Okay, the game. Only a few times did the Knicks look like they were confused. Mostly they played solid defense and ran simple sets. Kidd, Jefferson and Vince were clearly the class of the game, yet in their appearances, brief for Jason, they did not run away with the game.

The players: Nate Robinson made the stupidest, rookie hot dog play I've ever seen on his first breakaway. With Trevor on the wing, instead of passing, he bounced the ball off the backboard for a slam dunk contest highlight. Instead the rebound came off at an odd angle, knocked him off balance, and next thing he was on the sidelines flattened. It could have been a short and ridiculous end to a career. Well, he recovered, but I can barely guess what LB had to say. He was out for much of the first half, then played lots in the second half. Looked okay, but hardly the dominant sparkplug we've heard about. Too much dribbling, over penetration, then nowhere to go. A few good passes. One good drive thru traffic. Give him a C-.

Steph and Jerome James didn't suit up.

Trevor Ariza was the best player on the court, period. Great defense, good offense on drives and jumpers, made his foul shots. He's a treat. A+

Eddie Curry missed both foul shots early, then started making them. Phew. He also took two passes early into the post and made the mistake of bringing the ball down. Later in the game, played very well. Nobody could stop him. B+

Penny sucked. No energy. D

David Lee is a fine player, with great energy on defense, good timing, decent offense. B

Channing Frye. Nice touch, blocks, rebounds, plays D. B+

Jamal Crawford. Judicious passing and shooting. He's learning. Nice game at the point. A-

Jackie Butler. Better offense than I expected. Decent backup for Curry. B-

Maurice Taylor. Decent game. Okay offense. B-

Malik Rose. Seems even smaller than I expected, but played solid. B-

That's enough for tonight.