Good luck to us tonight.

Robin and I will be there at the Garden, we will upload some pictures, any requests?

People don’t think we have a chance without Shumpert and and Stat.  I think it may help to lose Stat, and J.R. Smith can fill in for Shumpert.

The bottom line is this team has perservered through a lot this year.  We have always figured out a way to turn our bad luck around, and we have at least two more games to do that now.

Chandler just won defensive player of the year.  He deserves it.  He needs to play big tonight.

We have to get Novak, Smith, and Fields involved with shots.  I’m sure Melo believes he can win all by himself, but those guys are key. 

Miami gets all the calls, I don’t expect it to be different tonight.  Thanks Mr. Stern, for making a tough job nearly impossible.

We didn’t tank to play Chicago, now we have to man up and play the best the Eastern Conference has to offer. 

We win tonight and we are back in the series.  We lose and it will take a miracle called Lin to save us from a sweep.

Greed.  Such a huge issue surrounding such a team sport.

The owners wanted more.  The players wanted more.  The fans suffered as a result.

Now the players are suffering.  The NBA tried to fit in 62 games in a shortened amount of time.  Key players to their team such as Derrick Rose of the Chicago Bulls and Iman Shumpert of the New York Knicks are now lost for 6-8 months, their future athleticism upon their return in question.

If the league and players union had ended their negotiations sooner, I wonder if any of this would have happened.  Teams have been playing four or five games a week this season.

In the end, all of this greed only hurts the game.  All of this greed between the players and the owners only hurts the fans.  Knicks fans can’t see their real team compete now, nor can Bulls fans.

All because of the lust for more money from millionaires and billionaires alike.

Rumor is, Tyson Chandler has the flu and will not play today.  What that does with the starting five, I assume Amar’e will slide to the five and fields will be re-inserted into the starting five, but that would just be a guess.

Read Alan Hahn’s great article here on how Mike D’Anotoni used to think the Knicks would beat the Heat this year.

Shout out to SaipanKnickster, Bilz, Edward, Drossman, Syd Harewood, Lives, Knicksfanatics, Paul Noize, and all of the original heads.  Did anyone go to Alan’s fixer mixer yesterday?

I know Carmelo and Tyson are happy about it.

I have my doubts about playing Miami in the first round, we didn’t beat them this year.

Doesn’t mean we can’t.  Depends on how Amar’e and Melo can share the ball over seven games and still figure out how to dominate.

Shumpert will do well guarding either Wade or LeBron.

We have a chance.  LeBron isn’t a playoff player, he’s a regular season statistical player.

Melo has been waiting for this opportunity.  Now is the time.

Still would have preferred to play Chicago, but bring on the Heat.

Or should I say Isiah’s Glen is here to stay?

I can’t deny Grunwald has done a fantastic job here.  Novak, Jeremy Lin, Tyson Chandler, cutting Chauncey, getting J.R. Smith.  The NY Times article I posted here a few days ago under the comments intimates Grunwald could win executive of the year and I think it is merited. Glen doesn’t get any credit for Shumpert though, that was Donnie Walsh who picked him, along with Josh Harrellson and Jerome Jordan.

We are looking good.  We have an issue with point guard speed and durability, but it is only short term.  Also, without Chandler, this team can’t rebound.  Other than that, we are a solid, strong team.  Walsh cleared the garbage and brought in the two leaders, and Glen has filled out the roster with the perfect role players.

Anybody that can deal with an idiot tyrant like Dolan is a saint.  Walsh couldn’t deal, that’s why he understandably left.  Glen has been named the GM of the team for the long term.

Thanks to Alan Hahn for the info.

Which team would you prefer to play in the first round at this point?

Had to sell our tickets to this game.  I have work to do.

Should be a good one though.  New York is starting to figure out its identity.  Shumpert’s effectiveness will be a question mark due to the injury to his ankle last game.  Without out a doubt, Shumpert was selected by Donnie Walsh to guard LeBron OR Wade so we will see how far he can get today with containing two top 10 scorers in the league.

If Chandler has a good game and Melo is Melo, we win this.

Full preview write-up here, courtesy of NBA.com.

The roller coaster season continues.  To think the last three were nationally televised, and now, look at how many of the regular season games remaining are also nationally televised.

Walsh turned the tide.  Glunwald is doing a good job.  Woodson is doing a good job.  Shumpert is doing a phenomenal job.  Melo is finally becoming a leader.  The team likes each other, likes playing with each other.  I still think the identity of this team is still to be determined, but we have enough to get some wins in the playoffs.  We have the killer instinct, and defense, but we don’t have the rebounding.

Didn’t get to see too much of last night’s loss to the Bulls, we are in Austin, Texas for our 1-year wedding anniversary.  We actually watched the overtime victory from a bar in JFK…  That was a great ending.

So tonight is a “must-win.”  I suppose they all are at this point.  Melo’s production has been huge lately.  What is going on with Novak lately?  Shumpert looks good.  I used to want to play Chicago or Miami in the first round, back when we had our whole team injury-free.

Shumpert and Smith are getting big minutes now, this is to the detriment of Jeffries, Fields and Novak.

We have a huge problem with rebounding.  Barkley was right, Tyson is the only rebounder out there for us.  If Tyson for example, were to get into foul trouble, or God forbid, get injured, we would be exposed.  Melo had two rebounds last night.  New York was out-rebounded by the Bulls 51-33.

We have to take it from the Bucks tonight.  They will not give it to us.  Control Ellis, control Jennings.

And box out!

With the injuries, it may not happen this year, but if it ever does happen, that entire team will be loved for life in New York.  It has been since 1973.

God, I know there are more pressing issues in the world but a championship in New York will lift up this city that is still down from 9/11.  Please help Lin and Amar’e come back strong.  Amen.