Quick, before the body gets cold...
MSG and Time Warner have conspired to deny me my god givenly rightful Knicks games. Fuck a internet stream. I’m consuming this season by watchingother teams on NBATV, highlights, Posting and Toasting recaps, and now, ineptly analyzing the box scores from Basketball Reference. (PS. Am now enjoying the Knicks on TV again).
Game 43: Portland Trail Blazers @ NYK (March 14, 2012).
Shorter Recap: Knicks destroy Blazers in honor of Mike D'Antoni, 'cept Melo--121 to 79.
http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201203140NYK.html
Just as Mike D'Antoni's resignation does not signal the end of this very talented Knicks team as we know it, the 42 point rout of a sad Blazers team does not imply a phoenix's rebirth either. I don't believe that these numbers will mean much of anything, as this game was over in the second quarter and turned into a carnival by the third, but let's have a look.
This was the only result that wasn't going to get Carmelo boo'ed off the court tonight. Fortunately for him, he got to ride the bench after an efficient 24 minutes, shooting 6 of 12 and notching 7 assists. It's incredible the stark difference you can see between team-first Melo and me-first Melo. Jeremy Lin deferred early and, for once, Melo was able to hit his open threes. But he also missed a couple, and all of his isolation jumpers. The rest of his points came in the paint. The most interesting statistic is really the 7 assists. I truly believe Melo's ego got in the way of playing D'Antoni's system, because his play in this game was exactly what would have thrived in it. Move the ball. Take the open shot. Find the open man.
I'm afraid we'll see the early-January, late-February Melo again soon, shooting under .330, and stopping the team's momentum. But let's hope the honeymoon lasts long enough to climb out of the 8th seed cellar.
Amare Stoudemire looked princely this game, starting out 8 for 8 from the floor and grabbing 8 rebounds. Again, in reduced minutes Stat was very effective, and while his jumper is still a ways away from working, he was unstoppable inside the paint.
Earl Swish and Steve Novak lived up to their perimeter shooting reputations tonight, going a ridiculous combined 13 for 24 from beyond the arc. It got a little sad at the end, but obviously this team needed a cathartic beat down. Swish and Shump's theatrics certainly helped down the stretch. A lot will be said about sportsmanship today, and I'll agree with all of it. But it can't be ignored just how badly this team needed to make a statement. Not to the poor, pitiful Blazers—cause that'd be uncool—but to themselves. Shump's windmill, and JR's dumb 40-footers were exclamation points on a feel good, we're still here, so long coach, game. I'm cool with that.
In the course of being bummed that D'Antoni resigned this afternoon, I forgot how ridiculously talented this group of Knicks are, and how good they can play. Let's hope that Mike Woodson keeps the ball flowing, and a little best of both world's style coaching might keep the rest of the season as entertaining to watch as it was tonight.