The commented quoted above comes from StarksMiddleFinger, who actually said it during the first quarter. He could have been describing the entire game, though, which happens to resonate with me quite a bit. The fourth period alone saw the Knicks blow a nine-point lead, fall behind by seven, storm right back into it, then bungle a potential game-saving possession. Desperately in need of my ritual post-loss cleansing, I shimmied out of my clothes and directly into the shower, only to find that the hot water in my house had vanished. So, yeah. Last night sucked.
I'll summarize the game here. Take the jump for a smattering of mindless notes. Early on, the Knicks simply could not stop the Sixers inside. Elton Brand, as he tends to do, hit leaner after leaner over the able but undersized presence of Shawne Williams. Brand scored NINETEEN points in that first quarter while Andre Iguodala registered 9 assists by feeding his big man or hitting Jodie Meeks for open threes. Once Toney Douglas and Ronny Turiaf checked in, the Knicks forced some turnovers and made a mini run, but they were still down by 14 to end the period.
An aggressive second quarter from Danilo Gallinari and a sharp-shooting third from Raymond Felton dissolved Philly's lead, then put the Knicks up a bunch heading into the fourth. After that...disaster.
And now we jump.
- What is Elton Brand's DEAL? Seriously, where does that guy get off draining all those inside shots and short jumpers against New York? The guy would probably have Amar'e's starting spot in the East if he played the Knicks every night. Extra E, Turiaf, and Amar'e (at times) did a decent enough job contesting his takes, but the guy just wouldn't stop connecting. What a dick!
- Meanwhile, "Elton Felton" would be a very likable player with a super unique skill set.
- We've beaten this to death, but the thing where Danilo Gallinari dominates for five minutes, then doesn't touch the ball for the next twenty is pretty aggravating. He was legitimately unstoppable in the eleven-point second quarter, and he's long since proven that he's the one other guy besides Amar'e who can consistently draw help defense. The ball needs to find Gallo and Gallo needs to find the ball. They were meant for each other.
- Jodie Meeks could be 50. Years old, not Cent.
- Last night's featured artist was Pearl Jam. They showed video of Eddie Vedder (at least I assume it was him) discussing the band's original name (Mookie Blaylock, in case you didn't know) with its original namesake (also Mookie Blaylock). That was cool. Other than that, the entire experience was pretty harrowing. I have never dreaded commercials breaks so tearfully.
- It didn't feel like Felton (Raymond, not Elton) had a particularly great game, but his numbers sure look sharp. For a moment there in the third quarter, the li'l penguin was scoring the ball as well as he did back in late 2010. Those pull-up Js from the top of the arc were falling, and all was right with the world. That stretch, combined with some excellent drives in the early going, bought Felton a 26 point, 9 assist night. It still felt like he was telegraphing some passes (as was pointed out a few times by Clyde and our own astute commenters) and forcing some shots, but it was still a relief to see him shoot a decent percentage.
- Felton, by the way, did all of that with a little foam doo-dad shoved up his nose to dam a left nostril that had been bleeding all day. Remember Jamal Crawford's shoulder bandage or Rip Hamilton's schnozz mask that they kept wearing despite having their injuries heal? Is Raymond's bloody nostril plug his very own totem? I figure he should at least give it another try on Sunday. If that works, do both nostrils in the next game. If that works, I expect Felton to suit up next Friday with all of his orifices plugged. All of them. It's for the good of the team.
- Loud-ass rims in Philly, no? I guess I wouldn't have noticed if the Knicks didn't shoot 40% from the field.
- The Philly public address guy (not "PA", that'd be too punny) sounds too much like Zordon for my liking.
- By the way, the video linked above is one of the most important moments in human history, because it's the point at which Power Rangers started to suck ass.
- Ronny Turiaf sprained his ankle. I'll bet that keeps him out for a few games.
- Timofey Mozgov played pretty excellently after struggling in the Dallas game. He five offensive rebounds in the second quarter alone and finished with 9 points and 7 boards. Timo played the best defense of anybody on Elton Brand and got his points by cleaning up and finishing plays, not by trying to create for himself. Mozgov's biggest issue at this point is his love of fouling. He could get closer to 30 minutes a night if he just keeps his hands to himself.
- Interestingly, New York's second unit was the one that made hat run in the second quarter, and also the one that blew the entire lead in the fourth. When they're forcing turnovers, all is well. When they're surrendering turnovers, all is poor.
- That last possession was a doozy. Everybody says the Knicks didn't have any timeouts, so I guess they didn't. After a bit of confusion on the outlet pass, the Knicks made their way past halfcourt with around 5 seconds remaining. The ball was swung to Gallinari, who passed up a contested three, then to Extra E, who passed up a contested three in favor of an ill-fated baseline runner. I think we'd all prefer that either guy just take a three. Oh well. Next time.
That's all I've got for ya, munchkins. These two clubs are back it at noon tomorrow.