HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS — We are not worthy!
The Wednesday night slate of games around the league confirmed it. On a good night, there is simply an embarrassment of riches to choose from.
Instant classics on hallowed ground (Celtics-Knicks at the Garden) have a way of elevating the entire night.
We just hope you didn’t fall asleep on what was truly one of the most entertaining Hump Night slates of the season (don’t worry, we’ll have full recaps on all 11 games later today in Did You See What We Saw?):
It’s rare that a game hyped as much as the Celtics-Knicks game actually lives up to that hype. But we got everything any hoops fan could ask for, including two game-winning shots (Paul Pierce‘s was his usual assassin’s work while Amar’e Stoudemire’s was a split-second late, but would have made a great game even better).
Anyone wondering about this Knicks team and whether or not they are legit should have their answer. They bowed up on the big stage, helping create an atmosphere described by many as the most electric they’ve seen at Madison Square Garden in a decade.
They also cemented their status with the locals, which is always crucial in Gotham, detailed here by George Vecsey of the New York Times:
Sent an e-mail to somebody Wednesday afternoon that ended, “I’m at the Knicks game.”
The reply was: “Wish I was there — when was the last time anybody said that?”
Not in this century, anyway.
Imagine, Madison Square Garden serving as something more than to a shelter from the elements. But there it was, home to professional basketball once again, at just about the highest level, Knicks and Celtics, dead even after nearly 48 minutes.
The Celtics won the game, 118-116, on a jump shot by Paul Pierce with 0.4 of a second left, before Amar’e Stoudemire’s successful 3-point jumper was ruled a tick too late. But the place was rocking, like in the old days. All the expectations of the day had been met. “This is what everyone hopes for,” Mike D’Antoni, the Knicks’ coach, said after the game. “We went through 10 years of not much fun to get to this spot. Now, from here, we get better.”
The anticipation all over town can only get bigger after the way Stoudemire shot and drove his way to 39 points, the ninth straight game in which he has reached 30 points. And Danilo Gallinari scored all 20 of his points in the second half, 2 of them on a reverse two-handed dunk that raised the intensity of the 19,763 fans.
And, yes, Spike Lee was there early, wearing a Knick outfit that included very orange sleeves. And Donald Trump was there, with his Knickerbocker-orange hair, quite excited after the game,
It was the 10th sellout of the season, but the energy of the crowd was dramatically higher than it has been, according to one fan, Jake Nechamkin, who works in Manhattan.
“You can fill the Garden and they do a good job of getting V.I.P.’s,” he said, “but today you could feel the excitement all over the city.”
It stretched far beyond the city, all the way here to the hideout and beyond.
We can’t wait to see what kind of Broadway show the Knicks and Heat will put on Friday night at the Garden.
Speaking of the Heat, their win streak is now in double digits at 10. They join the Celtics (11) in that stratosphere and have passed all those teams in the Eastern Conference standings that stood between them and men in green a few short weeks ago.
The Bulls have also won seven straight, but the news out of Chicago isn’t all good. Joakim Noah will miss eight to 10 weeks after having surgery today to repair a torn ligament in his thumb. First Carlos Boozer and now Noah.
More from our main man K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune:
Noah is scheduled to miss eight to 10 weeks, not returning until after the All-Star break in late February or early March. That would be at least 30 games for the heart and soul — and rebounding machine — of the franchise.
“It sucks,” Noah said. “It’s not what I want. But I have to get back to playing at a high level. I’m tired of taking anti-inflammatory (pills) every time I play. I’m tired of not dribbling with my right hand.
“I’m going to miss playing. It’s frustrating because I feel we have a chance to be really, really good. But I know in the long run, this is what needs to be done.”
Having the surgery now ensures Noah will return in time for the playoffs.
“We’re disappointed for Jo,” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “He has put a lot of work in.
“But our guys are confident and the bench is deep. We have more than enough to win with. Taj (Gibson) and Kurt (Thomas) have started a bunch of games in the league. Lu (Deng) has been very, very effective at (power forward). And Carlos can go to (center) some.”
Boozer notched a double double (11 points, 11 rebounds) against the Raptors last night, cementing his warrior status by playing through whatever pain is associated with his injury.
But the tough part starts this evening.
As K.C. pointed out, former Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich had the same injury and procedure during the 2008-09 season and missed 31 games.
That’s a staggering amount of time for the Bulls to be without the man they call the “heart and soul” of their team.
It looks like the Knicks have moved up from the ‘best of the worst’ to ‘the least of the best’. The addition of Amare seems to have jelled New York into a pretty decent team. I hope the Knicks are encouraged by this game and go on to build themselves into a credible team for the rest of the season and possibly make the playoffs. I previously believed that Stoudemire could not make a 20 game difference to the Knicks (the amount of additional wins needed last year to make the playoffs), but it looks like they just might do it.
With all the talk about Carmelo going to the Knicks I wonder if they dare trade key components to make the trade happen. New Jersey might actually have a better trade package than the Knicks can scrape up, and as Amare has shown: one good player (or great in Carmelo’s case) CAN make a difference to a mediocre to poor team.
Right now the Knicks are tied with Atlanta for fifth and they’re only a 1/2 game behind Orlando for 4th. The 8th team in the East is the Bucks who are a full five games behind the Knicks. It’s pretty safe to say that the Knicks are making the playoffs. It will be really interesting to see if they can sneak in a grab home court advantage for the first round of the playoffs.
‘It’s prety safe to say that the Knicks are making the playoffs’
That’s a bold statement considering the weak schedule they have had and how difficult The Bucks has been in comparison. There is more chance of the Lakers or Celtics not making the playoffs at all than the Knicks have of having home court in the 1st round. Wait until the end of January and the discussion will come up if they scrape the 7th or 8th seed from someone.
Unless they get Melo of course…
Just a quick message from a French hoop fan. I think that last night was kind of a renewal for the NBA. Honestly, this league cannot be entertaining enough without a great team in NYC.
And to be honest we need to underline the fact that they have done the best recruitment of the summer (tied with Chicago who still misses Ben Gordon I think).
the knicks are after the celtics bluudjuheeerd
Im just an average Australian baller, and i love watching the NBA, but that Knicks – Celtics game was off the hook. one of the most exciting and intense games ive watched in some time and i dont follow either team. I love what Amar’e has bought to the Knicks and i cant imagine the potential they would have if they had Carmelo
The Celtic’s pulled off a tough win vs a hot Knicks team. The Knicks are for real and on their way up. Amare now has a 3 point shot, that’s scary how good he’s becoming. The Knicks will end up as a top 5 team in the east this season. The Truth Paul P baby good game and great shot to win the game. KG looking liek his old self and playing great. Boston all the way baby. Chicago Bulls on a 7 game streak my hometown Bulls are making noise as well great game from them as well last night.
Sorry. The only thing they proved is that they cant play defence. Not many games you’re gonna see celtics give up 5 or what straight buckets in the lategame with minutes left. And had amare nailed that close shot late in the game, they’d have won. Still that was a crazy game to watch, really entertaining. But more about the Celtics inability rather than Knicks great play, you just can’t ****ing hoist up 2 or 3 straight fastbreak threes that miss and lead to easy buckets on the other end. Hey R.Felton. Anyways, great game, Felton had some great buckets as well. The reffering was terrible, still watching the whole game, Knicks were lucky to hold on that long. Too bad they couldnt have broken C’s streak.
amare is beastin this year.. dude is just flat dominating.. the celtics/knicks game was an amazing game and if you missed it you should be upset with yourself.. also nice to see miami finally getting things together.. and shout out to the bulls also.. losing noah will be a big hit but they have plenty to work with to get it done
Like Amare said when he was signed… “The Knicks are Back.” I was at the game (worst seats in the arena but in there nonetheless) and in the second to last possession (the one where Pierce hit the game winning shot) the chants of “D-FENSE!” were deafening, the best I have ever heard at the Garden; brought a little tear to my eye.
Damn my sleeper pick is doing great! I said the Knicks were gona be great team this year and that Amare would have an MVP season, how great would a finals be with LAKERS V.S KNICKS be?
it would NEVER happen. Knicks couldnt play a series with the celtics, heat, magic. Maybe they could beat the bulls if rose broke his leg. they couldnt even beat the celtics with rondo limping everywhere…
Once the knicks get carmelo we can come back to this Knicks championship talk….
lakers might not even make the finals and the knicks won’t beat the top eastern teams in a series
C’s! nuff said. so STFU Faker…where u now?! look at us we on top.
one of the best games i seen this season, that game had a feeling like the boston and bull series 2 playoffs ago, but on another note, i dont believe the knicks should trade up for melo, dont get me wrong he is the missing piece but why brake up a good team doing good things this season already. Just wait until free agency, he wants to come 2 new york anyway, so hold out until the end of the season and wait to add an addition and not lose roll players
the knicks are going to be the next champions. like it or not. celtics got lucky this time,well we’ll see them next time.
The Knicks C eltics was the best game that I had seen in a long time. I am a big NY Knicks fan out of Jersey and I wish them the best.