1st Quarter
8:58 Bos 33 NYK 30
Having (finally/temporarily?) settled on the following rotation …
STARTERS: PG/Fred Jones, OG/Jamal Crawford, SF/Q-Richardson, PF/Zach Randolph, C/Eddie Curry;
SUBS: PG/Nate Robinson, G-F/Jared Jeffries, F/David Lee, F/Renaldo Balkman
RESERVES: G/Mardy Collins, PF-C/Malik Rose, C/Jerome James
the New York Knicks (13-27) are playing their best basketball of the season, winning 4 of their last 5 games (vs Det, vs Was, @ NJ and @ Mia) and, today, are playing tough against the Boston Celtics (unlike last time).
Q: What’s the key to the Knicks improved play of late and their heightened expectations for the remainder of the season?
A: The total absence of Stephon Marbury from their team.
Knicks: Stephon Marbury made decision to have surgery now
Despite their status as multi-million-dollar salaried, high profile employees, Real Life can sometimes be harsh for professional athletes … when they reach the END OF THE LINE.
Such is the case, precisely, in this instance, for the Knicks and Starbury.
If he’s actually played his final game (ever) for his home-town team, both the Knicks and Stephon Marbury will be better off for it.
Let’s sincerely hope that both sides of this equation can, at last, see the light (of good reason) and, either with a straight ‘Buy Out’ or a trade – plus a renewed commitment to playing team basketball, defense & rebounding - put this franchise back on the road to respectability.
LIVE (In-Game) UPDATE:
3rd Quarter
12:00 Bos 59 NYK 45 … Knicks Starters, this half: Robinson, Crawford, Jeffries, Lee and Randolph
06:38 Bos 68 NYK 52 … Q-Rich (who can shoot) subs in for Jeffries (who can’t)
05:20 Bos 70 NYK 54 … Curry subs in for Lee … the Knicks are going in-reverse
02:57 Bos 80 NYK 63 … Paul Pierce and Q-Rich both get tossed from the game, picking up their 2nd techs apiece … Joey Crawford’s in the house … Fred Jones subs in
00:31 Bos 82 NYK 70 … the C’s lead is now cut to 12
4th Quarter
12:00 Bos 82 NYK 70 … Knicks Starters: Robinson, Crawford, Jones, Randolph and Curry … vs the Celtics’ 2nd unit, i.e. Eddie House, Ray Allen, Tony Allen, Leon Powe and Big Baby Davis
11:41 Bos 82 NYK 72 … Kevin Garnett subs in for Leon Powe … things are about to get very interesting … versus the Knicks BIG line-up, without Mr. Pierce
08:20 Bos 89 NYK 81 … coming back from 19 down, the Knicks are fighting hard today … with Boston already in the ‘penalty’ free throw situation
06:15 Bos 94 NYK 82 … Knicks’ time-out
04:41 Bos 100 NYK 83 … Knicks’ time-out, again, after the C’s stepped on the gas with consecutive hoops by KG, Davis (O-Reb dunk) and House … Lee subs in for Randolph; Jeffries subs in for Curry; Knicks trying to go with a ‘small’ line-up
02:27 Bos 107 NYK 87 … the Knicks hit a scoring wall after cutting the lead to 8 … ‘White Flag’ time in Gotham
00:00 Bos 109 KNY 93
Not nearly good enough but, still, a far cry from a 45 point shellacking.
Better days ahead (?) … for this once storied franchise.
Tags: David Lee, Eddie Curry, Fred Jones, Jamal Crawford, Jared Jeffries, Nate Robinson, New York Knicks, Quentin Richardson, Stephon Marbury, Zach Randolph
