Sip's Return to the Garden

(Note: A piece by A.F.O.M.G. about Dawson's Creek, among other things, follows below.)

Monday night marked my return to the Garden for the Knicks and Spurs. As much energy as I have spent making fun of the Knicks, I was skeptical about my return.

Many of my fondest childhood memories were spent there. As I think most New Yorkers can attest, New York is never better than when the Knicks are winning. It's the one team that all New Yorkers share (not including your Golden St. Warriors) and they play in the greatest venue in the world.

Before the game started I got the chills. I live for the chills. But that is what happens to me when the lights go out in the world's most famous arena.

I saw Brandon Jacobs, the biggest man in the world walk his way to center court and got fired up for Sunday night.

I had a ton of energy.

For two minutes I thought back to my childhood when the Knicks were the toughest team in town. A bunch of goons that defended and rebounded and won. It was cool.

Unfortunately, these Knicks are not the Knicks of old. They are the Isiah Thomas-sculpted New Knicks.

And it is amazing to me how bad they are.

Watching the Spurs toy with the Knicks for most of Tuesday night's game was almost laughable. Move the ball. Inside to Duncan. Penetration with Manu. Then Brent Barry or Tony Parker hit open jumper after open jumper.

The best part of my night except for the Knicks 3 minute run in the 4th quarter were the four Argentinians sitting next to me going nuts for Manu and Fabricio Obierto. Man that dude has sweet hair.

But the Knicks have no future.

The Spurs showed exactly how you win. A dominate big man, a solid guard and a bunch of role players. The spurs have the luxury of having two solid guards which is why they are next level. But everyone on that team has a role. They know where the ball should go and when. They know who will be on the court and when. Every day is the same. And that is why they are so consistent.

The Knicks have no semblance of anything. They have four shoot-first pg's (Marbury, Francis, Crawford and Robinson). No one on this team plays any defense.

It is just embarasssing.

I never thought I would notice transition defense until I watched this game. It was pretty simple. The Spurs got back on D. The Knicks did not.

I'm sorry to go off on this one here. But it was really just too sad. Isiah played Renaldo Balkman at the end of the game, not because he should, but because he is obviously praying that just once this guy does something that justifies Isiah wasting the 20th pick on him.

I just don't see that time coming. He is a 6'7 forward that can defend. Bruce Bowen is that but he can also hit an open jump shot. I have no problem saying that I am a better shooter than Balkman. Oh well.

As shitty and dark as the next 6 months will be for the 14-win Bricks, things are already starting to look good for the new guys.

Carlos Delgado waived his right to demand a trade. Makes sense. Sure. But he did it and now it is one less thing to worry about. This one can only be spun positively and now is a time where positive things can lead to happy free agents.

One happy free agent the Mets are looking at is Mark Loretta. This guy looked very solid in Boston this past season.

Hitting 2 in front of Big Papi and Manny, he threw up some nice numbers (.285 AVG, .345 OBP). But more importantly, Loretta is the guy that plays like he looks he should. He fields well and plays smart. He can bunt when he needs to and would be a perfect fit in the 8 hole at 2b.

There is so much talk about Julio Lugo. I've spent many an obscure fantasy baseball season with Lugo, this the result of playing in leagues filled with D-Rays and Rockies.

Lugo is a nice player. But he is not this $9-10 million guy that people are building him up to be. He can run, is a decent fielder and a solid hitter. But he doesn't blow people out of the water.

My main man Buster Olney describes Loretta as a cheap short-term solution at 2b. I have no idea where the Mets are looking to cap their budget at, but assuming they are looking to make at least one big splash I don't know if Lugo is the move.

Unfortunately for us, this year's crop free agents is so weak that overspending will be a neccesity.

I can't get over how bad the Knicks are. I am sorry if this seems like another one of my rants, but this game was just unreal.

Yeah, they got close, but that was the classic result of NBA teams not trying.

Which brings me to my last point.

The NBA should make its regular season 20 games. No one in this league tries at all and for good reason. For Tim Duncan, a game in November means absolutely nothing. The Spurs will make the playoffs every year and teams only focus on home court come April.

200 million dollars worth of athlets played on Tuesday night, and the only players really trying were the kids without contracts. They know that after three years they will get their big fat pay day and they too can not try until April.

But seriously, David Stern should start the season in March or have his teams play one game a week on Tuesday's.

You think LeBron James is losing to the Charlotte Hornets if the game means anything? Probably not.

But he sure did Saturday.

I am angry. I need baseball back.

Sip