Knicks no longer undefeated after loss in Memphis

It shouldn't be a day to feel bad about for fans of the orange and blue.  Yea, they lost a game.  That is never a good thing.  But they've finally look like a legitimate contender.  Although they've been out-hustled by a solid Memphis Grizzlies squad, the Knicks had flashes of the old Knicks teams that I once admired.

New York was a bit sluggish while heading towards the end of their three-game road trip.  It was the second game of a back-to-back, and they had just won a tough match against the great San Antonio Spurs.  Zach Randolph became a challenging task for Carmelo Anthony.  His foul trouble lead to more fouls for Tyson Chandler and Rasheed Wallace playing help defense.

Frustration was the theme for the Knicks' third quarter.Technical fouls opened the game between the two teams.  Free throws against and and bad calls by the officials help bring the six-game winning streak to an end.  They were undersized with limited minutes from Kurt Thomas and a DNP for Marcus Camby.  Despite playing small and losing, the fought tremendously well.

I loved how New York played physical versus Memphis.  This reminded me of the gritty Knicks of the nineties.  The anger in the faces of the current Knicks during the game is reminiscent of guy like Patrick Ewing, Charles Oakley, and John Starks.  I've always been preached about creating a Knicks team like this, and I am so grateful to see  Mike Woodson, bring this type of game back to life.  He played for defensive wizard, Red Holzman, for the Knicks in his first two NBA seasons.

It's expected for them to recover after taking a look at the next five games in the schedule.  Three of the five teams they will play average under 95 points a game.  Only Dallas and maybe Houston can keep the margins close when they face New York.  These are games that they can easily become a long winning streak all over again.

Satisfying win versus Dallas on Camby's Debut

Seconds before Tyson's sensational put-back slam

New York may have won their fourth straight game in double digits.  Only, this time their opponents were far more challenging than previous games.  I must admit, the Dallas Mavericks had a better game in the first half.  The Knicks were scrappy at best, but it was their resilience that helped them seal this victory 104-94.

It wasn't a pleasant game to watch if you're a Knicks fan, because there wasn't much rhythm in their ball movement or what Walt "Clyde" Frazier calls it: continuity.  However that didn't stop them from sharing the ball when it was necessary.  Jason Kidd did not play a lot of minutes, but his performance of the court was top-notch.  He had a few key plays against his former squad. 

Here are some key notable events from last night's game:

-  J.R. Smith had a lucky buzzer-beater in the 1st Half.  The Knicks were flat-footed but weren't far behind the Mavericks' lead.  Smith's shot kept them only two points away from Dallas' 57 points at halftime.

-  Steve Novak was off again, had a bad stretch since his first game versus Philadelphia.  Good to see him him finally score off a Prigioni dime.

-  Vince Carter is off to a better season compared to the last year's results.  Dallas may need to rely on him when Mayo has an off-night

-  Marcus Camby moved pretty well in his season debut.  Wasn't much of a presence offensively but grabbed rebounds as usual.

-  Ronnie Brewer had an exceptional game all-around.  He finished with 13 points, 8 rebounds, and a pair of assists and steals.  Not to mention the ZERO turnovers.  (I know, I know, he doesn't handle to rock as much!)

-  Tyson Chandler's put-back-dunk-and-foul was the highlight of that game.  That play brought so much energy in the garden, more than ConEdison or LIPA in recent weeks.

-  Finally,  great to see former Nuggets and hometown heroes (In my opinion Carmelo is a Baltimorean.  It's like saying that Spike Lee is a Georgian, but we love Melo anyway..) lead the Knicks in scoring.  New Jersey native, J.R. Smith had 22 points while Olympic gold medalist Carmelo had a season high of 31 points.

Knicks 2-0 against Philadelphia, breaks records too

The Knicks are unbeaten in their first three games.  Two of their last three wins are against the Philadelphia 76ers.  That last win hours hours ago also gave them a new franchise record: winning their first three games in double-digit margins.  The Knicks also have kept opposing teams under 90 points in all games so far.  They've also set a league record: 43 three-pointers in the first three games.

Yes, they are definitely on a surprising start, but any team that bolsters their roster like New York can be open people's eyes.  Only this time, this roster has a more positive outlook for the season.  It's not about rebuilding for the the next few years, or acquiring future talent for more established stars.  This year's squad has a better winning formula than past seasons.  It has so far proven to be effective and probably inspirational

It's safe to say they have a mixture older experienced well-playing veterans and players with quality talent.  All seem to know their role and what they are capable of.  The past two games against Philadelphia displayed lots of variety from this squad.  Here's some notes from these past performances against the 76ers.

-  J.R. Smith had been eccentric.  Making shots that would only be acceptable in horse, and doing it with flair.  This is the Earl Smith we all like to see.. the one who makes shots.

-  Steve Novak had gone cold after halftime of the first game against the Sixers.  Since he missed a couple of shots, he had lost some confidence.  He'll be happy that they've got three days to rest.

-  Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd, Pablo Prigioni playing big distribution roles in limited minutes.

- Tyson Chandler 

-  Rasheed Wallace is playing as if he never left.  I don't know if I've already said that before.

-  Relating to the comments Wallace made, the post game isn't as popular as it once was.  Anybody who can master that aspect of the game, can get easy buckets nowadays.

-  Ronnie Brewer can actually shoot the ball!?!  Aside from this miraculous news his defense remains effective.

-  Fans and analysts worry if Amar'e Stoudemire may harm the team's chemistry when he makes his season debut within the next few years..

When they rocked the fade: Kurt Thomas

You thought that this topic wouldn't go this far.  You probably believed that I wouldn't be able to find a picture of Kurt Thomas rocking it, but I did.

Here's a shot of him when he played in TCU.  Must be taken during his freshman year in college because he looks a lot slimmer here than he does in his other college photos.

I didn't know much about Thomas until his days with the Heat.  Seems like he did quite a lot in Texas Christian.  Apparently, he led the whole NCAA Division I in scoring and rebounding.  Only two other players had accomplished that feat, the late college great, Hank Gathers, and one-time Knick, Xavier McDaniel.  Way to go Kurt,  I thought his mid-range jumpers off the pick-and-roll was his greatest achievement. 

Knicks defeat Miami amidst the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy

I was lucky enough to watch the Knicks' season opener against defending champions, the Miami Heat.  I had no electricity since the destruction of Hurricane Sandy.  I received power only two hours before game time.

With my luckiness aside, New York Knicks hustled throughout this highly contested match.  At the end of the day, they were victorious against Miami, defeating them 104-84.

Here are some things that's captured my attention:

- Not a big fan of the Knicks' introductions.  Watching Carmelo Anthony's speech about the hurricane through a small flat screen with poor satellite reception.  Made it look much more original.

-  Ball Movement was at it's finest.  New York hasn't moved the ball as well since the 2011-2012, when the team was gaining momentum in the Eastern Conference.

-  New York's three point-guards know how to keep the chemistry rolling.  The passing of Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd, and Pablo Prigioni has brought a new combination threat into the league.

-  The Knicks dished out 27 assists.  They have only reached this stat 5 times last season.

-  Tyson Chandler.

-  Although they were a little drained, the Heat are responsible for their 21 turnovers.  Miami averaged about 15 TOs per game.

-  Why didn't any other title contender pick up Rashard Lewis?  He had a bright Miami debut with 16 points, 4/6 from downtown.

-  There was a Kurt Thomas sighting.  Eerie how he looked almost the same in a Knick uniform from pictures in 2004.  He even drew a charging foul!  Will be really cool to see Marcus Camby back on the court, but he looks considerably different than his youthful days in New York. 

-  Only with a couple of minutes in his Knicks debut, Rasheed Wallace might be the crowd favorite.  He doesn't seem to be well conditioned yet, but the veteran exuded lots of confidence, something this team needs when they're down.  

-A win is a win.  It's always a good start when you've defeated the NBA Champions in your first game.