Just about everyone I know who cares about the Bulls or the NBA was shocked when they heard Mike D'Antoni had chosen the Knicks over the Bulls. All anybody had heard the previous week was that D'Antoni was going to be taking over on the bench here in Chicago.
It's just an important reminder not to believe anything you hear when it comes down to negotiations in sports. You never know when something you hear is the truth, or just an agent stirring the pot for his client. Now it looks a lot like Mike D'Antoni and his agent were just doing everything in their power to make sure Mike got as much money as possible.
"I'm disappointed in him," Reinsdorf said. "I don't know what else we could've done. He chose to go to New York knowing there was a good chance we would make him an offer. If he had really wanted to be in Chicago, he would've waited. Instead, he misled us. It's not the end of the world, but it is somewhat rude."
The "misled" accusation stems from their 2-hour-15-minute meeting Friday at D'Antoni's Phoenix-area home that is mere yards from Reinsdorf's, a meeting Reinsdorf said he left at 4:45 p.m. local time.
"The second subject, I said if we need to get something done this weekend we shouldn't even bother talking because it will take longer than that," Reinsdorf said. "He said nothing had to be done over the weekend.
"I also said if this proceeds to where we want to make an offer, we don't deal with coach's agents. He said that's not a problem and that money wasn't the most important thing anyway. He said he wanted a job where he was going to be happiest. He said he didn't want to coach the Knicks."
Now another thing you should know is that when a team is supposedly going to get a player or a coach, and then they don't get that player or coach, they then go into a spin mode to try and deflect all the blame away from them. That's what Reinsdorf was just doing there.
The Bulls can say all they want about the situation. They can say that D'Antoni misled them, or that he just wanted more money, or they can say that D'Antoni is an anti-semite and just doesn't want to work for Reinsdorf. No matter what they say, whether there's an ounce of truth to it or not, is just an excuse. And a bad one at that.
The reason D'Antoni is the new head coach of the Knicks is because the Bulls sat around twiddling their thumbs instead of making him an offer. If they liked him so much, and wanted him to be the team's next coach, they would have done so.
Instead, it's rather obvious now that they just didn't want to invest that much money in a new coach when they still have to pay Scott Skiles.
I was shocked on Saturday when I found out that Mike D'Antoni had signed a 4-year $24 million deal to become the head coach of the New York Knicks. From everything I'd been reading or hearing, it was only a matter of time before D'Antoni was announced as the new head coach of the Bulls.
Much like everybody else, I figured D'Antoni was using the Knicks as nothing more than a bargaining chip to get a better deal out of the Bulls. After all, he and his agent were saying how excited they were about the possibility of coaching this Bulls team, and the Knicks are such a mess right now that it will be a few years before they can think of turning that around.
There was no way D'Antoni would choose that project over Chicago.
Then he did, and now I have no idea why. The only reason I can think of is the money, as I see no other motive that makes sense. It could have been the draw of coaching one of the NBA's premiere (well, what used to be premiere) franchises in a city like New York, but the Bulls aren't exactly the Sacramento Kings here. We do have quite the basketball history of our own, and Chicago isn't exactly the middle of nowhere.
No, the only thing I can think of is the money, and the fact that they just weren't willing to give D'Antoni as much money. Hell, according to the Bulls, they say they never had a chance to even make the offer.
That's bullshit.
How long has this story been out there? How long were we hearing that D'Antoni wanted to come here, and that John Paxson wanted him here as well? There was no time over the last week to make an offer?
The Bulls had found the coach they wanted, the coach had found the team he wanted, but the Bulls just couldn't pull the trigger. They found themselves stuck in the mud, and they're probably going to find themselves stuck in the mud on the court this season as well.
Don't get me wrong, I don't think Mike D'Antoni was going to instantly make the Bulls into title contenders. I just thought that he'd at least make them interesting and entertaining, and a lot more fun to watch than they were this last season.
The Utah Jazz were on a roller coaster ride on Monday night. The Jazz blew a 21- point lead before going on a 16-0 run in the fourth quarter to complete their 16th straight home victory. Deron Williams had 17 points and 20 assists to lead the Jazz. "Everybody right know is fighting for their lives and fighting for a playoff spot. It was a fun game to be a part of," said Deron Williams. "I wish we would have held on to that lead. We let that slip away. We knew they were going to make a run, but we should have put them away a little earlier." Carlos Boozer led the Jazz with 28, and Mehmet Okur had 20. Josh Howard led the Mavs with 25 while Dirk Nowitzki scored 23, but the Mavs fell to 4-4 since acquiring Jason Kidd. New Orleans Hornets 100 New York Knicks 88
The Hornets had a little too much trouble with the Knicks before Chris Paul helped his team finish the game on a 10-0 run, and get out of Madison Square Garden with a victory. Paul finished the game with 27 points, 19 of which came in the second half, and had 8 assists and 5 rebounds. He's so good that even Isiah Thomas noticed. "As I said before the game, he's great. He's just as good in person as he is when you watch him on tape," Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said. "I thought Nate in the first half did a good job in terms of applying pressure and trying to keep up with him, and then he got in foul trouble and I thought that took away some of his aggressiveness." Philadelphia 76ers 106 Los Angeles Clippers 80
Yeah, because you really care about anything that happened in this game. Long story short, Philly outscored the Clippers over a regulated span of 48 minutes.
I knew yesterday when I wrote that the Bears should try and sign Randy Moss that not everybody was going to agree. Moss is just too polarizing a figure amongst football fans to assume everybody would go along with the idea.
Plus, I'm kind of an idiot, so if everybody agreed with me all the time, this world would be in a lot of trouble.
Gepetto from Luol's Dong was so adamantly against my theory that a comment on the post just didn't suffice. Instead, he was kind enough to write a whole post about it, breaking it down with three reasons why the Bears shouldn't go after Moss.
#1. Personality. The Bears of the 1980's were all about flashiness and style, things that Moss would have excelled in. However, the current Bears team is very much about teamwork and selflessness (see: universal hatred of Cedric Benson for his holdout). If Moss continues to be his usual entertaining self, he may find that he doesn't have an audience for it.
Oh, and then there's all the crime and anti-team behavior. You know: not playing games when you don't feel like it, marijuana, and, of course, the Straight Cash Homey incident.
I agree that Moss' personality could clash with any team, but it wasn't evident in New England this season. It's important to note that when Moss was getting in all sorts of trouble, he was still in his early 20's. He's 31 now, and maybe you haven't noticed, but he hasn't really gotten into any trouble the last few years. When I'm 31, if I'm still being judged by things I did in my early 20's, well, that would just be fucked.
Also, as for the Bears selflessness and hatred for Cedric Benson for holding out, they sure didn't seem to mind when Lance Briggs was threatening to sit out an entire season because he was only going to be paid a palty $7 million. The team was resentful of Benson not because he was holding out, but because he was holding out before he'd ever set foot on an NFL playing field and hadn't earned that right.
The Bears knew what Lance Briggs was worth, and trust me, they've been victimized by Randy Moss enough to know what he's worth as well.
#2. Oakland. I cannot stress this enough. Bringing in an A+ receiver does not a good team make. The Raiders brought in Moss to give their team a legit receiving threat (to go along with LaMont Jordan on the ground) in what seemed like a surefire move to get the Raiders back into contention. Well, except that the rest of the team still sucked, and Moss didn't see why he should put himself on the line for a bad team. This says it all.
Moss flopped around like a dead fish, and underperformed for a team that likes to throw the deep ball. Heck, they even had a speedster (Porter) to take some heat off of Moss on the deep routes. It just doesn't matter if Moss doesn't care. If Moss can turn his back on Oakland (which had a much better run game than we do), why not Chicago?
Again, a very valid point, but before we all just turn to Moss' tenure in Oakland as a reason he won't work in Chicago, we have to actually look at the situation in Oakland. There's quite a difference between the Raiders and the Bears, and it starts with Al Davis, who's clearly lost his mind as he approaches his 150th birthday.
Besides, when your owner gives up on finding a real coach and instead recycles one that couldn't do the job the first time around, Art Shell, it's hard to stay motivated. Not that I'm trying to give Moss an excuse for the way he played in Oakland, but why should he run out his routes? The Raiders kept sacrificing mediocre quarterback after mediocre quarterback, putting them behind an offensive line that couldn't block a Pop-Warner team. By the time Randy was getting to his cut, his quarterback was on his back.
Sure, Oakland had talent at running back and wide receiver when Moss came to the team, but none of that works without an offensive line.
#3. Money. As much cap room as we've saved, I find it hard to believe that the Bears would go after the top WR available with so many other holes to fill. Moss had a 2007 performance that nets him the big bucks, and it's not likely that the Bears would blow all that cap room on just one player (Unless his name is Lance Briggs).
This is the best reason of the three. It's the one reason why I don't think the Bears would sign Moss. Like I said in my post yesterday, I think the Bears have to try and sign Moss. Just find out exactly what he's looking for, you never know, it might be financially reasonable.
Much like the Raiders, the Bears need help on the offensive line first or Moss wouldn't be able to make any difference.
Foul Balls
The Sox Have Not Made An Offer To Bartolo Colon - Late last night I wrote about a rumor over at FanHouse that the White Sox had made an offer to Bartolo Colon. I openly questioned the validity of the report I found on Impacto Deportivo, and as it turns out, my suspicion was well founded.
Manager Ozzie Guillen shot down a report that the White Sox were on the verge of signing free agent pitcher Bartolo Colon.
According to Dominican site Impactodeportivo.com.do, Colon is close to finalizing a contract with the White Sox. The media outlet states that the pitcher needs only to pass a physical examination.
Guillen, who personally scouted Colon and met earlier Wednesday morning with assistant general manager Rick Hahn, said he hasn't spoken to Colon's representatives in a few weeks. That doesn't mean that the Sox have completely closed the door on Colon, but merely that a signing isn't imminent.
As I said in my FanHouse post, I wouldn't mind if the White Sox did sign Colon for an encore performance on the south side. He's been plagued by injuries the last few seasons, but if he were able to recover and have a strong season, the Sox would be in a much better position to make a playoff run.
If he isn't able to recover, it's not like he could be much worse than Gavin Floyd.
Northwestern Sucks - After losing to the Iowa Hawkeyes on Tuesday night, the Northwestern Wildcats are now 7-17 on the season, and 0-13 in the Big Ten. It's enough to make me wonder, are the Wildcats the worst team in the history of the Big Ten conference?
Looking at the Wildcats remaining schedule, I won't be surprised if they're 0-18 by the end of the season.
I know that Northwestern is one of those academic schools that foolishly values education over its sports programs, but could the school really keep coach Bill Carmody around if they manage to finish the season without a win? Don't they have to at least try to make it look like they're trying to win? The Knicks Show Team Unity - With the Bulls set to get back to action tonight against what used to be the New Jersey Nets, I'm sure you're all as depressed as I am. I've noticed that over the last few days, without the Bulls to drag me down, there's been a certain bounce in my step.
Colors are brighter. Jokes are funnier. I'm just happier.
I'm afraid it's all going to end tonight when I watch the Bulls play, even if Luol Deng does return.
Still, I just have to remind myself things could be worse. I could be watching the Knicks. Though, at least if I was watching the Knicks I'd be able to laugh at my team fighting each other.
I wasn't even aware the Bulls had a game scheduled for yesterday afternoon until I was looking for something to watch during commercials of the Colts-Chargers game. From what I saw of the game, I don't think the Bulls were aware they had a game on Sunday afternoon either. The Hawks jumped out to a big lead in the first quarter, and they never let it go. Joe Johnson had 37 points to lead the Hawks to their first win over the Bulls since April 9, 2004. Luol Deng had 28 points for the Bulls after missing the last three games with a sore Achilles. Also, Joakim Noah was benched for a second straight game after getting into an argument with assistant coach Ron Adams on Friday, only this time it wasn't Jim Boylan's decision. A unanimous team vote felt that one game wasn't enough to teach the rookie a lesson. New York Knicks 89 Detroit Pistons 65
The Pistons were in New York on Sunday finishing a four-game five-day road trip, and had just won an overtime game in Charlotte on Saturday night. Let's just say you can tell they were somewhat tired on Sunday afternoon. The 65 points Detroit scored on Sunday was only one point more than what would have been the worst offensive performance in franchise history. Zach Randolph scored 25 points to lead the Knicks. Toronto Raptors 116 Portland Blazers 109 2OT
Please forgive Chris Bosh if he decides not to get out of bed today. You see, after scoring 40 points for the Raptors on Friday night, Bosh played 55 minutes on Sunday and scored 38 points and had 14 rebounds to help Toronto to it's third straight win. "You have to find something in you," Bosh said. "You're not going to have much energy but you have to get it done. You can't run many plays. You have to keep going, get it to your guys and when the ball comes to you, you have to step up and knock down shots or get big rebounds." Brandon Roy had 33 points and 10 assists for Portland.
So I'm watching this game last night, and there are all these good things I'm seeing the Bulls do. I'm making all these mental notes of things I want to talk about, hell, I'm even thinking of leaving the Bulls out of the Diaries and instead writing the "feature" on the improved play of the team. Then, BAM, the fourth quarter happens. I don't know what the hell happened, but the Bulls were firmly in control of this game for almost the entire night, and then they lost all of a sudden. The Knicks outscored them 27-12 in the 4th quarter. So I won't be talking about how the young trio of Aaron Gray, Joakim Noah, and Tyrus Thomas dominated the Knicks in the second quarter. Nor will I be talking about Joe Smith's latest double double. Cleveland Cavaliers 95 Seattle Sonics 79
Like the Bulls, the Cavaliers got off to a very slow start this season. Unlike the Bulls, the Cavs have begun to dig themselves out of it. Having LeBron James doesn't hurt, as he scored 22 points to lead Cleveland, despite sitting out the majority of the 4th quarter as the Cavs coasted to their 6th win in their last seven games. "There a point and time, if you truly believe you're an elite team, you don't have to say, 'Hey guys, remember, this team is 9-and-whatever they are. We have to come out and play,'" Cavs coach Mike Brown said. "There was no rah-rah speech in there. It was, '1, 2, 3, work hard,' and that was it." Kevin Durant had 24 for Seattle. Utah Jazz 111 Indiana Pacers 89
The Jazz used the first quarter to jump out on the Pacers, and they never let Indiana get back into the game from there. Utah had a 40-19 lead at the end of the first, and both the starters and the bench had a relatively easy time with the Pacers. Carlos Boozer had 22 points, Matt Harpring had 16, and Deron Williams had 10 points and 9 assists to lead Utah. "We did a good job being the aggressors tonight and we did a good job maintaining that throughout the game, especially defensively. Our defense was able to create the offense for us," Boozer said.
I hope you didn't actually think I'd start the Diaries off with the Knicks and basketball would actually be the story. Why would I want to talk basketball when talking about the Knicks? They're horrible at it. I'd rather just talk about Isiah whom according to fans near the Knicks bench wasn't too pleased with the MSG crowd last night. Though it's hard to be happy with people who boo you constantly. Isiah of course denied all of this after the game. "I was just trying to make sure that we kept the team together and we stayed focused on what we were doing and trying to win a basketball game," he said. "Our fans are great, they support us and they show up and we're glad they're here."
Atlanta Hawks 98 Orlando Magic 87
I know you're wondering how the Magic could actually lose to the Hawks, but it's pretty simple actually. Orlando isn't very good at home, it's on the road that they dominate. They're 5-4 this season at home, and 11-2 on the road, which presents a paradox for Orlando. The more games they win the more likely they are to have home court advantage in a playoff series, but the more times they play at home, the more likely they are to lose. It's insanity!
Miami Heat 117 Phoenix Suns 113
Just when you think the Heat are completely washed up, they score a win in Phoenix over the Suns. Dwyane Wade had 31 points for Miami, 10 of which came in the final four minutes, as he led Miami to it's biggest victory of the season. "I'm getting a lot more comfortable with my game, especially with my pull-up jumper," said Wade, who scored 16 in Miami's 40-point first quarter. "I wanted to come out and be real aggressive and put some pressure on them." It's the first time Miami has beaten Phoenix in the last three years.
Who needs Gilbert Arenas? On the same day that the Wizards found out they'd be without their superstar for the next three months, they handed the Dallas Mavericks their first home loss of the season. Caron Butler led the way for Washington, scoring 35 points and making all five of his three-pointers while playing 44 minutes on Monday night. Antawn Jamison also had 27 points as the Wizards improved to 4-2 without Arenas. "Never underestimate our will," Butler said. "Guys were aggressive and stayed positive. It's not going to be one individual [replacing Arenas]. We've just got to continue to keep this thing going." New York Knicks 113 Utah Jazz 109
Isiah Thomas and Stephon Marbury are in love now only two weeks after Thomas benched Marbury and Stephon left the team on a west coast trip. Marbury scored 28 points last night to lead the Knicks to victory over the Jazz at Madison Square Garden on Monday night. "I thought Marbury was great," Thomas said. "His leadership throughout the game, during the course of the game, his decision-making, his defense, his shot-making ability. Just from start to finish he was great. "Overall a good team effort, but No. 3 was really good tonight." Carlos Boozer had 30 and 16 for Utah, while Deron Williams had 26 points.
Golden State Warriors 129 Phoenix Suns 114
A defensive struggle, this was not. The Suns had their 8-game win streak snapped in Oakland last night thanks to Stephen Jackson and Baron Davis. Jackson had 32 points, while Davis had 28 points along with 10 assists. Monta Ellis also scored 15 straight points in the 4th quarter to finish with 31 of his own. "Me and Baron just stuck to running that screen," Ellis said of the simple play that set up most of his shots. "My shot was going, so I just kept shooting it. ... It was a great win to get back to ourselves. If we start doing the things we were doing at the end of last year, we'll win a lot of games no matter who we're playing. We came out, starting quickly, and finished it off."
Not pictured: Isiah telling Stephon, "It's cool, bitch!" And then grabbing a handful of his ass
Los Angeles Clippers 84 New York Knicks 81
It's the classic story really. Star player and head coach get into a fist fight on the team plane, the star player leaves the team for a game, the team fines the star $195,000, he suddenly comes back to the team and makes up with the head coach. Then they both go out and lose the game. How Dickensian! Stephon Marbury and Isiah Thomas aside, the Knicks did make a late rally to draw within a point with seven seconds left, but couldn't finish the comeback. Chris Kaman led the Clippers with 14 points and 18 rebounds, and any time you're leading scorer has more rebounds than points, that means you shot like shit. Which the Clippers did, making only 37% of their shots. Of course, the Knicks only shot 35%, so they padded Kaman's stats as well.
"Seattle" Sonics 104 Miami Heat 95
And the Sonics finally get on the board! In a night that was supposed to mark the glorious return of Dwyane Wade to the Heat lineup, Kevin Durant got his first pro victory in nine games. Durant had 18 points, but it was Chris Wilcox's 20 and 10 that led the Sonics to their first victory this season. As for Wade, he scored 15 points in 25 minutes, but he couldn't keep the Heat from falling to 1-7. Have you seen Shaq this season? He looks terrible. All that pounding he's taken over the years has finally caught up to him. If Wade doesn't stay healthy and take over again, things aren't going to get any better in Miami this season.
Orlando Magic 117 Cleveland Cavaliers 116 OT
LeBron James had a chance to win this game for Cleveland in the final seconds, but as he drove the lane and went for the shot, Hedo Turkoglu got his hands on the ball and tied him up. Time expired in the resulting jump ball. LeBron did seem to remember the play a bit differently. "I went into the lane and I got grabbed," James said. "He had some of the ball, but he had part of my arm as well. Once I feel a little bit contact, I am trying to go up and get the shot off and hopefully they will call a foul. It didn't go our way." James did finish with 39 points, 13 rebounds, and 14 assists. The last player to amass those kind of numbers in a single game was Wilt Chamberlain in 1968. Dwight Howard didn't play half bad himself, scoring 35 points and grabbing 16 boards of his own to lead the Magic. Oh, and he got the win too. Elsewhere...
Today Isiah Thomas learned a valuable lesson. You can't go around and calling women who work for you bitch. It's unfair, I know. Let's face it, most women are bitches and deserve to be told so all the time.
But that's just the world we live in now, where we can't call them bitch, and we allow them to vote. It's not a perfect system, but if women don't want to be called bitch, we can't call them bitch. If we do, they won't have sex with us, and really, that's what is the most important thing here.
New York Knicks coach Isiah Thomas sexally harassed a top executive but does not have to pay the woman punitive damages, a jury ruled today.
The Manhattan Federal Court jury also determined that Madison Square Garden harassed Anucha Browne Sanders and owed her punitive damages for firing her when she complained of Thomas' loutish behavior.
The same jury will now decide how much MSG should cough up. Browne Sanders, 44, sought $10 million in her lawsuit.
During the three-week trial, Browne Sanders testified that Thomas, 46, called her "bitch" and "ho." The married mother of three said Thomas made unwelcome sexual advances.
To make himself feel better, Isiah then went out and immediately signed a 13-year old kid from Montana to a max contract.
I've never been a fan of Isiah Thomas, when he played for the Pistons or now as he runs the New York Knicks.
So it's nice to know he's not a fan of me either.
You see, I'm white, and Isiah has no time for me.
At least that's what Anucha Browne Sanders said while she testified against Thomas in his sexual harassment trial that's gotten underway.
Browne Sanders said Thomas bristled at her efforts to get players to turn out for corporate events scheduled long before he took over the team in December 2003.
"Bitch, I don't give a [expletive] about the sponsors ..." Browne Sanders testified Thomas told her. "I don't give a [expletive] about ticket sales."
She also said Thomas rebuffed her March 2004 request that he sign renewal-request letters sent out to past season ticket holders with a pointed shot at loyal Knick fans.
"Bitch, I don't give a [expletive] about these white people," Browne Sanders said Thomas told her.
So let's see. Isiah is running a sports franchise but he doesn't care about sponsors, ticket sales or all the honkeys in the seats.
No idea why the Knicks are such a league-wide joke right now.
As a sidenote, I wonder what the reaction would be to this story had it been Gregg Popovich saying he didn't give an expletive about black people.
I was at this game last night (Thanks, Greg!) and the thing I noticed more than anything else was just how fat Eddy Curry really is. It was also obvious that he's slow, and sucks on D. Of course, I already knew all of this from his playing days with the Bulls, but I just like to point it out as often as I can. The Bulls owned the Knicks from the outset as this game was never close. The only disappointment came when the Bulls couldn't manage four damn points in the final two and a half minutes and cost me a free Big Mac. Bastards. Oh, and there were extracurricular activities afterwards because of it. Jerome James tried to go after Tyrus Thomas in the tunnel after the game cuz the Knicks thought they were trying to rub it in. "I think they were definitely trying to rub it in," said Eddy Curry, who spent his first four seasons with the Bulls. "But we'll see them next year." Oh shut up, Eddy. You knew exactly what was going on. Hell, you wanted one of those damn Big Macs. I saw your mother in the crowd.
New Jersey Nets 96 Washington Wizards 92
Things are falling apart and fast in Washington. The Wizards lost their five straight since losing both Agent Zero and Caron Butler, and now the Nets are withing two games of the Wiz for the sixth seed in the East. Richard Jefferson led the Nets with 35 points. Of course, there was still some good news for the Wizards....
Philadelphia 76ers 90 Indiana Pacers 86
...because this Pacers loss clinched a playoff berth for them. Now they get to lose in the first round! Congrats, Washington. The Sixers were shorthanded but it didn't keep them from basically ending the Pacers season. Andre Miller had 19 points and 11 assists for Philly. As for the Pacers and Jermaine O'Neal, they're realizing their fate. "We didn't really meet the challenge that we needed to meet, especially since we're in the playoff push," O'Neal said. "There's not a word that really describes the feeling of it, especially when we struggled the way we struggled tonight."
Listening to a pregame Elton Brand interview yesterday, it was hard not to laugh. You could actually hear him trying to convince himself the Clippers had a chance. Well, Elton, you got 20 points - at least you tried. Unfortunately, Dirk Nowitzki had 26 points - 12 in a row during the 3rd quarter - and Jerry Stackhouse came off the bench with 18 points, to secure the Mavs top seed for this season. Moments later, coach Avery Johnson rewarded the two, announcing they weren't going on the Memphis roadtrip. "I told them if I see them on the plane, I'll fine them," Johnson said. If I were Dirk, I'd show up at the airport just for fun.
Denver Nuggets 115 Los Angeles Lakers 111
Finally, the IverMello titration produces results. After stuggling for a couple months to get the timing right, the Nuggets have started to gel, and last night stretched their winning streak to a season-best six straight games behind Carmelo Anthony's 33 points, Iverson's 24 points and Marcus Camby's 22 rebounds and seven blocks. "This is probably the best time ever to get the chemistry down," Anthony said. "It couldn't come at a much better time for us." This moves the Nuggets one and a half games ahead of the ice-cold Lakers. Coach Phil Jackson had little to say after the game. Here's what I say, coach: Better readjust that "beginner's mind," cuz things are going south pretty fast.
Detroit Pistons 91 New York Knicks 83
The Pistons must roll out of bed ten minutes before game time and wait for the coffee to kick sometime in the fourth quarter. It happened again last night. The Pistons were trailing by 10 in the final minute of the third quarter before Chauncey Billups had enough. Billups scored 22 points, Richard Hamilton added 19 points, getting them the win and lowering their magic number to one to clinch the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. "That's pretty much us in a nutshell. We always look for that challenge," Billups said. "When we are challenged, we always step up to the plate. When it's time to buckle down and get stops, we get stops. When it's time to buckle down and execute, we do that, and it was one of our typical games, to be honest with you." Which reminds me: Step up to the plate? Why do athletes always use cliches from other sports?
Carter and Kidd became the first teammates with triple-doubles in the same game since some two guys in Chicago did it in 1989. The only thing more improbable is that the Nets still almost lost. Wizard's Antawn Jamison, with a season-high 37 points, forced the game into overtime when he hit a 3-pointer with a second on the clock. But New Jersey pulled it out, led by the duesome duo: Carter with 46 points, 16 rebounds and 10 assists and Kidd with 10 points, 16 rebounds, and 18 assists. When told of the Michael Jordan/Scottie Pippen comparison, Carter said, "You can't beat that one. That's nice company."
Dallas Mavericks 86 Portland Trail Blazers 74
The Mavs and their fans are bored with this thing you mortals call regular season. They wanna clinch top seed in the Western Conference and move on. In a pro forma game, notable only for the absence of Josh Howard with an ankle injury, the Mavs did what they needed to do to win. Jason Terry scored 22 of his 29 points by halftime and Devin Harris added 18. Even the fans were pretty lackluster. I don't blame them. Seriously, I'm bored too. These last few days are some kind of test of patience, I guess, before the good stuff happens.
New York Knicks 118 Milwaukee Bucks 113
Who cares, right? I mean, c'mon, it's the Knicks and the Bucks. But actually, it was kinda dramatic. Score tied 99-99. 0.9 seconds left. Milwaukee's Ruben Patterson make a 3-pointer to take the lead. What's Isiah Thomas to do? Surely not go to Eddy Curry, who hadn't even attempted a three-point shot in the last two years. But Thomas was undaunted. "It was designed for Eddy. I didn't think that they would guard him. I've been telling him the whole season I was going to design a play for him to shoot a 3 and win a game for us. I took a timeout and said, 'Now's the time.'" Cue the slo-mo and Chariots of Fire music.... a shot.... and THREE POINTS FOR EDDY CURRY AND THE GAME GOES TO OVERTIME! Curry, with a career-high 43 points, was elated: "[Thomas] asked me if I had one in me and I said, 'Yeah. It felt good leaving my hand. [Dan] Gadzuric challenged the shot so I couldn't see the ball. So I stepped to the side and saw the ball go through. I really couldn't believe it, man. It was incredible." Oh yeah, Knicks won in overtime. Man, that was so good, I need a cigarette.
Some Kentucky basketball fans may notice a familiar face on the bench of the New York Knicks.
It's Randolph Morris, who last week was playing for the Kentucky Wildcats in their loss to Kansas.
So you're probably wondering, how in the hell this is possible? I'll admit I'm not even that sure myself, but it has to do with Morris testing out the NBA draft waters in 2005.
Randolph Morris entered the NBA draft back in 2005 after his freshman season. He did not sign with an agent, and went completely undrafted. Morris was able to return to Kentucky -- after Tubby Smith happened to find the missing paper work a few months later in a desk drawer --the NCAA had him sit out the 2005-06 non-con portion of the season but resume playing for Kentucky...After Tubby Smith left Kentucky for Minnesota, Morris decided to leave for the NBA. The Athletic Director of Kentucky implored him to wait on that decision until the Wildcats had a new coach. Considering Kentucky has indicated that they arenot going to rush the decision, Morris apparently saw no reason to wait around to see what happened. He took the money now, though it is not clear when he will be suiting up for games with the Knicks.
Add another point to Isiah Thomas' board. The guy has made himself look like a genius this season after convincing us all he had no idea what he was doing.
Make no mistake about it, Morris was going to be a first round pick in the NBA Draft this summer. Remember, the Knicks don't have a pick in the first round - it belongs to the Bulls as part of the Eddy Curry trade.
Now granted, if the Knicks miss the playoffs and the Bulls magically end up with Oden or Durant, it will kill any positive momentum Thomas has gained, but the odds of that happening at this point are miniscule.
The Bulls have a unique ability to look absolutely horrible when they're off. Teams have bad games once in a while, but when the Bulls do it, it's just painful to watch. Ben Gordon made 2 of his 12 shots, while Luol Deng made 5 of his 15. I'm still trying to decide what's worse. The loss to Memphis on Saturday or this one. I'm going to say this one.
Phoenix Suns 108 Minnesota Timberwolves 90
Alright, Suns fans, you can get off the ledge, your team is back to its winning ways. Leandro Barbosa stepped into the starting lineup and provided a boost with 20 points. Steve Nash had 18 points, and hit 4 of 5 three-point shots. The win also clinched the Pacific Division for the Suns. "We have loftier goals," Mike D'Antoni said, "so it's something good, but again it would have been better if we didn't have this little funk that we've been in. There were some positive signs out there that we'll be back. So overall, it's pretty good."
Dallas Mavericks 92 New York Knicks 77
Couldn't they both lose? Dirk and Josh Howard both had 24 points to lead the Mavericks over the short handed Knicks. "I think offensively we're explosive. I think we can score with the best of them," Nowitzki said. "I think even though we're a slower team now than we used to be with (Don Nelson), defensive-minded, we still have a lot of offense out there." The Knicks could also add Stephon Marbury to their list of walking wounded, as he had to leave the game in the fourth quarter with an injury to his left forearm.
Last week Phil Jackson said that not even Jesus could help this Lakers team. He was right, too. But lucky for the Lakers, they don't need Jesus because they have Kobe Bryant. After scoring 65 points on Friday night, Kobe followed it up with 50 on Sunday night to lead the Lakers past Minnesota. The last Laker to record back-to-back 50+ games? Elgin Baylor in 1962. "We talked about going to Kobe early in games and not waiting," coach Phil Jackson said. "He had been playing the team role, feeling the game out and waiting 'til the second half to get going. But there's just not enough time right now in the season to develop that."
Dallas Mavericks 92 Detroit Pistons 88
Rip Hamilton had a bad day. Not only did he miss five free throws down the stretch, but he ended the game sitting on the bench bleeding after he took an elbow from Chris Webber. His Pistons also had their 5-game win streak ended by the Mavericks. Dirk finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds to lead Dallas.
New York Knicks 92 Toronto Raptors 74
God help us all if the Knicks make the playoffs. It's like bizarro world as Isiah is coaching a team to the playoffs, and Renaldo Balkman is playing the role of spark plug. Balkman replaced a foul-plagued Eddy Curry in the third quarter, and promptly led a 27-5 run by the Knicks in which they took control. He finished with 15 points and 12 boards. "I love what I've seen from Renaldo the whole year," Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said. "Defensively he can change the game, his rebounding. Whenever we give him 30-plus minutes, he normally has double-figure rebounds and double-figure points. He's just a guy that somehow finds a way to change a game."
As if I didn't hate Isiah Thomas enough. Obviously, most of the hatred stems from his time with the Detroit Pistons and the intense rivalry with my Chicago Bulls. I don't care that he's a local product, and went to high school about a quarter mile down the street from where I sit writing this, I still hate him.
But the hate had been tempered recently when he began running the Knicks into the ground, and traded the Bulls a couple of draft picks that ended up as Tyrus Thomas and a chance at Greg Oden or Kevin Durant this season.
HOWEVA...
I wasn't expecting the Knicks to be a playoff team this season, nobody was, but if the season ended right now the Knicks would be playing the Pistons in the first round. Sure, it would make an interesting matchup as Thomas coached against the team he used to lead, but damn it, I want a lottery pick!!
I guess, and it pains me to do it, I'm going to have to give Isiah some credit. The Knicks feel the same way.
Isiah Thomas got a multiyear contract extension Monday, nine months after he was warned the Knicks needed to show "evident progress" or he'd be out of a job.
With the Knicks in the hunt for a playoff spot, Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan went back on his vow to wait until after the season to make his decision, saying that Thomas would return as coach and team president.
Neither side would release any details about the extension, but I'm hoping now that he's got it, Isiah and the Knicks will tank and fall back into the lottery.
Okay. So you're the Suns and you're one win away from being the first team in NBA history to sweep your season road games against the Eastern Conference. That's right. You are 14-0, and the only team standing in your way is the Philadelphia 76ers. You then beat Philly by 49 points behind Pat Burke's 55 points. Wait. What? No way?! Philly won!? How in the hell did that happen!? Is Ashton Kutcher going to jump out from behind the Phoenix bench or something? Phoenix didn't have Shawn Marion or Boris Diaw, and apparently they're very important. Andre Iguodala had 24 points while Willie Green added 20. Who the hell is Willie Green? Ya, I don't know either, and I think that's the point. For shame, Phoenix. For shame.
Chicago Bulls 113 Golden State Warriors 83
This game was pretty close at halftime, as the Bulls went to the locker room with a 62-58 lead. They then came out and outscored the Warriors 51-25 in the second half to send them on their way. Ben Gordon had 22 points, but 16 came in the first quarter. After that it was the freshmen who controlled the game. Tyrus Thomas tied his career high with 14 points while Thabo Sefolosha scored a career-high 19 to help the Bulls pull away. "They are starting to play a lot better. Obviously, they started off a little bit slower. Just the whole rookie process, but they are starting to play better now," Gordon said. "We need both of those guys big time down the stretch, so it's good to see them come around."
Boston Celtics 102 New York Knicks 94
Look out world, here come the Celtics!! Al Jefferson had 26 points, Paul Pierce had 24, and Gerald Green had 21 as the Celtics were able to hold off the Knickerbockers after blowing an early 28-point lead. That's two wins in a row for the Celtics, and it seems like they're going to try to blow the chance at landing Greg Oden or Kevin Durant in the draft. "Two games is good, we want to build on it and just get better," Pierce said. "There's teams that are battling for playoff position. The Knicks are trying to get into the playoffs -- we want to spoil their fun."
This one was tough to swallow. The Bulls trailed Toronto throughout the entire game, and with two minutes left to play, Chicago trailed by ten. The Bulls then went on an 11-0 run to take a 111-110 lead late. The Raptors called a play for T.J. Ford, who drove to the basket and had his shot blocked by Tyrus Thomas. Chris Bosh then came up with the loose ball, went up for the layup and was fouled by Tyrus Thomas. Bosh hit both free throws, and Ben Gordon missed a runner as time expired. "This shows how this team has turned it around," Bosh said. "Despite the breakdown at the end, we stood strong and still got out of here with a victory." This was the Raptors 28th win of the season, one more than they had all of last season. It was also Toronto's first win over the Bulls since December 6, 2002, ending a 15-game losing streak.
Houston Rockets 109 Sacramento Kings 104 OT
Tracy McGrady struggled for three and a half quarters last night, but scored 12 points in the final 4 minutes of regulation to lead the Rockets back and send the game into overtime. T-Mac also had 12 assists, as the Rockets survived a career high 39 points from Ron Artest, and beat Sacto in overtime. "When you're struggling for three quarters, your best player has to take over in the fourth quarter, I don't care what he has to do," said McGrady. "I knew I was struggling. That's why I wanted to attack in the fourth quarter."
New York Knicks 107 Los Angeles Lakers 106
I don't know what in the hell the Knicks think they're doing. Listen, Knicks, you are supposed to suck. Hard. Seriously, what's with this mediocrity thing? The Bulls have your draft pick this summer, and it's supposed to end up in the top 2 so they can draft Greg Oden or Kevin Durant. But here you are at 23-29, which in the Atlantic Division makes you a contender. Now you're going on the road to LA and taking out Kobe? Dare I say that Isaiah Thomas might know what he's doing?
Just about everyone I know who cares about the Bulls or the NBA was shocked when they heard Mike D'Antoni had chosen the Knicks over the Bulls. All anybody had heard the previous week was that D'Antoni was going to be taking over on the bench here in Chicago.
