For those who know me, they know my opinion of the Knicks, Stephon Marbury and Isiah Thomas. I've been down on this team since the end of the Ewing-Oakley-Spree-Camby Knicks. Mismanagement and stupid trades have this team unthinkably over the salary cap. Their play was deplorable under Larry Brown last season and parts of this season. I've seen Jim Dolan take the World's Most Famous Arena and turn into a running joke, seen Scott Layden and Isiah Thomas trade for every bad contract in the NBA. Like a parent mad at a child, you're disappointed, hurt and wonder if they'll shape it.
But there are nights like this. Nights when you feel the energy in the Garden, the fans on their feet, chanting, imploring for a defensive stop. Basketball and New York have a bond, a connection that's different from any other sport. Sure, we love football, baseball and hockey, but there's nothing that gets the blood rushing than a good basketball game.
And that's what we saw tonight. A triple overtime thriller that saw the return of something that's been sorely missed around these parts in terms of basketball: intensity. The crowd at the Garden has never been that hyped in a very long time. It's as if the brawl with the Nuggets has resurrected the team's spirit. Marbury has played at a level the last few games that we haven't seen in ages. David Lee might be the hardest working power forward in the game. Jamal Crawford, you hate it when he chucks shots for 25 feet away, but you can't deny the guy has the steel to take the last shot in the game. Eddy Curry is making a leap forward. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, however faint.
Look, it's not like my opinion of them being a terrible basketball has changed. They still have major problems. Rip Hamilton lit them up for 51. If Chauncey Billups hits his foul shots, they lose. They cannot play defense at all and against the elite of the NBA, they'll get exposed. But for one night, one terrific night, I was glad to be a Knick fan again. I got to see them win 151-145 against one of the better basketball teams in the league. It's enough to smile to sleep.
And then wake up to realize how terrible they are again. But it's a start...
4 comments:
Son, I had been told you to jump on the bandwagon.
Welcome to my life as a Bulls fan. I had become a fan of the Bulls pre-Jordan, fully enjoyed our reign of championships with Jordan, and throughout the post years. I watched Elton Brand come in and give the fans hope of a playoff return and screamed at the tv when they fell into the cellar. But, no matter what, I still love that feeling of excitement when they pull off a last second shot to win a game despite being one of the worst teams in bball. For that second I don't see them as bad. But, like you, I come back to reality pretty quickly. Oh well...life of a fan isn't easy for some teams but without us there would be no team and possibly no sport period so lets keep supporting our horrible teams. :)
The ridiculous thing is, as bad as the Knicks have been this year, the rest of their division has been just as horrible. With Iverson gone in Philly, Pierce injured in Boston, Bosh injured in Toronto, and Jefferson's injury with the Nets, combined with New Jersey's puzzling inability to pull away from the rest of the division, the Knicks actually have a fighters chance of flat-out winning their division. The wins over Utah, Chicago, and Detroit show that the pieces are there for the Knicks to make a run to the playoffs. Of course, the Knicks are so inconsistent, I'm waiting for them to drop 5 in a row out West, but at least they have hope this year, while last year was a complete train wreck.
Ja...er...DevilishSaint, I can understand where you're coming from, but the Bulls aren't that bad! You have Hinrich, Gordon, Deng, Ben Wallace, a ton of young talent and a pretty good coach in Skiles. I think they could contend if not this year, then next year.
I think their still bad, which there's no question, but there's a life to a team that hasn't been there in a long time. Of course, I wrote the same thing about Brooklyn College Basketball. More on that in future posts.
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