Jeremy Lin has been getting all the calls since his phenomenal run of Linsanity started but, last night, he got a taste of what life in the NBA might hold after Linsanity.
Jason Kidd smashed a forearm across the New York Knicks sensation in what looked like a flagrant foul to everyone by the Dallas Mavericks point guard as Lin rose for a lay-up. That is everyone except the officials.
Lin's knockdown wasn't the worst part of last night's 95-85 loss to the Mavericks. It was how the defending champions have figured out the point guard's game since getting beat by the Knicks two weeks ago and how the officials looked the other way when Lin got battered by a veteran player.
Expect other teams and officials to follow the lead.
"They trapped him more," said Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni about the Mav's strategy. "He did OK."
Lin had a good game (14 points, 7 assists and only 2 turnovers) but it was only half of the output in their first meeting (28 points, 14 assists).
There are many more questions surrounding Kidd's "hard-nosed" play. Where were the rest of the Knicks while Lin was crumbled on the floor?
Did they have his back or were they just showing respect to Kidd— one of the toughest and most respected players in the NBA?
It was the Knicks fifth loss in the last eight games and the end of Linsanity is looming.
It looks like there won't be any more free passes for the Knicks best passer. They better do something before he ends up in a s-LIN-g.
Dantoni ought to be fired immediately for not sticking with the team that won so many games while Amare and Mello were out. It's basic common sense he appears to lack. Maybe Amare can be worked into the "new Knicks" but playing Carmello is like having a team with only four players, while other teams have five. I understand the respect everyone has for Mello, but he just doesn't help the curent Knicks. This is supposed to be about winning isn't it? Or am I missing something here?
ReplyDeleteNo Anonymous; you are absolutely right! The Knicks have all the ingredients to be contenders and make it to the finals: Conference or The Finals. But D'antoni is not the coach to bring them there. Every team he has coached has been at the bottom 5 of the defense catagory,and he has never won a championship.
DeleteI hoped the Knicks would not lose the momentum they had with Lin-sanity and played like a team when Amare & Anthony were out. But, it was just as I feared. Carmelo started playing that one-on-five game again, and the team stopped playing team basketball when they (Carmelo & Amare) came back; and D'antoni doesn't even see it.
For the Knicks to win the title,which they haven't won in 29 years, D'antoni has to go!