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The Miami Heat came to town and calmly parried everything New York threw their way tonight. The Knicks lacked the focus and ferocity to really challenge the Heat. Despite making a couple fun runs to close out quarters, they were never close. Luol Deng and Hassan Whiteside connected Dwyane Wade and Goran Dragic's dot-to-dots all night. Some cool Kristaps Porzingis moments aside, this thing was over right from jump street.
- Kurt Rambis didn't have Arron Afflalo to lean on. So he dumped 40+ minutes on Carmelo Anthony and Jose Calderon's tired legs. Porzingis got 20 despite blocking everything and having a nice stick and move rapport with Langston Galloway. He gave Jerian Grant the early hook. He let Sasha Vujacic play at all. Tons of yuck from Rambis.
nah yohttps://t.co/qsdV3Dy0GC
— stingy (@aighttho) February 29, 2016
- Lots of chants out there tonight. Amar'e Stoudemire fans erupted with a "Let's Go Heat" chant after a 6-0 start, led by BJabs and whichever Brooklyn Nets fans are sad to see Joe Johnson leave town. Some lazy "Jimmer" chants busted out when Sasha Vujacic made his way to the scorers table midway through the third. "Fi-re Ram-bis" might have made more sense. A chant I wouldn't mind hearing come into vogue is "Sell the Knicks". The "Let's Go Heat" chants burbled up several times during the game and they were met with boos at first, but eventually the pro-Knicks crowd faded away.
- If you didn't know: a young Knick fan named Sam Miller asked Kristaps Porzingis to the prom with a big huge sign. Sam must have been through the roof by getting a response from Kristaps. Even though Porzingis didn't accept the invitation. Some video quiet time and pillow talk on twitter isn't a bad consolation. Sam was definitely a good sport (and very gracious in her twitter feed) came back to the Garden with a new sign. Sam is infinitely more deserving of our attention than crying knick fan. The new way to spell Porzingis is "Pozvibages".
- Not much to like about this game in all honesty. Unless you like extra long promos for JB Smoove's eating show.
- Sasha Vujacic, however undeserving of minutes, actually did some fun things when he got out there. Of course he ran out of juice almost as soon as he realized he had any.
Sashay Vujacic https://t.co/3aO768c5hR
— stingy (@aighttho) February 29, 2016
- Miami did such a good job denying Carmelo that he had to play some extreme bully ball to get himself going. It would be nice to see Melo bumrush at the start of games. It might have a dual effect. On one hand Melo might start to get more calls by forcing the refs to make some decisions. On the other, setting a tone for the team might help line things up for the rotation guys to play more specified minutes. He still didn't get calls. It's just an idea.
- Joe Johnson fits right in with Miami's methodical pace. He probably only joined up with Miami because they had the first plane out of town, but it works for both parties. He put my brain in slow joe-tion.
- My parents are often reminded of a song from their youth and just start atonally, arrhythmically singing some rendition of some crumby folk band or the Mamas and the Papas or something. Clyde Frazier does this very thing. Tonight I'm pretty sure he tried to sing "Cry Baby" by Janis Joplin. Therefore, I'm pretty sure Walt Frazier is one of my parents.
- Speaking of songs: Is this (below, bottom-right) the singer from Fine Young Cannibals? Or should we speak about movies because it was Oscar night? If we should speak about movies, I retract my first question. I now wonder if that's Mickey from Pee Wee's Big Adventure. You be the judge...
Fine Old Cannibal? pic.twitter.com/qUoojeT9LI
— stingy (@aighttho) February 29, 2016
Welp, the Knicks stunk it up again. Time to bump some Joe Ski Love and dance this one off into the past. Get some rest, and come on back on Tuesday when the Knicks are sure to be throttled by the high scoring guards of the Portland Trail Blazers. Like JR and the Off-Balance Shots said in the game thread, "This close deficit is fake". It sure was. Wire-to-wire win for Miami. Even when the Knicks thrust themselves back into the contest, it leaped back up to a 15-point game in no time. There are 22 of these left. I'll be watching along and hoping for the Porzingis 50-point game. I'm not sure how he'll do it in 25 minutes, but I have faith.