So Donnie Walsh isn’t coming back.
Archive for the ‘Knicks’ Category
Donnie Walsh Out As Knicks President
Posted: June 3, 2011 by Keith Stone in basketball, Donnie Walsh, Knicks, NBA
Details are still a bit hazy but it looks as if Donnie Walsh will not be returning to his position as Knicks President and GM and will instead be a consultant. Obviously, this is a huge blow. Donnie did a marvelous job digging the Knicks out of salary cap hell and adding Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony. He wasn’t perfect but he brought an aura of respectability back to the club. Donnie reportedly was overruled during negotiations for Melo and perhaps is tired of not having complete control. His health has also been an issue. This probably won’t be the biggest summer for the Knicks but it still would have been nice to have Donnie’s steady hand continue the job he started three years ago. He’s a throwback to the old school, has had a great career, and is a hell of a guy. He will be missed.
It will be very, very interesting to see who emerges as his replacement…
Classic Video of the Week: Here Comes Willis
Posted: June 1, 2011 by Keith Stone in basketball, Knicks, NBA, NBA Finals, NBA Playoffs, videos, Willis ReedIt’s Championship Week, the greatest week of the year. To celebrate, here is the greatest game in NBA Finals history. After pulling a leg muscle in Game 5 of the 1970 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers and missing the following game, Knicks center Willis Reed returned for Game 7 at the Garden in dramatic fashion. Clyde Frazier added 36 points, 19 assists, and five steals and the Knickerbockers had their first World Title.
>Knicks-Celtics Game 3 Quick Reaction
Posted: April 23, 2011 by Keith Stone in BOSTON SUCKS, Celtics, Knicks, NBA, NBA Playoffs>
Celtics 113, Knicks 96
Celtics lead series 3-0
They overwhelmed us from the opening tip. Swallowed us whole. This is what I was worried about from the beginning of the series. The Knicks looked they were trying too hard. They were slow to adjust and rotate on D. Pierce and Allen were hitting their shots. The Celtics were getting every call and bounce but the Knicks didn’t do anything to change that. They didn’t handle the pressure of hosting their first playoff game in seven years very well. It’s disappointing because I was hoping they would come out and crack some heads, but everyone looked tight. The ball was being forced to Amar’e early on and he was pressing a little too much, but he must be hurting. Nobody handled the situation well. Nobody stepped up and took charge. Maybe not having a veteran like Chauncey out there hurt. The only excuse I can offer is that the officiating was poor but that’s not a good excuse. I’m not giving up hope on the series. The Knicks have to play with pride on Sunday and match their intensity of the first two games. If they keep the open shots to a minimum, get to every loose ball, and catch a few breaks, they should have a chance…with or without Chauncey and Amar’e.
>Knicks-Celtics Game 2 Quick Reaction
Posted: April 20, 2011 by Keith Stone in BOSTON SUCKS, Celtics, Knicks, NBA, NBA Playoffs>
Celtics 96, Knicks 93
Celtics lead series 2-0
That was another heartbreaker. It hurts more than the first game because they really shouldn’t have been hanging around without Big Shot and Amar’e. Jeffries didn’t make the best move ever on the final play but what do you expect from him? If anything, my big criticism is why is Roger Mason in the game? He did make a big 3 but Landry Fields was playing OK and isn’t afraid to put the ball on the floor out there. The Knicks played valiantly. Carmelo was awesome, not only scoring but rebounding, playing D, and getting his teammates involved. Rondo created some problems and the big guys need to help out better although that does leave some of the perimeter guys open. Besides that, the defense has been really good. The guys are shifting and contesting every shot. If the team was healthy, I’d predict a big Game 3 but I’m afraid especially with Amar’e hurt. I liked the way Toney ran the team. It was quick and upbeat but he needs to stay out of foul trouble. Still, you miss Big Shot’s experience. The crowd is going to need to come up huge for Game 3.
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An enterprising and no doubt well-endowed young man put together a fantastic list of the 10 most memorable Knicks games of the season over at Bleacher Report. Check it out.
>Knicks-Celtics Game 1 Quick Reaction
Posted: April 18, 2011 by Keith Stone in BOSTON SUCKS, Celtics, Knicks, NBA, NBA Playoffs>
The Knicks probably should have won that game. Overall, I thought they played really well. They were composed. Everyone contributed. Heck, even Ronny Turiaf made a couple of baskets. It’s all for naught, though. They couldn’t execute in the last few minutes. Chauncey Big Shot’s injury was a killer. Hopefully, he’ll be back for Game 2, but not having him out there for the last play was tough. The team looked lost out there. Obviously, the offensive foul call against Carmelo was horrendous but there’s nothing you could do about it. Coach D used up all his timeouts again and it really hurt on the last possession. The final shot wasn’t great but Melo is the guy that’s going to take it. He should have taken it earlier to make it easier for a putback. I have no problem with a 3 instead of a 2 because you might as well go for the win instead of having to go for a win in OT on the road. Amar’e played great and was fearless taking the ball to the hole. He made KG look bad. The defense was really solid. Everyone was quick to move around. Turiaf was great especially. He’s really underrated. I would love it if he could give 30 minutes a game.
The jitters should be out of everyone’s system now and it’s clear that these two teams are pretty evenly matched. Today was a tough loss but nobody should hang their head.
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There’s a lot to be scared about. The Celtics are a good team. They know how to win. They’re tough. They’ll cut your heart out if you let them. But the Knicks can beat them. They couldn’t do it during the regular season but they can do it now. This season has been all about overcoming fear. Not the fear of losing, but the fear of winning. It’s easy to lose. There are 29 teams that are going to lose. Everything that has happened so far this year culminates tonight. The pressure of climbing the mountain is enormous, especially in New York. Amar’e and Carmelo can do it, but they need to do it together. And their guys and the fans need to be there every step of the way. Big Shot needs to stay in front of Rondo. Turiaf needs to get control the paint. Toney needs to hit his open shots. Landry needs to not play like a rookie. Everyone needs to rebound. Everyone needs to defend. There can’t be any doubts or complacency. The Celtics are old but they will find a way to win. If they sense even an ounce of fear, they will take advantage of it. When the Celtics look into our eyes tonight, what will they see?
>Battle of the Playoff Song Parody Videos
Posted: April 13, 2011 by Keith Stone in Knicks, playoffs, Vancouver Canucks>
It’s playoff season! That means a lot of things. Glorious victories, heartbreaking defeats, and most of all, hilarious fan videos. Today, I have two very different ones for your enjoyment.
The first comes by way of the Pacific Northwest. Vancouver, to be exact. Some puckheads put together another parody to Rebecca Black’s Friday called Game Day. Not the most original idea but it might be the most well-done. Not that I’ve been watching tons and tons of Rebecca Black parody videos. Let’s just hope they don’t riot too much when the Canucks get bounced from the playoffs.
Second, straight out of Washington Square Park, The Don Cap sings Now With Melo as he explores landmarks around the NYU area. Bonus points for incorporating Go NY Go into the song. Minus points for the autotune. The kid has spunk and I like the fact that he didn’t steal his video from a 12-year-old girl.
Who’s the winner? That’s an easy one. We all are.
The thing about little brothers is that it’s important to make sure they know their place. When he thinks he’s the man because he just got a driver’s license, hook up with his girlfriend. Tonight, Carmelo is going to make a sex tape with Kim Kardashian. It’s not that I hate the Nets. They’re just inferior and will always be whether they play in Long Island, Piscataway, the Meadowlands, Newark, Seaside Heights, or Brooklyn.
It’s not that their name ends in “-ets.” It’s that they changed it purposely to rhyme with the Mets and Jets. Anytime you’re doing something to copy the Mets and Jets, you might have a problem. Their relevance and legitimacy was done from that moment forward. Yeah, I know the Knicks are named after a piece of clothing. But really, you should have been in the city in the 1600’s. They were all the rage.
While true that the two teams have never played an extremely meaningful game (although Bernard King dropped a franchise-record 60 points on the Nets on Christmas Day 1984), the Knicks have had a major impact on the Nets’ history. In 1976, when the Nets were entering the NBA, the Knicks forced them to pay $4.8 million for entering their territory. The Nets couldn’t afford it and were forced to sell Dr. J. And so, the Knicks deprived the Nets of one of the greatest players the game has ever seen and banished them to the cellar for years.
Even when the Nets were successful and went to the Finals, it was during one of the weakest periods in the NBA, especially the East. The Nets got the 1-seed in 2002 with 52 wins! It was the most wins in franchise history! Three teams have that many in the Eastern Conference this year and there’s still a week left.
Who did the Nets have to go up against during their glory years? Allen Iverson? Paul Pierce? Baron Davis? Scary. The Knicks had Jordan, Bird, the Bad Boys, Shaq, and Alonzo Mourning. Sorry we couldn’t defend homecourt against the ’93 Bulls. Kenyon Martin would have pissed his pants going toe-to-toe with Oak, Mase, and the X-Man. Throw that Knick team in the early 00’s and there wouldn’t be enough room at MSG to hang all the banners.
Our teams actually had personality. It’s not that we think John Starks is the best player alive but he went from stocking shelves in a supermarket in Oklahoma to dunking over Horace Grant and Michael Jordan in a matter of a few years. What could you say about the Nets? Jason Kidd beat his wife. Keith Van Horn was white. Kerry Kittles’s dad danced with the cheerleaders. K-Mart had lips tattooed on his neck.
We might not be the smartest basketball fans. We are smart but the Warriors do have a lot of Asian fans. I would have to say, however, that we’re the most appreciative fans. We see the nuances of the game and let our guys know that their hard work is recognized because New Yorkers are hard-working people. We’d rather see somebody dive out of bounds to save the ball than a spectacular dunk. People from New Jersey are just New Yorkers that can’t handle the hustle and bustle (™Clyde Frazier). They’d rather catch a T-shirt during a timeout than anything.
That’s why I was shocked to hear the Garden is a homecourt disadvantage. Our teams weren’t always better than our opponents but the fans consistently make our guys play better than they’re capable of playing. There’s no way the 4-point play happens if the crowd doesn’t keep it close with deafening chants of “DEEEEEEE-FENSE” throughout the closing minutes.
There’s a myth that the Knicks, especially Patrick Ewing, always choked it up at home. There’s a ton of memorable clutch moments to prove otherwise. Ewing coming back from a sprained ankle to take the Bulls to a Game 7 in ’92. The Dunk. Ewing’s putback to send the Knicks to the ’94 Finals. Ewing’s Game 5 winner in the ’95 Semis. Ewing blocking Tim Hardaway’s last-second shot to put the Knicks up 3-1 in ’97 Semis. The 4-point play. Allan Houston going bonkers to send the Knicks to the ’99 Finals after LJ went down. The list goes on and on. The ’99 Knicks started Chris Fucking Dudley at center in the Finals and they still managed to win a game against the Spurs at the Garden. This was a Spurs team that started David Robinson and Tim Duncan and swept really good Lakers and Blazers teams. I can’t think of a single memorable Nets moment besides going to overtime in Game 5 against the Pacers in ’02 and that was in the first round.
If anything, the Knicks’ problem has been poor timing while the Nets picked exactly the right opportunity to peak. A lot of good it did them. Within a few years, Jason Kidd forced his way out of town and they were challenging for the NBA’s all-time worst record. Their owner used the team to leverage his way to a very, very shady real estate deal in Brooklyn and then sold them to an even shadier guy. At least we know what we’re getting in Jim Dolan. And his music really isn’t that bad. I have to say that his band is the best jazz group I’ve ever seen on YouTube. Proky couldn’t get any free agents and then signed Travis Outlaw to the worst deal of the summer. The only thing more pathetic was the lame billboard they put up on 8th Ave. And Brett Yormark is a douchebag. I just hope for their sake Deron Williams chooses to re-sign. He’d look awfully good in orange and blue. Luckily, the YES Network is actually televising tonight’s Knicks-Nets “game.” I will admit they have the best play-by-play guy in the biz.
Since I am a Knicks fan, which means I’m very classy, I would like to wish the Nets the best of luck in this year’s draft lottery. As for tonight, Melo, and Kim K, it’s just…
[Editor’s note: The Knicks defeated the Nets 116-93]
Rainman Suite 