The last unbeaten basketball team has fallen. That team, of course, is the Westchester Knicks -- the final D-League club without a blemish, until today. The W-Knicks fought back furiously to climb out of an 18-point deficit and had a chance to win, but Jimmer Fredette farted away their final possession in a disturbingly Knicks-like manner and the Fort Wayne Mad Ants escaped with a 98-97 win.
NOTES!
- Jimmer did what Jimmer do -- namely, thrill the crowd with some crafty moves around the basket, not shoot nearly as much from behind the arc as his reputation would suggest (1-2 from downtown), chuck some crazy shots and commit some crazy turnovers. Even my former colleague Andy Bailey -- perhaps the biggest Jimmer stan on Earth -- admitted as such:
@ChinaJoeFlynn He's had some unbelievable turnovers. I think the scorekeeper was actually kind to him today.
— Andy Bailey (@AndrewDBailey) December 2, 2015
Hell, I don't care. Jimmer is so damn fun when he can dominate the ball and you don't really care who wins.
- Cleanthony Early didn't carry his hot three-point shooting into Wednesday's contest (1-5), but he showed off his speed, length, and cutting ability. Hopefully he can continue to build up his confidence in Westchester, because Derek Fisher is probably going to be forced to give him minutes at some point.
- Cle will probably attend tonight's Knicks-Sixers game. He might even suit up, if Carmelo Anthony is still sick.
The Grind Don't Stop
— Cleanthony Early (@Clearly_BallLyf) December 2, 2015
- I had high hopes when the Knicks signed University of Virginia forward Darion Atkins in the summer, mostly because I have a weakness for undersized defense-first bruisers, not to mention old-school facial hair. Atkins has been pretty rough this season, but broke out a bit this morning:
And so these magnificent uber-Knicks have finally lost a game. I suppose you can go back to watching the Golden State Warriors now, if that's your thing. Personally, I'm keeping it Westchester for life. Up yours, Dylan Murphy!