(AP Photo/Ed Betz)
In one of the uglier games in recent memory, the Zach-less Knicks fell to the Miami in the final game of their homestand. New York fell to a Heat team that, without Dwyane Wade, resembles the lovechild of the 1996 Dream Team and the Florida Flame. It was distressing and discouraging as a game can be, and things don't look good for the upcoming West Coast swing. Game notes:
- Those Knicks who sport headbands had blue ones this evening instad of orange. I can't say I prefer either. I do think Renaldo should find himself a bandana, though.
- Penny Hardaway started for the Heat and was actually pretty effective. I don't know if I'm gonna be able to finish these notes without crying.
- Mike Breen mentioned that Clyde is a light packer on road trips. How is this possible? Does he wear his outrageous gametime get-ups all day long? My theory is that he, in fact, owns one suit jacket that contains tiny light bulbs and mirrors that produce the color pattern of his choosing.
- Isiah had been keeping his rotation short but decided that tonight was the night to open up the scrub gates. Malik Rose was the first off the bench. Mardy Collins and Fred Jones saw time. If you're gonna extend the rotation, then why not activate Randolph Morris to body up on Shaq?
- That was really the main problem. Without Jerome James to serve his only logical purpose and with Eddy Curry in foul trouble, New York had nobody to guard Kazzam. Even Quentin Richardson got a go at the big man. Inevitably, double teams were necessary, which led to the Knicks' Achilles heel: open threes.
- If the offensive sets aren't happening, I think it might make sense to get out in transition against teams like the Heat. Especially without Z-Bo on the court, we've got plenty of resources to work the running game.
- It seems like whenever Crawford gets a pick set for him, he chooses to run backwards around both defenders, missing the available pass and negating the opportunity to slice through. On the last play where Curry got the ball poked away, the pass shoulda come a couple seconds earlier.
- David Lee has a mark under his eye. That couldn't be a remnant of his Tim Thomas-induced black eye from last year, could it?
- Lee put up good numbers in his first start, but I wasn't at all impressed with his defense or ability to create shots.
- Nate Robinson was given a portable electro-stim device for his injured hamstring. I'd bet money that he shocked at least one other person with it.
- The biggest news of the night was that Quentin Richardson hyperextended his elbow when Ricky Davis decided to sit on it. The x-rays were negative but there's no timetable yet. Injuries and Q-Rich usually don't go well together.