Wow. Really makes you wonder how the Knicks beat this team just two days ago. Playing in the second of a home-and-home, New York caved to Toronto's hustle and hot shooting. Game notes:
- The theme of Clyde's outfit tonight was "Cocoa Pebbles".
- There was interesting dressing on the sideline, too. Isiah was wearing a tie so pink that it made my TV go a little fuzzy.
- The Raptors provide a nice showcase for Clyde's bizarre accent. We hear him say "Renaldo Borkman" all the time, but only in Toronto are we treated to "Chris Barsh" and "Andrea Bargnarni".
- I'm sorry to do this to you, but you know what would be loud? Mike Crispino having sex with Gus Johnson.
- Second quarter: Zach Randolph gets the ball 24 feet out, attempts a series of crossovers, loses the ball, recovers it, and airballs a three with 6 seconds left on the shot clock. That took a couple days off my life.
- I can't really get a handle on Primoz Brezec. He's 7 feet tall with a neck like a buzzard, rosy cheeks, and a comb-over that looks like its treated with lighter fluid. Anyway, he got an easy dunk in the second quarter by blatantly cherry-picking. That's more a reflection of the Knicks' incompetence than anything, but I've never seen that before in the pros.
- Eddy Curry's disappearance from the rotation has been rather bizarre, but his benching against Toronto makes perfect sense. Watching him half-assedly jog to the perimeter to challenge Andrea Bargnani is almost laughable. "But what about the offensive end? Can't he dominate weaker big men down low?" you ask? No, no he can't.
- A team like the Raptors with a big man like Bosh is the Knicks' worst nightmare. The Raps figured this out in the third quarter and built their definitive lead by running the same play over and over again. Play: Throw it to Bosh in the high or mid-post. If Bosh has single coverage, he simply breaks down or shoots over any of New York's defensively retarded big men. If they bring the double, Bosh passes out and the ball moves until the Knicks' predictably slow rotation leaves someone open on the perimeter. It worked to perfection nearly every time.
- In his native Argentina, hairs from Carlos Delfino's soul patch are used by the rich as fancy garnishing for exotic dishes.
- Clyde mentioned going to movies with his girlfriend. What could that relationship possibly be like? I'd like this post's comments to be a thread of phrases Clyde might use during sex. Here's a few to start: "Stroking and Smoking!", "Boning and Moaning!", "Flailing and Railing!", and "Shagging and Teabagging!".
- T.J. Ford got hot for 15 points in the fourth quarter and talked an unbelievable amount of shit. I really like Ford as a player but come on. You're T.J. Ford.
- Some key numbers: Toronto out-rebounded New York 51-36, including 14-8 on the O-glass. The Knicks shot worse from the field (38.3%) than they did from three (39.1%). Not exactly a recipe for success.
- Jamal Crawford had a mini-encore of Friday's performance, dropping 26 (8-19) and 6. The ill-advised threes lost some of their novelty, though, and I hope he's done chucking for a little while. He probably isn't.
- Zach Randolph, meanwhile, reconciled his fine performance on Friday with a stinker of biblical proportions. 7 points (2-13!), 5 rebounds, and defense that couldn't contain most shrubs.
- Player of the game, for what it's worth, was Nate Robinson. 20 points (8-15), 8 rebounds, and no turnovers for the little guy. If only he could get more than 2 assists...