Blame Who You Want, But it’s time for MDA to Go
On a sports day where the news should be about the NBA Trade Deadline, NFL Free Agency and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, Knicks fans woke up to news of Carmelo Anthony requesting a trade, a rift among the team’s top executives and questions about the job status of coach Mike D’Antoni. Welcome to New York City!!! First, let’s mention how we even got here:
Knicks Coast Past Atlanta, 99-82
Well that was easy.
Tonight, the Hawks came into Madison Square Garden with less energy than a middle aged man at a Justin Bieber concert. The Knicks dominated from the tip off and cruised to a 99-82 victory. The ball moved well all night and multiple Knicks contributed to the scoring. Jeremy Lin and Steve Novak led all scoring with 17 points each. Landry Fields, 16, Carmelo Anthony, 15, and JR Smith, 12, also scored in double digits for the Knicks. With the game out of reach late in the 3rd quarter, the Knicks’ key players got plenty of rest before tomorrow night’s showdown in Miami.
Lin, Novak Lead the Knicks to a 104-97 Victory Over Dallas
That was Linsane.
In their toughest matchup of the Jeremy Lin era, the Knicks pulled out a gritty 104-97 victory over the defending champion Dallas Mavericks. In a back and forth game, the Knicks trailed Dallas by three going into the fourth quarter. New York finished off the third quarter on a 7-0 run and had the momentum going into the final twelve minutes of the game. In the fourth quarter, the Knicks’ outside shooting woes seemed to disappear. The 29th ranked three point shooting team in the NBA hit six shots from outside the arc to bury the Mavericks.
No luck for Knicks in Boston, lose close one to Celtics
Apparently, there is a script that this new Knicks squad led by Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony must adhere to when they play the Celtics in Boston. Take a double-digit first half lead, blow it in the third quarter and then lose in heart wrenching fashion in the fourth quarter.
Knicks’ Skid Hits Six, Lose To Gallo and The Nuggets
Who knew Madison Square Garden was hosting a weeklong Halloween special? Nightmare week featuring the Knicks is finally over, after the ‘Bockers lost in double overtime to the Denver Nuggets, 119-114. They finish their four game home stand losing all four games and push their losing streak to six. In the first matchup between these two teams since their blockbuster trade last February, Danilo Gallinari scored a career high 37 points and pulled down 11 rebounds, in his return to MSG. Carmelo Anthony scored 25 points on just 10-for-30 shooting in his first game against his former club.
No Melo + No Defense = Ugly Loss to the Thunder
The New York Knicks lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder, 104-92, and Carmelo Anthony’s absence, due to his sprained right ankle, was a significant reason that they lost, but it would have also helped if the team played some defense.
Knicks Mauled in Memphis
Ugly.
That just about sums up the Knicks performance against the Grizzlies last night. The final score says the Knicks lost by 11, 94-83, but it was much worse than that. At one point, the Knicks were down by as many as 25. If you were one of the many who turned this game off during the 3rd quarter, I don’t blame you. It was bad to watch.
Knicks Get Revenge
The Knicks defeated the Charlotte Bobcats, 91-87, at MSG, to move over .500 (5-4) and improve their record to 2-2 at the World’s Most Famous Arena. After losing by eight points on the 4th, the Knicks were able to pick up the defense to get some revenge against the Bobcats.
Knicks Get Back on Track, Beat Wizards 99-96
After losing what felt like 100 games in a row, the Knicks finally finished a game on top, by beating the Wizards 99-96, on the Wizards’ home floor.
Now, I’m not going to pretend that this was a good win, because it wasn’t. It was ugly and way too close. The Knicks found themselves down 14 after the first quarter, and risked losing the game before the halftime buzzer sounded. However, they were able to stage a comeback, by outscoring the Wizards 28-15 in the second stanza, after being outscored 18-32 in the first. At half, they found themselves down just one point.
Too Little, Too Late: Knicks Fall to Raptors
The Knicks lost to their division rival from the north, the Toronto Raptors, 90-85, at MSG, in a game they definitely should have won.
One excuse some might have for the loss is that Amar’e Stoudemire did not play for the second straight game, as a result of a sprained ankle, but they easily beat the Sacramento Kings without him.
‘Melo Gives Knicks Fans a Merry Christmas
The New York Knicks gave all of their fans a nice Christmas present by defeating the Boston Celtics in thrilling fashion, 106-104, as Carmelo Anthony led the way.
During a matinee game against their rivals from the north, the Knicks started out strong, ending the first quarter with a 34-23 lead. Renaldo Balkman, and rookies Josh Harrelson and Iman Shumpert, came off the bench and gave valuable minutes, while the starters were resting. New York was able to successfully limit the impact of Rajon Rondo in the first quarter, who is one of the top three point-guards in basketball, especially when he is making his jumpers.
Pre-Season Game 2: The Reaction
The Knicks defeated the Nets at the new look Madison Square Garden, 88-82, finishing the pre-season with a perfect record.
Ok, ok, so it was only two games, BUT HEY, doesn’t it just feel good to be watching Knicks basketball?!?!?
