--And it really wasn't even that close.
What the geeky highlight reel monitor fails to mention in his Knick-friendly recap is that The Proud Ones were devoid of energy and played absolutely zero defense. While he wasn't the only culprit tonight, I call it [David] Lee-fense.
Remember that streak of incredible team defense that held 13 out of 15 opponents under 100 points during a 10-5 stretch? Shit, me neither after watching the matador labor union that took the court tonight. The Knicks' performance made me wish I were rooting for the other team hideous orange-and-blue.
I knew from the moment Russell Westbrook marched down Broadway to put back that tip slam that we were not only in for a loss, but a blowout. The Knicks never threatened, failing to cut their deficit to single digits at any point after the first quarter.
Al Harrington returned, albeit briefly. He finished the game writhing into a towel at the end of the bench after apparently aggravating the strained calf that kept him out of the past two contests. On the complete other end of the lower body injury spectrum, Jonathan Bender scored a season high 16 points in a spirited performance. From an injury perspective he's the closest thing we have to Patrick Ewing. Please don't worry if you catch me staring at Bender's knees and sobbing. I'll be fine.
In other bench news, Nate Robinson added 19 points, but made terrible decisions both with the ball in his hands and on Leefense. Jordan Hill saw some playing time in the fourth quarter, as Mike D'Antoni banished his starters to Darkoville in extended tiempo de basura. Hill looks like he's aged worse than Bender has. While I'd be the elder statesman of the ensemble, both Hill and Bender look like they could be my daddy. Where they do that at?
The Knicks seemingly have not recovered from falling asleep at the wheel against the Houston Rockets this past Saturday. While Houston has been one of the season's feel-good success stories with Aaron Brooks at the helm, the Rockets didn't exactly launch as planned. However, The Proud Ones blew a 13-point lead quicker than Eddy Curry can blow a Benjamin at Benihana. They never looked back en-route to a devastating loss.
These definitely are not the Knicks whose effort and execution we've come to expect and appreciate since the season's 16th contest. Here's to putting a nightmarish weekend behind us, Knicker Lovers. However, it would be just our luck if the magical run has come to a permanent end, leaving us with November's 1-9 losers who seemed so far in the rear view Saturday afternoon.
As Jay-Z once said, "Everything was all good just a week ago."
(Return to The Proud Franchise)
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