Which will last longer?
Isiah Thomas or the flesh-colored bandage on Jamal Crawford's shoulder?
Showing posts with label NBA 2007-2008. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NBA 2007-2008. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
From bad to worse to… Knicks win!!!
The Knicks lost their shit tonight. Botched dunks, mental mistakes, missed free throws down the stretch, infighting on the bench, jawing with the refs... the kinds of things you might expect from a completely disconnected squad. Oh yeah, they were playing the Wizards.
The Knicks actually won in overtime. Unheard of. Just minutes earlier, Nate Robinson, Zach Randolph and Quentin Richardson were involved in a bizarre episode during a timeout (make that a double timeout) featuring thrown cups of water and towels. Nate broke a few cardinal sporting rules:
1) never fight with your own teammates
2) never fight with guys twice your size
3) never fight with guys named "Q" and "Z" if you're an "N" or an "R" (OK, that's a Scrabble rule)
Know what? This is exactly the kind of thing I hoped for right before the season started. When Randolph arrived, I imagined a loose, ragtag, dangerous group of guys playing on the edge. That's the last thing the Knicks have been this year.
Tonight was actually fun to watch. I've always said things could get A LOT worse (or at least crazier) for the Knicks, no matter how bad things have seemed. Maybe things getting a lot worse will immediately make things better. And hopefully get Isiah fired once and for all.
The Knicks actually won in overtime. Unheard of. Just minutes earlier, Nate Robinson, Zach Randolph and Quentin Richardson were involved in a bizarre episode during a timeout (make that a double timeout) featuring thrown cups of water and towels. Nate broke a few cardinal sporting rules:
1) never fight with your own teammates
2) never fight with guys twice your size
3) never fight with guys named "Q" and "Z" if you're an "N" or an "R" (OK, that's a Scrabble rule)
Know what? This is exactly the kind of thing I hoped for right before the season started. When Randolph arrived, I imagined a loose, ragtag, dangerous group of guys playing on the edge. That's the last thing the Knicks have been this year.
Tonight was actually fun to watch. I've always said things could get A LOT worse (or at least crazier) for the Knicks, no matter how bad things have seemed. Maybe things getting a lot worse will immediately make things better. And hopefully get Isiah fired once and for all.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Islam Dunk
NBA All-Star Saturday Night has been a favorite of mine for a long time. Except for a couple of years ago (I totally forgot about it and drunken-stumbled into a bar on Amsterdam just in time to watch Nate Robinson make a mockery of the whole thing), I've made a nice little habit of chilling at home to watch skills, 3's and dunks.
Last night I almost made the mistake of watching the Celebrity game. OK, I did make the mistake of watching it, but only for about 10 minutes. That was long enough to catch Bill Walton playing grab-ass with Alyssa Milano on camera.
The Skills Challenge was kinda lame this year. Jason Kidd couldn't make a shot to save his life, and Dwynaye Wade looked like one of Jim Carroll's teammates after they took the downers at halftime.
I missed most of the Three-Point Shootout—I was finishing up our taxes (L.J. = $$$!!!).
Let's just say the Slam Dunk Contest was well worth the wait. No kidding, Dwight Howard is fucking unbelievable. Terrifying, actually. In case you missed it:
1. bounces ball of back of glass and slams
2. dons Superman cape and obscenely stuffs ball thrown from behind glass—about three feet above rim
3. (tough to explain) taps to self off glass with left hand and dunks with right, all in mid-air
4. grabs ball out of mini-hoop on backboard and dunks
Unbelievable.
Gerald Green did some cute stuff, like blowing out a birthday cupcake while dunking and then dunking in his socks. This kind of thing might work some years, but not this one. The only way to beat Dwight this year was to rip the backboard down.
The "SLAM DUNK" logo in the corner of the screen was right next to a mini "NBA" logo, so it ended up looking like "ISLAM DUNK".
Last night I almost made the mistake of watching the Celebrity game. OK, I did make the mistake of watching it, but only for about 10 minutes. That was long enough to catch Bill Walton playing grab-ass with Alyssa Milano on camera.
The Skills Challenge was kinda lame this year. Jason Kidd couldn't make a shot to save his life, and Dwynaye Wade looked like one of Jim Carroll's teammates after they took the downers at halftime.
I missed most of the Three-Point Shootout—I was finishing up our taxes (L.J. = $$$!!!).
Let's just say the Slam Dunk Contest was well worth the wait. No kidding, Dwight Howard is fucking unbelievable. Terrifying, actually. In case you missed it:
1. bounces ball of back of glass and slams
2. dons Superman cape and obscenely stuffs ball thrown from behind glass—about three feet above rim
3. (tough to explain) taps to self off glass with left hand and dunks with right, all in mid-air
4. grabs ball out of mini-hoop on backboard and dunks
Unbelievable.
Gerald Green did some cute stuff, like blowing out a birthday cupcake while dunking and then dunking in his socks. This kind of thing might work some years, but not this one. The only way to beat Dwight this year was to rip the backboard down.
The "SLAM DUNK" logo in the corner of the screen was right next to a mini "NBA" logo, so it ended up looking like "ISLAM DUNK".
Saturday, February 9, 2008
The Epic Catalogue
Isiah has, if nothing else, built up quite a collection of post-game conference performances. Collected together, they read like the comments on a struggling kid's report card-- "Should try harder" or "Showing some improvement."
Roll the quotes!
11-2 Knicks 106, Cavaliers 110
"Overall, I was pleased with our effort," Thomas said.
11-13 Knicks 102, Suns 113
"But there were some good things I saw, some very positive things."
11-14 Knicks 81, Clippers 84
"Whatever happened in the past is in the past. We move forward."
11-16 Knicks 118, Kings 123 2OT
"For Stephon, it's not about offensive or defensive display, it's more his leadership and his ability to rally the team," said Thomas...
11-17 Knicks 83, Nuggets 115
"Sometimes in this game, the schedule beats you," Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said.
11-20 Warriors 108, Knicks 82
"The booing, 'Get rid of this guy, get rid of me, get rid of him,' that's how the fans react. It comes with the territory we have and the place that we live in."
11-21 Knicks 86, Pistons 98 [8th Knick loss in a row]
"It's not about the players right now. This is where coaching comes in," Thomas said.
11-29 Knicks 59, Celtics 104
"We take two steps forward and one giant step back," Thomas said.
12-2 Suns 115, Knicks 104
Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said during his postgame press conference that his team got impatient in the fourth quarter, but when asked why that happened, he paused for 10 seconds before saying, "I'll keep that thought to myself."
12-7 Knicks 90, Sixers 101
One fan in a Knicks hat held a "Fire Isiah!" sign directly across the court from Thomas. "Just quit! Please!" he yelled. One fan who might not have noticed was the man taking a nap a few rows over.
12-8 Sixers 105, Knicks 77 [I attended this game]
"I was searching tonight," Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said. "I went one through 12 just trying to find any combination that would work, any person that had some type of energy or fire. And there was nothing there tonight."
12-10 Mavericks 99, Knicks 89
Mara Altschuler, a fan sitting near the Knicks' bench, said Thomas was talking to some fans during the game, blaming them for being a poor "sixth man" for the team.Thomas said, "I was just trying to make sure that we kept the team together and we stayed focused on what we were doing and trying to win a basketball game," he said. "Our fans are great, they support us and they show up and we're glad they're here."
12-12 Sonics 117, Knicks 110
"We definitely have to get better."
12-14 Knicks 96, Bulls 101
Coach Isiah Thomas said the matchups dictated the limited time, that the Bulls were "playing smaller and quicker, and we were trying to get a little more pace in the game."
12-17 Pacers 119, Knicks 92
"We don't grind and we don't compete like we should for 48 minutes and I've never ... a lot of things that can be said about me and teams that I've coached and the way I played, but I've never been accused of not having heart or competing. Tonight was very discouraging to me because we didn't collectively play with heart and compete like I know I do."
12-21 Knicks 95, Bobcats 105
On his almost-tussle with Q-Rich: "Sometimes you try to say some things to a player or say some things to your team just to get them motivated, to get some fire in them," Thomas said when asked to explain the incident. "There won't be any carry-over from it."
12-23 Lakers 95, Knicks 90
"We probably have the wrong guys starting and we'll look to change our lineup and try to get some more energy and defensive guys in the lineup," Thomas said.
12-30 Bulls 100, Knicks 83
Asked what he's seen from his changes, Thomas said: "Well, we're not winning. That's the only reason why you do it, is you try to win basketball games."
1-2 Kings 107, Knicks 97
"There's a refusal to come together and play collectively," Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said. "We do it in spurts, but then we sit back and we watch."
1-4 Knicks 93, Spurs 97
"That's why they're the champs," Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said of Finley's shot. "You were hoping for a miss, but that was all net."
1-9 Rockets 101, Knicks 92
"I think any time that you come on the floor like that, I think the official has ... you're really at the official's mercy. He can either call a technical foul on you or eject you, so he was well within his right to eject me from the game. But I would hope that in the future that they would understand that I don't normally walk out on the floor and say things unless I have a pretty valid complaint, at least in my mind."
1-11 Raptors 99, Knicks 90
"I've tried to put it in terms, I've told them we're kind of the concrete layers, we're the cement layers. When you move into your house, the guy who poured the concrete never really gets a chance to live in that beautiful house that he built. And our job right now is to make sure that we lay the concrete and we lay it correctly."
1-18 Knicks 98, Wizards 111
"Some nights, you just run into a team that's playing a little better than you are," Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said, "and tonight the Wizards were playing better than we were."
1-21 Celtics 109, Knicks 93
"Their savvy throughout the course of the game, they were able to pick us apart," Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said.
1-27 Knicks 104, Warriors 106
"We had good looks and a couple of open shots that didn't go down. ... I thought we played some pretty good basketball."
1-29 Knicks 109, Lakers 120
"Our lack of execution down the stretch, particularly the last five, six minutes of the game, we just totally lost all composure," Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said.
1-30 Knicks 89, Jazz 100
"At the end, we just got a little fatigued," New York coach Isiah Thomas said.
2-1 Knicks 88, Blazers 94 OT
"We couldn't make a shot," New York coach Isiah Thomas said. "We just went cold."
2-2 Knicks 85, Sonics 86
"We'll keep working at it," Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said.
2-4 Clippers 103, Knicks 94
Thomas: "I thought our bigs had it going pretty good inside, but we're down a lot of perimeter players right now and they did a good job of just packing it in and we didn't have enough outside shooting to really keep the defense honest."
LA Center Chris Kaman: "It's like a toilet bowl game or a dust bowl game. Two bottom teams fighting."
2-6 Pacers 103, Knicks 100
"Right now, our turnovers are killing us and we can't ... we have to do a better job with our guards in terms of getting in the flow and organized," Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said during his brief postgame remarks. "We have to keep working at it."
2-8 Spurs 99, Knicks 93 OT
"The air was kind of popped out of the balloon," Thomas said. "I said to the team the thing that I admire about San Antonio, that's the reason why they're champions. they don't hang their heads. They make a mistake and they stay in it."
Roll the quotes!
11-2 Knicks 106, Cavaliers 110
"Overall, I was pleased with our effort," Thomas said.
11-13 Knicks 102, Suns 113
"But there were some good things I saw, some very positive things."
11-14 Knicks 81, Clippers 84
"Whatever happened in the past is in the past. We move forward."
11-16 Knicks 118, Kings 123 2OT
"For Stephon, it's not about offensive or defensive display, it's more his leadership and his ability to rally the team," said Thomas...
11-17 Knicks 83, Nuggets 115
"Sometimes in this game, the schedule beats you," Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said.
11-20 Warriors 108, Knicks 82
"The booing, 'Get rid of this guy, get rid of me, get rid of him,' that's how the fans react. It comes with the territory we have and the place that we live in."
11-21 Knicks 86, Pistons 98 [8th Knick loss in a row]
"It's not about the players right now. This is where coaching comes in," Thomas said.
11-29 Knicks 59, Celtics 104
"We take two steps forward and one giant step back," Thomas said.
12-2 Suns 115, Knicks 104
Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said during his postgame press conference that his team got impatient in the fourth quarter, but when asked why that happened, he paused for 10 seconds before saying, "I'll keep that thought to myself."
12-7 Knicks 90, Sixers 101
One fan in a Knicks hat held a "Fire Isiah!" sign directly across the court from Thomas. "Just quit! Please!" he yelled. One fan who might not have noticed was the man taking a nap a few rows over.
12-8 Sixers 105, Knicks 77 [I attended this game]
"I was searching tonight," Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said. "I went one through 12 just trying to find any combination that would work, any person that had some type of energy or fire. And there was nothing there tonight."
12-10 Mavericks 99, Knicks 89
Mara Altschuler, a fan sitting near the Knicks' bench, said Thomas was talking to some fans during the game, blaming them for being a poor "sixth man" for the team.Thomas said, "I was just trying to make sure that we kept the team together and we stayed focused on what we were doing and trying to win a basketball game," he said. "Our fans are great, they support us and they show up and we're glad they're here."
12-12 Sonics 117, Knicks 110
"We definitely have to get better."
12-14 Knicks 96, Bulls 101
Coach Isiah Thomas said the matchups dictated the limited time, that the Bulls were "playing smaller and quicker, and we were trying to get a little more pace in the game."
12-17 Pacers 119, Knicks 92
"We don't grind and we don't compete like we should for 48 minutes and I've never ... a lot of things that can be said about me and teams that I've coached and the way I played, but I've never been accused of not having heart or competing. Tonight was very discouraging to me because we didn't collectively play with heart and compete like I know I do."
12-21 Knicks 95, Bobcats 105
On his almost-tussle with Q-Rich: "Sometimes you try to say some things to a player or say some things to your team just to get them motivated, to get some fire in them," Thomas said when asked to explain the incident. "There won't be any carry-over from it."
12-23 Lakers 95, Knicks 90
"We probably have the wrong guys starting and we'll look to change our lineup and try to get some more energy and defensive guys in the lineup," Thomas said.
12-30 Bulls 100, Knicks 83
Asked what he's seen from his changes, Thomas said: "Well, we're not winning. That's the only reason why you do it, is you try to win basketball games."
1-2 Kings 107, Knicks 97
"There's a refusal to come together and play collectively," Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said. "We do it in spurts, but then we sit back and we watch."
1-4 Knicks 93, Spurs 97
"That's why they're the champs," Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said of Finley's shot. "You were hoping for a miss, but that was all net."
1-9 Rockets 101, Knicks 92
"I think any time that you come on the floor like that, I think the official has ... you're really at the official's mercy. He can either call a technical foul on you or eject you, so he was well within his right to eject me from the game. But I would hope that in the future that they would understand that I don't normally walk out on the floor and say things unless I have a pretty valid complaint, at least in my mind."
1-11 Raptors 99, Knicks 90
"I've tried to put it in terms, I've told them we're kind of the concrete layers, we're the cement layers. When you move into your house, the guy who poured the concrete never really gets a chance to live in that beautiful house that he built. And our job right now is to make sure that we lay the concrete and we lay it correctly."
1-18 Knicks 98, Wizards 111
"Some nights, you just run into a team that's playing a little better than you are," Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said, "and tonight the Wizards were playing better than we were."
1-21 Celtics 109, Knicks 93
"Their savvy throughout the course of the game, they were able to pick us apart," Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said.
1-27 Knicks 104, Warriors 106
"We had good looks and a couple of open shots that didn't go down. ... I thought we played some pretty good basketball."
1-29 Knicks 109, Lakers 120
"Our lack of execution down the stretch, particularly the last five, six minutes of the game, we just totally lost all composure," Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said.
1-30 Knicks 89, Jazz 100
"At the end, we just got a little fatigued," New York coach Isiah Thomas said.
2-1 Knicks 88, Blazers 94 OT
"We couldn't make a shot," New York coach Isiah Thomas said. "We just went cold."
2-2 Knicks 85, Sonics 86
"We'll keep working at it," Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said.
2-4 Clippers 103, Knicks 94
Thomas: "I thought our bigs had it going pretty good inside, but we're down a lot of perimeter players right now and they did a good job of just packing it in and we didn't have enough outside shooting to really keep the defense honest."
LA Center Chris Kaman: "It's like a toilet bowl game or a dust bowl game. Two bottom teams fighting."
2-6 Pacers 103, Knicks 100
"Right now, our turnovers are killing us and we can't ... we have to do a better job with our guards in terms of getting in the flow and organized," Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said during his brief postgame remarks. "We have to keep working at it."
2-8 Spurs 99, Knicks 93 OT
"The air was kind of popped out of the balloon," Thomas said. "I said to the team the thing that I admire about San Antonio, that's the reason why they're champions. they don't hang their heads. They make a mistake and they stay in it."
Friday, February 8, 2008
Unreal
Not sure which amazed me more-- the Knicks actually leading the Spurs by 18 points, or the Knicks ultimately blowing the fucking game with 0.5 seconds left.
OK, you have a 3 point lead with about five seconds to go. Whaddya do? You guard the 3-point shot, obviously. Who's the most dangerous Spur at this point? Finley, obviously. So the Knicks leave Michael Finley COMPLETELY open for an uncontested three as time expires.
How does this happen??!!! Can somebody please fire Isiah Thomas??!! Anybody?!
OK, you have a 3 point lead with about five seconds to go. Whaddya do? You guard the 3-point shot, obviously. Who's the most dangerous Spur at this point? Finley, obviously. So the Knicks leave Michael Finley COMPLETELY open for an uncontested three as time expires.
How does this happen??!!! Can somebody please fire Isiah Thomas??!! Anybody?!
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Friend, you’ve got to fall.
So the Knicks have actually won a few games lately. Their mini-hotstreak has earned them lots of "what-if's" (ESPN) as well as the usual derision (Pete C) from the rest of the world. I can barely stand to watch them any more (although I'm actually starting to like Nate Robinson).
The Knicks are like a hideous alcoholic friend (I accidentally typed "fiend" first, and almost left it). Every once in a while, the friend cleans up. We all talk about how good the friend looks lately. The friend is just buying himself a little bit of time.
The Knicks are like a hideous alcoholic friend (I accidentally typed "fiend" first, and almost left it). Every once in a while, the friend cleans up. We all talk about how good the friend looks lately. The friend is just buying himself a little bit of time.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Isiah Thomas Marked For Death
Knicks may actually win tonight, but...
Things have been so insane for the past few days with these guys-- I can't believe I haven't said anything about it. I guess I had something better to do, like changing the litterbox or making late-night trips to the store for chocolate-covered pretzels.
I.
Bill "Sports Guy" Simmons got me going on the 5th with some garbage about us Knick fans not "suffering" as much as we complain to be. This guy currently has the Celtics kicking ass all over the NBA, the Red Sox (gulp) world champs, and the Patriots, um, destroying everything in their path. It's ridiculous.
Why now to pick on Knick fans?! He goes on to say, "They (Knick fans) will just have to figure out for themselves that they're lucky they don't live in Buffalo or Pittsburgh, where nobody hears you at all." Excuse me, I'm not "lucky" I don't live in Buffalo or Pittsburgh-- I choose not to live there. Every time someone has suggested that I move to Buffalo or Pittsburgh, I politely decline. It has nothing to do with luck.
II.
Mike Vaccaro wrote a "piece" in the Post blaming Knick fans for extending the current fiasco by supporting the team financially. He says:
"You can scream for Isiah's head. You can engage him at the games, get lectured about how to be a proper sixth man, the way that Mara Altschuler did Monday. You might think that helps. It doesn't.
Just by being there, you extend the misery. Indefinitely."
So we should boycott the team? Gimme a break. Going to the Garden and screaming for Isiah's heah feels really good. Maybe if we did it LOUDER and for the ENTIRE GAME they'd get the picture. We need to complain more, not walk away.
III.
Isiah's latest is the most insane of all. You thought he was nuts when he blamed the team missing layups on the fans (or, the "sixth man"? how about worrying about the third, fourth and fifth man before you start blaming us!)? Today he uncorks this bizarro classic:
"If there's one thing that I hope all of you know about me, or will learn about me, I fight 'til I die," Thomas said after his team practiced yesterday in preparation for tonight's game against Seattle. "It's not about giving up or quitting. To me, it's win or die. And I literally mean death. I don't mean walk away, I mean death."
He literally means death? Promise?
[the Knicks just lost 117-110 to Seattle]
Promise?
Things have been so insane for the past few days with these guys-- I can't believe I haven't said anything about it. I guess I had something better to do, like changing the litterbox or making late-night trips to the store for chocolate-covered pretzels.
I.
Bill "Sports Guy" Simmons got me going on the 5th with some garbage about us Knick fans not "suffering" as much as we complain to be. This guy currently has the Celtics kicking ass all over the NBA, the Red Sox (gulp) world champs, and the Patriots, um, destroying everything in their path. It's ridiculous.
Why now to pick on Knick fans?! He goes on to say, "They (Knick fans) will just have to figure out for themselves that they're lucky they don't live in Buffalo or Pittsburgh, where nobody hears you at all." Excuse me, I'm not "lucky" I don't live in Buffalo or Pittsburgh-- I choose not to live there. Every time someone has suggested that I move to Buffalo or Pittsburgh, I politely decline. It has nothing to do with luck.
II.
Mike Vaccaro wrote a "piece" in the Post blaming Knick fans for extending the current fiasco by supporting the team financially. He says:
"You can scream for Isiah's head. You can engage him at the games, get lectured about how to be a proper sixth man, the way that Mara Altschuler did Monday. You might think that helps. It doesn't.
Just by being there, you extend the misery. Indefinitely."
So we should boycott the team? Gimme a break. Going to the Garden and screaming for Isiah's heah feels really good. Maybe if we did it LOUDER and for the ENTIRE GAME they'd get the picture. We need to complain more, not walk away.
III.
Isiah's latest is the most insane of all. You thought he was nuts when he blamed the team missing layups on the fans (or, the "sixth man"? how about worrying about the third, fourth and fifth man before you start blaming us!)? Today he uncorks this bizarro classic:
"If there's one thing that I hope all of you know about me, or will learn about me, I fight 'til I die," Thomas said after his team practiced yesterday in preparation for tonight's game against Seattle. "It's not about giving up or quitting. To me, it's win or die. And I literally mean death. I don't mean walk away, I mean death."
He literally means death? Promise?
[the Knicks just lost 117-110 to Seattle]
Promise?
Sunday, December 9, 2007
“Fire (at) Isiah!!!”
Me and the missus checked out our first (and probably last) Knick game at the Garden last night. Lee Jr. should be here any day now...
Easily the quietest, most despondent fans I've ever seen entering an arena or stadium. The key word here is entering. The game hadn't even started yet! The current Knick situation (for a while now) is actually worse than being a 2-18 team-- at least then you know some serious changes are on the way soon. But the Knicks do actually win every once in a while, and are so fucking delusional that they really believe they can be competitive. It's like long-term depression instead of horrible tragedy.
The pre-game featured some sort of Marine color guard with rifles marching out to center court. I fantasized that a firing squad was being assembled to execute Isiah Thomas. "They're really gonna do it, honey! The Knicks are finally getting rid of Isiah!" No such luck. Five minutes later, a 10 year-old girl was shrieking out the Knicks starting lineup.
Each Knicks has an official nickname now. This is nothing new for me-- I've had my own nicknames for these guys for years. Theirs are a bit different than mine: Steph "The Floor General" Marbury, Eddy "The Centerpiece" Curry, Jamal "The Closer" Crawford, and Isiah "The Architect" Thomas. How about David "The White Guy" Lee and Fred "Who?" Jones... what about Jerome "Six Million" James or Malik "Seven Million" Rose?
The Knicks were absolutely awful last night. Nobody (and I mean nobody) put in any sort of consistent effort in the entire first half. The only reason we weren't completely blown out by halftime was the fact that Philly was pretty awful themselves. The Knicks couldn't even hold on to the basketball-- I mean literally hold on to the ball. When Crawford and Jared Jeffries weren't bobbling the ball all over the court, they were air-mailing passes into the seats or right at Andre Miller. It got so bad that the mere mention of Jeffries's name on the PA caused mass booing, and he's the least of our damn worries.
Nate Robinson was the only watchable thing in MSG last night. Even the Knick City Dancers were a little off their game. Nate easily outscored and outhustled the rest of his team, and he didn't even come in until well into the 3rd quarter! They had just stopped selling the beer/pretzel mugs when Nate came into the game. I almost lost an arm reaching around the steel gate to get the change from my mug of Harp.
Facilities did everything in their power to keep angry Knick fans in their places. "Fire Isiah" chants were organically sprouting up all over the arena, only to be drowned out by random drum beats blasting out of the sound system. Totally insane. I'd like to see the memo issued to the audio guys in the booth by Dolan for all recent home games.
Dolan was at the game, for once. He quickly issued a statement after the game that Isiah's job was "not in jeopardy." Maybe Dolan was getting blown in a VIP box somewhere, because the game I saw had "jeopardy" written all over it.
We took the emergency stairwell out of the Garden (as we always do) after the game. Some guy was staggering down the endless flights right behind us, ranting about "getting rid of Isiah and everybody that has anything to do with him... Let Herb run the damn team again." The guy was actually talking some sense. Things have gotten so bad that we're dying to have Herb Williams coach the team.
Easily the quietest, most despondent fans I've ever seen entering an arena or stadium. The key word here is entering. The game hadn't even started yet! The current Knick situation (for a while now) is actually worse than being a 2-18 team-- at least then you know some serious changes are on the way soon. But the Knicks do actually win every once in a while, and are so fucking delusional that they really believe they can be competitive. It's like long-term depression instead of horrible tragedy.
The pre-game featured some sort of Marine color guard with rifles marching out to center court. I fantasized that a firing squad was being assembled to execute Isiah Thomas. "They're really gonna do it, honey! The Knicks are finally getting rid of Isiah!" No such luck. Five minutes later, a 10 year-old girl was shrieking out the Knicks starting lineup.
Each Knicks has an official nickname now. This is nothing new for me-- I've had my own nicknames for these guys for years. Theirs are a bit different than mine: Steph "The Floor General" Marbury, Eddy "The Centerpiece" Curry, Jamal "The Closer" Crawford, and Isiah "The Architect" Thomas. How about David "The White Guy" Lee and Fred "Who?" Jones... what about Jerome "Six Million" James or Malik "Seven Million" Rose?
The Knicks were absolutely awful last night. Nobody (and I mean nobody) put in any sort of consistent effort in the entire first half. The only reason we weren't completely blown out by halftime was the fact that Philly was pretty awful themselves. The Knicks couldn't even hold on to the basketball-- I mean literally hold on to the ball. When Crawford and Jared Jeffries weren't bobbling the ball all over the court, they were air-mailing passes into the seats or right at Andre Miller. It got so bad that the mere mention of Jeffries's name on the PA caused mass booing, and he's the least of our damn worries.
Nate Robinson was the only watchable thing in MSG last night. Even the Knick City Dancers were a little off their game. Nate easily outscored and outhustled the rest of his team, and he didn't even come in until well into the 3rd quarter! They had just stopped selling the beer/pretzel mugs when Nate came into the game. I almost lost an arm reaching around the steel gate to get the change from my mug of Harp.
Facilities did everything in their power to keep angry Knick fans in their places. "Fire Isiah" chants were organically sprouting up all over the arena, only to be drowned out by random drum beats blasting out of the sound system. Totally insane. I'd like to see the memo issued to the audio guys in the booth by Dolan for all recent home games.
Dolan was at the game, for once. He quickly issued a statement after the game that Isiah's job was "not in jeopardy." Maybe Dolan was getting blown in a VIP box somewhere, because the game I saw had "jeopardy" written all over it.
We took the emergency stairwell out of the Garden (as we always do) after the game. Some guy was staggering down the endless flights right behind us, ranting about "getting rid of Isiah and everybody that has anything to do with him... Let Herb run the damn team again." The guy was actually talking some sense. Things have gotten so bad that we're dying to have Herb Williams coach the team.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Ass-whuppin’
I'm glad the Knicks are preparing for the big showdown this weekend against the Suns...
The Knicks are on their way to delivering one of the most disgraceful hardwood performances of all time. The third quarter just ended, and the Celtics are up 82-41. Nope, nothing wrong with my keyboard. 82 to fucking 41.
This could be the best thing to happen to the Knicks since they started putting those pretzel rods in the beers at the Garden. They (1) talked total trash about this game ("Celts are overrated, no depth, blah blah blah"), then (2) get absolutely annihilated, and finally (3) Isiah is sent packing. We can only hope we get to step (3)-- (1) and (2) have already happened in green spades.
Isiah said this was "the most selfish performance I've ever seen" at halftime. Dunno, but doesn't "selfish" hint that the Knicks were actually accomplishing something? Selfish people keep things for themselves-- they don't just piss it all down the drain! Not only that, but selfish people actually have something to begin with... the Knicks are easily the most pathetic team in the NBA, and easily spend the most money. Isiah should have called it the most "selfless" performance he's seen.
If Phoenix doesn't beat us on Sunday, I'm officially calling Pete and the rest of the state of Arizona a bunch of pathetic losers.
The Knicks are on their way to delivering one of the most disgraceful hardwood performances of all time. The third quarter just ended, and the Celtics are up 82-41. Nope, nothing wrong with my keyboard. 82 to fucking 41.
This could be the best thing to happen to the Knicks since they started putting those pretzel rods in the beers at the Garden. They (1) talked total trash about this game ("Celts are overrated, no depth, blah blah blah"), then (2) get absolutely annihilated, and finally (3) Isiah is sent packing. We can only hope we get to step (3)-- (1) and (2) have already happened in green spades.
Isiah said this was "the most selfish performance I've ever seen" at halftime. Dunno, but doesn't "selfish" hint that the Knicks were actually accomplishing something? Selfish people keep things for themselves-- they don't just piss it all down the drain! Not only that, but selfish people actually have something to begin with... the Knicks are easily the most pathetic team in the NBA, and easily spend the most money. Isiah should have called it the most "selfless" performance he's seen.
If Phoenix doesn't beat us on Sunday, I'm officially calling Pete and the rest of the state of Arizona a bunch of pathetic losers.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Bonus bonanza
Nice job, Knicks. Lookin' like the early November team that roared to a 2-1 start to the season. They looked like they were having fun out there, even when they were rolling around on the floor or chucking the ball into the stands.
Actually, I wasn't watching the game closely at all. My buddy came over and transferred a bunch of my old ADAT master tapes onto his computer. God bless his soul.Those old ADAT machines are hilarious. These things were "state of the art" at one point. They sound like an MRI machine, and give you the feeling that you're about to watch an old VHS tape on your clunky old VCR. Wait, you are putting an old VHS tape into a clunky old VCR...
In other news, stAy-Rod has agreed to a "marketing package" that gives him $6M every time he reaches a home run plateau: 660, 714, 755, 762 and 763+. Hell, why not throw in some other bonuses into the package?
Prime Time: A-Rod gets $(p x 1000) for every "prime plateau" he hits for the next 10 years. So, at 521 HR he gets a $521,000 bonus, at 523 $523,000, at 541 $541,000, and so forth up to 761, 769, etc.He also gets a bonus for wearing the prime number 13 on his back, and for managing only 7 hits in the last 3 seasons worth of playoff games.
Art-Rod: The Yankees must continue their tradition of honoring Alex with a new piece of "art" for each of the above milestones. Maybe an enormous piece of twisted sheet metal by Richard Serra would be appropriate for 714? (just don't drop it this time!)
A-Bombed for A-Rod: Every Yankee fan gets a personal "A-Rod number" based on the last 3 digits of their social security number. If he hits a dinger corresponding with a fan's AR#, that fan drinks for free for the rest of that game (even after the 7th inning cutoff). The lucky fan(s) also automatically becomes Bud Fan of the Game. The man would never be booed again. I'll be eligible for my drunken mess of a game sometime halfway through the 2010 season or so.
Actually, I wasn't watching the game closely at all. My buddy came over and transferred a bunch of my old ADAT master tapes onto his computer. God bless his soul.Those old ADAT machines are hilarious. These things were "state of the art" at one point. They sound like an MRI machine, and give you the feeling that you're about to watch an old VHS tape on your clunky old VCR. Wait, you are putting an old VHS tape into a clunky old VCR...
In other news, stAy-Rod has agreed to a "marketing package" that gives him $6M every time he reaches a home run plateau: 660, 714, 755, 762 and 763+. Hell, why not throw in some other bonuses into the package?
Prime Time: A-Rod gets $(p x 1000) for every "prime plateau" he hits for the next 10 years. So, at 521 HR he gets a $521,000 bonus, at 523 $523,000, at 541 $541,000, and so forth up to 761, 769, etc.He also gets a bonus for wearing the prime number 13 on his back, and for managing only 7 hits in the last 3 seasons worth of playoff games.
Art-Rod: The Yankees must continue their tradition of honoring Alex with a new piece of "art" for each of the above milestones. Maybe an enormous piece of twisted sheet metal by Richard Serra would be appropriate for 714? (just don't drop it this time!)
A-Bombed for A-Rod: Every Yankee fan gets a personal "A-Rod number" based on the last 3 digits of their social security number. If he hits a dinger corresponding with a fan's AR#, that fan drinks for free for the rest of that game (even after the 7th inning cutoff). The lucky fan(s) also automatically becomes Bud Fan of the Game. The man would never be booed again. I'll be eligible for my drunken mess of a game sometime halfway through the 2010 season or so.
Friday, November 23, 2007
This one’s for Pete…
Finally, something that might actually be fun! All aboard, PJ!
I don't like the Suns. First I thought it was Skeevy Nash-- something about that guy bugs me. He reminds me of Moocher on the Cutters cycling team in Breaking Away, except that Nash is really good (like Kelly from Bad News Bears). Nash is that guy who just shows up at your pickup 3-on-3 and kicks everyone's ass, and then tells you he's mainly a soccer player.
Something Pete said brought me closer to the root of my dislike for all things Phoenix-- goddamn 2001. One of the more disturbing experiences of my sports fan career-- right up there with the aforementioned Knick debacle of '97 and the morbid horror of October '04. And yes-- I'll abuse double hyphens whenever I damn please.
I'll be rooting for the Nuggets or Hornets this year. If the Hornets (or Sonics!) find a way to really move to OKC, I just might follow them there. Preferably the Hornets.
I don't like the Suns. First I thought it was Skeevy Nash-- something about that guy bugs me. He reminds me of Moocher on the Cutters cycling team in Breaking Away, except that Nash is really good (like Kelly from Bad News Bears). Nash is that guy who just shows up at your pickup 3-on-3 and kicks everyone's ass, and then tells you he's mainly a soccer player.
Something Pete said brought me closer to the root of my dislike for all things Phoenix-- goddamn 2001. One of the more disturbing experiences of my sports fan career-- right up there with the aforementioned Knick debacle of '97 and the morbid horror of October '04. And yes-- I'll abuse double hyphens whenever I damn please.
I'll be rooting for the Nuggets or Hornets this year. If the Hornets (or Sonics!) find a way to really move to OKC, I just might follow them there. Preferably the Hornets.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Pass the popcorn!
What a day for bizarre sports headlines!! A-Rod bucks the system and crawls back to New York?! Marbury responds to a $200K fine by threatening to bring down an already disgraced Isiah Thomas?! The PGA Tour is starting a super-strict drug-testing program?!
Sorry, but nothing tops Phil Jackson's postgame comment following the Laker loss in San Antonio last night:
"We call this a 'Brokeback Mountain' game, because there's so much penetration and kickouts."
Huh? What the hell is he talking about? Did I miss something?
Maybe Isiah should take a poke at some quotes like that after a hard Knick loss:
"We call this a 'Summer of Sam' game, because five or so New Yorkers were brutally murdered."
"We call this a 'Grapes of Wrath' game, because a trip to the West coast left us impoverished and humiliated."
"We call this a 'Gigli' game, because the crowd wouldn't stop booing and jeering."
"We call this an 'Into the Wild' game, because our star dropped out of sight somewhere in Arizona."
"We call this a '2001: A Space Odyssey' game, because we had absolutely no idea what the hell was going on five minutes before it ended."
Sorry, but nothing tops Phil Jackson's postgame comment following the Laker loss in San Antonio last night:
"We call this a 'Brokeback Mountain' game, because there's so much penetration and kickouts."
Huh? What the hell is he talking about? Did I miss something?
Maybe Isiah should take a poke at some quotes like that after a hard Knick loss:
"We call this a 'Summer of Sam' game, because five or so New Yorkers were brutally murdered."
"We call this a 'Grapes of Wrath' game, because a trip to the West coast left us impoverished and humiliated."
"We call this a 'Gigli' game, because the crowd wouldn't stop booing and jeering."
"We call this an 'Into the Wild' game, because our star dropped out of sight somewhere in Arizona."
"We call this a '2001: A Space Odyssey' game, because we had absolutely no idea what the hell was going on five minutes before it ended."
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Steph skips Suns
Seems I'm only able to muster up a post about the Knicks during the game, or before they actually lose. The Miami and Orlando games were depressing, and this west coast "swing" looks to be a hell of a lot worse.
Tonight's is the worst Knick lineup I've seen in a long time. Crawford-Collins-Curry-Lee-Jones? Fred fucking Jones?
This is what happens when Marbury flies the coop and Z takes a seat. It's a stark (ouch) reminder of just how awful this team can be if just a couple of things go wrong. At full strength, they're somewhat competitivem, at best, against mediocre teams. At anything less than full strength, they're potentially horrific. Kinda like a can of Bud Light-- ice cold it can be swell, but warm it's a nightmare.
As bad as they look, they're managing to keep the deficit just above double digits against the Suns tonight. It's 63-51 with seconds left in the first half. My official prediction: Suns 119-104.
Tonight's is the worst Knick lineup I've seen in a long time. Crawford-Collins-Curry-Lee-Jones? Fred fucking Jones?
This is what happens when Marbury flies the coop and Z takes a seat. It's a stark (ouch) reminder of just how awful this team can be if just a couple of things go wrong. At full strength, they're somewhat competitivem, at best, against mediocre teams. At anything less than full strength, they're potentially horrific. Kinda like a can of Bud Light-- ice cold it can be swell, but warm it's a nightmare.
As bad as they look, they're managing to keep the deficit just above double digits against the Suns tonight. It's 63-51 with seconds left in the first half. My official prediction: Suns 119-104.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Greetings from the Garden!
I've pretty much watched every game so far-- just been too busy to check in. I must admit that I kinda like what I see.
1) Finally, J.C. gets some real playing time. Dammit, the guy's pretty good. He'll have a few AWFUL games here and there, but he'll easily lead the team in scoring.
2) I think I like Zach quite a bit. No, I'm not a cast member of "Saved by the Bell."
3) I'm already sick of Little Man Nate.
In other words, I'm glad the biggest news about the Knicks these days is basketball! A total nightmare of an off-season is now merely a potential nightmare. I'll take it.
Oops, they just lost a stinker to the Magic. This game followed the same script as 95% of all Knick games:
Act I- "Hey, they don't look THAT bad..."
Act II- "Jeez, they actually look pretty damn good!"
Act III- "What the hell are they doing??!!"
Act IV- "Shit, we actually had a chance to win this one..."
Note that the "acts" don't necessarily correspond to game quarters, but they often do. In fact, the only deviations from the above script are (1) The Blowout: skip Acts I, II and IV, and (2) The Victory: replace Act IV with "Holy shit, we actually won that one!"
I'm gonna hang in there with these guys this year. They may be a disaster, but at least we know what we're in for. Kinda like driving on the NJ Turnpike on a Sunday night.
1) Finally, J.C. gets some real playing time. Dammit, the guy's pretty good. He'll have a few AWFUL games here and there, but he'll easily lead the team in scoring.
2) I think I like Zach quite a bit. No, I'm not a cast member of "Saved by the Bell."
3) I'm already sick of Little Man Nate.
In other words, I'm glad the biggest news about the Knicks these days is basketball! A total nightmare of an off-season is now merely a potential nightmare. I'll take it.
Oops, they just lost a stinker to the Magic. This game followed the same script as 95% of all Knick games:
Act I- "Hey, they don't look THAT bad..."
Act II- "Jeez, they actually look pretty damn good!"
Act III- "What the hell are they doing??!!"
Act IV- "Shit, we actually had a chance to win this one..."
Note that the "acts" don't necessarily correspond to game quarters, but they often do. In fact, the only deviations from the above script are (1) The Blowout: skip Acts I, II and IV, and (2) The Victory: replace Act IV with "Holy shit, we actually won that one!"
I'm gonna hang in there with these guys this year. They may be a disaster, but at least we know what we're in for. Kinda like driving on the NJ Turnpike on a Sunday night.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Knicks redux
It's time to start talking about the Knicks again! As I sift through my pre-season notes, I realize that not much has changed at all. So, I'm recycling last season's opening blog.
[from October 14, 2006)
WICKED GARDEN 1: Lazy Knick players
Welcome to the first installment of Wicked Garden, where we'll be trashing the New York Knicks until April 18th (the last regular season Knick game a.k.a. the last game they'll play).
Let's start with the embarassment they called "first day of workouts." Isiah requested that all team members show up a bit early for informal workouts-- you know, to try to try get some team spirit going for the new season. I mean, it sounds like everybody's so excited to play for Isiah, right? So glad Larry's gone, right?
Maybe the letters were mailed to players' summer homes, or Isiah's secretary was too busy fending off sexual advances from her boss-- only four Knicks showed up. That's about the same number of guys that "showed up" for most games last season, on a good day. Of course, Frye and Lee were 2 of the guys that made it to practice... I wonder if Jalen Rose made it?
[from October 14, 2006)
WICKED GARDEN 1: Lazy Knick players
Welcome to the first installment of Wicked Garden, where we'll be trashing the New York Knicks until April 18th (the last regular season Knick game a.k.a. the last game they'll play).
Let's start with the embarassment they called "first day of workouts." Isiah requested that all team members show up a bit early for informal workouts-- you know, to try to try get some team spirit going for the new season. I mean, it sounds like everybody's so excited to play for Isiah, right? So glad Larry's gone, right?
Maybe the letters were mailed to players' summer homes, or Isiah's secretary was too busy fending off sexual advances from her boss-- only four Knicks showed up. That's about the same number of guys that "showed up" for most games last season, on a good day. Of course, Frye and Lee were 2 of the guys that made it to practice... I wonder if Jalen Rose made it?
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