Let’s get one thing straight right now.
No matter what happens in the upcoming NBA playoffs, the New York Knicks are playing with house money.
Yes, I know that some fans have been sippin’ the Kool-Aid — and many more have chugged to their hearts’ content — but the truth is that sweep or be swept, the franchise has taken a quantum leap forward in 2010-2011.
With that in mind, the question remains: Who are the Knicks better equipped to pull off a first-round upset against, the Heatles of Miami or the Leprechauns of Boston?
It’s pretty obvious that the Knicks are going to have their hands full with either Miami or Boston, but count me as part of the minority that thinks they have a better chance against the Celtics than they do versus the Heat.
Since the Kendrick Perkins trade in late February, Boston has been languishing in an effort to find themselves. They’re undersized, unhealthy and underwhelming.
And in my humble opinion, they’re much more ripe to be picked off than Miami is.
Obviously the Knicks are less battle-tested and less talented than Boston and its “core-four,” but the Celtics are one of the few teams that can’t really exploit the Knicks’ lack of size — assuming The O’Neals remain their brittle and unreliable selves.
If I’m Mike D’Antoni, I’d much rather sick Sheldon Williams and Ronny Turiaf on Kevin Garnett, utilize Bill Walker and Shawne Williams in an attempt to suffocate Paul Pierce, and let Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen try try to match the offensive output of Amar’e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony, than deal with Miami’s dynamic duo.
A duo, I might add, that the Knicks have zero answers for on the defense end.
The Heat doesn’t bring size and/or toughness to the table either, but the prospect of stopping Dwyane Wade and LeBron James — all-world players who also happen to play Jordan-like defense when they feel like it — seems more unrealistic than making the older Celtics chase the Knicks around.
Besides, Chris “Jar Jar” Bosh is bound to display some pride eventually, and all he’s done in his career against the Knicks is go for 21 points and 9 rebounds per game.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments section or shoot me a tweet @LoHudKnicks.
4 Comments
So nice to have a LoHud blog back! I used to follow Mike Dougherty all the time. Even wrote a guest blog a number of years back.
Anyway, consider me convinced that I’d prefer Boston. I was all about facing the Heat, but you make too many good points.
The Chris “Jar Jar” Bosh picture, is that is Dad?
Brilliant picture! Anyways, I don’t really care whether they face the Moheatos or the C’s. The C’s are in disarray (as much as a team perched at the number two seed in the Eastern Conference can be) and are vulnerable. The Heat are a joke, I’ve never considered them a legitimate threat. I guess they match up better with the Heat but the C’s are weaker at this current moment, especially after that shelacking the Bulls gave them.
a0 This is the 3rd 11 we spotted him in- broefe, he was ina0Air Jordan 11 Silver Anniversarya0anda0Air Jordan 11 Concord. a0a0Keep doing your thing homie with your fresh Mikes, and leave your And 1 days in the rear view.