GAME RECAP

MIKE D'ANTONI POSTGAME

POSTGAME WITH JEREMY LIN AND AMARE STOUDEMIRE

GAME RECAP 

Mike D'Antoni Post Game

Jeremy Lin Postgame

GAME RECAP

AMAR'E POSTGAME 

JEREMY LIN POSTGAME 

*Combined Information and efforts of AP, Bleacher Report, RealGM, NBA Grapevine and Delshay Stormwolf!

"All Men fall. It is but time and method, that defer." Stormwolf~

“Linsanity” should come as no surprise to anyone.  After all, this is America, the land of the free and home of the brave, where underdogs defy odds and slay Goliath, break barriers, ditch rags for riches, get the girl and walk off into the sunset with the world’s cutest beagle in tow.

So when Mr. Lin emerged from nowhere and led the distressed Knicks to seven consecutive victories with his impressive play, it was only fitting we treated the experience as the Second Coming.

The seven-game win streak marked the 34th time in the franchise’s 66-year history the Knicks had won at least so many games in a row.  Lin, the undrafted, Asian-American guard out of Harvard, was the main catalyst of the streak, pulling a 1980 Playoff Magic Johnson, all but 42 days after getting cut by the Houston Rockets.

Between February 4th and 15th, “I've never seen anything like this,” unofficially supplanted “I Love This Game” as the NBA’s new tag-line.

During the win streak, here are the ridiculous per-game averages Lin posted:

• 37.4 minutes
• 24.4 points
• 9.1 assists
• 4.0 rebounds
• 1.6 steals
• 51.2 percent FG shooting

Toss in a 38-point performance against the Lake Show, 23-and-10 against John Wall, and 27-and-11 in Toronto (including the game-winner), and it’s no surprise Lin was named Player of the Week.

The performance doesn't just have the world upside down—it has it break-dancing on its axis.  The kid is Superman.  He doesn't just defy odds—he crushes stereotypes, and leaps tall buildings in a single bound.

He’s not just any player, he’s Michael Jordan in disguise.  Say anything to the contrary and you’re just a hater.  Just hint at doubting he’s a superstar in the making and you’ll have quotes from current and past superstars thrown in your face.

“Players don’t usually come out of nowhere.  If you can go back and take a look, his skill level was probably there from the beginning, but no one ever noticed.” – Kobe Bryant "Rumor is Kobe's soon to be Ex is dating a Re-run look alike."

“Lin is the real deal. He’s the true point guard the Knicks haven’t had in years. He’s the guy the Knicks have needed all along.” – Bernard King
" Note Bernard King had the displeasure of Rory Sparrow as his PG" Not only is Lin an Upgrade, but any local YMCA's PG that stayed on the court 2 games would be a sufficient upgrade to Rory Sparrow! 

Since Jeremy Lin, the "unknown one from nowhere", transformed into the iconic craziness of Lin-sanity, the literary creative juices of fans and the media have been flowing overtime, especially every time something momentarily momentous happens in New York sports.  Pun after pun after pun has been reigning over and on the Knickscape because of Lin-mania and now it's Steve Novak's turn to get us all atwitter and to get himself an appropriate, funky, silly or punny nickname to match his recent notable exploits on the court. 

Lest your head has been in a Nook or granny's lap, or something like nooks and crannies,  Novak is the three-point sharp shooter, who had been noticed by the bulk of Knicks fans during the emergence of Jeremy Lin, and has now gained the attention of  mainstream media too.  After another amazing shooting display, this one against the stunned Cavaliers, that ended in a Knick victory, articles have appeared about Novak's rise, how he was raised as a coach's son in Wisconsin, and even the search for an appropriate nickname for Novak.   However, the search is not a new one.  As long ago as 2009, current teammate Baron Davis was searching for a Novak nickname after a fiery shooting exhibition and victory when they were previously together on the Clippers. BIIINGO came to his mind then. The name which seems to be catching on in the media today is "Supernova."  Previously, fans had settled on Novakaine or Novacaine.  

Novakaine is of course a reference to the drug novacaine which is used to dull the senses to pain.  In this instance the pun can take on at least two meanings.  Not only is Novakaine a reference to how Novak's three point surges dull the senses of the opponent, but it also denotes the pain that he brings the opposition.  This nickname lends itself to various pun formulations as in "Novakaine brings the pain again"  or "Cavs Shot Up With Novakaine." Novacaine even has at least one song, "Give Me Novacaine" by Green Day.

Supernova is perhaps a name of greater stature as it elevates Novak to star status so to speak. It also refers to his pyrotechnics, a fiery spontaneous explosiveness like the combustion of sunspots.  In some ways, it puts him on par with other Supers (not a reference to someone who works for Sheldon Williams, the Landlord), like Superman Shaq and Superman Dwight Howard. (Shaq hasn't gotten over his retirement and is super-pissed that Dwight borrowed the same character name he used before he wore Celtic-kryptonite signifying his downfall. Talk about insanity).   With this moniker, headlines may read "Supernova Burns Heat" or "Supernova Lights Up the Garden."  For this punny nickname, there is a song called Champagne Supernova (slightly reminiscent of "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" with an alleged drug reference compared to this song's clear celebration of artificially induced highs) but the Garden marketers would probably prefer a less controversial song like Earth Wind and Fire's Shining Star.  (We could change the lyrics, ala Landry Fields with "Billionaire, " to "Shining Star We Know Who You Are, Shining Bright To See, How You Raining Threes.")

There have been other suggestions like "The Dentist" raised recently by a listener on the B&C morning show.  Why? "The Dentist" refers to Novak's habit of drilling 3's.  (I suppose he could also be "The Plumber" because he drains threes too. Or maybe we can him "Draino" or "Drainova") Then there is Stevesanity which is an overstretched outgrowth of Lin-sanity and can lead to all kinds of slippery slope craziness such as JORT-sanity or Shump-sanity (I bet Bubba from the movie "Gump" could come up with a bunch of "Shump" names) or even Dolan-sanity (which some fans would claim is more of an oxymoron than a pun).   So I'm thinking what about ReNovator, a reference to Novak's contribution in renovating the Garden spirit in the spirit of recent renovations at the Garden.   Or InNovator, as in Novak's shots go in?   Or maybe, LiNovator as in the power of the dynamic duo to create something new and fresh in the Garden -- persistent excitement. Hmmmm. Naa, maybe not.  

In any event, there must be a good Knickname out there.  Which nickname do you prefer or can you come up with a better one?  If you have a better one, leave your new nickname in the comment section with a short explanation.



 

Recently Barron Davis told Steve Serby of the NY Post that the next Banner raised in the garden would be the 2011-12 New York Knicks! It also has been reported that BD, JR Smith, Shumpert, Jeffries and Novak have been THUMPPING the starters of the Knicks daily in the past week pracitices! Against the Cav's the Davis -led second team took and expanded the lead for New York in the late third quater.

Steve Novak buried three-ball after three-ball as Davis ponit guard skills were flourishing, allowing the Knicks to turn a 17-point deficit into a 13-point lead before Davis left the court with five minutes to go in the game. His final stat line was four points, eight assists, two rebounds and a steal in 15 minutes of play. On top of that, he led a second team that absolutely dominated defensively. Again, that is exactly what the Knicks need. 

While the Post, Daily News and other tabloids will try to disrupt what Barron Davis brings to the team, note that the next time we play the Heat , Barron will be on a mission to send the Heat a message! We are not the knicks of the past 10 years. We are deep enough to roll through you and everyone in our way!