Week 1 (2-1): With great power comes great responsibility

Happy Monday Knick fans. So, who is thrilled that the NBA season is back? After one week I am reminded just how much I love this game and team. We talked about the off-season for what felt like a couple of years. Now we get to breakdown and discuss actual hoops. The Bockers started the season with two victories at home, against teams they simply couldn’t beat during the regular season last year. Now granted the Cavs and Celtics are not at full strength, but it’s still always nice to protect the Mecca  (I promise you this will not be first time I mention this) I am a big believer in MSG turning into a real advantage for the team again. The one thing that stood out this week was Brown’s flexibility. In two of the three games the Knicks started Ariel Hukporti at Center alongside KAT playing the four. The one game they did not against Boston was because of matchups. It's refreshing to know that nothing is set in stone, and we can adjust based on what the other team is going to offer. The Celtics are going small, so we countered with Deuce. Speaking of our spark plug, I hope everything is ok with McBride. He missed the game in Miami last night due to personal reasons. His absence was felt as the bench truly struggled without him. We hope that he is back with the team ASAP. Another point of emphasis was shooting the three ball. Knicks super-fan Benjy Kleiner had a great tweet this morning that highlights that mentality. Through three games (small sample size) the Knicks have attempted 46.3 3-pt FG a game. In comparison to 34.1 last season. That includes the most they have ever taken in franchise history last night in Miami with 54. Listen I’m all for putting them up. However, I personally felt they settled a bit and I give credit to the perimeter defense of the Heat. That and the South Beach nightlife. The shot selection and offensive continuity is always something to monitor. Once this team gets more comfortable and gets their feet wet, we will be watching an offensive juggernaut. I have little doubt about that. I want to also make sure I point out that in the load management era Kat battled through the quad injury this week. He wanted to be out there with his teammates and was on record talking about what the fans meant to him. I know millionaire basketball players don’t need a pat on the back for doing their job, but its nice to know how much this means to him. You can tell he’s not 100 percent, but he played solid basketball. The team goes nowhere without a healthy Karl. The reality is no one goes 82-0. The expectations are through the roof (as they should be) and the honeymoon phase of this team is in the past. We are emotional and starving for a championship. Part of me used to get frustrated when fans were getting a bit too worked up about a loss in October. But I’ve come to realize it will never change. This is New York. Every corner of the city has a basketball hoop. We care. We criticize. We are back to watching our team and rooting hard the next night. 3 down 79 to go. Make sure you take a step back from time to time to enjoy it. LFGK