Well, the Knicks only managed a split with the Wizards instead of a much needed sweep of the back to back, choking down the stretch in Washington. Then the Knicks again choked down the stretch vs. Philly. Things looked dire as the Bulls strolled into the Garden for MLK Day.

Review: New York Knicks 102-98 Chicago Bulls

- Danilo Gallinari has me very excited, and I won't temper it. He can score, he can pass, he is for sure raw, but most of all he CAN DEFEND. He needs to bulk up some but wow, what a difference the #6 pick of the draft can make.

- The Knicks won the turnover battle 17-11 and held the Bulls to 4-17 shooting from the arc. Maybe "hold" is the wrong word, since the Bulls missed some easy looks, but who am I to argue?

- Chris Duhon proved he was a gamer, playing in obvious pain all game. I can see why his Bulls teammates were not happy when his minutes were cut during his time in Chicago, he is the kind of guy any player in the Association would like to play along with.

- Tim Thomas did a lot more then the box score let on, the Knicks were +9 with him in the game. If he can stay healthy and give the Knicks a 9 man rotation, it will be interesting to see how the 4th quarters go in the second half of the season.

Preview: New York Knicks (+6) vs Phoenix Suns, Wed 7:30 pm EST

I don't fully believe in Phoenix, true. But they are pretty good on the road this year. The Knicks hung with Phoenix in Phoenix earlier in the year, and Phoenix has guard play that will let up some points. Duhon will have to work both the pick and roll and the drive and dish vs. Phoenix, who has the trees to disrupt Lee's offensive game. J-Rich loves the kill the Knicks but hopefully the big bodies being back for the Knicks will put some height on Richardson. Will Jeffries guard him? I woudln't be shocked...

Knicks-centric stats match-up:

Again: Since the Knicks are a team that runs the D'Antoni offense, posting typical team offensive/defensive stats is pretty silly. I will use offensive and defensive efficiency, a.k.a. how many points a team scores and allows per 100 possessions. Hopefully this will give people a better idea on how teams will stack up against the unique style the Knicks offer.


Knicks on offense:

Knicks offensive efficiency: 102.9 points/100 (20th in the NBA)
Suns defensive efficiency: 106.4 points/100 (t-23rd in the NBA)

Knicks on defense:

Suns offensive efficiency: 108.9 points/100 (4th in the NBA)
Knicks defensive efficiency: 107.1 points/100 (26th in the NBA)

Psst! Hey Donnie Walsh!

Previously done for the Suns..

Knicks Prediction:

Nate Robinson is getting well overdue to blow up on somebody. What better place then MSG, what better time then tonight?

Knicks 109-Phoenix 104 (season record: 10-2 straight up, 5-7 ATS)

Thanks for reading!

A unique situation has occupied my time in the last few days, so I have not got to follow the Knicks as religiously as I tend to. Which is a shame after Sunday's performance

Review: New York Knicks 104-92 Detroit Pistons

I got nothing I can really add from my unique view of the game, as I was busy working out a nice deal in my personal life over on the left coast. My personal life (I guess it's my job, more like my method of earning income) is boring to everyone else and I won't even bother to try to give you guys any context, but let's just say it takes some very unique circumstances to keep me from watching the Knicks. Will I be pulled away by the whims of fate and opportunity again this season? Maybe. But let's just sum up some very generic points, instead of giving you some in depth look at how the Knicks played that goes beyond the standard boxscore, I'll go straight fanboy.

- KNICKS WIN!!!!!!

- Detroit is a struggling team since the AI trade, but let's face it, they are a talented team on paper with size. The Knicks dominated the game and may be coming into form with their speed and small ball. Lee is becoming a force on the boards and Duhon, when he is on, can keep the Knicks in big games.

- Knicks are going on the road for 5 straight games. It's Chicago, New Jersey, Sacremento, Phoenix, and the Lakers. The Knicks are 9-11 at the moment, and these first 4 winnable games of the road trip (Yes, at Phoenix is winnable. Phoenix stinks, trust me) with go a long way to defining this season. The Knicks are a talented bunch with a lot of youth and a lot of vets, still working on cohesion and learning how to win. The Knicks have been awful on the road for years, but need to start this road trip out hot if they have any dreams of making the playoffs. Can the Knicks go 3-1 and get to LA with a .500 record? They sure can. Will they? It's highly highly doubtful. But's it's possible and the thought will entertain the thoughts of Knicks fans for the next week's worth of games.

- Look forward to the reintroduction of intellegent basketball discussion in this section after the Chicago game, when I can witness it with my own two eyes.

Preview: New York Knicks (+8) at Chicago Bulls, Tuesday 8:30 pm EST

This is going to be a really fun game. Duhon returns to Chicago to face a stud rookie PG in Derrick Rose. Rose should have his way off the dribble, but the Knicks will have a big advantage down low with Lee and Harrington. The play of Q Rich and Chandler will be essential to any chances the Knicks have of walking out with a win on Tuesday. The Knicks are going to need to hit threes from both guys, and get drible penetration from Chandler to give the Knicks a threat on the drive outside Duhon and Harrington. This one is going to be real enjoyable, I hope all Knicks fans and casual fans of the NBA make the time to tune this one in.

Knicks-centric stats match-up:

Again: Since the Knicks are a team that runs the D'Antoni offense, posting typical team offensive/defensive stats is pretty silly. I will use offensive and defensive efficiency, a.k.a. how many points a team scores and allows per 100 possessions. Hopefully this will give people a better idea on how teams will stack up against the unique style the Knicks offer.

Knicks on offense:

Knicks offensive efficiency: 102.9 points/100 (19th in the NBA)
Bulls defensive efficiency: 103.0 points/100 (13th in the NBA)

Knicks on defense:

Bulls offensive efficiency: 100.4 points/100 (23rd in the NBA)
Knicks defensive efficiency: 107.1 points/100 (25h in the NBA)

My prediction and some more fun about the game will come tomorrow, but I wanted to put together a  post before then after the Pistons win. Enjoy this week in the NBA everybody!