So I went to the garden to see the Knicks bulls game last Friday, thanks to a birthday gift from my girlfriend. As a 15 years overseas knicks fan, it was like a dream come true to see the MSG with my own eyes.

Needless to say I had a wonderful night, as we won, but especially since I could scream D-fense for the first time of my life there. =)

Back to the game. Here are my impressions from players I had never seen live before, I thought it would be fun for you guys to get a fresh look.

The team as a whole. The guys seem to have fun yet still play worse than what they should be. I see potential in this team, much more than I did before seeing them live. A few things struck me :

Marbury. Wow. If he wanted to defend all the time, that guy would really be a pain in the ass for most of guards. He’s strong and quick, built like a truck. You could *feel* Heinrich pain each time Marb was guarding him instead of Jamal. Point is, when he contests passes, dribble, fight over screens, he transforms the way our team defends. It is amazing how other players seem to react to how Marbury behaves. If he tries, they all try. If he doesn’t, nobody moves. I used to doubt the fact that he could somehow lead this team, as I thought nobody would follow. I may be badly wrong on this one, time will tell.
He played under control the whole game and scored when he had to, feeding curry all the time... A great point guard game imho.

Lee : He does so much things on the court, screens, rebounds, help on d, assists... If something good is going on, you can be sure he’s part of it. He’s stronger and bigger than what I saw on TV, much bigger I’d even dare to say. A tremendous 4 to build around. I jsut love that guy.

Craw : he just can’t defend a good guard. Not strong enough, doesnt seem to be able to focus enough, I don’t know... But Kirk or gordon were torching him much more than they could burn Stephon. He seems to play out of the system all the time. Making illogical choices, taking bad shots after bad shots... But he kept on making them and I was like, man I hate when he takes those shots but I can’t say anything cause he makes them. Craw must be a nightmare to coach in a way, but he seems to have so much fun on the court so that balances a bit. I really see him as an instance offense tool of the bench. He just shouldn’t be starting.

Curry: Strong, agile, quick, very good touch when he shoots the ball. Now, if he could even try to get a rebound and, I don’t know, maybe try to box out. He looks really passive when the guards forget to feed him quick. He then simply disappears from O and D as well. Loads of potential too. Over 20ppg for numerous years to come, a nightmare to guard in the post. One thing, I didn’t see him make a single good pass when double teamed down low. He really should work on that.

Balkman: I love that guy. So much energy, amazing. He was going after every shot, trying to block them, trying to get steals, trying to intercept, trying trying trying... he seems to use space shuttle kerosen or something. I saw him start a few fastbreaks, and when I remember articles about his *bad handle*, I already saw vets guards having a much worse handle than his. He makes good decisions but is forced to pass a lot of shots. I’d love to see him develop a midrange jumpshot, cause he would be very hard to guard too. A great addition off the bench, future looks bright.

Frye: Great shooting tough, a player with a brain with no doubts. Seems to think a lot (too much), which sometimes made him loose precious seconds. Very long, much thiner that what I thought. Doesn’t seem to be able to defend either.

Beefsteak 1 and beefsteak 2, aka Cato and James: both did a respectable work. Having 2 7ers off the bench can put a lot of pressure on opposing D/O. Our team made its true comeback with both on the court. Better D, better rebounding, the Knicks seemed to be more in control with them, weirdly... They looked really huge when both of them were manning the paint. Coudl be useful.

Special mention to Kirk Heinrich: this guy is all a PG should be. He was the guy making good decision after good decision all game long. Only bad things about him happened when marb was guarding him and remembered he could defend. Otherwise, he was creating for others all the time. Good D, good shoot, careful dribble... A coach dream.

So this is it, a big wall of text for those who went till that line. I was so happy to be there, I could’t even describe my feelings. At the end of my second trip in NYC in 2 years, all I can say is I love New York and I love the knicks.

Have fun guys, Merry Xmas and happy new year to all of you and your families.

Raven
Ex french knick fan, now living in Montreal, Canada.

PS : Next game I'll attend, I'll try to catch some of the ultimate knicks posters at the garden. Could be fun to see you live too. =)

t is amazing how other players seem to react to how Marbury behaves. If he tries, they all try. If he doesn’t, nobody moves.

leading by example is something he's just learning apparently... let's hope he keeps on the same path & doesn't go back to thinking he's God's gift to the NBA.

Posted by TMS:

congrats on your first live Knicks game btw dude... there's really nothing like watching a good game at the Garden, is there?

Honnestly, I couldn't even foresee how it would be. I was so affraid to hear the crowd boo the players... but being at the game, feeling the energy of the MSG... a great experience for sure.

Yeah, you know I thought about it a lot. My girlfriend told me, hey just go and see if someone from the website is there (I told her about section 404)... Thing is before the game, I had no idea reaching you would've been so damn easy. I envisionned the arena as a huge huge stadium (like it seems on tv), so I kind of let it down. Newbie mistake I'd say =).

Next time, be sure I'll come and see you. And thx for your game recaps btw, your blog rocks !