Knicks Kicks-Vol. 1

Over the last seven seasons, mixed in with one pathetic playoff appearance in '04 Knick fans have stopped rooting typically by the time the month of March rolls around. Usually during the time, the playoff brackets begin to unfold, we as Knick fans are already pondering off season trades, and coaching personnel firings and executions. Where do we get our arrogance? I often find myself searching YouTube for old Knicks clips from the 90's watching them on full volume and actually getting excited. That is where we are right now. Truth, I will never forget some of those games for the rest of my life. More painful truth; coming up short so many times has become almost a part of our persona. How many times did we lost to Jordan? What if Ewing was healthy in the 1999 NBA Finals? What if Starks didn't play all those minutes in game 7? The questions arise in rapid fire mode.

What about the good times? Those wars with the Miami Heat in which we won 3 out of 4, winning each deciding game on THEIR home floor. Sweetness. In many ways, for 5 years or so, winning or losing to them was the season in a nutshell; If we won, good season, if we lost, pathetic. Final scores in the low 80's, surplus of foul calls, technicals, player altercations. The rivalry didn't last long enough to be compared with some of the greatest rivalries in sports, but for those short years, it was a potent as any ever has been. What happened to the Knick teams that could lose 3 horrible games in a row and then conquer the world in 48 minutes on a Sunday on NBC? Nowadays, bleeding never stops. The Knicks are Hemophiliacs. Now, when things get bad, they get worse. Where is the leader? When asked to take a lesser role in certain things he flees the team and flies across the country to sulk. Where is the MONEY!!?? It's in the suit pants of guys like Jerome James, Jared Jefferies, and Stephon Marbury. Did anyone ever even know how much Patrick Ewing made or for how long he was supposed to make it for? In my loathe for the current state of this team, I also find my love, my appreciation, my passion. For it's the nausea that players like Marbury bring upon me, thats makes me appreciate the likes of a Charlie Ward or a Chris Childs. What happened to Larry Johnson? I wonder how he feels about the current front line we roll out there every night like the slabs of cookie dough they really are. Anyone else feel embarrassed when Ewing used to show up for games last year? Watching Eddy Curry get severely outplayed by any opposing center he matched up with. That has to be the psyche in a nutshell. We think of them then and we loathe what we see now.

In some cases we even took what we had for granted both as fans and as an organization. Jeff Van Gundy quits? We booed Allan Houston? In return we get Isiah Thomas and several shoot first guards who can't even SHOOT! All we want to see is a winner. A team that plays hard and has a desire to make themselves and those who root for them, proud. The Knicks haven't had a star-studded team since the early 70's but that doesn't mean we haven't found other ways to be successful. Yeah, the league has changed it's ways, regarding rules; softer contact, stricter penalties and so forth. However there is a medium. Look at the current world champs, the Boston Celtics. Yeah, it makes me sick too but it was hard to root against them, really. They played hard, they played together and they played "the right way," to quote a New York public enemy, Larry Brown.

I know it's going to be a couple years, but it doesn't have to be as bad as it has been. With games ending by the 2nd quarter and fans rooting for the other team, it's just so not New York. I want teams to tremble in the Garden again. Am I delusional enough to think that's going to happen with a roster that consists of Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph? I'd have to answer that in the same tone as the late Heath Ledger did in the 'Dark Knight' when told he was crazy, "No, I'm nottttt." Great Movie. Come November, I will be in my seats, wishfully thinking and dreaming that the Knicks will soon be good again. How hard will I be let down is the question right now. As things seem to be headed in the right direction, is that any different from the past four years? Remember Marbury's reaction to the Zach Randolph trade? Right then and there I knew it was a failure. Anything Marbury thinks is gold, must be shit. Well Maybe Marbury's 'shitty' hands will be bouncing basketballs elsewhere sooner than later as he shared with us his desire to play in Milan. I think I'd personally love him playing over there more than he would. If I could afford it, I'd pay his salary too!

After Walsh's address to the season subscribers last week, in press conference fashion, it seems to be wishful thinking for me that Steph is gone. Hey maybe he'll have a good year, right? Wrong! Truth is, no matter what this man does, he is an enemy to New York. Back in 1999 after the Knicks lost a home game to Marbury and the Nets, Marbury was quoted saying that the Knicks would never win a ring with Childs and Ward running point. Marbury's dream was always to play for the Knicks and when he was traded to New Jersey instead, I guess he felt the need to condescend. So after the Knicks won the Eastern Conference, Childs who just played a magnificent game vs Indiana, was asked how it felt to be headed to the NBA finals. Childs replied, "Ask Marbury."

Changing of the guard has ironically brought Marbury to the Knicks as our franchise player and we as fans will likely suffer for another season. But what happens next? Do we return to the blue collar teams we had under Pat 'the rat' Riley, who would hold teams to 84 points per game? Will we continue to expect to lose or will we be so pissed when we lose that we take out the other teams best player by his legs and make sure he misses the next 5-6 games? Those were the days. How far we've strayed from them is easy to determine, what's in the air is how long will it take to get back to them.