Box Score

Shot Chart

Al Harrington was on a mission tonight.  David Lee was a beast offensively and on the boards (when is he not?).  The Knicks won again.  21-25 heading into a big, big week.

Al Harrington dropped 31 points, and Lee added 23 points and 17 rebounds.  When a player grabs 17 rebounds, you generally raise an eye brow.  But when Lee does it, I barely even think twice about it.  He has games like that so often that it is no longer surprising to see 17 total rebounds next to his name.  Quentin Richardson had a good night from beyond the arc, nailing 5 triples.

This team has a big week coming up with the Lakers, Cavs and Celtics coming to the Garden to take on the surging Knicks.  Truthfully, I would love to take 2 of 3, but I will accept one of those three.  This team is clicking right now, so I would not be surprised to see this team win at least two.

Jared Jeffries left in the first with a bruised thigh and did not return.  Another injury for the Knicks… what else is new?  We will keep you posted on that situation.

Big win for the Knicks.  There are no moral victories at this point, and games like tonight are ones that this team must win if they are serious about a playoff push.

When: 7:00 P.M.

Where: Conseco Fieldhouse

Watch: MSG

Starting Lineups:

Pacers (19-28)

PG – T.J Ford

SG – Jarret Jack

SF – Mike Dunleavy Jr.

PF – Danny Granger

C – Troy Murphy

Rest of Rotation: Rasho Nesterovic, Marquis Daniels, Jeff Foster

Knicks (20-25)

PG: Chris Duhon

SG: Quentin Richardson

SF: Al Harrington

PF: Jared Jeffries

C: David Lee

Rest of Rotation: Nate Robinson, Wilson Chandler, Tim Thomas, Danilo Gallinari

Injuries:

Jerome James (ruptured Achilles tendon,) Eddy Curry (not with team)

GAME NOTES

The Knicks are streaking, winning 5 of their last 6 games, and they are in the thick of the playoff hunt. The Knicks could use a victory tonight, entering the “week of hell” on a good note. Indiana is coming off of two straight victories against Milwaukee and Miami, but they played last night. The Pacers beat the Knicks earlier this year on a shot with 0.9 seconds left by Jarret Jack but without Mike Dunleavy, who if you remember scorched the Knicks for 22 points in a third quarter last year. Dunleavy, Granger, Murphy, and Jack can put up points so the Knicks have to continue to play the defense they have played in this recent surge. Some solid minutes from Danilo Gallinari would help, in his first road game since coming back from his injury. The Pacers lack a post presence, and they are probably even smaller than the Knicks are, so Quentin Richardson, Tim Thomas, and David Lee should post up as much as possible, and take advantage of their mismatches. The Pacers are not as bad as their record indicates, so the Knicks cannot take this game lightly, looking ahead to the three huge home games next week. If they continue to play with the same confidence and swagger that they have, and abide by the system and play solid defense, they will win this game and many more.

Go Knicks!

Editor’s Note: Your boy Tommy is cold and tired of the weather and it’s affecting his memory. Mobley retired so there is some clarity now on my end, the Knicks do have a roster spot. My apologies.

I guess the NBA isn’t pro-Knick resurgence.

I wholeheartedly agree that the NBA blew it here in deciding against the Knicks’ appeal to get a disabled player salary-cap exception for Cuttino Mobley. The Knicks were protecting themselves here, and are taking a bit of an unnecessary hit.

That said, Donnie Walsh may have misplayed his hand. I’m still very much in favor of the trade that sent Zach Randolph to the Clippers, but the aftermath still has me pretty foggy.

What happens now? Does the team try and trade him? Who would take on $17 million dollars?

Does he play? I mean the Knicks COULD use him on the court, but there’s no way they risk him in action for the very reasons they filed the appeal in the first place.

Do they buy him out? Well, that’s not good business.

In the end I’d rather have Tim Thomas and Mobley’s contracts instead of Randolph’s even if Mobley never plays one game. But, frankly, if these team is going to improve over the next year and change, they’ll need to have more roster flexibility.

Chris Sheridan had a good piece yesterday on ESPN that listed the top 12 trade assets and the Knicks were in the mix in more ways than one. Unfortunately, the number one asset is the 2010 first round pick owned by the Jazz, which they earned as part of the Stephon Marbury deal. It was given away by Sir “Like to trade picks” Alot.

ASSET No. 1: New York’s future first-round pick (unprotected in 2010)
OWNER: Utah Jazz
The summer of LeBron will begin on July 1, 2010, and the Knicks will be knocking on his door at 12:01 a.m. that morning. But seven nights before the arrival of Jimmy Dolan’s limo in Akron, Knicks fans are going to be reminded once again how ruinous the previous decade had been, because back on a cold January night in 2004, this lottery pick slid away.

FYI, Knicks and Jazz fans: ESPN.com NBA draft expert Chad Ford tells me he has Raleigh (N.C.) high school point guard John Wall — “a Derrick Rose clone” — ranked as his No. 1 prospect for the 2010 draft, unless Ricky Rubio waits until then.

ASSET No. 11: $4.46 million Disabled Player Exception
OWNER: New York Knicks (pending)
Actually, this one is pending in a big way, because there is a question of whether the Knicks’ application will be dismissed if Cuttino Mobley‘s heart condition was pre-existing. There is a gray area in this case because of language regarding “the date the team knew or should have known that the injury would cause the player to miss the season.”The Knicks do not expect a quick ruling, but they’d like the league to decide before the trade deadline. If the exception is granted, New York can acquire a player or players making $4.46 million or less without the outgoing salary having to match. No other teams currently have any Disabled Player Exceptions.

ASSET No. 4: Stephon Marbury’s expiring contract
OWNER: New York Knicks
There was another Steph sighting at the Staples Center when the Lakers played the Cavs, coming just a day after Marbury put his $1 million buyout offer back on the table. But Knicks president Donnie Walsh appears determined to wait until the deadline to see if the league’s largest expiring contract can be turned into something useful. As colleague Marc Stein has reported, the Boston Celtics are crossing their fingers that Walsh cannot find a trade partner and buys out Marbury before March 1.But if you were Jim Dolan, why would you do any favors for Marbury that would help a division rival? If Dolan wanted to be spiteful, he could keep Marbury on the roster past March 1, the date by which players must clear waivers to be playoff-eligible for someone else.

Nice job by Marc Berman snagging Dwayne Wade who fueled further speculation that both he and Lebron James could join forces in 2010.

Wade, following the Heat’s loss to the Pacers, told The Post he and James could join forces in 2010, with the Knicks New York Knicks not out of the question. Wade indicated they have talked about the potential scenario, and both played for Mike D’Antoni last summer while winning a gold medal at the Olympics.

“It’s not crazy,” Wade told The Post in the visitor’s locker room of Indiana’s Conseco Fieldhouse. “It could happen. We both understand that. We both signed the same contract. We did it together. More than anything, it’s fun to think about. It’s exciting to know we both control our future. Will it happen? Who knows. He has some something he’s trying to accomplish in Cleveland. I have something I’m trying to accomplish in Miami. But up until 2010, it will be fun to think about.”

It’s fun to think about. It’s no secret that they are tight and that bond got closer over the summer.

Berman also notes that it’s highly unlikely Walsh will trade David Lee.

I like Henry Abbott. He’s built a great network of bloggers at ESPN. But how on earth can you explain this take on David Lee not making the All-Star team?

David Lee
“…Lee is just here as a courtesy to the millions of Knick fans. Oh, he’s a player and all, and I know Mike D’Antoni was campaigning for him. But when your guy makes an open 20-foot jumper, and everyone is pleasantly surprised? That guy’s not an All-Star. The competition is just too stiff. Look up there and look at who made it, and tell me who he should replace…”

It’s not so much that I can tell you who he should replace, but I can go up and down the list and nitpick flaws in each player’s game. So to knock Lee’s jumper, which is improved but still spotty, is unfair. And to blame the buzz on a courtesy to Knick fans…well, that’s just plain stupid.

Lee gets knocked because he hasn’t won, but as Andrew Smith and I were talking about earlier, Lee may not be able to make a bad team great but he can certainly make a good team immensely better. I’m bothered by so-called basketball gurus who knock the guy because everyone loves him. He’s like Jeter in a sense, he’s Teflon, so after a while it’s en vogue to knock him because he CAN’T be perfect, right? But watch them play and you say to yourself, “these guys are both damn good.” Whether it be Jeter’s “flip” to Lee’s tip let’s face it NY loves them.

Sure, Jeter was thrust into winning teams and he has rings and Lee hasn’t won anything yet, but non-Knick fans point to the win column and his spotty J as reasons to say Lee’s not an All-Star.

Why not just say he was deserving and didn’t make it?

So the Knicks have their collective hands full at home this week, which is a critical juncture for any playoff hopes the team and its fans may have.

In come Kobe, Big Chief Triangle and the Lakers Monday, Lebron on Wednesday and the World Champs on Friday.

So I ask you:

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In many ways, two of the three Knick 2005 first round picks embody the city that they represent.  Nate Robinson‘s electricity, David Lee‘s grit, both of their determination… they both seem to love playing here and fans for the most part love watching them play here.

There is no question that the two home grown Knicks have been front and center in the team’s recent success.  But while Lee has been consistent all year long, it is Nate whose bounce back has played a major role in keeping the Knick playoff hopes afloat.  Over his last five games, Nate Robinson is averaging 21 ppg, 3.6 apg, and 4.6 rpg, while shooting 53% from the field and 41% from beyond the arc.  More importantly, during that stretch, the Knicks have gone 4-1.

If the Knicks want to make the playoffs, they cannot really afford personal slumps.  Because this team lacks a true superstar, this team has to win through collective effort, getting production from everyone on the floor.  Keep up the good work Nate.  This team plays much better when Nate is playing well.

Frank Isola is quoting a league source saying he didn’t make the team as a reserve.

“…David Lee‘s bid to make his first All-Star team appears to have fallen short. According to a league source, Lee will not be one of the seven reserves named to the Eastern Conference squad which will be officially announced tonight on TNT.

Lee, who may already be the league’s most-improved player, is second in the NBA behind All-Star Dwight Howard in double-doubles…”

That’s a shame, he deserved to be there. I’m wondering who’s actually on the list.

Our boy A.W. at Yahoo on the case

“…The East reserves include two Orlando Magic, Jameer Nelson and Rashard Lewis. East coaches also chose the Boston Celtics’ Paul Pierce, Atlanta Hawks’ Joe Johnson, Toronto Raptors’ Chris Bosh, New Jersey Nets’ Devin Harris and Indiana Pacers’ Danny Granger…”

Can’t really argue, but still…

YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS!

Rick Pitino drafted Paul Pierce, does that mean his “stamp” is on the Celts championship?

UPDATE: We’ll start the thing around 6:30, plenty of time for you guys to get a couple cocktails in before tip off. I’m trying to snag tickets to a later game to raffle off, so if any of you are willing to donate we’ll do some raffle and make sure you get your cost back. Any other Knicks goodies are also welcome as our budget is kind of shot. Either way we look forward to having a great time. Sorry young bucks, we’ll get at you later, 21 and over please.

TKB faithful,

Join us on Wednesday Feb. 4th for our second annual TKB Night out in New York City.

Once again, we’ve solidified Butterfield 8 (38th between 5th and Madison) as the venue for what should be a fun night of booze Knicks hoops as Lebron comes to town.

Put it on your calendars or stop by if you are going to or coming from the game.

The SNY cameras will once again be in the building so come out and root the Knicks in and show the world that you were a fan before 2010.

Via Real GM.

Patrick Ewing Jr. was a big-name acquisition for the Bighorns of the D-League back in December, but he struggled with his shooting early.

Things are now starting to pick up for Ewing, with the former Georgetown Hoya averaging 17.9 points and shooting .520 (78-150) from the field in his last 12 games. This is a marked improvement for Ewing, who shot only .344 and averaged 10.5 points in his first six games as a Bighorn. He made his first start of the season on Saturday, scoring 21 points with seven rebounds and five assists in a win over Bakersfield.

TKB scouted Jr. in person a month or so ago, and his athleticism, as well as his IQ, stand out. As much as I think he’s still a part of the Knicks future, I’m starting to doubt it. But I will still hold out hope.

- Found an awesome NBA site based in Australia called NBAmate.com, which did a very solid piece on the career of Eddy Curry.

“…Your life’s tough? Maybe not now, but it has been? I know mine has been. But for normal people like you and me, when we are down or when the chips aren’t falling the way we want them, we don’t normally have 20-something-year-olds from other countries calling us “fat”, “lazy”, “underachieving” or “the stupid weak prick who plays centre for the Knicks” Instead, we are just like “hey, Rob D’s having a tough week, the Pistons lost to the Knicks AGAIN, perhaps I should knit him a jumper?” or “wow, Jobba must be depressed about the current state of his favourite NBA team, I might go give him a hug…”

They also compared his career to that of P Diddy’s boy MA$E, which I found interesting.

- The NYsportsGUY doesn’t like Jared Jefferies that much and has the Data to prove it. Yup, nothing can sum up a lack of good play quite like a bar chart. (For the record, I think Jefferies as been pretty decent defensively, if you focus totally on his offense, or lack there of, you’ll miss the fact that he does some really good things on defense.

-Howard Beck of the Times believes that the Knicks will sign David Lee and still be major players in 2010 free agency.

“…It is generally understood that the Knicks are conserving salary-cap space for 2010, also known as the Summer of LeBron. Spending tens of millions on David Lee, a restricted free agent in July, would seem to run contrary to that goal. But Knicks officials believe they can retain Lee, and there are forces working in their favor: a poor economy, a deep free-agent class and a small pool of teams with significant cap space. … A Western Conference executive said that Lee would be ‘one of the more sought-after guys’ this summer, because of his youth, his production and his rapid improvement. ‘He’s someone you could make one of your top four players,’ he said. The Knicks think so, too, which is why — contrary to conventional wisdom — they will do everything reasonably possible to keep him. LeBron James needs good teammates, after all…”