The wait is almost over. The NBA season started on Tuesday, and this has been a long week, checking out the other teams while waiting to see the Knicks finally play. Tonight they open up the season, test the waters and stretch their legs. There were glimpses in the preseason of good things to come, and there were some glitches that obviously need to be improved upon now that the games count on the record book. Will the defense be improved? Are the Knicks close to healthy again after last season’s major injury setbacks? Can ZBO and Curry flourish on the floor simultaneously?
What better way to start the season and try to figure these things out than with last season’s Eastern Conference Champions, the Cleveland Cavaliers. The journey back to the playoffs begins tonight.
{ 152 comments… read them below or add one }
← Previous Comments
Deep, deep thinking, perhaps. But wrong, nonetheless.
The Mark sting had one goal, and one goal only ? to rid Hahn?s site of him once and for all. In that, I was acting alone. This was attempted in a number of ways. By ignoring him on Hahgn?s blog, first and foremost. At the same time, though, by actively and repeatedly engaging him on Isola?s blog, I knew it would shift his focus there. And that was beginning to work.
While it appears you?d like to believe it was an attempt to sabotage this site, I have no reason to. I post here. I?m a regular at the Fixer site, but I read both. There are things Hahn?s site can offer that this one can?t. And vice versa. I think Starburyfan has done a great job here. And I?ve told him so. It just doesn?t answer all of my needs, as it does yours. I don?t see the two sites in competition. I see them as both filling a need. It doesn?t have to be one or the other.
Challenging Mark to post here was merely an attempt ? successful, I dare say ? to show him up as the gutless wonder he is.
But, it was more complicated. I couldn?t look to be favoring Hahn?s site. I had to appear to be driving him from Isola?s as well. In fact, if you read the history, you?ll see I was trashing Hahn?s site regularly (calling it a bunch of losers) . . . in the hopes Mark would lose interest . . . but also so he wouldn?t figure it out. And HE didn?t figure it out. He needed an ally in Jack Daniels and too many deadlines and late nights to do that for him.
As for 180s, I?ve never done one. African, I?ve been cautioning you for months against thinking in such simplistic terms. It just ain?t that easy, my friend. To say I did a 180 implies I first hated Zeke then loved him. Neither has ever been true. In the beginning I said he was a great player doing a bad job here. That?s changed as the team has improved over the last year or two. But to imply I love him now is absurd. The metaphor has no traction.
(Speaking of 180s, weren?t you the one who posted just a few days ago the sting was working, and having an effect on Mark?)
And, yes ? I did think the Exodus from Hahn?s site was inevitable. I suspected that Alan?s site would never satisfy a lot of the guys who moved over from Isola?s. That didn?t take a genius. And apparently, I?ve been proven right. I could see that Alan would eventually shoot from the hip one time too often . . . either be more critical than many here agree with . . . or fly off the handle.
As for suffering from past bouts . . . I?ll take the high road and not correct you. I?d actually begun to believe the conversation had evolved to a more mature level . . . apparently not. You do this site an injustice by dragging it back to the playground mind-set of Berman?s. That?s 5th-grade talk. Unworthy of you.
O’k, so now I Know where to get my postgame whine and crackers: Frank Isola’s house and Knicks Defense.
But at least I know, I can get some Cheerios on the menu here every once in a while.
We are watching these games differently for sure. The Naysayers will be jumping on the bandwagon real soon because none of them expected the terror that you saw on the floor. Wipe the tears from your eyes and recognize. You folks made fools of the media all summer and they are about to look really foolish. Don’t make fools of yourselves.
Seriously, what the hell did you expect. The league star totally embarrassed himself with a ten point output on opening night against the almost coulda been world champs. He was playing the league’s marquee (as in big market) team after getting opening night jitters out. You knew he would score big. You knew he would get the calls. You knew the refs would call a palming call on Steph to change the pace of the game. You knew it.
What you didn’t know, except in your heart, was whether the Knicks would come out and play with a purpose and hustle the entire game. You did not know, except in your heart and that seasoned basketball mind, exactly how Zbo and Curry, were both going to have mad offensive game while on the floor at the same time. What you really didn’t see happening, except by hindsight, was how Starbury was going to finally play his game and keep control of the pace.
I agree. At this point there is no moral victories. But for the first game out of 82, there should be no demoralizing loss here. If the Knicks look at this loss like some of its fans, we are doomed and I will take up crocheting blue jeans as a happy and forget about NBA League Pass (which looks good free by the way). The victory we’re looking for is to get into the playoffs and to win a Championship, not to win every game. If you look at this game a bit more closely and without your heart hanging off your zipper (zip it by the way please), you will see a ton of victories.
I agree. There were some negatives that crept into the game from last season:
– missed free throws, especially by Eddie Curry.
– A short span of very bad perimeter D on one player – Boo-be or Gibson, which means the Knicks did not watch the Eastern Conference finals.
– We lost a close game.
But there were victories big time
– Eddie was moving his behind off on defense. He got 7 rebounds including one offensive board which equaled his average last year. He got an assist and a block (and a couple of Ewingesque “I won’t let it go in goaltending calls) with 1 (did I say ONE) turnover and he still hit double figures (18) in points. Let me see, how many fouls did he get – 2 in 33 minutes. Last year he averaged 3.6 TO and 0.8 ast
– We already know that ECITY can shoot free throws and will not go 0-5 from the line again.
– The Knicks had a total of 11 turnovers, six less than our opponent. Can someone yell REVELATION not as in the end of the world, but as in hallelujah. Clearly Zeke has been working on this problem. Watching the offense run was a thing of beauty. Instead of forcing the ball into stationary post men, he employed some motion with passes to Knicks coming off screens and defenders trailing. The cross-court passes swiped were those bad bailout passes by ZBO from the hole to the perimeter. ZBO had four turnovers.
– Zeke sat Balkman down. Balkman was not ready for LeBron and LeBron knows it. LeBron knew Balk had been out for awhile, but he also knows that (1) He has too much body for Balk, (2) Balk runs on energy and instinct and takes to fakes because he believes he is fast enough to recover and (3) that he will get the call every-time his body touches Balks, no matter what. He will get that call until Balk learns how to play straight up, space denying (not “oops recovery’) D.
Zeke was not ready to take a chance by putting overexcited Balk back out there in a close game.
– N8 the GR8 was marvelous on offense and did a good job which included 6 boards, two assists, 19 points and a denial foul on a fast breaking King James. Oh, and only one turnover.
– Jamal Crawford got his game going by slashing to the basket and taking closer shots and making the opposition foul him. I’ve said all season last season that the way to get him going is for him to slash first and to burn tres later. A streak shooter gets started when he gets a feel for the ball going into the basket and getting the first points by free throw shooting is just as good as a jumper, if not better because the foul counts against the opposition player and towards the penalty. Crawford had six assists.
– I loved the way Steph started the game, learning how to mesh his skills and generalship to impose his pace on the game. Zeke has them making a beeline straight for the basket, which opens up the court for the big guys and creates fouls. This eliminates the offensive stagnation that led to one shot and out and double digit deficits. Steph had 10 pts and 5 assts . I loved it.
– ZBO. When was the last time we saw anything like that shot. I couldn’t believe they were so pure. You migh be thinking Alan Houston. I’m thinking Bernard King who was so strong and a sharpshooter. And do you see how hard he works on defense. Did I see him get two steals.
– Zeke sat Steph when necessary. Steph lost focus a couple of times and allowed Gibson to pop those tres. But Steph is going to get better. He will run this team not ruin it, because Zeke will not let that happen. SeeZeke sits Steph
Slightly Interesting Observations: Malik Rose did not play and he did not look happy. Collins was not deactivated. . . . Jerome James is likely to have surgery. . . . Jones tried to do a little too much . . . . Jeffries was certainly missed in that game. . . . Thank you for Gus Johnson and Clyde. . . . Boston looked scary (D.C. lost). . . .Orlando looked scared against Detroit. . . . but Miami lost to Indiana (Who will win the Atlantic? Atlanta?). . . .
Starburyfan congratulations for controlling the ambience and killing that rush order. Instead of take out, they come in and get taken out. I love it.
O’k, I think I got the test of that bad whine out of my mouth. On Sunday, I’m lookin’ for pretzels and Cheerios in the bowl.
Later. Peace.
← Previous Comments