Brooklyn Nets vs. New York Knicks; East River Showdown-IV

From the desks of:

THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH  and  DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP

EAST RIVER SHOWDOWN - IV

Knicks Lead Series 2-1

I - NYK 113; BKN 83

II - BKN 103; NYK 88

III - NYK 110; BKN 31

TONIGHT

GAME FOUR:

New York Knicks

vs.

Brooklyn Nets

FROM

BARCLAYS CENTER

Flatbush Avenue

THE BATTLE OF THE BENCHES: The Big Inner City Showdown Is Not Likely To Feature Many Starting Players.

Back in October, I bet all Knicks and Nets fans had this game circled.  This was widely projected to be an epic NBA battle for first place of the Atlantic Division.  The league slotted the game for prime-time coverage, and said see you then.

Now, here we are....  Over the last six months, this match-up has devolved into a meeting of the meaningless.  The Nets did what they needed to do, but the Knicks didn't hold up their part of the bargain.

There is only be one real matter at stake, and that would be Brooklyn's ability to clinch the 5th seed with a victory.  They'll likely enter the post-season as the Eastern Conference 5th season anyway. You never know though.  Facing the Bulls or Raptors is still undetermined. 

Meanwhile, the Knicks were officially eliminated from playoff contention.  To their credit, they delayed the inevitable with a very strong month of March.  This evening however, several players will simply continue auditioning for Phil Jackson.  Carmelo Anthony's situation is an entirely different matter.

Andray Blacthe in all likelihood needs these last two games to audition for Jason Kidd's playoff squad.  The offensively oriented, defensively challenged center is now behind Mason Plumlee on the depth chart.  With Kevin Garnett back in action, three centers officially became a crowd.

This will be the final regular season at Barclays Center, where the Nets own a 28-12 record.  My main concern for tonight will be the crowd.  It had better sound decidedly pro-Brooklyn.

Thank you very much.




Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Nets vs. New York Knicks: East River Showdown-III

From the desks of:

DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP  &  THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

EAST RIVER SHOWDOWN - III

Series Tied 1-1

I - NYK 113; BKN 83

II - BKN 103; NYK 80

TONIGHT

BROOKLYN NETS

vs.

NEW YORK KNICKS

FROM

Madison Square Garden

BROOKLYN NETS: Only The Chicago Bulls Stand Between Flatbush And Their Fans.

The Brooklyn Nets clinched their second straight playoff appearance Tuesday evening with their 14th straight victory at Barclays Center, this time over a good Houston Rockets club.  They remain 1.5 games behind the #4 Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference standings, and gaining the benefit of home court advantage.

The Nets (40-33) are also only a mere 1.5 games behind the first place Toronto Raptors in the Atlantic Division, with nine games remaining in their regular season.  Brooklyn can leapfrog into the 3rd seed should they overtake the Raptors.

The Nets went the entire month of March without the services of Kevin Garnett, and still managed to post an 12-4 record.  The team's effort also earned Jason Kidd his second Coach of the Month award this season.  The team hopes to finally have KG back on the floor this weekend.  Andrei Kirilenko's status is still questionable.

The Nets downed the Houston Rockets in a convincing 105-96 manner - an exclamation point if you will, punctuating their recent play.  Joe Johnson led all scorers with 32 points.  Six Nets scored in double digits.

NEW YORK KNICKS: With Phil Jackson Watching, Current Playoff Push Is Testing Team's Mettle.

With a 32-43 record, the New York Knicks are still on the outside of the playoff picture looking in, but are hot on the #8 Atlanta Hawks tails.  The Jekyll and Hyde Knicks were just 2-11 in February, in which they endured a 7 game losing streak, and at one point, lost 10 of 11 games.  They seemingly turned things around in March, with an 11-5 record, and at one point, won eight in a row.  Their recent surge has pulled them within one game of the Eastern Conference's 8th seed. The Knicks have seven games remaining on their schedule.

Phil Jackson will not be duped by fool's gold.  I think whether the Knicks make the playoffs or not, the new Knicks president already has a fixed vision regarding his team's future, and it most likely does not include coach Mike Woodson.  Phil Jackson will no doubt want to bring in his own people who understand his methods, and can translate his dictates onto the floor.  And, although the players are making a spirited attempt to make the playoffs, this is really just a glorified try-out.

The Knicks are coming off a 92-83 victory over the Utah Jazz.  Carmelo Anthony led all scorers with 34 points.

Mike.BTB