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They didn’t just whoop them, the Celtics nearly doubled up on the Knicks last night, 104-59.

I can not dismiss the possibility posed to me by a fellow knick fan that the Knicks players deliberately tanked this game, because no NBA team should lose by this amount, let alone a healthy team with far and away the largest payroll in the league. The team I saw tonight, if this is how it is going to be, they’re headed straight back to the lottery just like that suburban dork Rick Kamla sarcastically remarked in the offseason Atlantic Division preview.

The ultimate dis tonight didn’t come from podunk Charles Barkley, or sworn enemy Reggie Miller, or even sour grapes Marv Albert, although each of them had their knick bashing moments on the TNT national telecast. No, the ultimate dis came when they cut to a shot from the crowd; to an older, chubby, understandably disgruntled Knicks fan who was representing with his knicks jersey. Having to sit in that hostile environment and watch that kind of a blowout, he took off his jersey and threw it towards the court in pure disgust, a gesture TNT captured with their cameras and played back to us in slow motion.  Maybe that one will make youtube.

So what are you going do, Jimmy Dolan?  Sit on your hands and wait for the Knicks to get better accidentally?

Looking for some nugget of wisdom on what I had just witnessed, I headed over to Knicks.com and got as far as this single sentence I’ll leave you with here:

Nate Robinson led the Knicks with 11 points.

I took this photo in the second half of the exhibition game up in Boston–the C’s were up by about 25 I’m guessing at that point.

Yet we saw those same Knicks come out and compete against the Celtics a few days later in New York (ask Tom), and the Knicks actually won that game so it is entirely plausible that our team can come up with a win today, especially when you consider how well they’ve been playing the past two games.

Yes Reggie Miller had a few words for the Knicks in the tabloids yesterday, and Charles Barkley and Co. will probably have even more harsh words for Isiah and his Knicks–that much is expected. What will be more interesting for me to watch is how ol’ Kenny Smith speaks up about this team since he’s there for some of the games as a MSG analyst. Will he blast us like the rest or say something complimentary like he did in his recent article on Stephon Marbury? Regardless of who signs his paycheck, does Kenny think of any team as the home team besides the Rockets? It doesn’t really matter what the “talking heads” say on the screen, ultimately the game will be won by the better basketball team–assuming the refs keep their honor, which is no longer a given in this league considering recent events.

Boston is coming off a tough overtime loss to the Cavs–scratch that–Boston is coming off a tough overtime loss to LeBron James, so they’ll be eager to step back into their winning ways when they host the Knicks tonight. One thing is for certain: it isn’t going to be very easy to go into that building and get a win.

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I’m still down in Florida, heading back tomorrow. It has been hard to follow the team and follow the defenders this week, but once I’m back in the NYC, you can bet the updates will be back up to speed. Thanks to all the defenders for holding the fort down and keeping this site poppin’ as always. You know you who are! I hope BARF and some of you guys do the play by play because there is a good chance I’ll be on the road during the game.

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whats up defenders,

I hope you all had a happy thanksgiving with your family and friends.  I’m still down in sunny Florida (currently about 80 degrees) where I’ve got no internet, hence no updates to the blog in the past couple days.  I did want to give you a new thread for today’s game against the Bulls however.  Let me know how they look–game is in the garden, right?

both these teams are young, and both these teams have expectations much higher than where they currently sit in the standings.

let’s see what happens.

The Knicks have simply been blown out the building in their last two games.  Other than Curry and Randolph getting their touches every game, this is a Knicks team struggling to find their identity on the court, something they should have worked out in training camp.

New York also struggled last season during the month of November, but the brawl helped turn things around for the Knicks who began to play .500 basketball until injuries ruined any shot at making the playoffs for the first time in years.

Despite the resurgence of teams like the Celtics and the Magic, the Pistons (6-4) still consider themselves the elite team in the eastern conference. They’re currently in first place in the Central Division and have just returned home from a five game road trip.   Again, don’t let their modest record fool you, this is a tough group that plays very good team-oriented basketball.

The keys to a Knick win will be the same as they were for the Warriors game:

Defend the three point line

Limit turnovers to about 12-14

Get the ball inside

Move the ball (no over-dribbling, no over-reliance on isolation freelance scoring)

Get to the line often and make them count

The Pistons have the added advantage of being a veteran team with years of experience playing together, but that should be no excuse for this Knicks team.   New York just has to come out of the gates with more desire and confidence to win the game tonight.  Isiah should change the lineup if things continue to go south as the Knicks contend for the worst record in the NBA.

Why not try sitting Crawford next?  Between Randolph, Curry and Crawford, there are too many high-turnover players in the starting five.  Just those three players last night coughed it up 14 times total.  That’s unacceptable if you’re looking  to win a basketball game.  And for those that think you need Crawford in to get Curry going?  You may have a point, but Curry’s offensive significance was reduced by the arrival of Zach Randolph, and Crawford has a tendency at times to ruin team flow with his freelance scoring mentality.

I’m not anti-crawford, I just think if Isiah is going to sit Marbury for four games for the betterment of the team, why stop there?  Why not give Wilson Chandler or Jared Jeffries some of Q’s starting small forward minutes and slide Q to the shooting guard position?

The New York Knicks (2-7) should be well rested and ready to go when they taken on top-flight point guard Baron Davis and the Golden State Warriors (2-6) tonight at 7:30pm. The Knicks look to stop their current losing streak which is now at six games, but the Warriors won’t go without putting up a fight, having just defeated the Raptors in Toronto. Don’t let the Warriors’ record fool you into thinking this will be an easy win, they’re a western conference playoff team who just got Stephen Jackson back and have now won two in a row after starting the season 0-6. Ellis isn’t shooting as well thus far this season. The knicks need to make sure to box out Andris Biedrins who is a walking double-double not unlike D Lee, only taller.

The keys to victory for the Knicks will be the same throughout the season: good ball rotation (don’t over-dribble, don’t over-rely on freelance scoring) get the ball inside, reduce turnovers, make free-throws (assuming you’re getting to the line), guard the perimeter scorers. The knicks simply must do all of these things if they’re going to turn it around this season. Sink or swim.

NBA.com has an interesting preview article here.

I’ll be unable to watch this one as I will be away from the TV. Hold the fort down as always.

2007-08                             ?

Click on the year to see the roster and team information. This comes to you courtesy of the excellent basketballreference.com.

One of the only NBA experts to predict a playoff appearance for the knicks this preseason, CNNSI’s Chris Mannix now sees Isiah Thomas getting the ax as soon as Christmas, having come back from a four-game west coast road trip winless with the Knicks now looking at 2-7. Isiah’s body language the last few games has reminded me of the title of the 1995 film starring Sean Penn, Dead Man Walking. Isiah has had enough time to win in New York, it hasn’t happened yet, and everyone is speculating how much more time Isiah will be given by James Dolan before a change is made.

Mannix also believes Crawford is not in the Knicks’ future and that minutes should go to the younger players on the Knicks–I can’t disagree there, the young players should play. Wilson Chandler should especially see some daylight with the threespot up for grabs. Balkman got into another confrontation during the Denver game with pseudo-tough guy Linas Klezia, who did his best impersonation of Dolph Lundgren in Rocky IV against Balkman last night.

Video found through the big push.

Check out the preview article by knicks.com

The New York Knicks (2-6) had plenty of chances to come away with a road victory and break their losing streak last night at Arco Arena in Sacramento, but it was not meant to be as the Kings (3-6) out-lasted the Knicks 123-118.

Knicks.com describes the game as thrilling, and it was that at times, sure, but it was also frustrating to watch so many opportunities to win the game go out the window. The blown layup at the buzzer by Eddy Curry (27 points, 9 rebounds) who had an otherwise good game in Zach Randolph’s absence. Crawford also had his game-ending shots rim out as well. There were also the typical missed free throws down the stretch that led to the knicks demise–at least they kept the turnovers relatively low with 13 in a double-overtime game.

But as I watched the game last night I have to bring up the NBA referees and their failure to officiate a basketball game without bias. This is not even the second or third time during a game the thought has come across my mind that the refs have been instructed by the powers that be to give the Knicks a raw deal.

For the second straight game the refs called carrying against the knicks but did not make the same critical call on their opponent. This time it was Ron Artest who clearly carried the ball down the stretch, although there was simply no effort made by the refs to call it. One could argue that the home team gets the benefit of the doubt when it comes to officiating during the last two minutes of a basketball game, but considering the recent NBA referee betting scandal, I’m just not trusting these NBA refs these days, especially when the same injustice occurs in consecutive games against the same team. David Stern recently trashed the knicks publicly saying they’re managed poorly. Anytime the nauseatingly PC Stern comes out and says something like that, you can be sure that behind closed doors it is much worse than a simple disdain: Stern wants Isiah out as badly as the NY Sports Media, and I’m not putting it past him to use his power to do something about it.

David Lee had a strong outing with 24 points and 16 rebounds and many key offensive rebounds that absolutely kept the knicks alive. Nate Robinson also had a strong game with 17 points off the bench, and I’m still scratching my head as to why he didn’t take some of the overtime-ending shots instead of the very poor shooting Jamal Crawford–9 for 27 from the field is garbage, I’m sorry but almost anybody currently playing in the NBA can score 24 points if they shoot the ball 27 times. Marbury had a good game off the bench with 15 points and 4 assists. Newly anointed starting point guard Mardy Collins continued to struggle with 4 points and 2 assists in just 18 minutes on the floor, hopefully Collins can make adjustments soon to show fans some of the game he displayed at the end of last season. Quentin Richardson’s offensive game is MIA this season. Incidentally, there was another bad call by the refs made against Richardson, who drove to the basket late in the game and scored a layup, but the points were nullified by the refs on a shady offensive foul call that did not exist upon examination of the replay. David Stern and the refs should be ashamed of themselves modifying the outcome of these games in such a manner.

The Knicks finish their west coast road trip tonight as they face the high octane offense of the Denver Nuggets in the mile-high city. Randolph and Balkman may be added to the rotation in time for this game, but will the knicks have enough in the tank, having played and lost a double overtime game just 24 hours ago?