Knicks 118, Grizzlies 117 (triple OT)
…but I’m sure Jamal Crawford is going to take however many hundreds of shots he needs to before a 5th goes in.
Beating Memphis sans Pau Gasol isn’t quite a return to respectability for Zeke’s gang, but let’s take small pleasures where we can find ’em. Quentin Richardson (above right, 31 points, 5 3’s, 9 rebounds) not only had his best game in a New York uniform, but the way he put a body on Knicks killer Mike Miller in the extra sessions was unlike anything he demonstrated last season.
There was a huge rebound by David Lee with :51.8 left in regulation, plus an even bigger block with 20 seconds to go, but in the moments directly before and afterwards…. jesus-fucking-christ, has there ever been a team with less of an idea what to do with the ball in their hands during the final moments of a game? How many ill-advised shots can the likes of Jamal Crawford and Stevie Franchise hurl in the (very) general direction of the basket?
Wednesday marked a more than respectable NBA debut for Rudy Gay and Kyle Lowry. It must be nice when your organization isn’t duped into taking players based on what another club is rumored to be doing.
Mike Fratello is looking very much like Vincent D’Onofrio. An unwell Vincent D’Onofrio, mind you, but at least the Czar resembles like a TV hearthrob.
Blowing a 19 point lead was all too typical of last season’s Knicks (and quite likely what we can look forward to if Crawford is encouraged to take every available shot). However, the resiliency shown by Eddy Curry (17 points, 14 rebounds), Lee and Nate Robinson when the visiting side might have easily folded (and came awfully close) might provide something to build on. If nothing else, they’re not gonna go 0-82.
It was terrific to hear Mark Jackson giving Katrina & The Waves their props tonight during the Raptors/Nets telecast on YES. With any luck, Jackson and Marv Albert can spend plenty of time this season discussing their favorite artifacts from the Armageddon Records catalog.