NY Knicks Show Promise in Win

Last night’s game between the home standing New York Knicks and the Orlando Magic provided some great bullet point material for this writer.

Knicks Have Best Overall talent in the Atlantic – Who else in the division has a big man tandem like Eddy Curry (20 pts on 8 of 9 shooting from the field) and David Lee (14 pts and 16 boards)? No one of course, and this is why I underscore the claim I made in my earlier article on the Knicks where I asserted that they would get into the tourney and could make it to the East finals. The three guard rotation of Marbury, Crawford and Francis (combined 41 pts and 10 assists) is more than adequate, Quentin Richardson (15 and 5) is holding up his end of the bargain, and at some point Jared Jeffries will exorcise his demons and contribute.

Orlando lacks balance – If Dwight Howard can be contained and not allowed to dominate the paint, this edition of the Magic, though talented enough, has an unwieldy fit to its constituent parts, and it appears that they will fall out of the race post-break. Grant Hill is the wild card in this situation – if he puts together one last run, they could ride him into the playoffs.

Credit where it’s Due – Though he’s been accused rightly of being a poor in-game strategist, one cannot help to credit Isiah Thomas for the groupings he puts on the floor. He rode through several turnovers by Lee and a revitalized Steve Francis because they were errors of commission – attempts by aggressive players to push the ball instead of falling into a half-court scheme. Thomas can silence all of his critics by pushing these 2007 Knicks deep into the playoffs.

Marbury and Crawford Mature – Though each have taken their own path to this point, the New York starting backcourt now exhibit the decision-making to ally with the obvious talent they each possess. There is the nagging problem of their chemistry when both are on the court for long stretches, but Francis offers a nice change of pace in that regard. When the game was on the line, Stephon and Jamaal both knocked down the foul shots that sealed the victory.

Want-To Was There - Knick fans have surely had their fill of their NBA team's going through the motions during the last half of the past several seasons. This 2007 version will be the one to set things right, if this win against Orlando is any indicator, allied with their strong road victory versus the Lakers last week. They demostrated heart and passion, and clearly are committed to making a run in these last 28 games.

It’s been almost a decade since NYC has seen significant games in May. Hope springs eternal in the early months of a year, and those hopes may be realized for the New York Knicks if the NBA team produces efforts like last evening’s victory.

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