A City Yearning for Basketball

So my Job calls for me to start at any point in the day so this morning it led me to driving to work around 5:30 and let me tell you, Robin Lundberg is one of my favorite Espn Radio hosts and he took the words out of my mouth. The New York Knicks are real people in just his second year Phil Jackson has brought the franchise back to life.

Basketball is always ultimately about wins and losses but this team is unlike the 2012-13 team under Mike Woodson who went 54-28. This team most certainly will not win as many games but it has something that this team didn’t have… the hope to eventually bring a championship to New York.

1.     Kristaps Porzingis is a revelation, but the success the Knicks have had thus far must be attributed to another guy and that man is Carmelo Anthony. He has evolved, he has become a facilitator, a guy who breathes to make his teammates better, and it has culminated with a .500 record. On Friday night against the spurs, he had the 21^st centaury version of the glove on him in Kawaii Leonard, and help defenders near by, he doesn’t take the shot... Mind you this is the first time that any team has had a chance to take a game winning shot against the spurs this season! He passes the ball to Jose Calderon who had a good look at a three. Yes, he misses but Melo showed that he has faith in his team mates and that is the growth as a player that he is showing.

2.     Okay, okay I know you’re shaking right now I am too here you go… PORZINGOD, KP, SCOREZINGAS, THE FLAMINGO, and the ZINGER. Yes, he is special very very special, we finally have got our franchise player finally and the kid is something to watch. last night he rejected three Celtics players in one possession I was in awe. He hits thirty point three with ease, and I mean considering the ball is being released almost ten feet in the air who can really guard him he is a nightmare for opposing big men with his ability to catch and shoot while also being an effective passer. The kid is the complete package and we can’t even compare him to anything we have ever seen because he’s more tenacious defensively than Dirk ever was, and more confident offensively at the same age. He has a refined inside game yet is confident pulling up from anywhere on the floor. Most importantly he D’s up and isn’t afraid to get down and dirty with the big boys. REBOUNDING! YES HE DOES THAT TOO! Okay let me stop because I am getting excited and he is still ONLY A ROOKIE the sky is the limit.

3.     Robin Lopez and Aaron Afflalo who were teammates together in Portland, these guys have been huge for Knicks. Aaron Affalo is a willing and capable defender but the biggest thing he has added to the team is consistency behind the three-point line. A former teammate of Melo in Denver, this was quite the savvy move by Phil Jackson and his play has been impressive thus far. Robin Lopez may be the biggest reason why Porzingis is playing the way he has and his recent scoring surge has fans salivating. He is the type of player who does everything that doesn’t always show up in the box score but Porzoingis and Lopez make a very menacing tandem inside allowing the Knicks to focus the rest of their defensive efforts on stopping the three ball which has led to them defending the three better than any team in the league.

4.     The other guys!

a.     Lance Thomas WOOO this guy can ball and he makes Phil look like an absolute genius after the JR Smith/Shumpert trade. He’s sinking over 40 percent of threes and has put on 15 LBS of muscle during the offseason. He is the clear cut sixth man and provides the Knicks with legitimate depth at small forward, as I watch him his size and skill set reminds me a lot of Chris Copeland but he plays a lot harder on the defensive end of the ball. Kudos to the Knicks player development team in Westchester.

b.     Derrick Williams is the cutter and part of the Knicks scoring lineup with him at the three Melo at four and Kris at the five. He seems to finally be coming into his own and shedding the bust label he has been accustomed to carrying for so long.

c.     Jerian Grant put a nice line up last night of 16 and 8 with 6 assist in the fourth quarter he is a smart and polished player who is only lacking a jump shot but remember there was a time where fans called Jason Kidd, Ason Kidd for his lack of a J.

d.     Lou Amundson, Langston Galloway and the rest of the boys, it seems like this team is meshing and they have a chance to go over .500 tonight with a fitting matchup with the crosstown boys from Atlantic Avenue. Although the Nets sit at 10-28 with Melo questionable from an ankle sprain and a back to back looming this will not be an easy matchup.

Bottom line the city is ready for a basketball team that can live up to the expectations that are there every season. The Knicks are done waiting for the messiah there is legitimate core and they are effectively building around it. Done are the days of mediocrity as they have proven they can hang with the big boys.

The biggest thing that can be taken away from last nights’ victory against the Boston Celtics is the word TEAM. With Melo sidelined with an apparent ankle injury and the Zinger fouling out in the fourth quarter the Knicks supporting guys like Affalo who had 24, and Derrick Williams who had 15 and most notably Jerian Grant who led the Knicks offensive charge in the fourth quarter. Derrick Fisher has coached this team into an impressive start and the team is meshing well as they continue to play better the collective confidence between the team continues to grow as they managed to play well enough without their two best players against a very scrappy Celtics team. The point guard play although, must improve as we have seen Isaiah Thomas once more torch the Knicks who last night finished with 34 points. However, The New York Knickerbockers are chasing the playoffs and they are for real the best is yet to come stay tuned.