And so it ends. The Knicks went out like a lamb, bidding farewell to a sorry 2009-2010 season with a defenseless loss in Toronto. Before we start the offseason in earnest, let's run through what went down this evening.
Notes after the jump...
- The Knicks did not play team defense in this game. Not for a moment. There were a handful of jumped passing lanes and contested shots, but any semblance of communication and rotation went out the window. The Raptors shot 65% from the field and hit the century mark with a few minutes remaining in the third quarter. They may have actually shot worse in the layup line.
- Danilo Gallinari, as has become the trend, started the game heaving bricks from all around the arc. After starting 1-8, Gallo settled down and sank 5 of his last 10. Part of it was simply a matter of setting his feet for threes, but driving to the basket also got him some buckets. I don't know why Gallinari's been cold in first quarters, but maybe he ought to reconsider his warm-up routine next season? Is it possible that residual hair gel from Danilo's pregame hair-sculpting affected his first quarter performance this year? There was a point this season at which I joked to a friend that I'd like to track the splits on Gallinari's gelled and gel-free games, and now I really wish I did it. Anybody got that data?
- I'd like to be there when Sonny Weems find out he's the third Graham brother. It's going to be a really touching moment.
- By the way, I learned today that Sonny Weems/Graham's real first name is Clarence. I assume there's a legitimate backstory for his nickname, but it's still a shame to see a Clarence go to waste.
- If you skipped this game, you missed Walt Frazier trying to figure out the Fahrenheit-Celsius conversion on air. He didn't get that in-depth, but it made me wonder...how good do you think Clyde is at math? It's possible that he's compensating for poor computational skills with a large vocabulary, but it's equally possible that he's just a genius.
- There was a point at which Rasho Nesterovic felt he had license to pull up for long two-point jumpers. It was that kind of game.
- Mike Breen made an interesting comment that Danilo Gallinari and Sergio Rodriguez had become very close and that Sergio's presence helped motivate Danilo. I hadn't heard about that, and it really made me wonder which Knicks are bestest bros, especially with such drastic roster overhaul during the season.
- Bill Walker finished the season with a career-high 28 points, including a fairly silly 6-10 line from downtown. Bill felt it from outside, but got to the line (6-7) as well. Bill's defensive intensity still doesn't quite match his physical skills, but I will be using his name quite a bit this summer. He's perhaps the most pleasant silver lining on this whole season.
- It's sad that we won't get to keep tabs on what Toney Douglas do for a few months. Toney showed us a little mid-range game in this one, including a very pretty banked floater in the lane.
- David Lee finished the season in typically solid fashion, nailing some mid-range Js and posting 19, 11, and 5 (and 5 turnovers, oddly enough). Start doing a few extra finger-curls with your left hand, because you're gonna be typing that guy's name quite a bit over the next few months.
That's all for notes, but rest assured (or annoyed) that P&T will not be hibernating for the summer. Posting will continue, albeit lightly, during the playoffs, and things will pick up fully once my semester is over and once the offseason rolls around. This summer promises to be an exciting one. We're not going anywhere. Back at you tomorrow, friends. Many thanks to all of you who read and commented throughout the season. Stick around.