Knicks 85, Bulls 118

Final

"They just overwhelmed us physically," -- Mike D'Antoni

"When he's [Derrick Rose] hitting that jump shot, he's especially tough to handle. He's so strong. When he starts going to the basket, he's so good finishing. He's one of the best finishers as far as guards are concerned in the league." -- David Lee

I don't like All-Star Games (nor award shows -- not enough action), so I didn't watch the one last night. But, apparently over 108,000 folks like being there and they watched the game with a national TV audience of presently undisclosed size.  So I understand I missed a close game.  It's a good thing then that everybody and their mama's cousin wrote about it and there are these videos that tell the highlighted parts of the story.

Nate Robinson successfully defended his All-Star Game Dunk Contest crown by beating youngster DeMar DeRozan.  In one of the more boring and unimaginative dunk competitions in recent memory, a very athletic N8Gr8 received help from a shaky Danilo Gallinari and the Dallas Cowboys cheerleader to give the Knicks a little something to cheer about he twisted and turned for a couple of dunks and gained the most votes from fans and judges.

Danilo Gallinari, on the other hand, was eliminated from the three-point shooting contest in the first round. Danilo was recovering from an arm injury but decided to participate and represent the Knicks anyway. Even without the injury Danilo,who is not among the top 50 three-point shooters percentage-wise, should have been considered a long-shot. The purest shooter in the contest was Stephon Curry, who lost to world champion vet Paul Pierce. Pierce wanted to show everyone that he could shoot threes. He did. Now let's see how he keeps his team from being eliminated in the playoffs.

After spending the 2003-2004 season playing with the Golden State Warriors, Johnson signed as a player-coach with the Dallas Mavericks under Don Nelson. Johnson had played under Nelson from 2001-2003, and it was understood from the beginning that Johnson was being groomed to eventually succeed Nelson as head coach. On October 28, 2004, Johnson retired from playing to concentrate full-time on coaching, and his transition from assistant to head coach came five months later on March 19, 2005.

Under Johnson, the Mavericks closed out the 2004-2005 season with a 16-2 run and a first-round playoff victory over the Houston Rockets, before bowing out to the Phoenix Suns in the second round of the playoffs. Johnson was named the April 2005 NBA Coach of the Month, only one month after becoming a head coach for the first time.

FINALLY!

David Lee has been named by Commissioner David Stern to replace Allen Iverson in the All-Star game in Dallas.  This marks the first time since 2001, when Allan Houston and Latrell Sprewell were selected, that a Knick has been named an All-Star.  Allen Iverson remains at home with his family while his daughter is seriously ill.  (Our prayers for AI, the Answer and his family).

David Lee has been the most consistent player on a bad team averaging a double-double this season with 20 points and 11.4 rebounds per game.  This is Lee's 4th year in the league since he was drafted 30th  by Isiah Thomas in the first round.  Just two years ago when Mike D'Antoni was hired, it was widely reported by the press that D'Antoni did not like Lee's game and didn't believe it was suited for his offense.  Since then, Lee's hard work on his offensive game has proven that Lee can play at a high level.

This selection puts additional pressure on Knicks management to determine how they are going to obtain a quality, probably max, free agent and retain the services of David Lee, who is currently under an incentive-laden one year contract. Lee was thought to want at least $10 Million per year.  This selection most certainly ups his value and may make him too expensive for the Knicks.  Perhaps the Knicks may be helped in the rumored trade which may bring in Tracey McGrady and equally as important for Walsh's plan to be effective, get rid of another contract, like Curry's or Jeffries.

Lee's selection also impacts tonight's programming at Knicks Fanatics.  We were scheduled to publish a response to Frank Isola's blog post lamenting the dearth of white Americans in the All-star game.  That piece will be revised and submitted at a later date, probably tomorrow.

Congratulations David Lee.

Previous Related Posts:

David Lee May Not Need That Bonus Afterall: You Go Boy
Poll: Should David Lee Be An All-Star?
Resurrecting Isiah: Players Are Rewriting His Legacy To Dismay Of Fans
Videos Edition of February Hot Links: Knicks Below Level At Midway Point
The Party Is Over, The Koolaid Has Worn Off, Part Two
David Lee Is An All-Star Sub Snub

(This provocative offering comes from our very own Tman who has been consistent in his call for David Stern to pay attention to the significance of the partnerships he enters into in the name of money and market expansion. We did take editorial liberty and break up the legendary "block" format Tman usually drops on us.  The penthouse has a little more elbow room for paragraph formatting.  LOL)

As far as the Knicks go, this is a new experience.  I have gone on record, even been renamed correctly by O&B as D'man, and it's all about the importance of defense in this incredibly entertaining game, B-ball.Check the record and see how many games we've won holding teams under 100, and then again what the scores were when we lost.By ignoring D,while emphasizing the so-called future evolution of the game, gazelleball, run & shoot, we've made the same mistake that IT made.

Yes, the game has been made to appear to be more like a video game for the ESPN watching uninitiated.Even the no touching defensive changes made to uptempo the game can't change one thing. No matter how pretty you want to look on O, you can't win consistently without solid as a rock D. The proof is all around us historically. Could the Roman legions have conquered the word without playing as much D as O?The NBA, Nothing But Argent, is heading towards the bastardization of the game for 40 pieces of silver. They need a product that appeals to a billion unschooled Asians, Africans and Americans. That's why No'D'Antoni, and in turn Euro star Gallo, were brought in instead of more serviceable ballers and a defensive coach. It's about a buck, always was and always will be.

But there is no afro-desiac like winning. However winning is a much tougher road to build and then travel .It is easier to follow the Big Box/Costco theory, give the people more, and more, of what they think they want, tittylation, more dunking, more in your face screaming, more dehumanization by creating mythic superstars out of normal human beings, even if the quality of the game is slowly being drained. Just how tasty does that giant tomato taste?

But remember before you can subjugate and exterminate you must dehumanize, whether by aggrandizement or diminishment. Two sides that appear dissimilar but are the same. People must always be viewed as human, not superhuman or subhuman, or there will be dire consequences.Why talk about the NBA's deal with China on a Knicks site? Because this business is in a unique position to affect some change without firing a shot. They want us, but we should not want them, at least not in the way they treat their own people. People are not supposed to disappear in the middle of the night for criticizing their government. Think about it.

If you allow that then who's next? Want more examples of why we shouldn't partner with this type of government? When the Nazis came into power in the 1930's, what happened to the approximately 30 thousand bi-racial children fathered by African French Foreign Legionnaires who occupied Germany after WW1?Look it up.Interesting anomaly there, right? That is the type of government we are eagerly getting into bed with. We should be better than that.

Updated With Game Observations at 12:36pm

Kings 118, Knicks 114

"It went from 15 to seven in about 30 seconds and then we got tight and didn't play well and they beat us. Somehow our spirit is all messed up." -- Mike D'Antoni

"Having a double-digit lead late in the fourth quarter, it's definitely going to hurt and stick with you. It comes to a point, guys are looking at the time hoping it runs out quick instead of trying to go out and finish them." -- Chris Duhon

"We just kept on believing and we knew it was just a matter of time. The Knicks keep on attacking the basket and they let you back in the game, and that's what our game plan was in the last six minutes of the game and overtime." -- Kevin Martin

"They just weren't doing a good job of getting back. Every time I got the rebound I pushed it and, when I saw an open lane, I attacked it or kicked it out to an open guy." -- Tyreke Evans