Posted by izybx:

here comes the bigeest thug in the league....mardy m'fckn collins

Posted by djsunyc:

not for nothing but steph looks like he lost alot of weight.

Posted by crzymdups:

Posted by Rich:

Frye needs to play a lot better.

I really think it's time to explore trades... a legit shooter or a legit shotblocker.

Knicks 99, Trail Blazers 81
Curry Finds Form and Knicks Find a Way to Win
By HOWARD BECK
Published: January 4, 2007
PORTLAND, Ore., Jan. 3 — Eddy Curry found daylight on a dull gray evening in the Pacific Northwest. It was perhaps the most pleasant sight the Knicks had seen on their extended tour of the N.B.A.’s better conference.

After three straight games of watching Curry get swarmed, harassed and nearly negated by opposing defenses, the Knicks saw him roam freely Wednesday night. After three straight losses, the Knicks saw the clear opportunity for a turnaround.

The Portland Trail Blazers were kind enough to leave Curry with single coverage for most of the evening, and Curry did what he does best under such conditions. He attacked the basket with vigor, scoring 27 points and leading the Knicks to a relatively stress-free 99-81 victory at the Rose Garden.

Curry made 11 of 17 field goals and also collected 10 rebounds for a double-double, checking out of the game with 3 minutes 25 seconds to play. Jamal Crawford scored 25 points and fed Curry, his close friend, with some of his best dunks of the night.

So the Knicks (14-21) got their first victory in four games on this road trip, which concludes Friday night in Seattle. They could get Quentin Richardson back for that game, and given the SuperSonics’ struggles, the Knicks are set up for a happy end to what began as a dismal week.

They arrived here having on a three-game losing streak, and with one particularly disturbing set of figures: Their record was identical to what they achieved in their first 34 games under Larry Brown. That is surely not a sign of the “significant progress” that James L. Dolan, the Garden chairman, has demanded of Coach Isiah Thomas.

Before the game, Thomas spoke earnestly of the need for better defense and better foul shooting, and said the Knicks had been too focused on scoring — “But 95 percent of the players in the league are that way,” he said.

The defense and foul shooting were still iffy Wednesday, but the Knicks did not need them. After the Blazers cut a 12-point lead to 7 in the third quarter, the Knicks blew the game open. Crawford lobbed to Curry for a reverse dunk, and David Lee found Curry for a layup. Stephon Marbury sank back-to-back 3-pointers, and the Knicks closed the period with dunks by Renaldo Balkman and Curry. They led 80-60 going into the fourth quarter.

The night opened with a good omen for the Knicks. When Curry hit a free throw in the opening minute, they had their first lead in three games. They converted 58 percent of their shots in the first half. And Curry got rolling against the Blazers’ indifferent defense.

Portland curiously opted for single coverage for most of the half, and Curry pounced on the open space. He had 18 points by halftime, on 8-of-12 shooting, and the Knicks had a 51-42 lead.

There were still some blemishes. The Knicks converted just 21 of 34 free throws, and Jared Jeffries remained in a minor funk. He airballed a free throw in the first quarter, and a 3-pointer in the third. Little has gone right for Jeffries on this road trip. He remains a starter but has been losing playing time to the more productive David Lee.

Though a poor shooter, Jeffries is known to fill a box score with everything else. But he has supplied little lately and is showing the strain. After missing a layup and a tip-in against Sacramento, he slapped his forehead with both hands.

“Just thinking too much, just pressing, trying to make things happen instead of just letting them happen,” Jeffries said. “I’m very honest with myself. If I’m playing good basketball, he’ll play me. If I’m not playing good, then he should take me out.”

Thomas said his players understand that their playing time is not guaranteed — a point he hammered home in November, when he twice benched Marbury in the second half of games.

“It started at the start of the season, with Marbury’s acceptance of being taken in and out of the game or being benched,” Thomas said. “Now it makes it easier for you to have a quick hook with everybody else. Had Marbury reacted different to that, we’d be having a problem in January, as opposed to guys understanding that they got to come perform.”

REBOUNDS

Stephon Marbury has supported the Knicks’ effort to make Eddy Curry the No. 1 scoring option. But with Curry recently bottled up by defenses, and the Knicks losing, Marbury sounded like he was losing patience. “At the end of the day, Eddy’s still going to get double-teamed and we’re still going to go to him,” Marbury said after Tuesday’s loss to Sacramento. Asked if the Knicks could do something else on the nights Curry is negated — rather than force-feed him passes in the post — Marbury said, “That’s how we’re playing right now, man. You’ve got to ask Isiah that.”