As a lifelong Knicks fan, I get very excited about games like these. See, it’s been a while since The Knicks have had a good closely matched opponent to spark up a rivalry. That is exactly what the Brooklyn Nets are, a tough match-up for the New York Knicks. Let me see if I can pull out a useful boxing analogy from somewhere here. See, it’s like those Pacquiao/Marquez fights(I think there’s been 14 of them now?). This Knicks/Nets match-up is like two prize fighters whose styles counter each other perfectly. Now that game number 4 between these cross town foes is in the books, the season series is tied at 2 a piece. Now let me just interject in the middle of my own objective recap by stating that The Knicks will be the fighter still standing when it’s all said and done. Hint hint; that means that the Knicks will be Juan Manuel Marquez. Did you see that knockout?!?!?! I think Manny Pacquiao still has a fear of going to sleep because he’s afraid he’ll relive that punch over and over and over again in his dreams. By the way, who is this guy sitting next to Wally Szczerbiak on the Knicks post-game show? And how can he sit there with a straight face and say that this isn’t a rivalry? He’s trying to tell us that because this game was a low scoring “”snoozefest” that the Knicks didn’t want to win and this game didn’t carry the playoff atmosphere it should have. Even Al Trautwig started looking at this guy like he had four heads. The Knicks versus the Nets is a rivalry, and it is here to stay. With that being said let’s talk about the game. The Nets did their best not to win this game, but the Knicks just couldn’t capitalize on their mistakes. The Nets played sloppy basketball, and the Knicks won the turnover battle 19 to 5. However, the Nets had a game plan and they followed it. They knew that Carmelo was going to get his points no matter what they did, so they were physical with him and made him work for his 29 points. Carmelo’s 29 points came on 11 of 29 shooting while expending a ton of energy on the offensive end. The grueling 45 minutes he played left his legs just a little bit too tired to rise up for a baseline jumper with seconds remaining; one he’s made a million times in his life. What we can take away from this game as a positive is the chemistry Stat and Melo showed in the 2nd half. Which begs the question, why wasn’t Stat on the court down the stretch? What I saw in the 2nd half was when Melo and Mini Melo(J.R. Smith) penetrated into the lane, Stat found himself wide open under the hoop. So I say lets build on that. And while Stat should help the Knicks improve with his high pick and roll skills and dunking abilities, the key to our success is Stat digging in, rebounding, and PLAYING DEFENSE!! It may not be the brand of basketball most fans want to watch, especially with an offensive talent on the floor like Melo, but it will be the key to the Knicks success come playoff time. DEFENSE!! It may be a little cliche, but defense certainly wins championships. That’s why I believe that if Amare gives his all to the team concept, Kidd continues to be an ageless wonder, and the rest of the squad can stay healthy; the Knicks will be true contenders.
Category: NBA
Kobe and Lebron
Originally posted on : 1/18/13 @ 3:10 P.M.
So, I was listening to 98.7 FM this morning on my way to work, and they were talking about Kobe Bryant and Lebron James. This inspired me to chime in on this debate. Kobe Vs Lebron. Who is better? Now, they were asking two different questions. Who is better now, and who was better at the time they reached the 20,000 point milestone. Now the first question is a simple fact. Lebron is clearly better now. NO disrespect meant to Kobe, because he is a first ballot hall of famer and top 10 player of all time no questions asked. However, Lebron James is clearly the best basketball player on the planet right now. Kobe had his prime and his time, but Lebron is clearly #1. This is coming from someone who personally doesn’t care all that much for Lebron by the way. Now, on to question number 2. Kobe in his prime was something special. No matter what generation you are from, you can count on 1 hand how many guys could take over a game like Kobe while at the same time lock down the other teams best offensive player. By now I would think that anyone who knows sports knows that Kobe’s heart, killer instinct, and closing abilities are unquestioned. Especially in a conversation against Lebron James, a guy who runs away from the ball when the clock is running toward all 0’s. Lebron, yes, as we all know is a “freak” of nature. No one compares to him as a physical specimen because let’s face it you’re not supposed to be able to jump that high and run that fast at his size. Most of us I would think would have a hard time walking and dribbling at the same time at 6’8″, 255 lbs. But, I don’t live in the world of the knee-jerk reaction to everything. Lebron’s greatness hasn’t been instantaneous. Just because he hit 20,000 points it doesn’t mean he magically became better than Kobe overnight or should be put in the same sentence as MJ, yet. He’s been a special talent since anyone who matters first heard his name, and he’ll be one of the best of all time when it’s all said and done. But, let’s give Kobe credit where credit’s due. Lebron can guard 4 positions at any time but isn’t the defender Kobe was, yet. Lebron is a better passer and rebounder as well, but all of these things don’t change the most important part of the discussion. WINS. I’ll take Kobe’s heart and rings over Lebron’s five tools, for now. Call me in 5 years and you want to compare them at the 30,000 points, and I’m sure my answer will be very different.
Dave Talks Sports 