They used to be coached by Red, and Pat, and Jeff. Their players used to be Walt, Willis, a future Senator, (Bill Bradley) and a guy who turned out to be one of the greatest coaches in history. (Phil Jackson of course). Later, even in the days where they couldnt exactly win a championship, they used to thrill the Garden with their games, with a big fella, who could bring the Garden to its feet, with 25 points a night, and so many rebounds. A guy who would make opposing teams, and fans, growl at him, because at times, he could barely walk, but yet, shot the hell out of the ball. (A man named Mr Ewing, of course). Now, as I look at the box scores, I see names I dont know, and brutal beatings every night. So, my question is: What the hell happened to the team that plays at Madison Square Garden, which used to be the New York Knicks?
As anyone who has followed basketball for the last 20 years knows, the Knicks weren't always pretty to watch during the Riley/ Van Gundy years, but gosh, they were good. They never scored a lot of points, and at times, except for an occasional John Starks three pointer, or later, an Allan Houston jump shot, it didnt seem like anyone but Ewing could score. Yet, I recall times in the early and mid 1990s under Riley and Van Gundy, where they would win games 70 to 60, because their defense was that good. You didnt want to play the Knicks at the Garden in the 1990s, because, even if the opposition had the lead, the Knicks would clamp down in the fourth quarter, the Garden crowd would chant "DEEFFENNNSE" over and over, and somehow, the Knicks would score points, and they would win. Now, I look in the box scores, I see sixty seven point second halfs by the opposition, like I did last night, and a mauling by the Atlanta Hawks, a good team, but not championship caliber, yet. The Hawks were usually pretty good in the 1990s, but most of the time, they would go into the Garden, play close with the Knicks, and lose, on some big Ewing play. Now, they go in there, and embarrass the home team.
Also, who are these guys, the Knicks? I consider myself to be a person who knows most of the big names in the NBA, and there is not one big or marquee name on that roster. No one named Ewing, or Jordan, or Lebron, or Kobe, to bring the fans to the games. The box scores still say the Knicks still "sell out" or close to it, but one has to wonder why.
I've read that the Knicks wanted to clear their roster of salary cap space, to try and lure Lebron, or someone like him, to New York in 2010. This Knick team has been taking it's lumps for years, winning either 23 or 33 games for each of the last five years. Even though Lebron would make a big difference, if he would come to New York, the guy played on a team that won 67 games a year ago, and he might well win a championship this year. If he does that, why would he want to come to New York, to play on this team for any amount of money?
My father has followed the Knicks for forty years. My parents used to go to the Garden every Saturday night during the 1969-1970 championship year, and they knew Red, and Bill, and Phil, and Clyde, because my father worked with a TV show the Knicks had back then. My mom says I grew in her belly listening to the ball bounce in the Garden in the fall of 1969. Now, when I mention the Knicks to my dad, he says only one sentence. "The Knicks are terrible", and then stops, almost like he's humilated to have rooted for this team for forty or more years. He used to watch the games in the good years of the 1990s.
As everyone knows, I dont live in NY anymore, so I cant follow the Knicks the way I used to when I did, but I still read their website, and the stories, in the online edition of the NY papers. So, my question is, what the hell happened to the Knicks, and does anyone who does follow them, think they will have a chance of getting better in the next couple of years, because, right now, they are a sorry excuse for the basketball team, coached by a guy, Mike D Antoni, who seems to think that giving up 110 points a night, and trying to shoot out the other team, will win games. I got news for you, Mike, Riley won 50 games a year, with his teams never scoring 100 points a night. His teams played defense, buddy. Defense wins titles. Holtzman proved it in 1970 and 1973. Jackson proved it in the 1990s with the Bulls, even though he had the best player on the planet then, in Jordan. I understand that the "Fire D Antoni" chants have been ringing the Garden's walls nowadays.
A sad, sad, story, of what has become a sad, sad team.
Thoughts on the current Knicks, and any prospects to get better?
Mitch
As anyone who has followed basketball for the last 20 years knows, the Knicks weren't always pretty to watch during the Riley/ Van Gundy years, but gosh, they were good. They never scored a lot of points, and at times, except for an occasional John Starks three pointer, or later, an Allan Houston jump shot, it didnt seem like anyone but Ewing could score. Yet, I recall times in the early and mid 1990s under Riley and Van Gundy, where they would win games 70 to 60, because their defense was that good. You didnt want to play the Knicks at the Garden in the 1990s, because, even if the opposition had the lead, the Knicks would clamp down in the fourth quarter, the Garden crowd would chant "DEEFFENNNSE" over and over, and somehow, the Knicks would score points, and they would win. Now, I look in the box scores, I see sixty seven point second halfs by the opposition, like I did last night, and a mauling by the Atlanta Hawks, a good team, but not championship caliber, yet. The Hawks were usually pretty good in the 1990s, but most of the time, they would go into the Garden, play close with the Knicks, and lose, on some big Ewing play. Now, they go in there, and embarrass the home team.
Also, who are these guys, the Knicks? I consider myself to be a person who knows most of the big names in the NBA, and there is not one big or marquee name on that roster. No one named Ewing, or Jordan, or Lebron, or Kobe, to bring the fans to the games. The box scores still say the Knicks still "sell out" or close to it, but one has to wonder why.
I've read that the Knicks wanted to clear their roster of salary cap space, to try and lure Lebron, or someone like him, to New York in 2010. This Knick team has been taking it's lumps for years, winning either 23 or 33 games for each of the last five years. Even though Lebron would make a big difference, if he would come to New York, the guy played on a team that won 67 games a year ago, and he might well win a championship this year. If he does that, why would he want to come to New York, to play on this team for any amount of money?
My father has followed the Knicks for forty years. My parents used to go to the Garden every Saturday night during the 1969-1970 championship year, and they knew Red, and Bill, and Phil, and Clyde, because my father worked with a TV show the Knicks had back then. My mom says I grew in her belly listening to the ball bounce in the Garden in the fall of 1969. Now, when I mention the Knicks to my dad, he says only one sentence. "The Knicks are terrible", and then stops, almost like he's humilated to have rooted for this team for forty or more years. He used to watch the games in the good years of the 1990s.
As everyone knows, I dont live in NY anymore, so I cant follow the Knicks the way I used to when I did, but I still read their website, and the stories, in the online edition of the NY papers. So, my question is, what the hell happened to the Knicks, and does anyone who does follow them, think they will have a chance of getting better in the next couple of years, because, right now, they are a sorry excuse for the basketball team, coached by a guy, Mike D Antoni, who seems to think that giving up 110 points a night, and trying to shoot out the other team, will win games. I got news for you, Mike, Riley won 50 games a year, with his teams never scoring 100 points a night. His teams played defense, buddy. Defense wins titles. Holtzman proved it in 1970 and 1973. Jackson proved it in the 1990s with the Bulls, even though he had the best player on the planet then, in Jordan. I understand that the "Fire D Antoni" chants have been ringing the Garden's walls nowadays.
A sad, sad, story, of what has become a sad, sad team.
Thoughts on the current Knicks, and any prospects to get better?
Mitch
Last edited:
