Hello everybody. Shit's been busy for me lately. I was just in Long Island for two days. I was, however, able to attend the Knicks' completely unforeseen demolition of the Pistons last night. Let's go over a few things.
- I don't have a formal recap for you of last night's game (cause, you know, my recaps are usually quite formal), but there are a few things worth mentioning. I took the train in with my girlfriend and spent much of the ride explaining that the Knicks were going to get humiliated, and that she should prepare herself for some pretty foul behavior on my part. Lo and behold, they absolutely torched one of the best teams in the NBA. The Knicks looked great. Z-Bo found his shot, Balkman got good minutes, the break was run with success, and the passing and defense were refreshingly crisp. But it would be wrong not to mention that Detroit mailed in the game as much as you a team can legally do so. The starters sat at moments when the game was getting out of reach and the Pistons were content with jumpshots the entire way. I've also never seen garbage time start so early. Primoz Brezec (or as the guy behind me decided to call him, "Reno Spellcheck") started the fourth quarter.
- A number of funny moments in the game, but two stick out. First, I don't know if you could see this on TV, but the Garden played the final minute or so of the Giants' win (congrats, G fans. Check out Big Blue View.) up on the big screen. A couple players and staff were clearly focused on the game, which ended up with someone sending out a guy to mop the floor to intentionally delay the game while both teams and staffs, all the referees, and the entire crowd watched the Giants win. Then, once the Giants had locked it up, play resumed and Eddy Curry went to the line to shoot free throws. Only the Garden decided to show the last few seconds ticking off the clock of the football game, which meant a sudden, boisterous cheer from the crowd right as Curry was shooting his free throws. Eddy bricked his freebies while Nate Robinson motioned for the crowd to quiet down. Said someone behind me, "No, Nate, YOU shut up".
- The other entertaining moment was when, during crunch time, Primoz Brezec got fouled, and proceeded to ferociously dunk the (dead) ball in frustration after the whistle. The entire crowd went bonkers making fun of him. Overall, the game was immensely entertaining and a welcome surprise with some bonafide highlights (Jamal's no look reverse, Jared's Kobe-esque up and under move), even if it may have been a step back in the long run. Moving on.
- SB Nation is undergoing a pretty dramatic makeover that will improve your visual and practical experience. I can't show you anything or tell you much, but I've just started to toy around with the new and improved version of P&T, and it's really, really sweet. It should be rolling out within 2 months, so get excited. (If you read other SB Nation sites, I believe the baseball renovations are coming sooner, so you can get a sneak peek of what P&T 2.0 will look like whenever that happens).
- There is a real news story today. Stephon Marbury will miss at least two more games and may need surgery on his ankle. Given the way this season is going, I wouldn't be surprised if the latter is the case. The poor guy deserves to have his health, but I won't be unhappy to see Nate Robinson get some extended minutes in his absence, however long.
- I never got to formally welcome him, but Jeremy at Pickaxe and Roll is our new Nuggets blogger. Check that out if you're interested or if you'd like to talk shit about Carmelo Anthony's sissy punches.