The Knicks Have A Plan

As I was about to throw my phone across the room in anger because the Knicks were about to let their first really good point guard since Rod Strickland (smh) walk away I saw this aura with a orange hue hover above me.

It was the ghost of Knicks coaching great Red Holtzman who prevented me from making a $250 mistake.

Enough intro, here’s what happened:

Red: what the hell is wrong with you?
Me: I’m sick of this damn team! Every year it’s the same old (bleep). Bring in older players, poor contracts, and letting go of really good players that we really need. Why?!?! Why us?!?! Did you see our draft?! Kostas Posdonous? Who the hell is that.
Red: (to the side) let me not bring up why we have no draft picks.
Me: huh?!
Red: nothing. Look, calm down Kevin it’s not the end of the world. What of I told you that the Knicks had an actual plan?
Me: is Isaiah Thomas apart of it?
Red: thank god no! It’s bigger than even his narrow- minded head could come up with. You should thank the Houston Rockets for doing you a huge favor.
Me: you’re losing me Red.
Red: have you seen that contract? It’s horrible. 5 mill over the first two seasons then 14 mill in the last season. If the Knicks agree to that then they’ll be paying $40 mill after luxury tax rapes them in the last year of that deal.
Me: … Ouch.

(side note: while everyone was dissecting Carmelo Anthony’s “ridiculous contract” statement… Um he’s right. I liked Linsanity, I like Jeremy Lin, but in two years unless he actually becomes Steve Nash 2.0 do I want to kill my luxury dollars on him? Hell no.)

Red: yup. Who knows if this kid is more than a 35 game wonder. Why kill your dollars for him?
Me: ok Red, I get that… BUT WE HAVE NO POINT GUARDS!!! We just signed Jason Kidd at 39 and the flabby wonder Raymond Felton. We’re still a crappy backcourt team especially without Iman Shumpert.
Red: but can you hold on for one more year?
Me: huh?
Red: picture next offseason Chris Paul in a Knicks uniform.
Me: I don’t get it.
Red: this is the real reason the Knicks aren’t signing Lin its CP3. Paul already rejected an extension with LA and is eyeing the Knicks. Neither team has enough firepower to make a deal happen right now so instead Paul will play out his last year and join the Knicks after the season. In order for the Knicks to have a shot at getting Paul they can’t sign Lin. It’s too much money, too much luxury tax and too much hassle.
Me: oh (bleep).
Red: next year the Knicks can also kill Amare Stoudamire’s deal as well to give them more room and sign an actual power forward who can rebound and isn’t scared of the paint.
Me: you hate Amare too?
Red: don’t get me started.

(think about this for a minute. It’s possible that next year the Knicks could have CP3, and Melo. Get rid of Amare’s horrible deal and get a real power forward or trade him for Josh Smith like I’ve been asking for 890 years, and they’ve quietly built up a decent bench with Steve Novak and Felton who works way better as a backup instead of a starter. Wait a minute, will the Knicks actually be a competitive basketball franchise that can actually function? Brain overload.)

Me: so wait a minute, we’re actually looking ahead, being patient and building this team up for something big instead of rushing?
Red: crazy isn’t it? It only took them ten years to figure it out.
Me: but I have to sit through one more crappy year.
Red: it’s the Knicks you’re used to it.
Me: true.
Red: Linsanity was fun, it was great, we all bought t-shirts and watched his highlights. But after 35 games, five turnovers a game, poor defense and that horrible contract the Rockets are giving him, is it worth it to give up something bigger for a few more dollars in merchandise?
Me: I guess you’re right.
Red: the Knicks are getting close. Brooklyn’s making noise, the Cavs may get Andrew Bynum, and the Heat and Celtics are there. However, Chris paul in NYC changes everything. The Knicks become important, they become a title contender and they become the big boys in the East. That’s real insanity. So cheer up, relax and don’t worry, the Knicks may be alright after all.
Me: thanks Red I appreciate it… Wait, why’d you say MAYBE alright?
Red: it’s the Knicks. You know if anyone can screw this up they can.

Thus is the life of a Knicks fan. Even with a plan coming together we all know that at any moment things can get jacked up.

Amare’s Story

Whenever I used to get mad at anything back in the day I used to turn on A Tribe Called Quest’s 8 million stories.

It was a song off of their Midnight Marauders album that was the antithesis of a bad day.

Why am I telling you this? Because after Amare Stoudamire decided to kill his season and the Knicks slim playoff chances I needed a breather and this song was this the first thing I thought about.

Naturally I wondered what would happen if Amare was Phife Dog on this song.

Well, here’s what came out of those thoughts:

Went to NY to get a new deal
Dolan opened up gave me $100 mil
Openly said that the Knicks was back
Fresh blue suit with a matching hat
Hated D’antoni out in Phoenix
Now I’m the man I’m the cleanest
New York had to drop David Lee
What they don’t his game is just like me
Went to Melos wedding back in August
Told him roll here and we’d all fit
Yeah to score both of us would need the ball
And we can’t play D but no prob at all
Started ballin out fans shouting MVP
Yet couldn’t rebound or even play d
Droppin 25 a night NY lovin me
Around January up there goes my knees
Finally the Knicks bring Melo back home
Should’ve known then that trouble would soon be on
He like ISO me I like to run the floor
And in half court i probably shouldn’t play at all
Everytime I saw the paint I had to peel out
When the playoffs came around I had to deal out
Shots started droppin low like my scoring
Couldn’t play a good game against Boston
All these problems that I’m havin and I cant correct them
And to top it off the league is locked out kid

(side note if you ever have a bad day A Tribe Called Quests 8 million stories is the best song to listen to. It covers every single bad part of everyone’s day. When I lived in Maryland this song was on repeat weekly. Yeah, I’ll never get over my hatred of Maryland.)

The lockout is over less stress see
Chris is now ballin with LAC
we need a point guard since we dumped Chauncey
Can baron be the man unlikely
Mike and Melo really ain’t workin
Here comes Linsanity now I’m really hurtin
Once Melo left I thought my game was on
Instead Tyson Chandler had it goin on
Can’t get a shot with Melo or J Lin
Back sat me down now they ballin
Woodson took over talkin bout defense
Moved Melo to the four now they intense
Came back now here are down 2-0
So frustrating make me wanna hit the door
See this piece plastic taking out my frustration
Damn, here come the ambulance racing

Please End The D’antoni Era

I didn’t watch the New York Knicks game yesterday… Didn’t need to.

I just followed the flow of the game on Twitter and filled in the blanks… Jeremy Lin and turnovers blah blah blah… Melo missing shots blah blah blah… Amare Stoudemire with only 9 & 5… Knicks not playing defense… Landry fields torched by Evan Turner… BLAH BLAH FREAKIN BLAH!!!

The Knicks are back as Amare once shouted in his news conference last year to mark his NY arrival, back to playing bad basketball that is. Linsanity was fun for awhile. The Ben & Jerry’s flavors, the t-shirts, the sheer joy and hope that maybe the Knicks were turning a corner, now after a five game losing streak the Knicks are stuck at the eighth spot in the East and stuck in neutral as a team without direction or any energy.

And it’s Mike D’antoni’s fault.

Don’t blame this on Carmelo Anthony who is being fed to the lions as we speak, don’t blame Lin for losing steam because he’s technically still a rookie… This latest stink job is solely on D’antoni and his lack of skill as a coach.

You have two capable point guards, an all world scorer, a team full of talent and you still don’t know how to make it work this late in the season?

D’antoni’s run and gun offense has been a bust in the big apple. After reading yesterday’s stat sheet and seeing Lin lead the team in shots with 18 it’s clear that D’antoni has no clue about what to do with this team.

Which means by the time I’m done with this article the New York Knicks should have told him to kick rocks with no shoes on, seriously.

I’m over the D’antoni era, the lack of defense, control in the offense, and energy from his players at times. D’antoni is not a coach, or a motivator or even a plausible human being at this point (think that’s mean? Go read what’s being said about him by fans and writers alike. It ain’t pretty.).

The Knicks need a new direction. They need someone to instill defense in them, to give them direction, to make them look like an NBA franchise and not whatever this is on the basketball court.

I don’t know if it’s Phil Jackson, or Jerry Sloan, or hell it could be Tom Coughlin for all I care, the point is that the guy currently holding down the coaches chair in Madison Square Garden isn’t getting it done and there needs to be a change.

It needs to be done fast too. The Knicks had promise just two weeks ago and were looking to move up the eastern conference playoff ladder. Now they’re in danger of missing the playoffs all together.

Things need to happen and first on that list is relieving Mike D’antoni of his duties as coach of the New York Knicks.

It’s getting to the point where I don’t have to watch the Knicks to know how pathetic they are doing. Isn’t that enough to get him out?

Consumed By Linsanity

I Believe in this man.

The Knicks are a car accident to watch. It’s such a frightening mess and I know it’s bad to look at yet I still drag myself to a television set to watch this pathetic mess almost every night.

Last year they couldn’t play defense, this year they forgot how to score.
Bill Walker is a lackadaisical mess. Toney Douglas gets too trigger happy. Amare Stoudamire is the black David Lee (I told everyone this when he was signed but no one listened to me). Carmelo Anthony has no scoring help and all Mike D’Antoni could do was sit around and watch.

I wanted D’Antoni fired last year for his constant lack of detail, I wanted him fired this offseason for a defensive coach like Mike Brown, I want him fired this year because I’m sick of seeing him and his mustache.

Yet none of this matters right now in New York because Knick fans are on cloud nine thanks to a 6-3, 200 pound, undrafted point guard from Harvard that has become an overnight sensation.

His name is Jeremy Lin, and he is a gift from the heavens above.

Ok maybe I’m exaggerating a little, but jeez not even last year’s acquisition of Melo brought this much buzz an joy to the basketball Mecca that is the NYC.

Lin’s emergence came at a time when the Knicks desperately needed some good news. At 8-15 and flirting with a disastrous season that would’ve surely ended the D’Antoni era for the Knicks, Lin has caught fire and has led the Knicks through their best stretch of the season.

He’s been the missing piece that the fast pace D’Antoni offense has needed to get going. A pick and roll point guard with excellent vision and passing skills that is able to create shots for his teammates as well as fend for himself offensively.

Funny thing was that he was almost released to make room for the return of Baron Davis, I guess that won’t be happening now.

Ever since he stepped onto the court against the New Jersey Nets Lin has created a buzz across the league and has turned skeptics into believers.

He schooled Deron Williams and ran circles around him two Saturdays ago, he treated Devin Harris like a rag doll, he embarrassed John Wall with a sick crossover and dunk that was replayed over and over on Sportscenter, his performance against the Lakers last Friday will be talked about for years, and he showed toughness and moxie in gutting out a win in Minnesota.

He’s done it all from knocking down clutch free throws, reigniting Tyson Chandler’s game and leaving Derek Fisher flat-footed as he spun by for a highlight worthy lay in.

Yeah, I’m in love with this guy. But it took me a while to get into him.

Like most people I had to actually see him to believe him. Watching highlights of Lin didn’t tell the whole story. Yeah it was nice to see him drive at will against Utah and destroy the Nets already grim confidence but I wanted more.

I wanted to know three things about Lin while everyone was already crowning him the next big thing:

1. Can he handle the mounting pressure that comes with being an athlete in New York?
2. How does he deal with failure in a game and can he still stay on point when he’s not on his A game?
3. How will he play with the return of Stat and Melo (yeah, forgot about then right?)

My first question got answered on Friday against the Los Angeles Lakers.

The last few times the Lakers have hit The Big Apple it’s been Kobe Bryant’s town without question. He has carved his own name into Madison Square Garden lore with huge performances like scoring 61 points in a game there just years ago.

It was the perfect test for my Lin theory, play arguably the best player in the game and keep the Knicks on pace with the Lakers.

That was the first full time that I actually got to watch Lin, safe to say I was shocked by what I saw.

He didn’t just keep the Knicks in the game, he controlled it. He dominated the pace and flow of the game by continuously attacking the rim, floating lobs to Chandler, coming up steals on the defensive end and destroying Fisher and Steve Blake when the ball was in his hands.

He looked like a younger Steve Nash, honest to god. Just his style of play and the way he maneuvered around the Lakers reminded me of the two-time NBA MVP.

Every time the Knicks needed a big play or a big shot the ball found its way to Lin. He never backed down and always came through. 38 points & 7 assists later I was starting to get sold on the NBA’s Tim Tebow.

(yep I made a Tebow reference but all of the similarities and hype and mass coverage are there. The big difference? Lin can ball out, Tebow’s a bum… Just saying.)

The next test came the next night against the Timberwolves in a hyped up battle versus Ricky Rubio.

The main reason I wanted to see him fail is because I wanted to see if he was more like Eli Manning or Tony Romo.

When things don’t go Manning’s way his demeanor doesn’t change and he pressed on. For Romo he panics and loses his cool. I wanted to see if when things get too tight of Lin folds or rises to the occasion.

(yeah I fit an Eli reference in there, so what? By the way did you know that the New York Giants are Super Bowl Champions? God that makes me happy)

The T-Wolves game was a game of two halves. Lin was his usual self in the first half 7-12, 4 dimes and running the offense efficiently. In the second half Lin was totally taken out of rhythm. He only hit 1-12 shots and the Wolves forced him into bad shots and 4 turnovers.

However, I got the impression from Lin that even in tough stretches he still doesn’t get rattled.

Even with all of the turnovers and with his shots not finding the net he still continued to set up his other teammates including Steve Novak’s game tying three with less than a minute left. He also scored the winning point from the free throw line after being fouled getting to the basket.

Even without a dominant performance Lin still found a way to pull out a win for the Knicks. That was enough to make me even more of a believer.

Now the third and most interesting task is at hand… Can Lin, Melo and Stat all work together to be effective?

Carmelo Anthony has received a lot of bad press in the last week with all of the Linsanity spreading through NY.

It’s as if we forget that we wanted Melo here in the first place, it’s not his fault that the Knicks traded the farm to get him (thanks James Dolan). Melo has always needed a point guard to stabilize this offense to make more effective. Sorry Toney Douglas wasnt the answer.

With Lin’s emergence Melo and Amar’e for that matter now have a lot less pressure on their shoulders to score.

The main question is can Melo let Lin run the offense without asking for the ball too much?

As dynamic of a scorer as he is, Melo holds onto the ball for too long in too many stretches of the game. With Lin at the point now Melo will have to find his rhythm in the game and let it come to him.

Besides elevating Chandler, Landry Fields has found his game and confidence and Novak has become a reliable shooter off of the bench. The Knicks have gone from a two horse team to an actual team with a good rotation.

If Melo can stay dominant while letting this mix still cook then the Knicks will be making noise come playoff time.

If not then he’ll be the one taking most of the criticism if the Knicks go back to struggling.

The next stage of Linsanity is upon us. He won’t be throwing up 25 shots a game any more or dropping 38 on defenses, but I believe that after watching Jeremy Lin he is the answer to a lot of the Knicks woes.

Lin has dazzled America, balled out on every opponent that he’s faced and is getting better by the day.

In a city consumed by sports with the Giants winning Super Bowls, the Rangers leading the NHL and the Yankees always on the back pages, the Knicks have wiggled their way back into the minds of New Yorkers.

Linsanity is here and hopefully it’s not a flash in the pan.

The Betrayal Of The Orange

No one's happy about the move to the ACC in Syracuse.

When I was a kid I remember watching Syracuse-Georgetown on CBS and going insane with every piece of action.

There was one game in particular, I can’t remember the date but it involved John Thompson getting ejected, Syracuse shooting six straight free throws and the Carrier Dome going insane. I had my eyes glued to the television not knowing what to think.

After that game I was a Big East fanatic. It wasn’t just about Syracuse-Georgetown, it was big Monday, Villanova-Georgetown at the Spectrum or Wachovia Center, The Big East tournament at the Garden, The Backyard Brawl twice a year, Gerry McNamera and Kemba Walker’s magic at the Garden, Ray Allen going bonkers in the Big East Tournament… As you can tell I love the Big East.

It’s been the best basketball conference since I was a kid, the only conference to have 11 teams in the tournament, 3 Final Four teams and it’s the conference that my favorite basketball team plays in, The Syracuse Orange.

Since Sherman Douglas, Billy Owens an Derrick Coleman to John Wallace to Anthony and the current group of Orangemen I’ve been a borderline nutcase. Even as an Ohio State alum Syracuse is still the basketball team I die with. I love them more than any NBA team that’s how deep it is.

As much as I love Syracuse football, the school is synonymous with basketball and the Big East.

When February rolls around there is nothing greater than looking at the Syracuse schedule and seeing a gauntlet of opponents that gives me ulcers but creates some of the best basketball around. 10 games against Louisville, Pitt, UCONN, Georgetown, Villanova, Notre Dame who are all ranked in the top 15 at some point and then St. John’s, Providence and Marquette thrown in for good measure. Hostile environments, tough opponents who bruise you in every way and just awesome basketball.

It makes winter just as much fun to be a sports fan as any other time of the year… and it’s now over.

When Syracuse announced that it was joining the ACC I almost cried (no seriously, I was at a bar after the Mayweather fight and saw the announcement on ESPN… I left immediately after in a rage… I’m a little overboard with this stuff sometimes I think). The tradition that it had built up for years, the rivalries with Georgetown and UCONN that had been so prevalent and the mystique of the Garden were pushed aside for a TV deal, money and a chance to showcase the ACC in New York as AD Daryl Gross put it… They have a showcase, it’s called the Greensboro Coliseum, let em have it.

I’m a traditionalist, I like rivalries, I like mystique, that’s what makes sports great especially college. Rivalries are what fuels games and competition. When the Cuse played UCONN it was about supremacy for the conference year in an out with the same area and the games were so physically and passionate it drove you nuts. Are we really going to get the same feel when the Cuse plays Maryland?

This is agonizing, the games will never be the same nor will they have the same intensity. I go from a gauntlet to watching the Cuse play Virginia, N.C. State and Wake Forest (ooooooohhhhh….). The age of the superconference has begun and it is killing the fabric that college sports was built on.

First we get Nebraska-Oklahoma taken away from us, then Texas A&M-Texas, now this… What’s next?

What is the reason for any of this? Jim Boeheim may have the answer himself.

“Football and money,” he said while on ESPN yesterday. That’s all it really is. Schools with football programs want TV money and their own network. The only reason Syracuse and Pitt for that matter are on the move is because of this one reason…

And it makes no sense.

One, if you want more money and a chance to showcase yourself wouldn’t you join a better conference. The ACC has been the most mediocre of the other 5 big BCS conferences (yep more than than the so-called woeful Big East. In BCS bowls the ACC is 1-9, the Big East has 5 wins including a National championship when Miami still called the Big East home) when it comes to football. They’ve become a punching bag for mediocrity and no one outside of their conference takes them too seriously.

Also in terms of basketball is anyone outside of Duke or UNC any good?

You kiss moments like this goodbye Syracuse.

The Big East basketball conference is hands the best in the nation. At least 10 of it’s 16 teams have been in the top 10 in the last few seasons, the ACC has only had 3 Duke, UNC, and Wake Forest who is as bipolar as they come.

So in reality Syracuse downgraded itself in it’s number one sport of basketball and plays lesser competition on a smaller stage while the ACC gains a decent football program that is still trying to find it’s winning ways.

And as fans this is supposed to make us happy? Now instead of the magic of Madison Square Garden in March fans of the Orange and the Panthers get the Georgia Dome or Greensboro Coliseum? It’s like having your Benz repo’d and having to drive a Hyundai Elantra.

But this is what it’s coming to. Tradition is out the window an the AD’s and chancellors of your alma mater’s and favorite schools are putting money first. It’s not fun but change is always eminent even if it’s not for the best such as with this case.

I’m still an Orange fan no matter what though. It’s gonna hurt two years from now when there’s no more Big Monday showcase games, no brawls with St. John’s, no more payback games with Villanova and no gauntlets to run through where every game is a must see.

Syracuse had a great thing going in the Big East and they ruined it over money. Now everyone involved from the players, fans and The Big East conference has to suffer for it.

The Summer Of Durant

Kevin Durant has welcomed and dispatched all challengers this summer.

So, what have you done this summer? Gone on vacation? Went to a few shows? Drank a few beers and partied? Yeah sounds like a normal summer where everyone is happy that the winter coats are away and the only thing that matters are warm vacations on beaches and being lazy as hell.

Kevin Durant could’ve spent his summer doing the exact same thing as all of his, instead he’s been too busy becoming the new face of the NBA and quite possibly the most popular, and best basketball player on the planet.

Durant’s summer has been a constant highlight reel that has showed him dropping threes by the bucket, dunking from every possible angle and drawing more ooh’s and aah’s than the circus.

Durant has been the man of the summer in any sport. His acrobatics and mind-numbing performances have overshadowed the bleak outlook of the NBA lockout, the MLB playoff races and any other headline that has graced ESPN.

It’s been silly to be honest with you. First there was the 66 that he dropped at Rucker Park earlier in the month where a pull up three for a heat check turned into a YouTube phenomenon. Durant made the crowd erupt with every pull up bomb to the point where fans rushed the court after he hit a fourth consecutive three. Even the on court announcer lost his marbles as Durant stood and posed with the mob of fans with nothing but a screw face signifying “yeah, I’m nice.”

they'll be talking about the Rucker game for a long time

He’s put on shows at Dyckman park, toured China and the Philippines, balled out in gymnasiums all around the country and this past weekend in a matchup of D.C. and L.A. ballers it was Durant’s star that shined the brightest with 44 points in a win for his D.C. area Goodman League team over the L.A. based Drew League squad (led by OKC Thunder teammate James Harden coincidentally). It was a game that had a ton of hype coming into it thanks to Durant’s presence and that of John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins and other ballers who came out. While everyone came to play it was Durant that controlled the action most and made the crowd of over 1500 stand in awe.

Not bad for a 22 year-old who’s coming off of his first conference finals appearance this year.

What I like most about this entire turn of events is how eager Durant is to go out there and show just how dominant of a player he is. There were times in the Dallas series where teammate Russell Westbrook stood in his way and wanted to take all of the big shots while Durant stood back helpless.

In these situations it’s just Durant and his opponent. He has the respect of his teammates at the Rucker, Goodman or any other spot so when he gets the ball they just clear out and let him do him. It’s done wonders for his game and his brand.

Whenever the NBA starts up its next season how can the league not make Durant its most focal piece? He’s always been known as a genuine guy with a quiet demeanor and a big heart, but now it looks like his game is reaching new heights.

With LeBron James’ hara kiri of his personal appearance to others in the league Durant is the perfect fit to replace him as the face of the league. Kids, adults, college ballers and the streets adore Durant from coast to coast. He cares about his image to the point that he puts his tattoos on one unseen area of his body so that he won’t mess up any marketing for himself, however he’s nowhere near as vein as James.

Durant is always active on Twitter and is eager to communicate with fans at all times. He always showcases other people on his page and is not afraid to let his guard down for a little bit of fun.

What really separates him from LeBron is that he wants to improve… and wants to fight for his respect. That’s the main reason why Durant is in Harlem, D.C., and L.A. balling on the courts against great pro and street ballers, he wants respect from all forms of the game and not just the league.

Going back to the Rucker Park game just look at his facial expressions. Look at how with every shot he takes and makes he slaps fives with fans, chest bumps rappers and plays with a killer mentality. He’s honing himself for the next time he takes the court and he’s staring Carmelo, LeBron or Kobe in the face and the game is in his hands. While LeBron finally tries to find a low post game in year 9 and is still searching for his killer instinct, Durant is getting his as we speak.

Live from New York its Kevin Durant.

(Side note: if you think Kobe doesn’t recognize Durant balling extra hard then you’re a fool. Why else would Kobe be at a Drew league game balling in a gym with 5 rings? Because Kobe competes, he sees Durant doing his thing, he saw the 66 in Harlem and thought to himself “I have to get out here and see what’s up.” He knows Durant is trying to position himself for the crown and Kobe still wants to match Jordan and isn’t satisfied himself just yet. Kobe didn’t ball in D.C. for the Drew-Goodman game, he didn’t have to. He proved his point already that he’s still around and he can still bring.

You know I used to really hate Kobe, but the older he gets I love him more and more.)

The question now is what happens when the summer ends and NBA players are heading overseas to make money during the lockout? Where will Durant go and what will he do?

Is Turkey an option, Russia? He’s rumored to be staring in a movie about basketball that will start shooting when NBA training camp would start. Durant’s stock is higher than any other player in the league right now. Everyone wants to know his moves, his thoughts and everything that has anything to do with him right now.

And he has this summer to thank for it all. His games at Rucker Park, Trinity, Dyckman and everywhere else that he has played in the last month and a half have dropped our jaws and made us look at him in a different light.

He’s scored a lot of points, wowed a lot crowds and has made himself the number one player to watch in the league whenever it starts up again. Kevin Durant has moved up the NBA’s pecking order and it doesn’t look like he’ll be coming down for awhile.

I think his summer turned out just fine.

The Rangers And Knicks Are Killing Themselves

Henrik Lundquist cant believe how these playoffs have played out so far for the Rangers

Jared Jeffries’s turnover, Marian Gaborik’s tip away, Ray Allen’s three, Alex Semin’s Goal, two blown halftime leads, two blown leads late in the third period… the last week in New York playoff sports have been a nightmare (and don’t get me started on the Yankees pitching woes either.).

This has been about as depressing as it gets. Watching the Rangers and Knicks blow leads to two teams that they’re not better than, but had outplayed in the majority of the games that they played.

The Rangers should be up 3-1, the Knicks should be up 2-0, and the reasons that they’re not are maddening.

First the Rangers ills have been not being able to close out an opponent (much like how they weren’t able to close out a playoff spot in the regular season). In game 1 against the Capitals they led 1-0 late in the third thanks to great goaltending by Henrik Lundquist and the defensive work of Marc Stall and company. Then in an instant Alex Ovechkin ties the game thanks to a fluke tip in where Derek Stepan, Staal, and Lundquist all couldn’t get a stick on the puck even though it was there in front of them.

The overtime goal was even worse as Staal seemed to nonchalantly make a clearing pass out of the zone that ended up on Jason Arnott’s stick, then Semin’s, then the back of the net. Defeat from the jaws of victory.

Then came last night. Not even 24 hours after the Los Angeles Kings blew a 4-0 lead in two periods, the Rangers upped them by doing it in ten minutes. After two periods of Rangers domination where the Rangers and the crowd was bullying the Capitals (last time Bruce Boudreau ever comments about crowd noise), the crowd stood in shock as Semin knocked in a loose puck that Lundquist lost track of, then after Marcus Johansson scored on a tip-in to make it 3-2 he scored on a lucky bounce off of a Karl Alzner slap shot to make it 3 all.

The worst of all came in double OT as Jason Chimera had his shot blocked and it looked like Lundquist was going to cover it up for a faceoff in his zone. For some reason Gaborik decided to knock the puck away from Lundquist right as he reached for it and it landed right on Chimera’s stick and the comeback was complete.

Carmelo and the Knicks are on the brink thanks to lackluster play from his teammates.

Three fluke goals, three to one deficit, the Rangers have redefined the stomach punch loss.

(Side note: Marian Gaborik has been a disaster the second half of this year. That boneheaded play combined with his lackluster offensive production has me and other Rangers fans doubting where his head is right now. If he can’t score goals and is causing some to go in then why is he on the ice? Last night the Rangers went 0-7 on the power play and are 1-234 in the series. Actual stat. That is Gaborik’s bread and butter and he’s not delivering. If this keeps up then next year he’ll be with Wade Redden in Connecticut.)

If that wasn’t enough, it came after the New York Knicks snatched defeat from victory in two straight games.

The Knicks had outplayed the Celtics and were in prime position to win both games even with Carmelo Anthony playing poorly in game one and without Amar’e Stoudemire and Chauncey Billups in game 2.

In game 1 the Knicks led by 12 at the half and Stoudemire was destroying Kevin Garnett and company on the inside. Then somehow in the last 5 minutes of the game he doesn’t get one touch. Yeah Melo went 1-11 in the second half but the fact that Amar’e doesn’t get the ball that late in the game when he had dominated throughout was horrible.

The shot selection by Melo, Toney Douglas and others was typical Mike D’Antoni offense. If Amar’e gets the ball the Knicks win by 10, since he didn’t, and D’Antoni didn’t stress that in the huddle, the Knicks lost.

Game 2 may have been the nail in the coffin though. After losing Amar’e to back spasms Anthony took all of New York on his back with his 42 point, 17 rebound, 6 assist performance where he was the only Knick to shoot anywhere near 50% as Bill Walker shot 0-11 and Douglas went 5-16 (two things on Douglas real quick. 1. There is no way that Douglas should ever be allowed to take 16 shots in a playoff game, EVER. 2. Douglas ‘s poor shot selection at times is the reason that the Knicks need to actively look for a point guard this offseason. He’s not capable of carrying a second unit and keeping the Knicks in front or in the game.).

Marian Gaborik hasnt been helping the Rangers much this postseason.

With 12 seconds left Melo got an inbounds past where he was immediately double-teamed and Melo through a strike to a cutting Jeffries who had a good look at the rim… if he would’ve turned in the right direction and not directly into Kevin Garnett. Melo got criticized for passing the ball in that situation but that was his best option. He couldn’t hoist a bad three over two defenders and his pass to Jeffries was on point. The real issue was that Jeffries made a bad play on the ball (really Jared Jeffries? No.) and couldn’t finish.

The Knicks main issue is there lack of reliable role players. Walker, Douglas and Jeffries aren’t able to play big in these situations and that, combined with the lack of big men, are the reason that they’re down 2-0.

With the Knicks heading home in a rut down in a series they enter the a depressed Madison Square Garden after the Rangers put themselves on the brink with a terrible game 4 loss.

After this weekend both teams will be done. Both the Rangers and Knicks are a year away from being serious contenders and it couldn’t be more apparent.

The Rangers need to learn how to close, the Knicks need the players to close. The Rangers need to get better offensively, the Knicks need to get better defensively. Both teams’ big time players need to play big, and both teams need to learn how to protect leads.

It’s been a frustrating week for New York fans in the Garden watching these two teams fall apart fortunately it’ll all be over sooner than later.

Gerry McNamera’s Four Day Magic At The Garden

Five years later Gerry McNamara's legendary run still lingers in the brains of those that watched.

Here’s a YouTube video for the ages: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sn3kPBww2w0

 

Jim Boeheim was unloading on to the media about the importance of Gerry McNamara to his Syracuse Orange team after McNamara led the ‘Cuse to a win over Cincinnati in the Big East Tournament. He laid into assistant coaches, other head coaches, players and even Syracuse students who had the nerve to say that G-money was overrated.

 

It had been written in Sports Illustrated, in a local campus newspapre and talked about by Big East players that McNamara wasn’t all he was cracked up to be. He was a preseason player of the year candidate and the last member of the 2003 national championship team left.

 

His importance over his career was highly understated up until his senior year. He was arguably Syracuse’s most important player in each of his first three seasons.

 

In the national championship game versus Kansas his threes put the Jayhawks in an early hole that they never could get out of. He had out of this world range. As soon as he stepped across half-court he was in range. He dropped 43 in a first round slugfest in 2004 versus BYU that would’ve made Jimmer Fredette blush. We called him G-money for a reason; as soon as he let it fly it was going in.

 

There was never a moment when I lost faith in his shot. Even when he couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn against Vermont in 2005 I knew the ‘Cuse were in good hands going into the 05-06 year.

 

He was supposed to be the backbone of a team that was on arguably the best run of any of Jim Boeheim’s teams in his 30 seasons at Syracuse. It looked like things were status quo as the team started off 15-2 though they had no real impressive victories at all during the early stretch of the season.

 

But then everything fell apart once they got into conference play. Every single deficiency was exposed as they lost 4 straight games to the upper echelon of the monster that is the Big East (and Seton Hall) and 9 of their last 13 games.

 

The games were nightmares. UCONN destroyed Syracuse in both games that they played, so did Villanova, Pittsburgh outmuscled them, Cincinnati guard Devan Downey beat up G-money, DePaul… DEPAUL MURDERED SYRACUSE 108-69!! THEY WERE 12-13!!!

McNamara's senior year didn't go as planned but Coach Jim Boeheim always had his back.

Syracuse couldn’t shoot consistently; rebound consistently, couldn’t get the 2-3 zone to work, and had no real second scorer.

 

Not that the number one option was working that well.

 

As much as I loved McNamara he was getting killed. There was too much put on him, he had too many responsibilities. Lead the team in scoring, distribute the ball to players that weren’t as good as he was. He had to get his and make sure that everyone got their game going.

 

His stats were horrendous. He shot 35% from the field for the season and 33% from 3, which were career lows. He was drained and you could tell. What started off as a promising year and a great end to an era had turned into a nightmare.

 

The ‘Cuse finished 19-11 and 7-9 in the conference. As the conference tournament approached it became clear that unless Syracuse made a serious run then G-money would end his great career in the NIT.

 

The reality was that it was impossible. Their first round match was against Cincinnati who was fighting for their tourney lives themselves and had beaten the Orange by 17 one-month prior. The winner of that game got the pleasure of facing national title favorite UCONN who had a gang of NBA talent in Rudy Gay, Marcus Williams and Josh Boone. Then maybe Georgetown with Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert or Marquette and their sick 4 guard set, and finally Villanova and their own sharpshooting guards Allan Ray, Randy Foye and Kyle Lowry or Pittsburgh their beasts of forwards Sam Young and Aaron Gray.

 

They had to win at least two of those games to even get a sniff of the tournament. But after the way that they had played I thought that there was no way it was going to happen.

 

Especially with how G-money was shooting, sure he found a rhythm on senior day versus Villanova but how would he perform when we needed him most? Add to that the fact that he was playing on an injured leg, which would hinder his shooting and ball handling and I wanted to shank myself with a spork.

 

Even though I loved Eric Devendorf  he was way too young to carry the load, same for Terrance Roberts and Daryl Watkins who were great around the rim but couldn’t go for self to save their life.

 

So as that Wednesday lunchtime tip-off rolled around I came to the realization that the magic was gone. The ‘Cuse was done and McNamara wouldn’t get the proper send off that I though he deserved.

 

The Cinci game was brutal. James White destroyed Demetris Nichols all game long. White was the kind of guy that you knew couldn’t have an NBA career because he was way too raw. He could jump through the roof of a gym but loved his outside shot too much. If he ever settled into a game he could’ve been a first-round draft pick.

The shot that started the magic.

McNamara had another one of those games that had plagued his entire season, he couldn’t hit a two to save his life. He missed layups, and mid-range jumpers all day, but he was getting everyone involved. Devendorf, Watkins, Nichols and Roberts all had double figures and were feeding off of McNamara’s playmaking. At one point the ‘Cuse had a 14 point lead and seemed comfortably in the lead until they forgot how to rebound and Cincinnati ruled the offensive glass and climbed back into the game. Once James White hit a two to put the Bearcats up by one I figured it was over. Devendorf fouled Downey who hit one of two at the line. Roberts grabbed the rebound and immediately gave it up to McNamara who got fouled with about six seconds left. Cinci had one to give and came close to an intentional foul that had Boeheim livid.

 

The inbound went to McNamara who fought through what seemed like a sea of Bearcats going behind the back, ducking under a high defender, and dodging everything in his way. He took two steps guarding the ball from swiping hands and leapt from just behind the free throw line and launched a floater that dropped in for a 74-73 lead.

 

I was at work when this happened, when I screamed my guests thought I was insane.

 

G-money’s prayer erased a 1-8 second half and a lost 14 point lead to save the day as Jihad Muhammed’s prayer fell about two inches short from giving me a heart attack.

 

I was breathless. I couldn’t believe McNamara had fought through a bad half and all of those defenders to lead the Orange to victory and possibly the NCAA tournament. Yeah I was a little delusional, I mean sure we got to 20 wins but we needed a lot more than just a last second win over a mediocre Cincinnati team to make the tournament. UCONN was up next and that game was our season I thought. If we beat the consensus number one in the country then we were in. But if we had a redo of those prior two games… done.

 

I watched the UCONN games, yeah we lost the first one by 8 but we were down by 30 at one point. I remember Marcus Williams darting into the lane for a layup stopping after it dropped and watching him wink into the camera. As overly confident as they were they had reason to be. They went nine deep and had talent seeping from its pores.

 

The problem with them was that they were so confidant that Jim Calhoun couldn’t control their cockiness. You could tell all year he had a problem getting his team to work hard instead of living off of their talent and it showed.

 

(funny thing is that they should’ve won the tournament that year and by a landslide. No one was as deep and talented at multiple positions like they were. That was Jim Calhoun’s best team and he’s won two national titles. Even funnier is that hen they lost to George Mason I didn’t blink. That was typical of their year, play down to competition, pull out games you should’ve won by 30 and lose to teams you had no business losing to. They were one of the most bizarre teams in NCAA tournament history.)

 

did I see Syracuse winning this game? No way especially after the first two but after Wednesday I figured why not?

 

McNamara’s shot was failing him from the get go, he didn’t make a basket until the 16:46 mark of the second half where he buried a three ball to put the ‘Cuse up by 14, again. UCONN was being UCONN. They were underachieving against a less talented team and the 2-3 zone that Syracuse is known for was doing a number on them and they couldn’t get one clean shot off at all.

G-money's magic continued versus UCONN.

Marcus Williams played his worst game all season shooting wise even though he handed out 11 dimes. McNamara, though he couldn’t hit a shot, was setting up all of his guys again. Nichols was able to get easy buckets and Terrance Roberts was a monster on the inside. Problem was Roberts was in foul trouble all half because even though UCONN couldn’t hit a shot they controlled the offensive glass.

 

The combination of Hilton Armstrong and Boone killed Roberts and Watkins all afternoon and just like against Cinci, the lead evaporated. When Roberts fouled out with 3:17 remaining Boeheim decided to go small instead of relying on Arinze Onuaku in his early stages of development.  Luckily it worked out because UCONN all but abandoned the inside game relying on jump sots instead.

 

Rashard Anderson hit a three to put UCONN up by one. After Josh Wright missed a gimme, Denham Brown grabbed a rebound and I thought that was it. Brown wasn’t missing any of those two free throws and I wondered if there was anything left. That’s when the what if’s run through your head. What if G-money knocked down a jumper? What if Roberts had stayed out of foul trouble? What if we didn’t lose four straight and didn’t look so bad all year.

 

It was over. As Brown sunk that last freebie McNamara took the inbound at 11 seconds from the defensive end. He wasn’t contested as Calhoun told his troops to play off and not foul. As he brought the ball across half court only Rashard Anderson was even remotely close to him. McNamara pulled up about 30 feet from the basket and three feet in front Anderson who put up a lazy arm to contest McNamara’s heave… AND HE DRAINED IT!!! 30 FEET OUT!!!

 

The Garden is going nuts. Roberts is holding his head Travis Hill style after Christian Laettner’s jumper against Kentucky. G-money did it again. I was crumpled over behind the bar in shock. How in the hell did this happen again I wondered? The guy just suffered through another bad shooting night and somehow got up the stones to hoist a prayer that drops in like it was nothing.

 

That’s why they say the best shooters keep shooting. No matter how bad you night is going your confidence can’t be shaken. For all that G-money had been through that year from the overrated talk, to his poor shooting percentage, he remained confident. That’s why I always loved him. You could never tell things were bothering him, he just went out and did his thing.

 

Needless to say the game went into overtime and the 2-3 zone did UCONN in for good. The Huskies only hit two shots in overtime and McNamara nailed 3 of 4 free throws to give the Orange the lead for good.

 

When Williams’ last two shots fell short it was over. 86-84 Orange. Roberts sprinted off of the bench to grab McNamara and toss him over his shoulder in jubilant fashion. I damn near cried. I knew we were in at that point. We had the signature win needed to make the NCAA’s. who could say that this team wasn’t worthy of a bid after the last two games? Two close victories on a neutral floor in a big-time environment, you’d be nuts to exclude the ‘Cuse from the dance.

 

It was all McNamara though. It’s funny because the way that people made his run seem was that McNamara was going off every night leading Syracuse to victory. The reality was the he was 9-31 in his first two games but dropped 22 dimes and made everyone on the floor better.

Despite his stats McNamara made teammates like Eric Devendorf better.

McNamara hit shots when he needed to and set up Nichols, Roberts and company for success. That’s why he was so important. The shooting was secondary, he gave guys with little experience the confidence to play big in big scenarios.

 

In the first two games of the Big East Tournament each member of the starting five scored in double figures. That kind of well-rounded play was the reason for both wins as much as G-money’s heroics.

 

Even though Syracuse had the win I thought it needed to make the dance I knew they couldn’t have a letdown versus Georgetown on Friday.

 

At this point the media was all over this thing. McNamara was the latest in a long line of players to shine in the Madison Square Garden spotlight. It was his time. The overrated talk was out of the window, people knew what he meant to Syracuse basketball now and if they didn’t then they need their heads examined.

 

The confidence in Syracuse was growing. You could see an extra hop in their step from the jump against Georgetown. Thing is that the Hoyas were way far left from Cinci and UCONN. They were a slow down and grind team that limited their possessions and played wicked defense.

 

The first half set basketball back a few years. There were no baskets in the first 4 minutes and Syracuse couldn’t buy a bucket after that. Syracuse trailed by 15 at the half and were on the verge of getting run out the building. It was the first game of the tournament that McNamara couldn’t get his teammates and needed to bear the offensive load. Once again he stepped up.

 

After taking only two shots in the first half he went 5-8 in the second half, all of which from three land. He hit three in a row in a two minute stretch that cut the Hoya lead from 12 to 4. The 2-3 zone set in and it was Georgetown that couldn’t buy a basket. Once he got going McNamara found Matt Gorman for a game-tying three and Nichols got to the foul line hitting some key free throws.  Georgetown however still clung to their slim lead late into the second half when G-money hit his 5^th and final three of the half to cut the lead to one with 48 seconds left. The crowd just like it had done in previous games began chanting his names over and over.

 

On Georgetown’s next possession Ashanti Cook threw a bad pass that landed in Nichols hands. He immediately gave it up to McNamara who led a two-on-one and fed Devendorf for a one point lead with 1.5 seconds left. The man had done it again.

McNamara led a furious second half comback against Georgetown.

58-57. The ‘Cuse was in the Big East title game for the second straight year and in the most silly of fashion. In the last minute of each game G-money was the direct reason as to why Syracuse won each game. I had never seen anything like it.

 

The Big East Tournament had Ray Allen’s runner, Erick Barkley going HAM and countless other memorable figures and moments. But none like what McNamara was doing. There was no explanation as to how a guy with a busted wheel was single handedly leading his team to the top of one of basketball’s best conference.

 

This team couldn’t beat a good team all year and now had done it in three straight days. They had a chance to be the first Big East team to win 4 games in four days to win the tourney.

 

I didn’t care about the NCAA’s. they were the furthest from my mind. I wanted this team to win this tournament and have McNamara shove it in everyone’s face afterwards. For McNamara this was his moment. Melo had his in 03, Warrick had his the year before, but arguably neither was like this.

 

Pittsburgh was last on the list. Unlike their previous opponents Syracuse matched up well with Pitt and played a similar style of basketball. Pitt was a team of a New York transplants as Jamie Dixon loved draining NYC of its talent for his own use. I actually admired Pitt because of this. Guys like Carl Krauser, LeVance Fields and Ronald Ramon were tough point guards who could penetrate or spot up and shoot. They also crumpled early versus that 2-3 zone of coach Boeheim’s.

 

This game was different from the previous three as the ‘Cuse jumped out in front early instead of coming on in the second half. McNamara got it going early with ten first half points and that defense confused Krauser and limited Sam Young’s athletic ability.

McNamara got the 'Cuse going early and put them up late.

Once in control, McNamara spread around the ball in the second half feeding Nichols for a three  as well as finding Watkins for an easy score. But even though this game was different in that Syracuse jumped out early, it was similar in how they blew their lead. After taking a 44-34 lead Pitt went on a 14-3 run taking a 1 point lead with 8:40 left to play. After a timeout McNamara buried a three and Syracuse never trailed again.

 

Syracuse didn’t need McNamara’s late game heroics today instead Josh Wright knocked down 4 free throws late to seal a 65-61 win and give Syracuse their second straight Big East title. They won four games in four days, never done before. They made the NCAA tournament and the underrated Gerry McNamara was named MVP of the tourney. I mean who else could’ve possibly won it?

 

His numbers were average but his heart, and guts, were huge. The Three against Cinci that won it, the three against UCONN that tied it, the three to bring them within one against G’Town and the pass to Devendorf that won it and the three against Pitt that put them up for good.

 

I watched him soak it all in and I basked with him. I thought to myself that this team was going to win the national championship. How could it not? We just won 4 in 4 days, 6 in 3 weeks is nothing… unfortunately it was something.

 

In the first round against Texas A&M McNamara and the entire team was gassed, the emotion of the Big East Tourney never carried over and the Aggies broke the Orange spirit 66-58. It was the second straight first round loss in a row for the Orange. It was painful for two reasons; 1. because everyone was so high from the magic at the Garden and 2. because G-money only played 23 minutes as the banged up leg finally got to him.

McNamara was named the Big East Tournament MVP leading Syracuse's improbable run.

He gave too much of himself at the Garden, when he was done so were the Orange. It was part maddening and part sad.

 

No one drafted G-money. He played overseas for a little and then in the D-League before joining Boeheim’s staff two years ago. If they drafted off of pure heart and will McNamara would’ve been a first rounder, instead people like Adam Morrison got a shot.

 

Whatever, I have my lasting image of McNamara. For four days he took the fears of the Syracuse fans and turned them into unrelenting ecstasy. That run will never be duplicated. Guys will score 30 a game for four straight days, guys will make big plays, and someone will be the next one to light up the Garden for his own personal use. But it wont be like what McNamara did. They wont hit those shots, put a team on their back and make history like he did.

 

Gerry McNamara for four days was the best player in the country and let the whole world know. He was the furthest thing from overrated, he was as good as advertised.

The Notorious B.I.G.’s Legacy In Sports

Biggie Smalls was iller than you could've imagined.

If I wasn’t in the rap game

I’d probably have a key knee deep in the crack game

Because the streets is a short stop

Either you’re slingin crack rock or you got a wicked jumpshot

The Notorious B.I.G. died 14 years ago in a haze of bullets in downtown Los Angeles at the height of the media created East/ West coast hip-hop beef between himself and Tupac Shakur.

Before his death Biggie Smalls (one alias of his) left a legacy that still looms large in two fields of entertainment today, music and sports.

There’s long been the assertion that most rappers want to be athletes and vice versa. The link between rap and sports is connected by the fact that both genres share similarities in the fact that A, most of the well-known and popular rappers and athletes are African-American and B, that they shared similar upbringings before hitting the big time.

Allen Iverson, Michael Vick, Young Jeezy, Method Man, Baron Davis, Game, Nelly, Larry Hughes… the list goes on and on. Before all of these men started gaining million dollar income from albums and the field of play their families struggled in low income housing areas that were more havens for heathens the pop culture figures.

Michael Vick is one of the many popular athletes that have many similarities to Biggie and other rappers upbringings.

They all dreamed about getting out and making it big, you know “Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, when I was dead broke, man I couldn’t picture this 50 inch screen, money green leather sofa Got two rides, a limousine with a chauffeur.” Along the way to those successes they suffered the same type of ills and problems, lack of family structure (no father), living in the slums, feeling like they would never get out, then when they finally did no one understood them and always categorized them.

In a sense rappers and athletes are like kindred spirits. They’re the only ones that truly get each other. Its become a rarity these to not see a rapper shout out an athlete in song or the two aligning themselves to form some sort of bond whether its strictly business or an actual alliance amongst friends.

Think back to video footage of Edgerrin James and Trick Daddy hanging together in Miami on MTV, or the Jay-Z and LeBron James friendship or even Biggie himself with Shaquille O’Neal. The two genres of individuals have a level of comfort in one another that media, business moguls or other outsiders will never have.

Biggie more than any rapper brought this relationship to life. His lyrics personified each level of life that young black men from the ghetto were living in whether poor or when they got rich.

The lyric from the beginning of the article is from the first song off of his classic debut album Ready To Die and the song is titled “Things Done Changed.” It is a two bar description of what has become the do or die options of young black men from the ghettos of America in the last three decades, either ball on the court or stand on the block.

Ask Santonio Holmes who admitted to doing just that before he starred as a receiver at Ohio State University. Ask rapper Game born Jayceon Taylor) who said his life became consumed by drug dealing after a basketball scholarship to Washington State fell through (though Wazzu denies that claim.). For most people staring out of there project windows this was how we saw life fame on TV or in the crack game.

He also expressed the aggravation that we have felt as kids left without fathers (“Pop Duke left Mom Duke, The f***** took the back way.”). Athletes from James, Shaq, Prince Fielder and others didn’t have their biological father in their lives growing up to watch them become the athletes they are.

And of course “Mo Money, Mo Problems” has been the anthem for the last generation of young black men who discover success after a lifetime of hardship. Carmelo Anthony, Brandon Marshall and others have had run-ins with the law and have been under constant scrutiny due to their status of being young, rich black men in a professional market.

Think Carmelo doesnt know about Mo' Money Mo' Problems? Think again.

Biggie, as well as most rappers, resonates with athletes because he went through the same troubles as they have both in the slums and on top. He knew about life in the projects then going to the penthouse and all of the consequences that came with each move he made.

One of Biggie’s good friends was Shaquille O’Neal who grew up without his biological father in Newark, New Jersey and who was able to escape his environment to a better life of riches and fame in the NBA. Their bond came about thanks to a line on “Machine Gun Funk” off of Ready to Die. “I’m slammin’ niggas like Shaquille, s*** is real,” we’re Biggie’s words as he played himself and a criminal associate planning a caper.

That line started a relationship with Shaq that including a collaboration on Shaq’s third rap album Can’t Stop The Reign.

Shaq was like many athletes in the 90’s who tried to expand their name from the field to the microphone and be like their lyrical heroes and weave similar tales of their lifestyles. Cedric Ceballos, Deion Sanders, Chris Webber, Kobe Bryant and Iverson have all blessed the microphone in an effort to obtain a platinum plaque while emulating their favorite MC’s. While the results were mixed (mostly bad. That goes for you Roy Jones Jr. and Ron Artest.) the point was that due to their similar backgrounds athletes felt the need to pick up a microphone and show their skills, or lack of.

The same can be said for rappers trying to go pro. Master P gave it a go with tryout for the Raptors and Hornets and his son tried to ball on USC’s basketball team a few years ago.

Lets be thankful Allen Iverson's basketball career was longer than his rap career.

But more than anything the best way for both sides to come together is through the mutual respect of rappers shouting out their favorite ballers on record or the building of a relationship out of the studio and off of the field.

It’s always cool seeing Young Jeezy bring out LeBron at a concert or seeing David Ortiz snapping a flick with Dr. Dre because it’s out of respect for one another’s craft. Much like Biggie and Shaq, these friendship show the union of black men in similar scenarios coming together to show love and respect for one another. It’s an occurrence that is rarely seen in the actual environments where we once lived and serves as a teaching tool for kids in similar situations.

Beyond the relationship of athlete/rapper, Biggie showed all sides how to really live it up. Biggie’s visual displays of the spoils of his labor are what drove David Stern to adapt new rules as to how players dress when entering the NBA work environment.

When Biggie started rocking the Jesus piece, everyone followed. You still see the piece on the necks of James, Darnell Dockett and other athletes today. The Jesus piece is to black youth as the pinky ring was to the mob (though we still had to get a pinky ring thank you Henry Hill and Nicky Santoro.). When Biggie started sippin Cristal champagne, we all had to have it.

Biggie showed us the spoils of being young, black and famous. He pretty much bankrolled the designer Coogi and made Versace silk button ups a steady fashion accessory in hip-hop culture. Look at old photos of Jonathan Bender or JaMarcus Russell in one of those cable knitted multi-colored sweaters or think of the countless athletes in those free flowing shirts with some Versace glasses to match. How many dudes had to get something that resembled a Rolex after Big had one? I can’t afford one but I always have to have a nice looking watch on my arm

He was a trendsetter. Hell, his trends have lasted almost 20 years since he first jumped on the scene and are still seen in the NFL, NBA and MLB.

That’s why he lives on long past his death 14 years ago and through two or three different generations.

These two understand each other better than any of us ever will.

This morning on Twitter I saw Michael J. Smith, Chad Ochocinco, Jemele Hill and a bunch of my buddies in college posting random Biggie quotes from all of his songs. That’s a range of people from ages 20-40. When Biggie dies some of them were 6, I wasn’t in high school yet, others were starting their professional careers, yet we all know his lyrics word for word.

It’s funny that this year Biggie’s death anniversary fell on Ash Wednesday for me. It’s the beginning of Lent where we sacrifice something we love for a greater good and we mourn and repent for our sins. I mourned Biggie by listening to his entire catalog while fasting and posting a bunch of my favorite lyrics along the way. People would dispute that Biggie was nothing like Jesus and might’ve been a bigger heathen than most fallen martyr’s in entertainment.

But I’m from Brooklyn, New York. I knew of what Biggie spoke of. I knew people like Arizona Ron, Dark Skinned Jermaine and Sing from the 15^th floor. I know about the dangers of life in those areas and what happens when you’re black and stumble upon some success in the real world. Everything with Biggie resonates with me from waking up “f***** up, pockets broke as hell,” to “talk s*** and get you neck slit quick,” to wanting a garage like cee-lo “4’s, 5’s and 6’s.”

Biggie was the good and bad in all of us where we are from. He was a great talent in a bad neighborhood with big aspirations and not enough people to understand. Like myself, Allen Iverson, Dez Bryant and others he didn’t care. His goal was make it, be great, look good and have fun doing it.

We all followed Biggie’s lead even to this day. We’ve forged similar relationship like he had with Shaq and that respect is still there.

I wish Big was here to see his influence, to see how many rappers follow his rhyme style, to see how many ballers follow his dress code and ways to live it up and to see how many people still spit his lyrics.

Biggie was influential in Hip-Hop’s uprising as well as the urban black athlete from his inception to way past his death. He made athletes aware of their surroundings and how similar they were in our upbringing. As we mourn/celebrate his legacy today I know that there other ways to make it out of the ghetto other than shooting hoops or selling crack. However, for the case of our generation, and for young black athletes, he let us know it was there and that not many of us were different from each other in who we were.

People like Iverson, Shaq, Randy Moss and others now knew someone understood them and that they could confide in people who had the same aspirations and goals as them. We should be thankful of Biggie for that. At least I am.

The Knicks Need More Changes

This guy has gotta go.

Fair warning… maybe I’m being a little ill tempered after watching the Knicks lose to the Cavs (again), or the fact that the Knicks play defense like Kim Kardashian makes hit records. But I’m ticked off…

THE NEW YORK KNICKS SHOULD FIRE MIKE D’ANTONI… NOW!!!!

I mean I gave you a good enough warning right?

Is it just me or does anyone else have the feeling that D’antoni isn’t the guy for this job? I know the Knicks score points, they make games exciting for the big networks and its an overall sexy product on the floor in terms of star power. However, let’s come to grips people, that ain’t a tie contender out there. Not even close.

It’s a nice 4 man kingdom with a few court jesters for show, but as far as a complete team, hell no.

Having an offensive minded team is fine as long as you have some type of defensive structure. The Denver Nuggets have Aaron Afflalo, the Phoenix Suns have Robin Lopez, even the Clippers have Deandre Jordan and Blake Griffin.

The Knicks had Corey Brewer but bought him out and he was immediately scooped up by Dallas. Now who do u count on for some level of defensive intensity, Landry Fields? Bill Walker?

Defense wins championships, period. You can chuck all of the threes in the world, run up and down the court til your heart stops and get as many dunks as possible, but without defense you’re game plan is pointless and you’ll never get over the hump.

Which brings us to D’antoni and Donnie Walsh for that matter. When D’antoni was hired it was on the basis that his system that worked well in Phoenix would carry over to the Knicks.

The long term plan was to implement that offensive system and bring in a huge piece, like LeBron James, and let it grow into a title contender. So Walsh tried to dump a ton of salary while D’antoni had a bunch of players run his scatterbrained offense with little sense for two years.

We watched Chris Duhon fail the system, watched Nate Robinson fall out of favor, watched Walsh miss out on drafting Brandon Jennings by taking Jordan Hill then send him to Houston for T-MAC’s expiring deal.

The Knicks lack of defense leads to losses like the three they've had versus Cleveland.

Then the moment came this past summit where the plan would come to fruition and James would resurrect the Knicks… yeah about that.

When James bolted the Walsh plan failed. As soon as LeBron took his talents to South Beach Walsh should’ve told D’antoni to go with him.

Sure they got Amar’e Stoudemire and Raymond Felton, however that wasn’t the big plan. You needed more players to work in D’antoni’s system. You need a pass first point guard, shooters, and a bench that goes 8-9 deep solidly. Granted the Knicks have had that, until the Carmelo deal.

Now what do they have? Shawne Williams at the 4? Anthony Carter as the backup point guard? Shelden Williams as a Center? It’s a mess.

The team acts like the Phoenix Suns yet it is a hand me down version with even worse defensive tendencies.

Tonight they allowed 119 points to the worst team in the league…119!!! The Cleveland Cavaliers had 7 players in double figures, J.J. Hickson looked like Charles Barkley and Luke Harangody was a poor man’s version of Kevin Love, they couldn’t stop Baron Davis who should be in full sulk mode. How can I take the Knicks as a serious NBA franchise when they’re 0-3 against the league’s worst team and when they’ve allowed 117 points a game in the last two meetings?

(Side note: northern Ohio is slowly becoming my least favorite opponent of New York teams. It’s like the Cavs, Browns, Indians and Blue Jackets only play hard against us and lay flat against other competitors. Think about the Browns going 4-12 yet killing the Giants on Monday Night Football. The Indians christening the new Yankee Stadium with a 22-4 beantown. These three losses to the Cavs and the Rangers letting me down the one time a year they come to Columbus. The sympathy I have for this state’s hard luck OS dwindling by the second.)

So what’s the solution? Fire Mike D’antoni and get a coach on here that preaches defense.

Donnie Walsh isn’t going to able to put the kind of team together that fits the system D’antoni runs. Just kill it now before it destroys the slight momentum the Know kd have gained from the Carmelo Anthony deal.

Hire Mike Brown. Draft a point guard or center. Get Tyson Chandler, get some defensive help for Melo and company, change the look of this team right now and make them serious.

Fact is that while Mike D’antoni will win games, he won’t win titles. If he did he would still be in Phoenix. You need a guy that will take your team to the next level and he ain’t it.

I didn’t expect much from the Knicks this season. I expect the Melo deal to be the beginning of many deals in the future to bring the Knicks back for real.

However, it can’t happen with D’antoni as the coach. The system needs to be changed in order for the Knicks to be successful and it starts on the sidelines.

I hope Walsh makes this or something happen. If there are more losses like this in the future then it won’t be just Mike D’antoni under the hot seat. It’ll be you too Donnie. I can’t take this crap anymore.