Posting and Toasting

Quentin Richardson's got some beef.

2008-11-19T18:31:48Z

Quentin Richardson played a decent game last night. He was crappy (3-10) from the field, but was clearly pushing for rebounds and giving his all on defense. His real performance, though, came after the action. Check out Q's carefree transitions between verb tenses and hints at a cage match to come, via Skeets (originally on Boston.com):

"I think a few of those guys know they can’t just say anything to us," said Richardson. "I’m just real curious to see what those guys will be saying if we weren’t in a basketball league, and didn’t have referees. I mean it wouldn’t be the same story. I mean they are the world champions and rah-rah-rah, but the tough part I don’t factor. I come from a neighborhood where you can say what you want to say, but 'til you do something, it don’t mean nothing. Some of those guys are happy to get a ring, but you ain’t been in the league long enough to talk to people like that. I don’t have a lot of respect for that. Like I said, I’d be curious to hear what they have to say in a different setting, I’d be very curious to see that.”

I understand that Q has some history with these Celtics, and it's probably pretty irritating to get an earful from the likes of Eddie House, but...what?

Celtics 110, Knicks 101

2008-11-19T03:56:06Z

Somehow, this photo summarizes tonight's game better than I ever could. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

A loss is a loss, but the Knicks hung around tonight in Boston, and even made the Celtics sweat a little down the stretch. The guys actually squandered a bit of an opportunity, as Doc Rivers decided to compound the suspension of Kevin Garnett by benching Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo for much of the first half. Unfortunately, the Knicks' undersized big men groveled at the feet of larger bodies once again. This time it was the brutish Kendrick Perkins and Leon Powe, who had 16 and 14 points respectively, that caused problems for the New York frontcourt. The C's pounded the ball down low and scored easily and efficiently through 3 quarters to gain enough ground to keep the Knicks at bay later on. Some more notes:

- This was a chippy one throughout, and tempers were flaring everywhere. Zach Randolph was frustrated all night, and his aggravation bubbled to the surface in a little face-to-face altercation with Leon Powe. There wasn't so much as a shove, thankfully, and the two were issued double techs. Later, Richardson and Pierce had some words, rekindling a confrontation that's presented a couple times since Q's been a Knick. It's hard to blame the players for being feisty, though, since both coaches had their panties all in a bunch on the sidelines. The refs got an earful from both Doc Rivers and Mike D'Antoni, but Coach Mike was especially bitchy, and got a tech for damn near shanking Mark Lindsay at the end of the third quarter. He was still jawing after the commercial break, and I wouldn't be surprised if Lindsay wakes up in bed with a horse head some time soon.

Mike D'Antoni objects to a call. Anthony Roberson learns his first curse word. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

- The Knicks came out shooting threes and nothing else, as they often do, but tonight the shots didn't really go down in the first quarter, and never picked up. They were 9-30 as a team, which won't hurt our proud lead in the "made and attempted" department, but turns the stomach a bit when you calculate the percentage. (My number-crunching parrot did it for me, and it's 30%. Quoth Polly, "that sucks".

- There's a difference between passing a lot and ball movement, ya dig? You can stand still and swing the ball all around the perimeter as much as you want, but it's setting screens and hitting cutters that'll get things done in a half-court set.

- I'd rather see Duhon and Lee play the ball and commit a foul than grab their nuts, shut their eyes, and stand still in hopes of a charge.

- The Knicks actually held a lead after the first quarter, which was garnered by being active and forcing turnovers on the defensive end. I'm pretty sure the C's turned the rock over 6 or 7 times in the first 12 minutes. After that, not so much. Boston (the most turnover-prone club in the league, we learned), finished with a relatively light 14 TO's, considering the first quarter damage.

- Wilson Chandler had himself a really nice game on both ends. Save for a spasm of ill-advised threes in the second half, Wil was attacking, taking and making open shots, and letting the game come to him. It's becoming apparent that his best look is a catch, one dribble with the left hand, and then a nice 18 footer from either side of the key. On defense, Chandler got completely abused by Celtic big men, which is hard to criticize since he's out of position. On Pierce, though, he showed some real mettle. Particularly in the fourth quarter, Wilson harassed the indomitable Pierce into a few misses, even physically deterring a doubling Nate Robinson to take his man one-on-one and force a brick. Wilson Chandler got a heart and a pair of balls, and I respect his 7 rebounds and 4 fouls as much as his 23 points. Cut out a few of those threes and he's got one more fine performance.

- That guy in the Bud Light freeze-frame "drinkability" commercial (Not the hipster cabin one, not the chick tailgate one- the other one.) should send 20% of every paycheck to Dave Chappelle.

- Nate Robinson stuffed Kendrick Perkins in the fourth quarter. It was called a foul, but Perk will lose a little sleep over that one.

- Mardy Collins got a relatively heavy 11 minutes in this one, and didn't completely wet the bed. He still seems pretty wild on offense, and even his makes look accidental, but he got a few good looks at Pierce and Tony Allen, and did a fine job.

- Speaking of Collins, around 20 seconds left in the first quarter, I'm pretty sure Kelly Tripucka said he was "shitting the defense". No doubt I misheard that, but can I get a second opinion?

- Collins' minutes undoubtedly sent a message to Jamal Crawford, who was ghost like Swayze in 25 minutes. He was 1-4 for 3 points, played no defense, and turned the ball over a couple times. Crawford knows he's got what it takes to accomplish a lot in D'Antoni's system, but he's gotta use his head and capitalize on his skill set to stay on the floor. Coach has made that clear.

- What's with Malik Rose's pump-faking? Has Anthony Mason been hired as an assistant coach? By the way, we need video of Rose pulling the chair on Leon Powe in the second half, and Powe somehow maintaining his dribble during his awkward descent.

- Dwyane Wade: "G2 is the smart choice for athletes...'cause it is low in calories". That's not funny. That's just a poorly-researched statement of opinion. WHY ARE YOU ALL LAUGHING?

- I tried really hard not to get myself worked up over a sure loss after the Dallas game nearly burst my aorta, but I gotta admit, it got a little tense at the end there. The Knicks cut it to 4 in the last two minutes, but credit Brian Scalabrine with a huge corner three to ice the thing. Dick.

Oddly, this makes me feel much better. (Original AP Photo/Winslow Townson)

That is all. The Knicks have now fallen to 6-5, and the next game's on Friday in Milwaukee. That's gonna be a big one.

Game Thread: Knicks at Celtics- 11/18/08

2008-11-19T00:19:57Z

Sorry I'm a little late, kids. The Knicks tip off in Boston in about 15 minutes, and it's bound to be an interesting one. The C's are without Kevin Garnett, which takes some pressure off Wilson Chandler, as I mentioned yesterday. Pierce and Allen, though, have terrorized the Knicks for years, and will get their points tonight in Boston. For the Knicks to keep this close, they'll have to at least mildly irritate one or both of those two scorers, and find someone to box out Kendrick Perkins and Leon Powe. I wait with bated breath. Get them W's...

Update: In my haste, I forgot to mention the newly absorbed Celtics Blog. Not that they needed my link. Check it out.

All-Starbury 2009!

2008-11-18T20:06:46Z

Yes SIR we can!

This comes in response to a Fanpost from s.bucektz. The ballot for the 2009 All-Star Game in Phoenix was released a few days ago, and there's a very important inclusion amongst the Eastern guards. From the announcement (emphasis might be mine):

Ray Allen, Boston; Gilbert Arenas, Washington; Mike Bibby, Atlanta; Chauncey Billups, Detroit-Denver; Jose Calderon, Toronto; Vince Carter, New Jersey; Jamal Crawford, New York; Raymond Felton, Charlotte; TJ Ford, Indiana; Ben Gordon, Chicago; Richard Hamilton, Detroit; Devin Harris, New Jersey; Joe Johnson, Atlanta; !!!!Stephon Marbury, New York!!!!!OMG!!!1; Andre Miller, Philadelphia; Jameer Nelson, Orlando; Anthony Parker, Toronto; Michael Redd, Milwaukee; Jason Richardson, Charlotte; Luke Ridnour, Milwaukee; Rajon Rondo, Boston; Derrick Rose, Chicago; Dwyane Wade, Miami; Mo Williams, Cleveland.

Thus, in the spirit of Posting and Toasting and all others who have proposed the idea, I'd like to formally announce my advocacy for Stephon Marbury as an All-Star. Steph spent the summer working into tip-top shape, performed well in training camp, and had a solid preseason. What's he gotten for his effort? Zero minutes to date. Regardless of what you think about his spot on the Knicks, I think we can all agree he's got a right to play somewhere this year. How about playing a game in which he represents New York, but nothing actually counts? What could possibly be better?

Marbury's Knick days are likely behind him, so let's pay respects for his tenure in orange and blue- his heroics, his antics, and his idiosyncrasies. Stephon's been the most prolific font of entertainment and discourse the Knicks have seen in years. Let's give him one more opportunity to thrill us. Vote early, vote often, and v ote Stephon Marbury to the 2009 NBA All-Star team. If you're down with the cause, tell your friends, mention it on your blog, fill in a ballot for your pet iguana...every vote counts. Yes we can!

(A few more games, and I may be back on my soapbox for Zach Randolph. We'll see.)

Garnett Out Tomorrow Night

2008-11-18T01:22:30Z

Well, they're still heavy favorites, but the Celtics will be out at least one of their dangerous stars for tomorrow night's game with the Knicks. Word has it Kevin Garnett's been suspended for some extracurricular rough-housing with Andrew Bogut in the C's last game. What does this mean for the Knicks? Well, Boston still has legendary Knick-killers Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, but there's at least a shred of hope that it won't be a complete blowout. The big men can focus on boxing out the feisty Kendrick Perkins and Leon Powe, and Wilson Chandler won't have to lose sleep tonight over the prospect of hanging with KG. Though Quentin Richardson will likely draw the initial assignment of Paul Pierce- a matchup he always relishes- look for Wil to log some minutes against Pierce just to give him a different look. Again, I wouldn't leave the bomb shelter just yet, but this news does provide some hope that we might not have to recover from this once more.

Cuban interested in Marbury?

2008-11-17T20:26:04Z

Cuban interested in Marbury?

Probably not. But what's really interesting is that the first commenter on the Dallas News Mavericks' blog claims to be Starbury himself. History has shown that Steph isn't above defending his honor on the internets. Am I crazy to think this might actually be him?

Mavericks 124, Knicks 114

2008-11-17T05:04:22Z

(AP Photo)

I don't think I could ever be a sportswriter. Games like this sting pretty badly, and it's tough to be objective in the face of such heartbreak. That said, this was an exciting game, so let's recap the events.

- First of all, I'd like to introduce all of you to the only therapy I know for nights like this. It's simple and a little childish, but I guarantee that 15 minutes of this will make you feel a little bit better.

- The Knicks got off to an astoundingly hot start. If I remember correctly, they had 20 points halfway through the first quarter, and both Crawford and Randolph came out firing and hitting.Crawford fell of dramatically (more on that later), but Z-Bo stayed hot all night. He had a double-double in the first half, and finished with 27 and 18.

- David Lee, Chris Duhon, and Quentin Richardson each get a tip of the hat for their hard work and efficient numbers. Lee got his rebounds and shots around the basket, Duhon picked his shots well and got 12 dimes, and Richardson came alive for a couple big threes and an acrobatic, Kobe-esque dunk in the third quarter.

- Wilson Chandler had a solid 14 points, but didn't so much as inconvenience Dirk Nowitzki on the other end. You can't really get mad, since Wil is 6'8'' and has gone from riding the bench to starting out of position in one summer. The defense on Nowitzki was, in general, token at best. He got mostly single coverage from Chandler and Lee, with occasional visits from nearby guards. It was one of those games, though, when you knew Dirk was gonna shoot, the defender knew Dirk was gonna shoot, and Dirk knew Dirk was gonna shoot, but he still couldn't be stopped. We simply don't have the personnel.

- The Knick defense works best when they're jumping passing lanes, doubling hard, and triggering fast breaks in the other direction. Whether it was tired legs or a lack of effort, this simply wasn't happening. The Mavs only turned it over 9 times, and the Knicks had 3 team steals compared to 11 for Dallas (4 each for Kidd and Terry).

- Posting and Toasting has a rollercoaster relationship with Mr. Jamal Crawford, and tonight was the part of the coaster where your harness comes off and you plummet hundreds of feet to a grisly death. Jamal started very well, and then put up an absolutely ghastly performance on the offense. He was 5-19 from the field, and single-handledly stifled the offense on occasions. Craw would either take step-back fadeaways or awkward runners in the key, both of which got blocked or otherwise altered quite a bit.

- I must say that it's pretty cool to see opposing coaches forced into adjusting to D'Antoni's lineup. Erick Dampier, for instance, started the game, but played only 4 minutes, due to his inability to chase Zach Randolph out on the perimeter. On the other hand, watching Paul Mooney James Singleton drop 12 and 10 off the bench wasn't exactly a treat.

One of these guys had a career night.

- My notes are pretty negative, but it'd be wrong not to mention that the Knicks lead this one most of the way and were clicking on offense throughout. The aforementioned contributions from Duhon, Lee, and Randolph made for lots of fine passing and easy baskets, and the lead grew to double digits in the first half. With under two minutes left in the game, they were up seven, but everything seemed primed for a collapse. Sure enough, the offense caved, the defense cowered, and the Mavs had it tied with under 30 seconds left. The last possession alone took about 4 days off my life. The shot clock was run down, Richardson missed a short hook shot and then rebounded his own miss with 9 seconds remaining. At this point, he faced a fork in the road. He could pull it out and call a timeout or wind the clock down for the last shot...or he could attack. Q took the second fork, and it wasn't a bad shot. His layup rimmed out, though, and after a flurry of failed tips by Randolph and Lee, the Mavs gained possession (only to miss on the other end, but whatever). In overtime, the tired Knicks predictably collapsed and managed only 2 points en route to a double-digit loss. It sucked.

- I support Mike D'Antoni and Donnie Walsh, and I've come to terms with the Marbury situation, but I will say the following: the decision to bench Marbury comes with the surrender of at least a few games like this one. When both teams are tired and the game is tight, teams go to their wily veterans who have the brains and the balls to create one-on-one under the defense's greatest pressure. Nowitzki and Kidd did this for Dallas, and Steph would be that guy for us. He's always been the one to lower his head and bull a path to the basket in crunch time, and there just isn't somebody in this rotation with that ability to overcome a focused fourth quarter defense.

Some other notes:

- Brandon Jacobs and his baby son were courtside, as they often are. In reference to today's win over the Ravens, Al Trautwig asked Jacobs, "what's it like to be tackled by Ray Lewis?", to which Brandon confidently replied, "I don't know. I don't think he tackled me". So Al changed up his game and asked, "then what does it feel like to run by Ray Lewis?", to which we got the instantly classic response, "Oh, that feel good."

- At one point in the second half, Jason Terry drove to the basket and had a surprisingly open lane to the rim. Mike Breen remarked that Terry thought the Knicks "were going to come on him". Either Breen knows something very dark about Terry, or he's kicking himself over that slip of the tongue.

That's all I've got from a real gut punch of a game. In case this recap stirred up the pain within you, let me once more recommend this to soothe your ills. Next game's Tuesday in Boston. Yikes.

Game Thread: Knicks vs. Mavericks- 11/16/08

2008-11-16T21:28:16Z

(AP Photo/Donna McWilliam)

Good afternoon, everybody. Hope everyone's had a good weekend and that those of you who caught the Knicks-Thunder matchup enjoyed the game and Mase's recap. I know I did. Tonight, the Knicks face a more enigmatic foe: the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavs regularly own New York and have long been among the NBA's elite, but have fallen on hard times, managing only a 2-7 record while their old friend Devin Harris tears it up in New Jersey. It still feels weird to say this, but much like the Spurs loss, this is going to be a trap game for our Knicks. Dirk Nowitzki is a hell of a matchup for the Knick frontline, and Jason Kidd is one of the first true point guards the backcourt's had to face. Regardless of record, the Knicks are expected to drop this game (check out the ESPN preview). A win tonight might garner some respect for a team that most believe to be in the midst of an ephemeral autumn honeymoon on their way to another losing season (do I believe that? I still have no idea). The good news is that the Mavs currently give up 99.4 points a game, which is supposed to be an advantage for D'Antoni's squad, which is unbeaten when hitting the century mark. Jamal Crawford's historically been off his game against Dallas, but needs to lead the charge tonight to help get a win.

So it'll be the Knicks' burden tonight to defend their homecourt and step it up against a team that's more dangerous than the numbers might tell you. I'm back in action for the recap (quit groaning) and this here's your game thread for discussion and emotion. Tipoff's at 6. Get them W's.

For the Mavs side of the tale, stop by Mavs Moneyball, where this game is regarded as just about a must-win.

Amid speculation that he would be added to the roster if and when Stephon Marbury leaves the...

2008-11-16T01:54:46Z

Amid speculation that he would be added to the roster if and when Stephon Marbury leaves the Knicks, Patrick Ewing Jr. worked out alone at the team’s practice facility here Saturday.

Joshua Robinson of the New York Times

Knicks 116, Barons 106

2008-11-15T16:44:52Z

Hey kids. Just in case you were out having a social life instead of watching the Knicks in a early November regular season game against a one-win team, here's your recap.

The Thunder sounds like a WNBA team name. I mean tell me where the Thunder are better suited: in a league that has team names like the Shock, Sun, Storm, Fever, Dream, and Mercury, or in a league that has team names like the Knicks, Celtics, Bulls, Hawks, Lakers, and Timberwolves? That's what I thought.

Anyways, I compiled a list of possible replacement names that all would've been better (I always thought "Disorders" would've been cool because then they could be the OCDs), and that's how I'll refer to the Thunder Barons in this post. Side note: No, I won't be referring to them as the Oklahoma City Bombers (dude, not cool).

I was unable to watch the game on television, because I was at work, but I followed the gamecast online. That being said, some of the content in this post may be a dramatization, and may not have actually occurred.

PREGAME THOUGHTS:

- Apparently Joe Smith is still in the League. Good for him

- Robert Swift is a freak show. He's kind of like Scot Pollard on crack, which is scary considering that Scot Pollard probably IS actually on crack. He actually reminds me of the older Pete from the old Nickelodeon show The Adventures of Pete and Pete, had Pete gotten really into drugs and goth rock in high school. By the way, is there anything that looks worse that tatoos on a redhead? Gingers and ink mix like Jerome James and a Hostess bakery outlet.

The older Pete, had he gotten really into crack and goth rock...

- I have some ties to a couple of players on the Disorders including Damien Wilkins. I know that you P&T youngins' may not remember the late 80's Knicks but Damien's pop, Gerald, was one of my all-time favorites. In fact, I still have a Gerald Wilkins poster hanging in my room. Also, I watched DJ White all four years at my alma mater and he's probably one of my top five favorite Hoosiers (about 5,562 spots ahead of Jared Jeffries).

- Orange and Blue against light Orange and light Blue - I'm actually glad that I don't have visuals.

FIRST HALF:

- After 1Q: 37-20 Knicks. 60% shooting. Best. First Quarter. Ever.

- Z-Bo only took one horrific shot (a missed 26-footer) in the First Quarter. The Knicks led by 17. Coincidence?

- Malik Rose entered the game following a 7-0 Knicks' run to open the Second Quarter. The Twisters proceeded to go on a 14-4 run. Coincidence?

- I think Kevin Durant is going to be a great player, but at this point in his career, KD is incapable of doing anything other than scoring. It's surprising because he was such a good defender at Texas. Hopefully Durant becomes more well-rounded instead of just turning into the next Jerry Stackhouse.

- Nate came storming out of the gate to connect on his first four shots. When he's hot, this offense is really tough to contain. Nate's inconsistent play drives me nuts sometimes, but there's no denying that he's a great asset as a 6th man.

- At one point late in the 2nd half, the Knicks had hit 17-22 from 2-pt range, but were 4-14 beyond the arc. The genius of Mike D'Antoni in full effect.

HALFTIME:

- Knicks 68, Court Dawgz 44 (In case you don't get the above reference, OKC has a Arena Football team named the Yard Dawgz. I'm not joking... dawg.)

Yeah, dawgz! (via okcyarddawgz.com)

- My dad actually called me at halftime. This is a big deal because it's the first time my dad has called during a Knicks' game in three years (he didn't even know who or what the Thunder were). He hadn't been able to put up with all the losing and Isiah bullshit, but it looks like he's back on the bandwagon.

SECOND HALF:

- At one juncture early in the Third Quarter, Malik Rose did the chair pull on an unsuspecting David Lee. Lee laughed it off originally. However, after Malik missed a shot and then turned the ball over, Lee ran onto the floor, kicked him in the groin, gave him a double titty-twister, then took the ball and shattered the glass with a thunderous dunk. (Dramatization: may not have happened).

- I love Craw when he's taking good shots and making great decisions. It's pretty obvious that Jamal has been the biggest beneficiary of the Mike D'Antoni hire.

- Johan Petro played for like five seconds. I'm not a big guy, but I feel like I would beat the crap out of him in a fight. Maybe because he's like 110 pounds, or maybe it's because he's French. I think it has more to do with the latter.

- Z-Bo only took three three-pointers and he scored 29 points (at least 20 of which were in the paint). Wow, Zach using his 6'9, 260-pound frame to score points down low instead of hucking up 26-footers? What a novel concept. 29 points and 19 boards for Z-Bo. One of his best performances as a Knick.

- Chris Duhon is a shitty three-point shooter. I apologize if you already knew that, but I wasn't sure if you did because I'm positive that Chris Duhon has no idea that he is a shitty three-point shooter.

- Malik Rose was fouled on a shot attempt and went to the line for two free throws. He did end up making one, but fuck him for having the audacity to attempt a shot.

- Shit, I would've loved to have Russell Westbrook instead of Gallo. I knew the Knicks' three-game winning streak last April was going to cost them (finished with 23 wins compared to 20 for Seattle/OKC).

- I don't know if the Knicks let off the gas or the Cowboy Boots just started playing defense, but the game got scary late.

- 30-point lead cut to 7 with five minutes left. This is why it sucks to root for the Knicks - they never give you a night off.

- Craw and Z-Bo helped the Knicks avert disaster. Chalk up another W.

POSTGAME THOUGHTS:

- Lee's line: 28 min, 7-8 FG, 18 pts, 6 reb - welcome back Dave!

- Martha and I had a lovely discussion in the Game Thread. Screw you guys for having a social life.

- With a 104.8 points per game average, the Knicks are now the highest scoring team in the NBA. Seven Seconds or Less? Instead we should call it Seven Seconds or...fuck you, we're already up 20!

- Math time: The Knicks are now 6-3. 6+3 = 9. 9X9 = 81. 81 is one game short of a full 82 game season. By my expert calculations, the Knicks are on pace for a 54-win season. The thought of 54 wins is slightly arousing.

- Finally, no Mardy Collins... VICTORY!

Rock the house, Dave.

See you on Sunday.

Game Thread: Knicks vs. Thunder- 11/14/08

2008-11-14T20:39:50Z

I'm driving up to Vermont for the night, but the Knicks will be back in New York tonight for their first ever match-up with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Barons woulda been so much cooler. Coming off the biggest win in recent memory, it'll be interesting to see how the Knicks fare against one of the league's weaker teams. You never do know. Anthony Mason's Haircut will have your recap. Get them W's.

"Knicks Fans Discover Striking Palms Together Makes Uplifting And Appreciative Noise"

2008-11-14T14:46:06Z

"Knicks Fans Discover Striking Palms Together Makes Uplifting And Appreciative Noise"

I've also discovered that not vomiting during games leaves me feeling much better!

Recapitators Needed

2008-11-14T04:30:25Z

I'm going up to Vermont for part of the weekend, and won't be around for Friday night's game against Oklahoma City. I've got the game thread under control, but would love to have somebody else recap. Anybody down? It's nice to get voices outside of my own mindless bitching once in a while. In fact, if you'd like to be considered for recaps in the future, let me know in the comments. Thanks, kids.

Knicks 132, Grizzlies 103

2008-11-13T04:16:56Z

This went in...(AP Photo/Nikki Boertman)

Sweet baby Jebus, that was nuts. The game started slowly, was ugly through much of two quarters, and then absolutely blossomed into a bouquet of fine passing, aggressive defense, and hot shooting. Here are some stat-laden notes from the most outstanding offensive performance we've seen in years.

- I have one complaint. Let's get it out of the way. The Knicks started slow, which happens, but took a turn for the worse in the opening of the second quarter. Malik Rose got in for about 6 minutes in that quarter and single-handedly dug the Knicks into a hole. He committed stupid fouls, ruined good passes, and missed two threes. Two threes! Malik Rose! Ok, done complaining.

- 19-34 from three. 55.9%. 19 threes is a Knick record. That's 19-32 minus Malik Rose. Unbelievable.

- 28 assists, 11 steals, 12 turnovers. I might print that stat out and tape it to my ceiling, if you catch my drift.

- Wilson Chandler had a career night despite being a little sick and getting his eye poked pretty hard late in the game. Wil had 27 points on 11-12(!) shooting to go with 7 boards, 3 assists, and 3 steals. He was absolutely unconscious. Most impressive were his four threes, at least two of which came when heavily contested and with one eye completely closed.

- I heard Dwyane Wade's mother likes to paint her nails and wear high heels. Does that mean Dwyane likes to do that too?

- Zach Randolph did, indeed, rebound with a solid 18 and 10 in 36 minutes. Also 3 steals, oddly enough. He couldn't really handle Marc Gasol on defense, but who can these days?

- Jamal Crawford's outside shot was streaky, but he asserted himself, got to the basket, and had himself a very nice game. 25 points on 10-20 and 8 assists for JC. Solid, unselfish basketball from Jamal.

- Chris Duhon got into the flow of things in the second half and had himself a nice Du-line: 12 points, 7 assists, and 1 turnover. That's all we ask of Du.

- Hey Nate Robinson, keep being you. 21 points on 8-8 shooting. That's just silly.

- Hey Malik Rose, I heard D'Antoni's looking for another assistant coach.

- Man, I wish they had ribs at Knicks games.

- I really love the Grizzlies. Rudy Gay's been one of my favorites since he came in the league, and now with Gasol and Mayo they're an absolute delight to watch. Especially when they're so gracious with the Knicks.

- How's this for a sequence? Randolph has the ball stolen on the perimeter, recovers it, and swings the ball over to Richardson. Richardson bricks a three, but Randolph rebounds it, only to miss a putback. Chandler rebounds but completely shanks a tip dunk, so hard that the ball shoots off the rim back into his hands as he falls to the ground. From the ground, Wilson passes it back out to the perimeter. The ball gets to Crawford in the right corner, where Jamal promptly completes a four-point play. Hey Gian? We need replay of this at 7SoM.

- The Knicks look a lot better shooting threes off the drive-and-kick. When Robinson, Crawford, or Duhon streaks into the paint and hits an open man in the corner, I'd bet that's our best percentage from downtown.

- Knick blowouts hadn't really crossed my mind, so you know what I hadn't though of? We don't really have a garbage squad. D'Antoni plays a 9-man rotation, and pretty much everybody else is injured or Stephon Marbury. The garbage lineup tonight was Collins, Roberson, Rose, Robinson, and Randolph. I would've just put Quentin Richardson out there to make it the "R" lineup. Woulda been a good night for Danilo Gallinari to get some shots in.

That's all for now, folks. I'm gonna stay up late to fully revel in the glory of tonight's win. And because I have a buttload of work. Next game's on Friday against OKC. I may be traveling, so is anybody down to recap that one? Let me know.

Game Thread: Knicks at Grizzlies- 11/12/08

2008-11-13T00:22:25Z

Two questions. 1. Remember Lawrence Moten? I had an autographed Moten rookie card when I was a little one. No big deal. 2. Where did MJ's arm go?

Anyway, the Knicks are in Memphis, not Vancouver, tonight to face the Grizzlies. The Grizz are 2-0 at home and will likely pose a big challenge. O.J. Mayo can score in bunches, and will likely be psyched to show New York what we're missing. Marc Gasol is a 7-foot oso who will give Lee and Randolph a heap of trouble. Rudy Gay and the point guard tandem of Conley and Lowry aren't too shabby either. On the other end, look for Zach Randolph to rebound from his clumsy performance in San Antonio with a big night against the much lighter Darrell Arthur.

The good news is that this will likely be a more open, free-form game than last night's slugfest in San Antonio. Marc Iavaroni is a D'Antoni disciple, and the Grizzlies are sillier and more athletic than Popovich's slave army of defensive stalwarts. The downside is that our guys are playing for the second night in a row. For a squad that plays a tight, nine-man rotation, back-to-backs might be an issue. Then again, I've always heard players dispel the back-to-back myth, since games are easier than practices on the body. Who knows. It'll be interesting to see how the Knicks come out in the first quarter tonight, and if they can maintain the stamina for 48 minutes. Get them W's, dammit. Tipoff's at 8.

Knick Lookalikes, From Their Own Perspectives

2008-11-12T19:04:23Z

I'm sure you all miss the Sunday Lookalikes in these parts, and sometimes I think about bringing that feature back. In the meantime, though, how about hearing who the Knicks themselves think they resemble? Check it out.

First of all, to Jared Jeffries, anybody who says you look like Kobe is either blind or ignorant. Roberson and T.I. isn't bad at all, and the idea of Mardy Collins being Jason Alexander is hysterical and somehow appropriate. If I had to compare Crawford to anybody, it would probably be Lupe Fiasco. We're also missing the very easy Mike D'Antoni-Pringles Guy parallel. As for Chris Duhon, Jaleel White isn't a bad comparison, but the real lookalike is easy.

Any other Knick lookalikes you can think of?

UPDATE: I had the wrong video up before. The right one is there now. My bad.

Gallinari May Need Surgery

2008-11-12T18:54:14Z

We were all expecting it to be a gradual learning process for Danilo Gallinari, but its sounding more and more like we won't be seeing very much of Il Gallo at all this year. From the Times:

"His back just flared up again," Coach Mike D'Antoni said. "He was making progress, and then one morning he said he couldn’t put his pants on."

Ladies, chill.

Test results were not immediately available. Team officials are hopeful that Gallinari can avoid surgery, but they cannot rule it out.

"I’m worried about it at this point," D’Antoni said. "We’re just going to do what’s best for him. He’s 20 years old. We’d love for him to play in the next two or three weeks, we’d love for him to play in the next two or three months. But he’s got to be 100 percent well."

And so it is. Given that we're not exactly expecting a playoff appearance from these Knicks, Gallinari's absence isn't the end of the world. The draft doubters, though, will surely be shaking their chubby little fingers at the news. Gallinari's fragile, he's not NBA-ready, he's a bust, whatever. I say we all knew it was a long-term move, and while I don't wish season-killing injuries on anybody, I think we'll live. I was excited to see Gallo play, but his health comes first.

Spurs 92, Knicks 80

2008-11-12T18:40:26Z

This game really sucked, so I'll recap quickly so we can move forward to today's stories and tonight's game.

You've always wondered if you, an NBA superstar, and 3 of your friends could beat the Knicks in a 48-minute game, and last night we got something close to the answer. The dominant Tim Duncan was joined by a supporting cast of guys like George Hill (who isn't this guy, much to my disappointment) and Anthony Tolliver to completely smoke the Knicks in San Antonio last night. It was a topsy-turvy version of the typical scenario, with New York playing the role of the more talented team that took the game lightly, and the Spurs acting as the lovable underdogs you've never heard of. The Knicks' fast-paced offense was stifled by a Spurs defense that, even at half-staff, is well-coached and stingy. The passing was sloppy, shots were forced and out of rhythm, and everyone but Jamal Crawford (10-21 for 28 points) and David Lee (6-9 for 15 points) had a stinky night from the field. (If my trained number-crunching badgers got their math right, the rest of the team was 14/49 on field goals, which is about 29%. Not good.) In the first half, it wasn't that big a deal, because the Spurs were equally careless with the ball and couldn't hit the back side of the Alamo from the field. In the second half, though, the Knicks stayed ugly and San Antonio started hitting open shots. The margin hit double digits, New York couldn't make timely plays to cut it close, and the Spurs won.

There wasn't much to it. The Spurs stepped up their game. The Knicks didn't it. Tim Duncan dominated. Randolph faltered. Clyde wore burgundy. It was a swift, mild defeat with a clear basis for failure. I'm ready to be done with this one and move on to today's news and tonight's game in Memphis. Shall we?

Game Thread: Knicks at Spurs- 11/11/08

2008-11-12T00:44:46Z

Good evening, New York. Our streaking Knicks are in San Antonio tonight, prepared to take on the Spurs. S.A. is without Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, and at 1-4, the Spurs aren't very much themselves. Tim Duncan is still a force to be reckoned with, though, and our gameplan to handle "The Big Douchebag" will have to be similar to the one used to keep Carlos Boozer in check. Double hard and attack him on offense to get him in foul trouble. Or karate chop his neck until he's out cold. Either way.

Meanwhile, the rest of tonight's Spurs are a cast of characters you've never heard of, from Desmon Farmer to Anthony Tolliver (maybe my next t-shirt jersey purchase) to George Hill. Other than that, you may remember Ime Udoka (Barnes can give us some insight on that), and Kurt Thomas from their days as Knicks. Though we're a sexy-ass 4-2 and the Spurs are banged up, it's extremely important not to take this game for granted (weird to hear myself say that). We've got a good thing going, and it'd be a shame to let the guard down when we've got a great opportunity to face a top-tier team at their weakest.

Look for Mike D'Antoni to reignite his rivalry with Gregg Popovich with fast-paced offense and aggressive defense and teach him a thing or two about facial hair grooming. Get them W's, and make sure to check out the NBA blog that got me into NBA blogging, Pounding the Rock. Tipoff's at 8:30.

Pain Train Makes a Quick Stop in New York

2008-11-11T21:52:54Z

Nothing major, but going in to tonight's contest against San Antonio, we've got a couple nagging injuries to mention. First off, Danilo Gallinari's back is acting up again.

The pain level in the Italian Stallion's lower back and leg increased the past few days, causing growing concern among the team's medical staff that new treatment may be needed for the 6-foot-10 forward from Milan, who was selected sixth overall in this year's draft.

The source said a new diagnosis is not expected, but the increased level of pain is a bad sign and could imperil Gallinari's season. Coach Mike D'Antoni took Gallinari out of the rotation after the second game because of ineffective play, but hoped to eventually spot him in.

Sounds like Danilo won't be around on this mini road trip, and that we might not be seeing much of him in the near future. It's a shame, but better to get him healthy than set him way back so early on. Meanwhile, a more active Knick is having some problems of his own.

David Lee did not practice yesterday and told The Post he has been suffering from a bone spur in his ankle for three weeks. Lee said he will play through the pain and the spur is too small to require surgery.

That might explain some of his troubles around the basket and low rebounding numbers. Lee is expected to play tonight, so it sounds as if it's nothing to worry about for the time being. Doesn't make us any more equipped to handle Tim Duncan, though. Anyway, tipoff's at 8. Your game thread will be up in a couple hours.