Where were you on the evening of April 22nd, 2001? At the time it probably didn't mean much to anyone, but that was the last time that Knicks fans have enjoyed a playoff victory (the guys calling the game tonight for ESPN were the head coach and point guard of that team). 10 years ago exactly today. In my case I was in a college dorm room most likely neglecting my studies, drinking a 40 and eating a hot pocket, and was probably not too overly excited. After all, April 2001 wasn't too far removed from the years when the first round of the playoffs was merely a formality for the Knicks. Who could have guessed the horrors of the next decade that would await Knicks fans? I remember thinking that the 48 win team that season kind of sucked. Now, win-starved Knicks fans are treating two close losses against an aging, mostly disinterested Celtics team as reason for a parade. Forget moral victories, the Knicks need to win a game, regardless if Chauncey or Amare play tonight, if not just for Carmelo's reputation then at least for New York basketball fans' sanity.
Keys to victory tonight are the same as ever: keep up this new found defensive intensity, somehow try to duplicate that rebounding performance of game 2, set picks and move the ball in order to get Carmelo away from double teams (instead of the stand on one side of the court and wait 8 seconds for Melo to get position offense) and for the love of Derek Jeter and all things holy, keep Jared Jeffries off the fucking court in the last 2 minutes.
I would've went with "Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks is a great scorer, but he needs help."
ReplyDeleteAnd you forgot to end with "Back to you Stu"