelids open, soak this one up, and get ready for a Knicks turnaround victory tomorrow night against Orlando.

LeBron James showed up strong last night, but will he ever truly be able to recover what he lost? (Source: Yardbarker.com)

In a game that many (including myself) thought would cause LeBron James to melt like the Wicked Witch Of The West meeting a bucket o’ water, the man came through impressively, silencing his critics.  Well, silencing some.  Perhaps how silenced people are has to do with how injured they were, or what exactly about his “Decision” upset them.  There are four main reasons why people were angry, and me, I fall into the fourth category.  They are:

(more…)

Many wondered if Cleveland's Game 6 was the last time we'd view LeBron in a Cavs uniform. Few guessed it'd be the last we viewed him as a transcendent hero. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

By choosing to go to Miami, LeBron James has decided to try to become one of the great winners in NBA history instead of one of the most heroic. Had he gone to almost any other team he would’ve had a shot at both, but by joining the Heat he’ll have lost his shot at heroism. Well, except possibly to Miami Heat fans. Although even that will be tempered amongst Miamians by the fact that they also have another arriving hero in Chris Bosh, not to mention the happy news of their returning hero, Dwayne Wade. The thing is, it’s easy to find winners in the NBA: every year we crown a champ. However, a true transcendent inspirational hero, that’s a rare diamond to unearth.

(more…)

Uh oh, LeBron can't even open his eyes to look at Jay-Z here. Is that a poor omen for NJ? You tell us. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

Yes, just a few weeks ago we had a poll asking what you thought our chances were of landing LeBron, but now we’ve got a broader question where we allow you to >gasp< think about other possible cities he might end up in. Plus, c’mon, if you said a 60% chance in that poll, it’s not like you’ll ever know if you were right, regardless of where he goes. So no more being wishy-washy. Pick a side. No one argues with their friends whether there’s a 21% shot or 74% shot the Lakers will win Game 6; we just make the call, Lakers or Celtics in 6 or 7 games, and fight over why.

No one (possibly even LeBron) knows where the King’s gonna go.  Now’s your shot to permanently make your prediction for bragging rights.  Don’t mess up.

Boozer's hands-off defense assures he'll never be confused for MJ. For LeBron, it's a different story... (source: Yardbarker.com)

On ESPNChicago there was a post today reporting Carlos Boozer stated that he

doesn’t believe his fellow free agents will view playing in Chicago — under the shadow of Michael Jordan‘s legacy — as a negative.

Initially this post was going to be titled “Boozer Wrong To Say MJ’S Legacy Not A Negative,” but after looking at it more closely, I realized that in his actual quote he said it wouldn’t be a negative for most free agents, not all.  It was ESPN, in the post’s title and the above opening line, who incorrectly turned it into a blanket statement about all free agents.  Let’s look more fully at what Booze actually said before I heap anymore abuse on him than I have in the past:

(more…)

Just because LeBron is bent over, it doesn't mean you need to abuse him (Source: Yardbarker.com)

Okay, I know this is FanSided, not The LeBron James Non-Stop-Coverage Blog, but as has been stated by many people, the Cavs’ shocking loss has the potential to not just change the Cleveland franchise, but NBA history. Wherever LBJ goes, eventually championships will follow. So I’ve been shocked at the number of people who have summarily discounted his past performances to now label him as a player who just doesn’t have it. Bill Simmons, aka The Sports Guy, is a wonderful writer, but he’s a self-acknowledged knee-jerk sports fan. He writes what many others have said/written/twittered over the last few days:

There’s a feeling that [LeBron] can still get better, and with better teammates, maybe he could. But fundamentally, to paraphrase Bill Parcells, he is what he is at this point — a gregarious, larger-than-life, supremely gifted basketball player who’s better at making us say “WOW!” than anything else. If he owned that cutthroat Jordan chromosome, or Magic’s leadership chromosome, it would have surfaced by now.

Okay, LeBron doesn’t have Jordan’s cutthroat quality, but c’mon, Kobe’s the only other player who’s ever had that.  Then again, I’m not certain that killer quality is always best for a team.  Bill Russell has more rings than anyone, so clearly winning is a huge part of his genetic structure, but he would never mentally eviscerate a teammate the way Jordan did with Kwame Brown.  There’s something mesmerizing about that killer mentality in Jordan and Kobe, but that desire to win can be expressed in various ways as shown by Tim Duncan, Magic Johnson and tons of others.

For the rest of the post, click here.

———————-
(more…)

Damn straight, Phil Jackson should be walking with his head down after some of his coaching choices! Right? ...Right? Um, maybe not. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

Is there anyone in the NBA who gets criticized more than coaches?  It doesn’t matter who you are, how successful you are (or have been), or what players you have at your disposal — we can always find problems with you.  Earlier this year, Greg Popovitch was criticized for being unable to make his big off-season acquisition, Richard Jefferson, productive.  The other night, Phil Jackson, winner of more NBA titles than God himself, left himself open for target practice by choosing to draw up a play for Pau Gasol to attempt the game-tying three-point shot (Pau missed, which could cause the Lakers to lose home court advantage if they play the Magic in the Finals).

We, the fans and media, aren’t necessarily wrong in complaining about these points, but I think sometimes we not only expect too much, we also don’t always see (or know) the full picture.  For instance, maybe Phil was trying to make a point to Kobe about how the Black Mamba needed to give his body rest or it would cost the team (the previous possession Kobe missed two free throws that would’ve given the Lakers the lead).  If Kobe/Fisher/Artest/whoever hit a three for the tie, then maybe Kobe remains convinced that he can play through his injuries.  Sure, you can say this was a costly way to make a point (& I have no idea if Phil was trying to make this point), but if Kobe’s sitting out these two last games enables him to be healthy enough to lead the Lakers back to a championship, it’d be hard to argue with the results.

(more…)

Wade's coming in for a landing. A free agent landing. (source: Yardbarker.com)

After ESPN’s focus on LeBron James’ free agency last week, this week they turn to Wade:

Henry Abbott, TrueHoop: Wade has complained openly about wanting to play with better teammates. The Heat have schemed blatantly to get major cap room. They are required to sign about a dozen more players. And there are tons of free agents on the market. It’s a lock the Heat will add lots of new talent. It’s not at all a lock, however, that one of those new players will be LeBron James or Chris Bosh. James, I think, will be in Cleveland, and deep-pocketed front offices in Chicago and New York will be pushing hard to add top-shelf talent. Most likely is that the Heat convince Wade to stay with a revamped roster in which he’s the only superstar … unless New York or Chicago can talk Wade into leaving.

First, let’s make it clear it’s less that Wade’s complained and more that he’s made it clear he wants to win.  ”Complaining” makes it sound like he’s some spoiled kid, but he’s said what any star should say: he wants a chance to play for the title during his prime.  While his buddy LeBron has been rather nebulous in his desires, Wade’s been pretty clear and forthright: he wants to stay in Miami as long as they’re competitive.  So while I think it’s extremely unlikely Wade will leave Miami, I gotta disagree with Abbott on his conclusion that Wade will remain there even if he’s the only star.

(more…)

(source: Yardbarker.com) Like a little girl in puppy love, New York hopes we're the one LeBron's eyeing.

Seems ESPN has launched ESPN NewYork.com today and decided to promote it by rehashing the ol’ Will LeBron James Go To New York story.  There’s a surprisingly large amount of Nothing New, mixed in with Shameless Sensationalizing, Idiotic Conclusions Based On Personal Feelings, and just Awful Math.  That said, there were maybe a couple of Intriguing Bits to me, but it might all feel redundant to y’all.  Without further ado:

Idiotic Conclusions:

The worst part was where the sportswriters speculated the percent chance of LeBron going to one team or another.  Let’s start with Mark Stein saying there’s a 10% chance that LeBron will go to Dallas.  10%???  10% means 1 in 10!  You’re going out tonight and your choosing between your ten favorite restaurants — that gives each one a really good shot at being chosen.  Thankfully, of the four other Dallas writers, they all only gave it a 1-3% chance.  I like Stein’s writing a bunch, but his thesis his based on this you-can-substitute-LeBron’s-name-with-anyone statement:

I firmly believe LeBron likes the thought of playing with Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd, trusts Mark Cuban to be an owner who will always spend whatever it takes to contend and loves the city of Dallas and Cowboys football

(more…)

Calling it quits is difficult for any professional athlete. Just ask Brett Favre, who has yet to make a decision (surprise, surprise!) about whether or not he will play in the NFL again next season. Often times, the will to play overpowers the skills to play in older athletes and forces them to hang on for one…more…year in order to try and leave their sport at the top of their game.

Unfortunately, the recent retirement of Allen Iverson (wait, are we really ready to call it that yet?) reinforces a problem that many NBA players have faced at the end of their career. A.I. has not only had to deal with his diminished skills on the court–he’s also allegedly had to battle his demons off of it. It’s been enough to essentially force him out of the game that he’s loved so much for so many years. But he’s not the first player to face this fate. From contract negotiations gone bad to substance problems to devastating injuries, there are plenty of former NBA stars that have been forced to cut their careers short and leave the game under less-than-ideal circumstances. StreetLevel rounded up ten of the most heart-breaking scenarios…

(source: ESPN's "30 On 30")

Last night, ESPN premiered it’s most recent installation in their “30 on 30″ documentary series (inspired & led by Bill Simmons, it’s a look at 30 lesser-known stories from these past 30 years that ESPN has been in existence).  Even for a Knick fan, the Reggie Miller-centric documentary was funny, nostalgic, informative, and moving.  There’s something intriguing and different about a doc that looks back at something you lived through as opposed to introducing you to a new world you knew nothing about (although obviously for many people the doc will fall into the latter category).

First, at the time, New Yorkers (and probably most NBA fans in general) thought of Reggie Miller as the ultimate villain.  Michael Jordan was the guy who you wanted to defeat, but Reggie was the guy who you wanted to see get in an “unfortunate” car accident.  It wasn’t about what he did to the Knicks, it was about who he was and how he played.  He talked smack non-stop, played dirty, and would fake & flop to try to get non-existent calls.  And by dirty, I don’t mean physical, ‘cuz you were allowed to play darn physical at the time.  By dirty, I mean doing things when the refs weren’t looking.  Swingin’ them pointy elbows for sneak attacks whenever possible (by the way, there is no truth to the rumor that he rubbed his elbows with sandpaper to get them particularly sharp).  Read what his own sister, Cheryl, says about him in the doc:

(more…)

Bosh revealed that he’s not necessarily interested in playing anywhere that he’s not the clear-cut franchise player.

“That’s a good question,” Bosh said when asked by ESPN The Magazine’s Ric Bucher if he’s bothered by the widespread perception that he’s determined to follow either LeBron James or Dwyane Wade by signing on with one of the teams they choose starting July 1.

“It’s funny you say that, because I was thinking about it. I was just looking at what people say and it’s like, ‘Chris is going to go here and play with him or this, this and that.’ I’m like, ‘Wait a minute.’ I feel like I should be built around. And maybe that’s just my ego talking, but I feel that I’m a very good player in this league and I’m only going to get better. So … maybe we should be getting somebody [in Toronto].”

Bosh would probably be outta Toronto in a sec if one of the three teams in home state Texas were in the running

(more…)

And New Yorkers are buying into this hook, line & worm (why is it supposed to be sinker — I mean when a fish really falls for it he goes after the worm, much like an alcoholic with a bottle of tequila).  Darren Rovell who discuses the business side of sports tweeted yesterday that “Knicks 2010/11 tickets went on presale last Thursday. They’re on record pace, having sold 770 new tickets so far.”  Record pace???  Do fans realize we haven’t signed ANYONE yet?  If we end up looking like we’re gonna suck, even one-legged Tracy McGrady will look to leave town.  So this is a two-part look at what to realistically expect.  Part II will be sometime next week.

Let’s look at this first based on the available teams.  First, here are the ones who’ll be competing for poaching rights:

New York Knicks: $18.64 million in 2010-11 payroll
Miami Heat: $26.07 million in 2010-11 payroll
New Jersey Nets: $26.63 million in 2010-11 payroll
Chicago Bulls: $31.85 million in 2010-11 payroll
Los Angeles Clippers: $33.53 million in 2010-11 payroll

Sacramento Kings: $34.0 million in 2010-11 payroll

The Washington Wizards and Minnesota Timberwolves could also conceivably get in on the bidding, but they seem unlikely to join the chase.  I doubt Sacramento will even seriously look into trying to grab a big name and instead will prefer to build up a bit more from the ground up through draft picks.  It’s also kinda erroneous to list Miami as only having about $26 million.  Well, first the reason I list them even that low is ‘cuz I assume there’s no way they pick up James Jones’ $4.6 million option.  However, what makes them even lower is that their payroll includes Dwayne Wade’s $17.15 million contract that he’s said he’s gonna opt out of.  In other words, they’ll have less than $10 million in committed contracts!  So they could pay a max salary to both Wade & LeBron and still have say $10 million to offer to say Carlos Boozer.

Next let’s look at what each of the five teams has to offer (I’m excluding Sac).

The Knicks:

1. the second most cap space (after Miami),

2. the mass market of New York to provide much richer endorsement deals and better national exposure,

3. Perhaps the allure of playing at Madison Square Garden, aka “The Mecca of Basketball”,

4. An open and willing wallet (& now a well-respected GM in Donnie Walsh to make you feel they’ll spend wisely),

5. Coach Mike D’Antoni has a good rep as a “player’s coach” and as an assistant coach on Team USA he’s actually worked with most of these guys before.

Cons: 1. David Lee could likely be gone, meaning they’d be coming to a team with literally only Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler (oh yeah, plus Eddy Curry in the trainer’s room),

2. Perhaps a feeling that you’d have to sorta start from nothing.

The Heat:

1.For Wade it’s the only team he’s known(&he’d get more $), and for others it might feel less risky to jump with someone else to a brand new team rather than to join someone on their current team,

2. No income taxes in Florida,

3. Perhaps Pat Riley?,

4. A solid young player in Michael Beasley, and

5. The weather (& yes, that is a real factor for players).

Cons: 1.For some players it might actually be less appealing to join “Wade’s team” rather than go with him to a new place where it could be “our team” (kinda like how it’s usually better for a young couple to move into a new place rather than say just the gal moving into the guy’s place ‘cuz then it’ll always feel like “his place.”),

2.The fact that the Heat/Riley haven’t really looked for help for Wade since the championship year might make some concerned (including Wade) that this isn’t a franchise that will do whatever it takes to win the trophy.

The Nets:

1. Jay-Z is part-owner (& you bet that’s a factor for this hip-hop idolizing generation),

2. Will be moving to Brooklyn, giving it that New York mass market appeal, plus a chance to sorta “recreate” this franchise from the ground up in this new location,

3. Potentially a stud rookie (like John Wall),

4. Some decent players in the spots that are often toughest to fill: Brook Lopez at center and Devin Harris at point.

Cons: 1. They will be coming off a season where they were either the historically worst team ever or darn close to it,

2. It’ll be at least one year, if not two or more, until the team does actually make it to Brooklyn and the crowds ain’t been stellar in Jersey,

3.Uninspiring coach and front office,

4. If the NY angle is exciting, why wouldn’t ya just go to the Knicks?

The Bulls:

1.A chance to play alongside a franchise player in Derrick Rose, as well as solid pieces like Joakim Noah and Luol Deng,

2. Get to play in the house that Jordan built,

3. For Wade a chance to go home,

4.Good media market and good city.

Cons: 1. You’re playing in the house that Jordan built so you’ll likely always be second in the city’s heart to him,

2.Not enough $ to get a second max player so you’d have to feel that the addition of you alone can turn this team into a contender,

3. Questionable coach in Vinny Del Negro, and a timid front office that’s proven to be afraid to go all in (like by refusing to give up Luol Deng for Pau Gasol).

The Clippers:

1.Best nucleus of players with Baron Davis at point, potential all-star second-year player Eric Gordon at shooting guard, Blake Griffin at power forward, and Chris Kaman at center.  Throw in LeBron James at small forward and they could be contenders ‘cuz you could make a legit argument that the Clips would be stronger at every position than the Cavs supporting cast,

2. The huge market of Los Angeles,

3. The warm weather and Hollywood connections/glamor of LA,

4. A chance to do the impossible and turn a cursed laughingstock into a champion.  Even Jordan couldn’t have saved the Clips,

5. The chance to out-do Kobe Bryant in his own arena.

Cons: 1. It’s the Clippers,

2. Cheapskate owner Donald T. Sterling, so basically what you see is what you get — don’t expect any help walking through that door,

3.The injury curse — Wade gets hurt enough as it is, if he joined the Clips his torso would probably fall off his legs,

4. It’s Kobe’s arena and it’s a Laker town, even LeBron bringing the Clips three championships in a row still might not catapult him and the team to town favorite,

5. It’s the Clippers.

"Dude, you said the Knicks sucked!" "Yeah, well you said TMac was done!"

The Oklahoma Thunder have made one of the most remarkable turnarounds in NBA history.  After winning only 21 games last year (or in a glass half-empty view, losing 61 games), they now are 5th in the ultra-competitive Western Conference.  They are in the middle of the longest current winning streak in the league (nine games), and they have third-year phenom, Kevin Durant, a legit MVP candidate.  It could be argued that Durant is second in the MVP race to only LeBron.  Plus, he’s in the middle of a streak of having scored 25+ points in 27 straight games.  At first that last statement didn’t seem that impressive to me, ‘cuz after all like LeBron and Carmelo are averaging nearly 30 a game, while others like Kobe and Allen Iverson have averaged that much (or more) for a whole season too.  However, in the last 35 years there is only one person who has ever accomplished that feat: Michael Jordan.  Yup, no other active player has done it.  Not LeBron, Kobe, Wade, Shaq, AI or even the Knicks’ newbie, TMac (a man who’s lead the league in scoring a couple of times).

All of which goes to say that after the way the Knicks have been playing, it was pretty darn remarkable we almost won this game, let alone played well.  The big story, as everyone’s already heard, is Tracy McGrady’s big game.  That he’s back.  Not to be glass-half-empty again (what am I, thirsty or something?), but I’m skeptical that he can bring that kind of production regularly.  What I do think that he can help keep bringing back is the energy in the Garden.  The crowd was more alive than they are on Free Taco Night.  Okay, there’s no Free Taco Night (the correct question here is: why the hell not?), but Madison Square was rocking Saturday night.  For once, people came to see the Knicks, not the other team, or just to be “seen.”

McGrady's most athletic play of the night: When a Thunder-ite goes to block his shot on the right, mid-air Tmac does a loopedy-loop and scoops it in lefty

(more…)

Not A Good Sign When The Bulls' Cheerleaders Do "The Dance Of The Dead"

Word is that the Knicks’ have chosen to go in a new direction since they clearly no longer have a shot at the playoffs after their month-long visit with mediocrity (actually mediocrity’s too good a term for them, let’s substitute that with suck-itude).  No, that new direction alas, is not “let’s play well” or “at least pretend to play some defense,” but rather “we suck so much, why don’t we at least let the rookies lose for us so we can see how they are.”  Thus last night we went out and made the Chicago Bulls look like they still had Jordan & Pippen, losing to them by a mere 33 points.

Bad Sign #2: The Players Join The Fans In "The Wave"

In fairness, Derrick Rose came out on fire, and I believe shot 9-for-9 for 19 points in the first half before he even missed a shot.  Rose, not know for his jumper, had it going last night, which makes him nearly unguardable.  Of course the Knicks’ persist in using Jared Jeffries to defend opposing teams’ point guards, which basically means he backs off and dares them to shoot the jumper.  If they hit ‘em, like Rose did, then we’re outta luck.  Actually, even when Jeffries plays up on ‘em, then if he gets beaten off the dribble it leaves players like Chris Duhon, Danilo Gallinari & David Lee to help out, none of whom are shot-blockers or particularly good at help defense.  It’d seem smarter to have Jeffries on one of the big men so that he can be the one who helps out.  Not only is he (sadly) the Knicks’ best shot blocker (out of the players who get minutes), but he also actually leads the league in drawing charges.  Meaning if Rose was to beat Duhon off the dribble, Jeffries could position himself so Rose would have to run him over, forcing Rose to commit a foul.

Bad Sign #3: Harrington Gives Up, Starts Doing One-Handed Push-Ups

When Rose went out at the end of the first quarter, the Knicks actually battled back and looked like they might make a game of it.  That lasted until about midway through the second quarter, and then I believe they lost interest when they saw a shiny object.  Or maybe they started to think about what they’d type if they were on Twitter.  Perhaps I’m short-changing them.  For all I know, they could’ve been contemplating the tragedy of Haiti.  Regardless, the focus was definitely on the game.

Wilson Chandler Spots Shiny Object Off-Court, Loses Focus

However, particularly with Nate Robinson out, the two kids we drafted (Jordan Hill and Toney Douglas) got some run.  Heck, the game got so out of hand that even Marcus Landry and Jonathan Bender got to jog up and down the court a few times.  Oddly, with the game clearly out of hand, Coach Mike D’Antoni still kept starter Chris Duhon in.  Maybe it was his way of punishing Duhon for his awful play the last two months.  And y’know even putting aside the fact that Du hasn’t hit a shot since the first Gulf War, it seems like all Duhon does offensively is run pick-and-rolls with David Lee.  I got nothing against pick-and-rolls, but how about doing some with Gallo, Wilson Chandler or Al Harrington?

If You Can't Beat 'Em, Smack 'Em

Anyway, the good news is that we won’t have to play Chicago again for at least a few more hours.  Yup, they’re coming to the Garden tonight.

These last few months may end up being very, very long…

Why's Chicago's Derick Rose Smiling So Big? He Gets The Knicks Two Nights In A Row!

After scouring the internet, I was amazed at the dearth of material on Dick McGuire.  Here was one of the greats, and the only footage I could find of him playing bball was on MSG’s memorial for him.  In an age where every moment is recorded of people who are famous simply for being famous (like Paris Hilton or Jon&Kate), it’s sad that the exploits of a true pioneer will likely fade away into nothingness eventually.  How many websites do we need devoted to David Hasselhoff?  It’s up to us to keep our history alive.  How many great films, great books, great songs have been lost?  Someone recently said to me that the reason most books from before 1900 haven’t stood the test of time is because they weren’t that great.  I have a hard time believing that.  Yes, they may not have been Shakespeare, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t have books that if they came out today would be considered one of the top 50 books of the year.  It’s also not just about whether things from the past are as “good” as things in the present, it’s about understanding how things have evolved.

For instance, one silent film which was considered a shocker at the time it came out was the original “The Great Train Robbery.”  If you watch it today, well, probably the recent “Taking Of Pelham One Two Three” is more suspenseful to our modern sensibilities.  However, the key to appreciating “The Great Train Robbery” is understanding why it was a shocker.  It wasn’t about the plot.  It was about a shot that they showed at the very beginning, and then the exact same shot shown at the very end.  It’s completely unremarkable to you and me.  It’s just a guy looking at us (ie.the camera) and shooting his gun.  The thing is that up until that point, they’d never had a person look right at the camera before, so when he shot that gun, the audience was literally instinctively afraid that he was shooting at them.  They ducked to the side.  In a sense, it was to them what the first 3-D films were to our times.  That’s incredible.

Similarly, while doing a bit of research on McGuire, naturally a lot of things came up about his contemporary dribbling maestro, Bob Cousy.  There’s an anecdote on him that reminds me of Michael Jordan’s famous improvised shot against the Lakers.  The one where he went up in the air for a right-handed lay-in, then seeing Sam Perkins preparing to block it, mid-air MJ switched the ball to his left hand and flipped it in.  Here’s the description of Cousy in a 1949 college game from an old Sports Illustrated article:

(more…)