While the offseason talk among the Knicks has been more concerned with excitement and entertainment than with actual results, yesterday proved that both things can exist in unison. Jamal Crawford and company overran the Heat for about 3 and a half quarters and withstood a late Miami comeback on their way to a 120-115 victory. Crawford, who spoke the season's opening words before the game among raucous cheers of the Garden crowd, led the team with 29 points and was supported by five other Knicks in double figures. The game was an early indictment what new head coach Mike D'Antoni is all about: Sharing the ball, pushing the tempo and having fun on the basketball court. Of course that fun only reaches the group that is actually on the court and playing which didn't include highly prized veterans Stephon Marbury and Eddy Curry yesterday, who both got a big, large DNP and were the night's huge stroyline next to the actual victory. But first to the happenings on the court. Offensively the Knicks looked like they are truly buying into the newly system which is based on a lot of player movement, tempo, unselfish passing and good spacing. Nearly at all times during the game we could witness extra passes, sharp cuts to the basket and quick uptempo basketball. Jamal Crawford, Zach Randolph and Nate Robinson at times fell back into old habits of overdribbling and boneheaded decisions. But you can't take all their individual strength away in favor of the team concept, therefor these guys are by far the Knicks most talented offensive players and they have to create on their own from time to time. While it's hard to really pick out an individual in New York's exceptional team effort, Wilson Chandler (17 points, 9 rebounds) looked the best among the guys in orange in blue. At times, he seemed like the best athlete in the building (even with Shawn Marion and Dwyane Wade suiting up for the Heat) and he presented us a newfound confidence he didn't possess last year. When I talked to him last season he said confidence would be a huge factor for him making the next big step as a player and judging by the preseason and last night's performance, he's well on his way. He moved great without the ball and constantly found holes in the Miami defense, finishing strong on most of his drives. He also was the lone Knick who actually resembled somewhat of an inside presence defensively, challenging a bunch of shots and playing hard nosed, aggressive defense. Which brings us to the big problem this Knicks team will face in the upcoming months. Sure, mental lapses like at the end of the fourth quarter, when they let a 21 point lead dwindle down to 3, are bad. But the defense is what will present the most problems to a team that is undersized and also not very adapt defending their own basket. The Miami Heat, starting combo forwards Michael Beasley and Shawn Marion and no true center, were a good matchup for the Knicks. But even against a small Heat frontline David Lee, Zach Randolph and Malik Rose had huge trouble inside. Otherwise you wouldn't allow 6-8 Udonis Haslem to explode for 23 points on 10 for 14 shooting. Those are all star numbers, the only problem is that Haslem is as close to being an all star as he is to being a professional ballet dancer. Which for all of you believing in his dancing skills, is damn near impossible. What will happen when the Knicks face true All Stars on the inside? The likes of Dwight Howard, Chris Bosh or Kevin Garnett? Sure, with speed and agility the pairing of Randolph and Lee will also present some problems for strong powerful frontlines trying to defend them but in the end, size is what matters in this league and it will prevail over any gimmick lineup the Knicks will try to assemble. It isn't just the big men matchup alone but the inability of the Knicks to rotate and challenge shots. Once a guard beats his man, he has as much stress scoring in New York's paint as he would have lying on the beach in Florida during the offseason. The Knicks frontline lacks length, size and actual athleticism. While Lee is a good athlete, he doesn't play big at all and neither do his teammates upfront. Something needs to happen here, there's no question about it. But as we all know, this Knicks team isn't a finished product by any means which leads us to the other big storyline of the evening.
Eddy Curry and Stephon Marbury, two cornerstones of the former Knicks regime under Isiah Thomas, didn't play a minute in yesterday's game, fueling discussions of both players' status under D'Antoni. Curry isn't in the rotation because he came in out of shape, something that finally has backfired on him after years of too many cookies in the summer. But Marbury's demotion came surprising, mostly maybe to some fans who chanted "We want Steph" in the third quarter, met my boos from other fans. D'Antoni is showing his teeth here and he makes it clear that you can only crack this rotation by sporting a winning attitude and a team first mindset. By sitting both Curry and Marbury he also slams the door behind the recent Knicks era of overpriced veterans, losses over losses and a boatload of scandals. Neither Curry nor Marbury figure to be in the longterm plans of the Knicks (unless they change their ways which especially for the 31 year old Marbury is unlikely) and with the building of a future core picking up steam, they are the odd men out. Maybe they will soon be used as a trade bait to find a few young guys who might fit into the plans of D'Antoni and GM Donnie Walsh of creating a young base or clearing cap space for the summer of 2010 when many big name free agents will be available. Al Harrington is all but gone in Golden State and seems to be on the Knicks radar and Memphis point guard Jarvaris Crittenton, who looks perfectly suited for playing under D'Antoni, is also rumored to be available. While all this drama took a lot of today's headlines, let's remember what yesterday's game was about. The Knicks and their fans celebrated the start of a new era with a victory and a thunderous party before, during and after the game. It is a small little step and there will come a lot more bumps in the road but the New York Knicks are finally on their way back out of hell. It'll be a long journey but for now, Knicks fans, just enjoy the moment and look ahead to what might happen a few years down the road or even next Sunday, when the Milwaukee Bucks visit the Garden. Once again the Knicks will play a meaningful game and it should be exciting, just like last night...
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