SB Nation - David Lee

Knicks 88, Bulls 81

Seth — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 06:41:57 -0000

More photos » by Nathaniel S. Butler - NBAE/Getty Images

We've seen plenty of Jekyll and Hyde games from the Knicks this season. They've been known to race ahead in the first half only to lose their grasp in the second or, more commonly, follow a tepid first half with a spirited late-game comeback. Rarely, though, have the Knicks held on/come back to actually win one of those tales of two halves. In that sense, I guess the Knicks showed some signs of progress tonight. It sure didn't feel that way at some points, but New York came out on top, and that's what matters.

It started with a bang. Chicago was 24 hours removed from that epic comeback loss against Sacramento, and looked in no mood to play basketball. The Knicks, meanwhile, were passing and finishing like champs and cleaning the glass on both ends. They went into the half up 22, needing only a modest effort to sail to their third straight win. They couldn't manage modest, though. After almost two quarters of sub-modest basketball, it took a couple long-distance makes from Jared Jeffries (!), some late-game gaffes by Chicago, and one huge rim-rolling jumper from David Lee to survive.

Take the jump for a few notes and thangs...

- Danilo Gallinari kept missing from the field, but made his presence felt in other ways. He shot just 2-13, but got to the line a little (6-6), rebounded (7), and played some nice man defense for stretches (3 blocks, including one spectacular swat of a Luol Deng drive). As ugly as his line was, I was pleased with Gallo tonight. He took the right shots and stayed active without forcing. They just don't fall on some nights. It was nice to see D'Antoni let Danilo work through his misses and find other ways to contribute.

- I'm not gonna rag on D'Antoni after a win, but with Jonathan Bender sitting the second half after straining his hip, the Knick rotation was actually only seven guys. I'm not saying that was the reason for the second half collapse, but I'm not saying it wasn't.

- I'm not entirely sure how the topic came up (presumably something to do with Chicago's mascot), but Clyde and Breen spent a good chunk of the second quarter discussing bullfighting.

- Jared Jeffries was whistled for a foul in the second quarter and D'Antoni responded by immediately yanking Al Harrington off the bench. Jeffries looked confused, then glanced up at the scoreboard, saw that he'd just committed his third foul, and visibly uttered "Oh, fuck". Props to MSG for catching that.

- Al Harrington hit the halftime buzzer-beater to put the Knicks up 22, and turned to run down court with his arm still bent in a gooseneck. This meant that the guy sitting courtside who wanted a high five had to slap his elbow. It sucks to get left hanging.

- Jill Martin and Hugh Jackman conducted a halftime interview so fraught with sexual tension and intrigue, it might as well have been Swordfish 2: Gimme a Minute.

- I mentioned Bender's sore hip before, but it didn't sound like it was a big deal. They're just taking every possible precaution with Legs, which makes sense. By the way, there currently exists an extremely fly "Legs" t-shirt ready for production. I know it's far too soon for that, but are people interested?

- Derrick Rose is exceedingly good at basketball when he chooses to be. I harp on David Lee's poor help defense, but Rose would've made Dikembe Mutombo look wimpy with some of these drives. The former first pick single-handedly outscored the Knicks 16-15 in the third quarter, which is a testament both to Rose's majesty and to how messily the Knicks shat themselves in the second half.

- Walt Frazier cannot whistle, which is a late entry but likely front-runner for "Most Surprising Thing I Learned in 2009".

- Hey Wilson Chandler (16 points on 8-18, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals), I see you. Keep attacking.

- I mentioned it briefly in the intro, but I'll reiterate that two of the huge shots that ended up stifling the Chicago comeback were long bombs by Jared Jeffries. Jared canned a three from the right corner with about 10 minutes left, then took a step in for a long two around the 6 minute mark. Thankfully, he rimmed out a three that would've iced it in the final minute, or the world's bear population would've awoken from hibernation, vacated their caves, headed to the nearest ocean, and plunged headfirst into extinction.

- The Bulls also found every possible way to cough up the ball when the game was in the balance. There were bad passes, awful shots, violations, and all other manner of wasted possession. I think Luol Deng dribbled off his gouche at one point.

- David Lee's in-out-and-in-again jumper put the Knicks up 5 and in the clear with 6 seconds left, and it was a well-deserved flourish on a brilliant night by Lee. Joakim Noah is a damn tough cover, but Lee grit his teeth, held his breath to withstand the smell, and went toe-to-toe with Noah in a battle for the paint. Dave finished with a masterful 18 points, 21 boards, and 5 assists (including one gorgeous no-look dish to Chris Duhon. I've been waiting for Clyde to yell "Skip to my Lee!"), while Noah came up with 10 points and 21 bounds of his own. It was fun to watch the two former Gatorbros go at it. By the way, I'd bet that Noah is actually far cleaner than the average basketball player and smells like fresh flowers on the court. You know, just to mess with people's heads. Anyway, not to get all spoiler alert on Willy's stickers, but Lee was the man of the night.

- Last point: Don't mock Bulls fans. Isn't blowing a 35-point lead, then falling just short of a 22-point comeback exactly the kind of thing the Knicks have been known to do as recently as like a month ago? Our friends at Blog-a-Bull deserve your sympathy. Show some love, and remember that we're not that far removed from stretches like that. It could very well happen again.

And on that note, I'll leave y'all to your other activities. Next game is Christmas!

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Jonathan Bender

Seth — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 20:04:07 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Kmonicek - AP

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First, I should recap last night's game. It was rather the opposite of Thursday's loss, with the Knicks going cold and falling behind early, then storming back in the third to draw even and eventually win. David Lee led the way with masterful finishes and boards (25 and 11), while Chris Duhon set the table effectively, looked for his own shot late, and even did some rebounding of his own (17 points, 10 assists, and 8 boards!). Danilo Gallinari continued to undercook his shot attempts, but was more aggressive later on, and finished with 14 points to go with 6 nice rebounds and 3 steals. The Knicks won. It was neat.

Most of all, though, I found myself captivated by Jonathan Bender's unexpected return to basketball. Disgusted with a double-digit deficit, Mike D'Antoni spat Bender out onto the court with about minutes left in the first quarter. It didn't take long for my little heart to flutter.

I should rewind. As I've mentioned, I have little love for comebacks. Injuries are second only to this fellow on the list of things I despise about basketball, and a player with any visible signs of hindrance or hesitance is tainted in my sick little brain. (I have very small organs.) It could be residual uneasiness from the Allan Houston and Patrick Ewing injuries that haunted my childhood, or I might just be evil. Anyway, all that being the case, my immediate response to the Bender signing was somewhere around the intersection of indifference and displeasure. Why bother with a crumbly-kneed veteran when a stable of young, unsigned talents is close at hand?

This was my mindset going in, but I was hyperventilating in no time. I failed to appreciate this during his stint with the Pacers, but Jonathan Bender is a spectacular creature. He's every bit of 7-feet, with limbs that branch in all directions and the gait of a caffeinated praying mantis. His head is small and bony, with elfin ears and a face far too crotchety for a 28 year-old. In my eyes, that's the basketball equivalent of 36-24-36. The minute he stepped on the floor, Bender had my attention.

Experience told me to expect the typical constellation of jitters, rust, and pussyfooting on those fickle bones. Houston, Ewing, Antonio McDyess, Penny Hardaway...they all taught me well. Jonathan cared not for my expectations. The guy is rough. Bender put two playoff fouls on Clipper guards, one of which was a called a flagrant. He also rejected a Baron Davis layup attempt with more gusto than all Knick big men in the last ten years have managed combined. Bender's offense did not lag behind. His very first touch was a loping lefty drive with an offhand finish at the rim. He also canned an open three from the corner, threw an assist, and went 4-4 from the foul line. Bender's appearance was an exciting, productive 14 minutes, and he may very well have inspired a Knick win with his unforeseen excellence.

And that, friends, is how my tendency to overreact to small sample sizes from exotic players trumped my distaste for the comeback story. Jonathan Bender is a monster. He is part Anthony Randolph, part Ent. It's very, very early, but my first impression of this second chance is a good one. Yes, I'm that easy.

I wouldn't expect everyone to be as easily impressed as I am, but a smattering of "DWJBD"s in the comments tells me I'm not alone. Share your first-glance thoughts in the comments.

After the jump, Big C's video of the performance.

Larry Brown's Young Players in the 2000s

David Arnott — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 14:28:19 -0000

More photos » by Tony Dejak - AP

Rookies! You're getting this many minutes, so show me what you've got!

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Let's take a look at the rookies and second year players Larry Brown has coached this decade. I'll list the teams, the players, and their minutes per game. Guys who went on to reasonably decent role player NBA careers or better are italicized.

This ignores Games Played, and obviously, some guys were blocked by legit starters, but... well... draw your own conclusions. All numbers are from the invaluable Basketball-Reference.com.

===

99-00 76ers -- Ira Bowman (1.8), Larry Hughes (20.4), Jumaine Jones (4.2), Todd MacCulloch (9.4), Nazr Mohammed (6.8)

00-01 76ers -- Raja Bell (6.0), Rodney Buford (12.2), Jumaine Jones (13.3), Todd MacCulloch (9.5), Pepe Sanchez (4.8)

01-02 76ers -- Raja Bell (12.0), Damone Brown (3.9), Speedy Claxton (22.8), Samuel Dalembert (5.2), Alvin Jones (5.5), Jabari Smith (10.0)

02-03 76ers -- Efthimi Rentzias (4.1), John Salmons (7.9), Kenny Satterfield (4.8)

03-04 Pistons -- Darko Milicic (4.7), Mehmet Okur (22.3), Tayshaun Prince (32.9)

04-05 Pistons -- Carlos Delfino (15.3), Ronald Dupree (10.0), Horace Jenkins (6.9), Darko Milicic (6.9), Smush Parker (10.0)

05-06 Knicks -- Trevor Ariza (19.7), Jackie Butler (13.5), Channing Frye (24.2), David Lee (16.9), Nate Robinson (21.4), Ime Udoka (14.3)

===

The first major caveat of a backwards-looking glance like this is that we don't know if Brown's methods helped or hurt anyone. Maybe John Salmons really did need to be eased into the rotation at just under 8 minutes per game, and that was the stepping stone experience he needed. Maybe Efthimi Rentzias was railroaded by Brown's total shutdown, and he's selling insurance in Greece because no one else would give him a chance after that.

So, should we be worried by the fact that not a single star has emerged from Larry Brown's influence, with the exception, perhaps, of Tayshaun Prince?

What I see from this list is that Brown will play the guys he thinks are going to help him immediately, and if a guy can't, he'll sit until he's older. That kills the guys whose ceilings are "decent starter". Todd MacCulloch was no great shakes, but he started at center for back to back NBA Finals teams. Samuel Dalembert won't blow you away with his game, but the year after Brown left, he missed the entire season on the injured list, then the next year began starting and has started at center in Philly ever since.

I get the distinct sense it's a very college-hoops-oriented approach: freshmen and sophomores have a higher bar to clear to prove they should play over juniors and seniors. Of course, in the NBA, young players are paid far below their free market value (as are superstars), so it behooves teams to get production from young players while they're cheap instead of sitting them until they reach their qualifying offer years, when their salaries will come more in line with their potential production.

Bulls 98, Knicks 89

Seth — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 04:39:41 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

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At a certain point, it's time to change up your game. Sticking with what works works, until what works stops working, you feel me? When the three-pointers keep bricking, it might be time to stop attempting them. When your 6-man rotation is getting tired, it might be time to find minutes for men 7-12. When your team stops attacking the basket and rebounding, it might be time to play your guard that attacks the basket and your big men who can board. Sorry for being snide, but the Knicks' faults in tonight's loss to the Bulls were deafeningly obvious. The Knicks shot too many threes and played too few players (and the wrong ones), and it doesn't take an expert to see that.

Notes, after the jump.

- New York started unreasonably hot from downtown. Al Harrington and Chris Duhon were gunning from the outset, and we were looking at a 17-point lead in a matter of minutes. If you thought an edifice built out of Harrington and Duhon threes was going to stand tall, you haven't watched Knicks basketball. That lead evaporated faster than you can say "Checking into the game for the Knicks, number 34, Eddy Curry".

- And that was the first major hiccup of the night. Curry checked in alongside Danilo Gallinari with 2 minutes left in the first, and things went downhill from there. Eddy called for touches impressively, but swallowed the ball as soon as it came his way. He would take too long to make his move, invite the Bulls' double, turn into the double, and then either mishandle the ball or throw up a blind hook shot. I like the idea of allowing bringing in Curry and Gallo as a tandem so one can free up shots for the other, but it won't work until Eddy's confident and oriented enough to pass competently.

- Speaking of Gallo, he and the Knicks completely neglected the two-point shot this evening, and paid the price. Even after the first quarter heat had dissipated, the Knicks kept shooting early and often. Ballhandlers kept missing cutters, so the cutters stopped cutting, then everything went to shit. Though nearly every Knick had a hand, Gallinari was the most disappointing of the perpetrators. Some late-game buckets helped his overall numbers, but Danilo's 6-17 from the field on 6-16 from three was inexcusable. Gallo's far too versatile to limit himself like that, particularly when he can't get his legs under those jumpers. Particularly on the multiple occasions he was marked by an undersized Bull, it would have behooved Danilo to drive and pull-up from the midrange or back his way down for some close buckets. We all know he can do it. Word has it the Bulls' announcers were talking smack about our prized youngster, and they had every right to do so this evening.

- As for the team's three-point shooting as a whole, there isn't much to say past the numbers themselves. They shot 16-47 (.340) from three and 31-86 (.360) total. Those 47 three-point takes broke the Knick record for attempts. They were one short of the NBA record. The 29 attempts in the first half were an NBA record. It was as laughable on television as it is on paper.

- Regarding the missing of cutters, some of the best stretches in those wins over Phoenix and Atlanta came when Wilson Chandler and Al Harrington got hit for open looks off of backdoor cuts. Tonight, like I said, the passes didn't arrive, so the cutters eventually saved their energy. After 11 first quarter assists, the Knicks finished with 21 on the game.

- Taj Gibson should have goggles.

- At one point in the third quarter, Chris Duhon hit a three-pointer, then stared down the Chicago bench with maybe the grimiest, most perverted look I've ever seen on a human being's face, all while leaving David Lee hanging on a high-five. He went 1-5 for the rest of the game. This sequence, to me, sums up Chris Duhon's entire existence.

- I was happy to see Toney Douglas get some minutes, but Ghostface failed to impress in his time against Kirk Hinrich and Derrick Rose. Toney's a defender by trade, but he's outside his mind if he thinks playing close on Hinrich 35 feet from the basket is going to end well. Toney's got the agility to stay in front of people, but he compromises that by face-guarding everybody all the time. Gotta pick your spots.

- Somebody needs to keep a list of the NBA names to which Clyde adds and extra "r" or two. Tonight's victim was Joakim "No-er" ("Knower"?).

- It was nice to see Wilson Chandler back down Kirk Hinrich a few times in the second half. That doesn't come close to compensating for his 1-6 from downtown, though.

- David Lee got his chin cut open in the fourth quarter, undoubtedly because Joakim Noah hasn't clipped his nails since July, and got just about the ghettoest tape job I've ever seen. It looked like his jaw fell off and somebody tried to stick it back on with bandaids.

- I got a little sassy in the intro paragraph about the rotation, so I guess I should explain. The Knicks look tired tonight, and Mike D'Antoni gave significant minutes to only 6 guys. Even with Jared Jeffries and David Lee in foul trouble, he stuck with the same 6 dog-tired players. Energy and activity were lacking. If you're hampered by injuries, this is excusable. If you've got Nate Robinson, Jordan Hill, and Marcus Landry- all of whom fit the description of "energetic" and "active"- riding the pine, you look silly. I know D'Antoni sticks to his guns, but he's got to see the signs. Everybody else watching the game saw the obvious. Nate gets the picture and the youngsters deserve more of a shot, and tonight was the night to break the trend. You stick with what works until it stops working.

- 5-18 on the night for Al Harrington. Somebody ought to start up some trade rumors again.

Again, tonight's loss was maddeningly simple. The Knicks are flying back to New York now and playing the Clippers tomorrow night. If D'Antoni sticks to his six and those six keep this up, we'll be in for another long night.

Gameday Preview Charlotte Bobcats vs. New York Knicks

David Arnott — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:46:05 -0000

Pump Up Music: Cowboy Mouth -- "Jenny Says"

The Big Picture: The New York Knicks come to the Cable Box tonight looking to continue a hot streak during which they've beaten Phoenix, Portland, and Atlanta. Though they're on a road trip, they ought to be well rested, since they last played on Friday at New Orleans.

The Knicks are in a position similar to the Bobcats for this season, in the sense that the playoffs are within sight and they're probably going to edge right up to those seven and eight seeds by game 82, but that's where the similarity ends. They play a super-fast pace, whereas the Cats tend to slow it down. Their coach loves the three point shot, and our coach grudgingly accepts it. But most important, as an organization, they're not playing for this season, whereas the Cats are going for everything they can get in 2009-10.

They've been winning despite benching Nate Robinson, who I'm pretty sure isn't a problem due to his performance. He's fifth on the team in True Shooting Percentage and fourth in eFG%, and he dishes assists nearly as often as Chris Duhon (their secret -- or not-so-secret -- black hole), so it's not like he's destroying their offense. Rather, the Knicks have had an ongoing attitude issue that Mike D'Antoni has struggled to address. If you're not playing for this season, then what are these guys playing for? If the hope is that these guys' competitive natures would take over and pull them through the full season without any other motivation, that seems rather shortsighted.

It would probably do both teams a world of good if they could trade a pinch of ethos here for a pinch of ethos there.

Key to Victory: Danilo Gallinari will probably come off the bench for New York, and he may play fewer than 30 minutes, but he represents the biggest matchup problem for Charlotte. A 6-9 forward, he leads the team in three point attempts and has made 45% of them. In our standard lineup, Gerald Wallace would usually guard him, but that would take him away from the basket to a degree most small forwards don't, and I'm worried the Knicks can find a rebounding advantage if they force Crash onto The Rooster.

Secondarily, David Lee is an excellent rebounder and I expect him to give Tyson Chandler fits. When Tyson gets the ball on offense, he simply doesn't have the offensive arsenal to exploit his size advantage, and Lee is probably a little quicker. When Lee is on offense, he can shoot from outside the key well enough that it has to be respected, finish with either hand, and he will rarely be outworked on the boards. We may well see Larry Brown limit Tyson to 20 minutes for effectiveness reasons, not foul trouble, and go with Diaw at center for long stretches.

Knicks 106, Nets 97

Seth — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 04:11:22 -0000

More photos » by Mary Altaffer - AP

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Like many Knicks games this season, tonight's win over the Nets was a tale of two halves. Thankfully, the opponent was helpless enough to render New York's own mood swings less than fatal. In the first half, we saw the familiar Knicks. They actually scored pretty effectively, but gave the Nets absolutely anything they wanted on the other end. The first two quarters today comprised the Nets' best half of the season. They league's worst team scored 61 points in the opening periods, keyed by Devin Harris, who drove to the rim and pulled-up from midrange pretty much unimpeded. In the second half? 36. The Knicks tightened up their defense and (aided slightly by the Nets' natural instincts to implode) turned a losing effort into a decisive win.

Notes, after the jump...

- Danilo Gallinari was back in uniform tonight (with a shooter's sleeve!), but Mike D'Antoni opted to ride the hot hand and keep Al Harrington in the starting lineup, which paid off nicely. From the outset, Al recognized the speed advantage he had over Josh Boone and exploited it mercilessly. Harrington's spin move is deadly, and he utilized it early and often to blow past Boone and finish at the rim. On the game, Al limited himself to only three threes, and did most of his work around the basket. He didn't just score either, finishing with a superb 24 points (10-18), 14 boards, and 5 assists in 40 minutes. Al's a hell of a player, and if he was always this motivated, nobody would be in favor of trading him.

- Just to emphasize that the quality of Harrington's dominant performance was a welcome departure from the usual, Clyde reacted to a gorgeous pass thrown Al to David Lee with "where did that come from!?".

- David Lee couldn't do much to stop Brook Lopez on offense (as Clyde said, "size matters"), but give credit to both Lee and Harrington for superb box-outs throughout the game. Lopez was muscled out of a number of rebounds, and finished with only 6 of his own. Lee and Harrington had 9 and 14 boards respectively, and worked hard for them.

- Lee also had his offense going, and kept Lopez honest by nailing his mid-range jumpers. That opened up the paint for Lee and others, as big Brookie had to step out to contest the J. That's an under-rated weapon, and it was a pleasure to see Dave score confidently from outside.

- Chris Duhon started attacking the rim, but just couldn't get a roll. He ended up 2-12, but I will say that he was, for the most part, missing the kinds of shots we'd like to see him take. There were more quick drives to the rim and less out-of-rhythm threes. That counts for something, I think. Not a great game, though.

- Danilo Gallinari made a relatively brief appearance today, probably owing to both his still-injured forearm and the recent resurgence of Al Harrington. Gallo was able to make an impact in his 21 minutes, though, with 3 three-pointers and 4 rebounds to his name.

- The Knicks were at their very worst in the second quarter, and it was a little disarming. One would like to think that the main advantage the Knicks have over a team like the Nets is their second unit, but Kiki Vandeweghe's bench thrived against the second-string Knicks. Rafer Alston (3-11) didn't shoot well, but had an easy team finding teammates like Keyon Dooling (4-7) for open shots. The pace quickened in the second, which you would think of as Knick-friendly, but New Jersey actually opened up a double-digit lead for part of the quarter.

- Chris Douglas-Roberts is very talented, very cool, and makes Joey look very wise. I love Gallo and wouldn't change a thing about that draft, but...damn.

- I'm disappointed in Clyde for not rhyming "Dooling" with something.

- This game was especially well mic'd, and we got to hear a lot of the on-court banter, including Al Harrington, after taking a hard fast break foul from Devin Harris, grumbling "I'm never gonna try and dunk again" while being peeled off the floor.

- Mike D'Antoni wielded his zone defense a few times, including in that second quarter in order to stifle the Nets' run. It worked pretty nicely for stretches, as Jared Jeffries or Wilson Chandler was able to roam the middle and help out on Brook Lopez to limit his touches and force other Nets to create offense.

- Al Trautwig casually snuck in a pretty ominous line during the halftime show: "The Knicks are what Chris Duhon is". Yikes.

- The young Garden audience (it was a noon start) spent much of the second half huffing and puffing at Mike D'Antoni's doghouse, begging for Nate Robinson. Chants of "we want Nate!" rained down even as the Knicks pulled away for the win, which leads me to conclude that the majority of New York-area youth don't do what Toney Douglas do just yet. This disappoints me. Weren't you little brats listening?

- In the third quarter, it was Larry Hughes of all people that keyed the run that eventually became the win. Hughes scored 12 in the period, including a personal stretch of 8 straight, and the Nets could never recover. Can't blame them. I've only just recovered.

- The guy who initiates that "I SAY D, YOU SAY FENSE!" chant sounds a lot like Xzibit to me. Since I haven't been to a game in a while, I'm gonna go ahead and assume that the Garden hype guy actually is Xzibit, since that's not at all out of the question, given his other work.

The Knicks have now won three of their last four, and look to add to their recent success tomorrow night against the Blazers. I have to be in class for pretty much the duration of the game (I know, right?), so I'll be in the market for a guest-recapper if anybody's interested. Let me know.

Knicks 114, Hawks 107

Seth — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 04:06:47 -0000

More photos » by Gregory Smith - AP

I would've liked to include a picture of Chris Duhon, but all photos taken of him scoring tonight are apparently being analyzed by the AP to guarantee authenticity. (AP Photo/Gregory Smith)

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That was confusing. After a three months of berating Chris Duhon and a full night of fawning over Al Harrington trade rumors, those very two Knicks co-piloted a convincing win tonight in Atlanta. Harrington dominated the first half with 25 points through the opening quarters, while Duhon was steady throughout, dropping a cool 25 and 10 in jaw-dropping, head-scratching, brain-melting fashion.

Details on those fellas and much more after the jump...

- Danilo Gallinari sat tonight because of a sore forearm. You might remember Matt Barnes decking Gallo into the Magic bench on Wednesday. Well, that apparently didn't feel too good on Danilo's shooting arm. The word is that there's no serious damage and Danilo should be back soon. In related news, I didn't commit infanticide this evening.

- The Knicks started this game down 11-0, at which point many people probably turned off their televisions. I, in fact, had yet to turn on my own. I arrived mid-way through the first, when the Knicks had nearly erased the deficit. That being the case, I feel no responsibility to go back and watch those first few minutes and rehash them for you, and I'm very happy about that.

- After all that, the Knicks actually finished the first quarter leading the Hawks 35-34. Once the Knicks started hitting, it became an old-fashioned shootout. The killer combo of Al Harrington and Chris Duhon had 28 of the Knicks 35 points in the first quarter. They each hit 3 three-pointers. I couldn't make this up.

- Harrington, overall, did his part to answer a lot of the criticism that's fallen upon him since the Tyrus Thomas rumors blew up. Al didn't suddenly become unselfish or anything, but he did manage to drain a lot of the shots we tend to scold him for taking. Al finished with 27 points on 11-17 shooting, including 4-8 from three on the night, and was nothing short of brilliant in the first half. If there's anything to buoy our demands that he be dealt, it was his stark drop-off in the second half, in which he was 1-4 by my count. Sticking with the here and now, though, Al Harrington was key in the New York victory tonight, and we thank him for that.

- Chris Duhon was something else entirely. First, let me remind everybody that Du has caught two months of grief not because he's a bad player, but because he consistently failed to flex his muscles and assert his bounty of point guard talent when it counted. At least that's how I've felt. Anyone who saw his stretch of brilliance early last season or his passionate play in training camp this September knows Chris possesses the skills to be an effective lead guard. For perhaps the first time this season, he showed that. Duhon not only ran the pick-and-roll brilliantly, he looked for his own shot both from the outside and, most importantly, at the rim. When David Lee's roll to the basket was shut off, Du would take off and glide to the rim for acrobatic lay-ins. It was a sight to be seen, and something we've been waiting on for months. Hats off to Chris Duhon, and here's hoping his newfound mojo is here to stay.

- Josh Smith got pretty frustrated with Al Harrington's savior-like play in the first half, and eventually blew his top. Smith's already got a chronic case of Meanface, but he took it to another level after a non-call and eventually got tossed by Bob Delaney. That didn't help matters for a Hawks team that just couldn't get it done on offense.

- Oh, can we all agree to call Josh Smith "The Flying Pug"? I'd really like that nickname to stick. My attempt to anoint Marvin Williams "Milk" (since he was a bad choice over Chris Paul and Deron Williams) didn't really pan out. I need at least one of my Hawks monikers to amount to something.

- That "Two Generations of Cool" thing with Frank Sinatra and Jay-Z concerts is on MSG tonight, and Walt Frazier and Kenny Albert had the following conversation in that vein:

Kenny: "Clyde, did you ever see Frank Sinatra in concert?"

Clyde: "Once, I did."

Kenny: "And how was it?"

Clyde: "Asdfasdfasdfasdf"

- The Knick defense and shot selection was superior to their previous game against Atlanta and, well, about 15 other games this season, but the Hawks also deserve recognition for failing to make shots from absolutely everywhere on the floor. They shot 4-23 as a team from downtown and I'm pretty sure I saw someone miss a tip-in from inside the basket. Sometimes the rim's got a lid.

- I don't think I'd want to play pick-up ball with David Lee. At least not in a game where you call your own fouls.

- Just to emphasize how well Duhon played tonight, I should mention that he personally generated two of Clyde's favorite rhymes. Du was both "swishing and dishing" and "driving and thriving" this evening, whereas he'd spent the first 19 games totally rhyme-free. If anything, he was "chucking and sucking" or something.

- Also, Clyde used the phrase "scoring extravaganza" twice tonight, which is exactly two more times than that phrase has been used by any other announcer in the history of color commentary.

- Shit, Clyde was on fire tonight. "Ain't that Pachulia"? That's goddamn brilliant.

- There was a fun little stretch in the third quarter during which Al Horford and Al Harrington kept going one-on-one with each other to determine who was the superior "Al H.". If I could pick one adjective to describe the showdown, it would be "mouthguard".

- We shouldn't forget Wilson Chandler in the midst of all this Harrington and Duhon hooplah. Wil put in hard work against Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams, and finished with 18 points on 8-17 shooting. He kept himself to 1-3 from downtown, and instead did a nice job attacking the rim. He even caught an alley-oop at one point, which made me feel a little like the announcers in Semi-Pro. I hadn't seen an oop in a long time.

- A monstrous 17 and 18 for David Lee. Top-notch, David.

- Larry Hughes had 10 in the fourth quarter. Marvelously done, Lawrence.

- Other than Hughes, D'Antoni kept his bench rotation typically short. Tonight, it was just Marcus Landry, who did nothing of note in 6 minutes, and Toney Douglas, who played some excellent off-the-ball D, shot 3-5 for 6 points, and pretty much did what Toney Douglas do.

In summary, I can't say I saw that coming, but I'm plenty happy with the results. Next game's Sunday against the Nets, who thankfully recorded their first win of the season tonight against the Bobcats. Consider that a bullet dodged. Everybody have a splendid night and I'll talk to y'all tomorrow.

Post-Game Media Availability: Just Another Win, Nothing More

erivera7 — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:28:35 -0000

More photos » by Phelan M. Ebenhack - AP

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The Orlando Magic may have the most wins in the NBA with a 15-4 record, for the moment, after a win against the New York Knicks but the coaches and players know that it means nothing. The individuals on the Magic understand that they still need to get better. Complacency may be an issue for other teams in the league but perhaps not for Orlando, given what head coach Stan Van Gundy demands from his squad night-in and night-out.

I was able to ask a few questions to Van Gundy amongst the media, as well as speak with Ryan Anderson one-on-one, Matt Barnes, Mickael Pietrus one-on-one, Rashard Lewis, Brandon Bass, and Dwight Howard.

Here's what they had to say:

Stan Van Gundy:

With Jason Williams, it seemed like he had very active hands tonight. Could you talk about his defense?

I thought our whole team ... the one thing we did a real good job ... at the end of the day, their field goal percentage was real good because in the fourth quarter, we sort of shut it down but until then, we had guarded pretty well. I thought our whole team was really dialed in on their pick and roll game tonight. We got beat ... the two things they hurt us with was just individual, one-on-one going by us. We didn't guard very well one-on-one and they hurt us on the boards, particularly in the first half, but our pick and roll defense was the best it's ever been against them. I thought we did a very good job of rotating over to David Lee on the roll earlier and making that pass a little bit tougher. It's a pass they've killed us in the past so I was pretty happy overall. Now because we were in the paint, they got some threes and they knocked them down and hurt us there, but I was happy with the effort our guys did on the pick and rolls.

Could you talk about Mickael Pietrus' aggressiveness on offense? I know you've talked about, in the past, his threes and how sometimes he passes them up when he should be shooting them.

Well, the one thing I've really liked about M.P. the last couple of games, if you go back even to the Miami game here, he missed three in a row in the left corner, which is a great shot for him but he didn't hesitate on any of them. In the past, if M.P. had missed two, he would have hesitated. He had been in a little bit of a slump for a couple of games but he has shot good shots and hopefully he understands that if he continues to shoot good shots when he's open, he's going to shoot a good percentage from the three on the year because he's a very good shooter and so he's just got to understand three-point shooting is not going to something where you 2-5 every night to shoot 40%. You're going to 5-6, then you're going to go 0-5, something like that. That's the nature of long-range shooting and if he continues that, I have confidence that at the end of the year, he's going to be a guy that's shot it really well.

More after the jump (it's a long transcript; 'getcha popcorn ready').

Ryan Anderson:

I know that tonight you're shot wasn't falling but you did seem more aggressive attacking the basket, trying to get to the free-throw line. Could you talk about that?

Well, when my shot is not falling like you said tonight, you got to do something to get back into a rhythm, get into a flow of the game. The second half, when I came in the fourth quarter, my goal was to just get my hands on some balls and get some tips and rebound. When you're having a bad shooting night, you want to shoot yourself out of it, but at the same time, I want to do what's best for the team and keep the momentum and obviously win the game so I think at that point, we had some guys that were really hot and we were just focusing on getting all the boards and help them out.

I know that Brandon Bass played mostly at the five, a little bit at the four, but mostly at the five. How do you think his game complements to you when you're both on the floor at the same time?

I mean, Brandon is an incredibly talented player. I've said it from the beginning, he can do so many different things. He's a strong player, I think he really complements me. He's a lot like Dwight [Howard] in the sense that we can go to him down low in the post and he'll make good decisions. At the same time, we can spread the court while having him down low and a lot of guys aren't really going to guard him like Dwight so he's going to be able to get to the hoop a bit easier but yeah, he did a great job.

Do you think the dimension of Bass being able to shoot the mid-range jumper is a little bit different from what Howard brings at the five?

Yeah, I mean, there's not a lot of jump-shooting fives. Guys kind of lay off and don't really guard him up-tight when they're around the perimeter but guys have to really focus on guarding Brandon because he can shoot that. If they want to lay off, he can shoot and score every time so it adds a really good dimension to our team. I think, especially when we not might be in the right flow, he can kind of change it up. He just definitely changes the game in a good way.

You guys are going to be going on your first West Coast road trip, what's the focus - other than winning - for the team?

I mean, yeah, we just want to carry on from our last road trip. Keep getting wins, keep getting momentum, and obviously we play L.A. [Clippers] so that's going to be a good game. We really look forward to playing. Playing in the West Coast, in general, is a tough trip ... back-to-back days, just traveling can really wear you down, but we're really focused and I think we'll be ready to go.

Given that you're from the West Coast, is it nice to be able to go back?

Oh yeah, I mean, it's real nice to go back and see your family, see your old friends. In Golden State, Cal-Berkeley is 10 minutes away so it's real close and I can see my old buddies and stay in contact with them.

Matt Barnes:

Could you talk a little bit about Brandon's performance tonight? He had 17 points in 18 minutes.

Brandon played great. Myself and Brandon have kind of been in a tough spot lately, we've kind of been in and out of the rotation, but coach [Stan Van Gundy] keeps preaching to us to stay ready. We're doing all the extra work we need on the side to stay ready, when our number is called, we got to perform and I thought Brandon did a great job tonight.

With the record where it is right now, does it feel nice to know that the hard work you guys have been putting in is starting to pay off?

Yeah, definitely, it's a sign of a good team when you're able to learn on the fly and still win but I think that's what we're doing. I think our chemistry is slowly coming along and we're still getting wins and I think that's very important.

Stan praised the pick and roll defense, saying it's the best it's ever been against the Knicks.

It was huge, it was huge. We needed that. They really hurt us last time in New York with the pick and roll defense and we knew that was the main part of their offense and we took that away. The points are going to have to come from other places so we made that happen.

Was it a matter of energy or what?

We just changed [the pick and roll defense] up. We had a different coverage last game and this game, we went back to our normal coverage and we really focused on it and shut it down.

Mickael Pietrus:

Stan said that he liked your aggressiveness these past few games on offense. Do you feel like you're starting to come around, getting into a rhythm?

Yeah, I was trying to get a rhythm offensively for my team, trying to go to the basket, drive and dish for Dwight, and I tried to play all-in-one basketball. Having to focus so much on defense, I won't let it go, but I have to bring a little more offensively for my team, even though I'm not the man, I can still help my team accomplish what we're trying to accomplish.

I know Stan praised the pick and roll defense. What was the difference between Sunday and tonight?

Just trying to get better, we've been working hard these last couple of days working on the pick and roll and some nights it won't be there, so we have to learn from how good our defense was tonight and make sure when we go out West, we're going to do the same job.

You and Rashard [Lewis] really got it going in the third quarter, making threes after threes. Does it seem like the basket gets bigger when you're making shots?

No, no, no, probably from working hard but that's what we try to do, get better every day, and try to get better as a player. We had a chance to make shots tonight and that's what we need to do.

Rashard Lewis:

Stan praised the pick and roll defense. What was the different tonight as opposed to Sunday against the Knicks?

We played our old pick and roll defense. We changed it up. When we played in New York, we tried something different and it didn't work. They're a great pick and roll team and tonight we really paid a lot of attention to their pick and rolls and tried to take them out of it and make them shoot long shots.

Do you feel like you guys are starting to achieve better balance offensively, playing the inside-out game with Dwight?

I mean, that's just how we got to play. That's the way our offense is designed, 4-out/1-in, and when we get it to him and he's dominating in the paint, then the defense has to collapse on him. Then when you collapse on him, you're leaving four perimeter guys on the wing, and all four of us can shoot the ball so as long we move the ball around and he's making a good pass out of the double-team, then I think we're a great offensive team.

Brandon played mostly at the five tonight, what difference does he bring at that position, other than the mid-range shooting that he brings?

He obviously plays strong down low, he's very athletic, and he can rebound the ball. Not only that, he can step out, face up on the [isolation], and shoot that elbow jumpshot from 15 to 17 feet and when we played David Lee at the five, they played a pretty small lineup, so it just depends on who you're playing against. I thought Stan did a great job of doing his rotations tonight.

When Brandon plays the four, do you guys run any 3-out/2-in sets?

A little bit of 3-out/2-in, but he still can spread the floor. Not to the three-point line, but to the elbow jumpshot or 17 feet out close to the three-point line, and that just lets us know, that even with him, that's Plan B and he can still step out to shoot the jumper.

Brandon Bass:

With your mid-range shooting, do you think you cause mismatch problems at the five because centers don't normally do that?

Right, because when I was with Dallas [last year], we played at our best when I was at the five and Dirk [Nowitzki] was at the four because I used to spread out the floor and everybody was trying to get to me, Dirk, [Jason] Terry for threes, and things like that but I guess [it's] different nights.

Do you feel more comfortable playing the five as opposed to the four?

It don't matter what I play. It don't matter whether I play the four or the five, I just be trying to get on the floor.

If you want me to play the three, I'll play the three. *laughs*

It's whatever but I think fives, they don't want to run with somebody like me and be as active as me, kind of be a center, so I think some nights it'll be great for us.

Is Stan cognizant [of your strengths at the five]?

I don't think that he be thinking about ... well, tonight was a night where he probably thought it would be great for me to play [the five], by them going so small and having somebody around my height playing the five, things like that.

Do you feel like it's taken some time for you to develop a niche on this team?

Oh yeah, oh yeah, it always takes some time. I'm a person of repetition. Even when I was in school, me constantly doing things, that's why I shoot so many jumpshots. I'm not a person that can just sleep for a week and make shots so I got to keep on doing it and everything I do, for me to be great at it, I got to keep on doing it.

Defensively, what have you been trying to improve on in practice and what not?

See, I'm a great one-on-one defender but just the team, the system. We play defense different from the [New Orleans] Hornets and [the] Dallas [Mavericks], so things like that. Our defensive system, I got to improve on.

Is it the terminology or the rotations?

Rotations. We do some stuff that nobody, I don't even know nobody ... with the two teams I've been with, that do what we do. Coach [Stan Van Gundy] is very detailed and I think that's why he's as good of a coach as he is and that's why we're as good of a team as we are.

Do you feel comfortable now in the defensive system?

We all are trying to make progress on the defensive end. I think that's great for us. I think, come playoff time, we should be at our best and every day I'm trying to improve on something.

Dwight Howard:

Stan praised the pick and roll defense tonight. What was it specifically that you guys were able to do?

Everybody did their jobs tonight. We were there with the pick and rolls early, we talked, we were active ... the bigs were active, me and Marcin [Gortat] and Brandon were active on the pick and rolls and we just really concentrated on that area tonight and it worked so our defense is slowly but surely picking up and hopefully we can continue to get better at it and everybody wants to get better and we'll be at the top.

What's going to be the biggest challenge on the West Coast road trip, aside from winning the games?

Biggest challenge? I don't know. We love playing on the road. I think playing on the road is the best time for a lot of guys to get a chance to just be with the team. Just focus on what you go to do so we're doing pretty good.

is road games usually a great barometer for separating the good teams from the elite or the average from the good?

You have to be able to win on the road, especially like I said, getting down into the playoffs, you play teams on the road and it's hectic. It's crazy and you have to be able to win in those types of environments and also protect home.

Magic 118, Knicks 104

Seth — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:25:45 -0000

More photos » by Phelan M. Ebenhack - AP

This game was ugly. Can't blame either of these guys for crying. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

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Well, that wave of competence didn't ride long, did it? In fact, the Knicks picked up just about where they left off on Sunday against the Magic. After keeping things relatively competitive in the first half, New York once again allowed the Orlando gunners to shoot the game out of reach. After a brilliant performance last night, tonight was more of the usual. The defense was consistently a step slow, the shot selection was poor, and the team-wide verve from Tuesday had completely faded. Much of that can be credited to the Magic, who moved the ball briskly on offense, defended superbly on and off the ball, and generally made the Suns look like a gaggle of chumps by comparison.

Some notes, after the jump...

- Tonight's big story was the full-on explosion of something that smoldered and sparked last night. Nate Robinson did not play. Not a single minute. Alan Hahn just tweeted D'Antoni's explanation of the benching, and it's equal parts vague and threatening:

"It’s just something we’re trying to build a winning group and you have to go with that."

"We want to win and if he’s conducive to winning then he’ll obviously be back in the lineup. If not, then not."

Coach has been peeved by Robinson's flimsy defense and occasional displays of immaturity, and this is clearly his way of sending a message. Particularly following Nate's torrid fourth quarter on Sunday, that's a strong message to send. And you know what? As much as Nate's presence is missed, I'm on board. It's refreshing to see someone really challenge the little dude- who's now in his fifth year, mind you- to focus and play to his potential. If benching is D'Antoni's best answer, then so be it. I ask only that he be even-handed. If Nate has to ride the pine for stretches, then Al Harrington should probably take a seat as well, and Chris Duhon should be hit over the head with a chair. Each of those guys has been equally disappointing in the talent-to-output ratio.

- Harrington, Robinson, and Jared Jeffries were seen dancing and singing along to "We Will Rock You" during the pre-game festivities. Toney Douglas did not look impressed. Listening to Queen is apparently not what Toney Douglas do. You're all on notice. More on TD later.

- The earliest indicator that Orlando wasn't going to fold defensively like Phoenix did was the way they covered baseline cuts to the basket. Larry Hughes got his early assists against Phoenix because he repeatedly hit Knick forwards in stride off of backdoor cuts. Dwight Howard et al., though, did a superb job of identifying and reacting to any off-the-ball movement, and Hughes repeatedly had to swallow his pass when Howard flashed in front of the cutter. This made for some rather unsightly outside shots.

- On the other end, Howard simply couldn't be stopped by any combination of miniature Knicks. Guys doubled, but they couldn't really use the baseline properly or close him off from passes except for a few instances. Whatever. It's not like we have to worry about that matchup in the postseason.

- Danilo Gallinari, for his part, did not return to his comfortable corner hideout, but he did post a prolific but sub-optimal shooting night. Gallo buried a three within 15 seconds of tipoff, and didn't stop shooting after that. As the game progressed, though, Danilo's shots grew more and more forced, and he ended up with an unsightly (but not awful) 5-14 line. I was happy to see the kid get that many shots up, and ecstatic that he attempted 10 free throws, but he's gotta strike a balance between coasting and chucking. It feels weird to say that after lamenting Danilo's lack of shots in previous games, but I really expect the best from him.

Meanwhile, Gallinari's simply got to adapt better on defense. We know Danilo is athletic enough to defend capably (see Tuesday's game), but he doesn't always have his head on straight. Case in point: If Mickael Pietrus has just hit three straight three-pointers, CLOSE OUT. Let him beat you off the dribble. Bite on his pump fakes. Just make him do something different. I guess that comes with familiarity and coaching, but like I said, I expect the best from Danilo Gallinari. Not a terrible game for The Cock, but there's room to improve.

- Al Harrington is dedicated to keeping the memories of past Knicks alive. Not only does he pull the chair like Malik Rose used to, he's resurrected Quentin Richardson's tendency to scream "HEY" whenever he feels contact.

- 8 first quarter turnovers is probably not an ideal statistic if you're trying to win a basketball game, especially when you shoot as poorly as the Knicks do. Can't waste possessions.

- In Nate's absence, Toney Douglas was the first guard off the bench. In the second quarter, and also in garbage time later on, Toney DWTDD like he's been known to. Toney scored a quick 17 points on 7-11 shooting in 20 minutes. I'm still not blown away by his passing, but the rook's range and intermediate game (such a pretty floater!) make me drool just a little. I continue to be impressed by his D as well, though someone needs to tell him to use his forearms, not his hands.

- Remember that time David Lee told me he intended to keep his mouth shut amongst the replacement refs? Well, we've got regular refs now, but Dave ain't exactly minding his manners. Lee bitches constantly, and it got to the point that D'Antoni scolded him for dawdling up the court because he was chewing out an official. I don't especially care...just saying. I don't like getting LIED TO, David.

- While we're talking about him, I was happy to see Lee drag Dwight Howard out of his domain by making catches near the perimeter, but I found myself wishing he'd take Howard off the dribble instead of attempting jumpers.

- It's weird how much Jared Jeffries's jumper form has regressed since he was wetting J's in preseason. It's like the warm weather loosened up some ligaments in his wrist that have since reverted to a state that causes his shots to spin in three different directions simultaneously.

- At the risk of sounding psychotic, I'd really like to cook and eat Dwight Howard's shoulders, and then do the same with Brandon Bass's to compare taste and texture. I'd bet Anthony Johnson would make a fine cut of meat as well. Word has it they hand-feed him beer and massage him daily to marble the fat.

- Rashard Lewis is probably kinda gamy. I'm sorry. I'll stop.

- Wilson Chandler might not be rising as high as he was last season, but his second jump is pretty quick for a guy who recently had ankle surgery. For a guy that takes a lot of tough shots near the rim, the ability to get his own rebound and stick it back is prized. 24 (10-18) and 5 for Wil, by the way, though it seemed like all of that came in garbage time.

- This movie Brothers looks really rough. Similar story to Pearl Harbor, but probably a lot less funny when you're high.

- Mickael Pietrus shimmies? Nobody informed me that Mickael Pietrus shimmies. Do other people in Guadeloupe shimmy? Did a Guadeloupean invent the shimmy? I always thought the shimmy was strictly American. If that's a foreign import, than what else have we got? Monster trucks?

- Speaking of Pietrus, MSG accidentally displayed his game stats alongside a photo of Donté Greene, which is their subtle way of reminding us that all sorts of fringe starters have looked like All-Stars against the Knicks this season.

- Chris Tucker was at Amway Arena tonight. King Kong ain't got shit on him, if you catch my drift.

- I was really psyched for extended garbage time, but Toney and Wil were the only two to really have an impact. Marcus Landry missed a bunch (1-5), and Jordan Hill was a little less trigger-happy than last night. He hit one of two jumpers and got the wind knocked out of him by Brandon Bass's ass a few times.

- Darko Milicic was bench-bound again tonight, which would qualify as a DNP-BMDISETDHITTSOAK. Enjoy. (Incidentally, your winner from last night is FreeBradshaw. Well done, sir.)

Anyway, after last night's sudden and overwhelming majesty, tonight was a hasty retreat to mediocre Knicks basketball. I wouldn't expect otherwise. Next game's Friday in Atlanta. We'll talk before then.

Knicks 126, Suns 99

Seth — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 05:06:33 -0000

More photos » by Frank Franklin II - AP

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Wow. In a season full of miscues and misery, that was just what the doctor ordered. The Knicks invited the Suns into the Garden, spanked them mercilessly, then sent the league's best team packing. Shots fell and the defense clicked as the Knicks built a lead and never really looked back. A number of different players stepped up and filled their roles with aplomb. Phoenix, meanwhile, played the part of the home team, flubbing easy plays and exerting very little effort en route to their first sub-100-point output of the season. The Knicks' best stuff and the Suns' worst just happened to coincide, and I must say it was positively exquisite.

Notes, after the jump...

I mentioned that each Knick played his role brilliantly. I wasn't kidding. Check it:

- Wilson Chandler got things started by driving to the basket on offense, getting fouled early and connecting at the line. Later, he canned a couple open threes (2-3) and otherwise let the offense come to him. On the other end, D'Antoni chose to match Wil with Steve Nash, which worked nicely, as Chandler was quick enough to stay near (not in front of. Nobody does that.) Nash, and big enough to disrupt his passes and switch onto Amare' Stoudemire when picks were set.

- Chris Duhon (2-8) didn't shoot as well as he did in the previous game, but hit a pretty big three, dished out 5 assists, and spent 23 minutes on the bench. Perfect.

- Al Harrington (8-14) took a reasonable number of shots and hit most of them. He also pulled down 8 rebounds.

- David Lee registered 24 points and 8 boards, actually made an effort to defend Stoudemire, and didn't get embarrassed on help defense because the Suns hardly attacked the rim. Lee's hands were up, too, as indicated by his 4 steals.

Those Knicks did their jobs. These Knicks went above and beyond:

- Larry Hughes up and stole the point guard reins from Chris Duhon in early going, dropping 8 dimes in the first quarter and finishing with 12 on the night. He demanded the ball, directed traffic in the halfcourt set, and hit cutters with pinpoint passes. It was beautiful. Hughes's 11 points and 4 steals were just gravy. That little display of competent point guard play was tremendous. Not to continue to dump on Duhon after a win, but Larry's leadership made a massive difference. Evidence: The Knicks started the second quarter with Hughes on the floor and won the first 4 minutes 12-10. Duhon then checked in for Hughes, and the Suns promptly went on an 8-3 run. Hughes then re-entered, and the Knicks won the next four and half minutes 17-12. I'm not just saying...I'm just saying...

- I can't say enough about Jared Jeffries's play. He was mostly a garbagebro on offense (4-6, 10 points), and I mean that in the best way possible. The rest of his line, though, is what stands out. 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks, and a steal are marks of a job well done by Jeffries, and he did that in just 25 minutes. Jared's quiet contributions helped keep the Knicks afloat when it looked like the Suns were poised to strike. Superb game.

- Finally, a big ol' Rooster Salute for Danilo Gallinari. Gallo asserted himself just like we hoped he would, finishing with 27 points, 10 boards, and 2 monstrous Cock-blocks. Gallo was potent from downtown (6-12, and it would've been more with a kinder rim), but didn't just settle for threes. He looked much more confident and made his way into the center of the court to participate more in the offensive flow. There were backdoor cuts, frontdoor cuts, and even a stop-and-pop banker from about 12 feet out.If you're on Twitter, hit up @gallinari8888 and tell him to keep up the great work. Gallo's shot at stardom is tied to the kind of confidence and aggression we saw him from him tonight.

The rest of the notes:

- Billie Jean King was interviewed by Al Trautwig at courtside, and finished her conversation by calling Trautwig "Babes". The following dialogue ensued:

Breen: "Did she just call Al 'Babes?'"

Clyde: "She's from the 70s."

Breen: "Don't you go call Al that now."

- King also took the opportunity to smack some tennis balls into the crowd during a timeout. One of them whizzed perilously close to Channing Frye's head, and Frye reacted with that memorable look of puzzlement we first witnessed in his "sometimes, dinner was just crackers" Garden of Dreams commercial. If you remember that MSG ad, you're officially a pimp by P&T standards (and a moron by everyone else's standards, but forget those guys.)

- Nate Robinson got very little burn in this one. The way Hughes was playing, I guess he wasn't really needed. Robinson didn't show any blatant displeasure, and actually did a nice job pushing the tempo in his 10 minutes.

- Amare' Stoudemire, who I'd typically consider to be a pretty good shot-blocker, didn't even bother to contest a lot of the Knicks' drives into the paint. Either Stoudemire's defense has fallen off or David Lee is contagious.

- Apparently some sort of rodeo is coming to MSG, and I feel obligated to pass along the information that the Garden will be "filled with the world's toughest cowboys and rankest bulls". I know P&T folks like their bulls rank, so I figured I'd share for those of you who missed the ad.

- P&T hero Frederic Weis coined the term "Knickslexia" to describe the phenomenon of reading a winning Knicks score backwards, because your tendency to assume they're losing overrides what you actually perceive. If you checked out the 71-58 score at halftime, odds are you got all kinds of Knickslexic.

- Robin Lopez is something else. No, really. He's something else.

- Clyde always mocks Mike Breen for being a ballhog on the basketball court. Do we have any evidence that these two have actually played ball together? If so, is it on video? If so, can I have it?

- Goran Dragic probably doesn't wear a diaper on the court, but he might.

- With the season's first real blowout came the season's first real garbage time. It was magical. Toney Douglas DWTDD for a sec, burying two threes and handing out a couple assists. Jordan Hill shot and missed a bunch (2-7) but looked active (to use the adjective that's gradually becoming his middle name) and showed off some of his typically fluid moves, with a jump shot to boot. Jordan Hill is pretty good at basketball. Mark my words. Marcus Landry got to spin as well, and hit a three just to ice the cake.

- Darko Milicic, despite chants from the crowd, was a DNP-BHWCSIYMHPGT. See if you can crack that one.

Tonight was marvelous. Thanks go to everybody who commented, and also to the Knicks for putting together a masterpiece of a performance in beating the league's best team. I got a little choked up for a bit there.

I'm sure we'll have video and some more excitement in the morning, but there isn't much time to bask. The Knicks head straight to Orlando for another meeting with the Magic tomorrow night. Could they possibly keep the dream alive?