Well its that time of year where everyone is out shopping, eating, drinking and celebrating their respective holiday in anticipation of the upcoming new year. It also one of the most exctiting times of the year for sports.
At this time in the NBA we begin to see how the playoff races are shaping up. There are usually the teams we know will be top seeds, the teams that will fall into the range of the bottom 5-8 seeds, and the tomato cans of the league. At this point in time the New York Knicks shockingly fall into the category of the 5-8 seeds. Though they are currently not in the top 8 I believe, the Knicks are playing their best basketball in what seems like a decade. They have won 7 of their last 9 and have won 6 straight at home, all without Nate Robinson who may not be on the team too much longer. Gallo is developing into a great all-around player and David Lee is having an All-Star caliber year. I think that the Knicks are finally buying into Mike D'Antoni's system and it is paying huge dividends.
It is around this time of year that the MLB Hot Stove is possibly at its hottest with moves already made, and bigger mooves lying ahead. Much of the talk going into the offseason revolved around the big 3 free agents John Lackey, Jason Bay and Matt Holliday. There was also much talk of the possible move of Roy Halladay. Well so far Halladay is now a Philly and Lackey apart of the Red Sox. The Mets have an offer out to Jason Bay but it seems that Bay does not want to play for the Mets. I think that going after Bay is a mistake for the Mets. He is a below average outfielder and that will not bode well for him in that ballpark. The Yankees fresh of their World Series have been quite busy with re-signing Pettite to a 1 - year deal. They also acquired Curtis Granderson and Javier Vasquez via trade without having to give up much. Granderson instantly upgrades the outfield and brings some lefty pop that the Yankees lost in Damon and Matsui. Javier Vasquez brings stability to the back end of the rotation and should win at least 12-16 games.
Perhaps the most important facet of the sports world at this time of year is the NFL playoff race. There remains 1 undefeated team in the Colts and a number of others have clinched playoff spots. The Jets really Plaxico'd themselves (shot themselves in the foot) with the loss to the Falcons in the final 2 minutes of the game. This is a team that has to learn to pummel inferior teams early and close out close games. Those two areas this year have cost the Jets at the very least 3 wins. Now they are in a 6 way tie at 7-7, while Baltimore and Denver currently occupy the 5 and 6 seeds with records of 8-4. The Jets need to win their final 2 games and they need a lot of help. And it will not be easy as this week they pay a visit to Peyton Manning and the Colts who are 14-0 and have to be thinking about 16-0.
The Giants helped their playoff hopes with a pimp-slapping beat-down of the Redskins in Washington on Monday Night Football. The Giants defense that we have been used to for the past 2 years finally decided to show up in 2009. Keep it up Sheridan, the gameplan against the Skins is the way this defense should have been playing all year. The Giants also need help but their help is much more realistic. The Giants need to win their final 2 games agaist the Panthers and the Vikings and they need either the Cowboys or Packers to lose 1 game. Highly plausible considering the Cowboys December to Misremember history. I'm not buying too much into the win over the Saints, the Saints have been in a lot of close games the past month and I think that the pressure of 16-0 was getting to them. By the way, Eli Manning is having a career year and Steve Smith of the Giants should be in the Pro Bowl.
In other sports news:
Congratualtions to Martin Brodeur who became the NHL's all-time shut out leader and arguably the greatest Goalie ever.
Thank you to the sports radio world who have been able to go a few days with no mention of Tiger Woods, it was getting annoying.
There seems to be a rift between Vikings Head Coach Brad Childress and QB Bret Favre. This is the wrong time for this to be happening, although Favre does seem to be in his annual December decline.
The Bulls had a 35-point lead over the Kings two nights ago with 8 minutes remaining in the 3rd Quarter at home and lost the game, WOW!!!!!!
Well that's it for this edition, the first edition of Jeremy's Weekly Worm. Wishing everyone a safe and happy holliday season and a blessed 2010!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
A RAY OF LIGHT IN THE KNICKS' VICTORY OVER THE SUNS
In a season that has been filled with expected disappointment, there was a glimmer of hope for Knicks fans on the floor last night.
For those who tuned into the 126-99 beatdown of the Suns last night, you saw a glimpse of the kind of player Danilo Gallinari can be. Entering last night's game, the Knicks brought in the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference and were riding a 5-game losing streak. The Suns came in with the League's best record and having scored at least 100 points in every game thus far. With that being said, one would think that it would be the Suns who would dominate the lowly Knicks and blow them out by 27 points. Last night was very different.
The Knicks came out with a level of energy and intensity that we have not seen in a very long time, a level that arguably the best team in the NBA could not come close to even if they were flying in a 747. The Knicks erupted for a 39-point first quarter led by stellar shooting from Gallo, better passing from Larry Hughes, and tremendous hustle from everyone.
The Knicks did not need a double-double from David Lee who finished with 24 points, 8 rebounds, half of which were offensive, and 4 steals. They did not need contribution from Nate Robinson on this night who finished with 0 points, largely due to a great game from Hughes who finished with 11 points, 6 rebounds, 12 assists, and 4 steals. Al Harrington added 22 points on just 8-14 shooting, the number of shots attempted he should be averaging per game, not an attempt higher. The Knicks also got great hustle from Jared Jeffries who had 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots. He also took turn in a rotation that saw Wilson Chandler, David Lee, and Jeffries all guard Steve Nash for extended periods of time.
But the story of the night was that this may have been Danilo Gallinari's coming out party. The Italian Stallion led all scorers with 27 points which included 6-12 from 3-point range. Gallo raised his league-leading number of 3-pointers made to 54 with last night's effort. The scoring however, was not the most impressive part of the night. Gallo also had 10 rebounds and 2 blocked shots and seemed very comfortable all over the floor last night. Whether it was sinking jumpers, tracking down long rebounds, or playing defense, Gallo played last night with a confidence and a swagger that Knicks fans have been waiting to see. It showed last night and translated into what was probably the best game of his career thus far.
You also have to give credit to Coach Mike D'Antoni. He knew that this was going to be a tough situation when he took the job to coach the Knicks, and it has been a long and hard trip so far. But in what was his 100th game coaching this franchise, he had the sweetest night of any of the previous 99. Not only did D'Antoni get to see his team execute his offense flawlessly, but he got to see them do it to the team that he built before coming to the Knicks. Although he would never admit it, you have to believe that D'Antoni enjoyed this victory a little more than any other. Afterall, he was fired from the Suns when they brought in Shaq and had to change their philosophy on offense. Now Shaq is gone and running the team is Alvin Gentry, a man who served as an assistant under D'Antoni when he coached the Suns and now operates the exact same system. D'Antoni is the architect and so he knew everything that the Suns were going to do and devised a great game-plan. Putting big bodies on Nash to make him earn all his points and limit his passing was the key to slowing a Suns offense that was held to under 100 points for the first time this season.
Too much cannot be read into one victory because that is all that it is. The Suns had an off night, they even looked like they took the Knicks lightly. The Knicks must now show that they can play at this level with consistency against all opponents. They can start tonight when the go to Orlando to face the Eastern Conference's best team.
For those who tuned into the 126-99 beatdown of the Suns last night, you saw a glimpse of the kind of player Danilo Gallinari can be. Entering last night's game, the Knicks brought in the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference and were riding a 5-game losing streak. The Suns came in with the League's best record and having scored at least 100 points in every game thus far. With that being said, one would think that it would be the Suns who would dominate the lowly Knicks and blow them out by 27 points. Last night was very different.
The Knicks came out with a level of energy and intensity that we have not seen in a very long time, a level that arguably the best team in the NBA could not come close to even if they were flying in a 747. The Knicks erupted for a 39-point first quarter led by stellar shooting from Gallo, better passing from Larry Hughes, and tremendous hustle from everyone.
The Knicks did not need a double-double from David Lee who finished with 24 points, 8 rebounds, half of which were offensive, and 4 steals. They did not need contribution from Nate Robinson on this night who finished with 0 points, largely due to a great game from Hughes who finished with 11 points, 6 rebounds, 12 assists, and 4 steals. Al Harrington added 22 points on just 8-14 shooting, the number of shots attempted he should be averaging per game, not an attempt higher. The Knicks also got great hustle from Jared Jeffries who had 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots. He also took turn in a rotation that saw Wilson Chandler, David Lee, and Jeffries all guard Steve Nash for extended periods of time.
But the story of the night was that this may have been Danilo Gallinari's coming out party. The Italian Stallion led all scorers with 27 points which included 6-12 from 3-point range. Gallo raised his league-leading number of 3-pointers made to 54 with last night's effort. The scoring however, was not the most impressive part of the night. Gallo also had 10 rebounds and 2 blocked shots and seemed very comfortable all over the floor last night. Whether it was sinking jumpers, tracking down long rebounds, or playing defense, Gallo played last night with a confidence and a swagger that Knicks fans have been waiting to see. It showed last night and translated into what was probably the best game of his career thus far.
You also have to give credit to Coach Mike D'Antoni. He knew that this was going to be a tough situation when he took the job to coach the Knicks, and it has been a long and hard trip so far. But in what was his 100th game coaching this franchise, he had the sweetest night of any of the previous 99. Not only did D'Antoni get to see his team execute his offense flawlessly, but he got to see them do it to the team that he built before coming to the Knicks. Although he would never admit it, you have to believe that D'Antoni enjoyed this victory a little more than any other. Afterall, he was fired from the Suns when they brought in Shaq and had to change their philosophy on offense. Now Shaq is gone and running the team is Alvin Gentry, a man who served as an assistant under D'Antoni when he coached the Suns and now operates the exact same system. D'Antoni is the architect and so he knew everything that the Suns were going to do and devised a great game-plan. Putting big bodies on Nash to make him earn all his points and limit his passing was the key to slowing a Suns offense that was held to under 100 points for the first time this season.
Too much cannot be read into one victory because that is all that it is. The Suns had an off night, they even looked like they took the Knicks lightly. The Knicks must now show that they can play at this level with consistency against all opponents. They can start tonight when the go to Orlando to face the Eastern Conference's best team.
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