“I’ve had my Phil.”
“Orange N Blue Flock Gotta Show Up In ATL Tonight. Turn Phillips Into Madison Square Garden South.” Remember back when Atlanta native and Morehouse Man Spike Lee used to care, really care, about his New York Knicks, like he did with this 2013 tweet?
He Had Ta Have It: a Knicks team that strode into the Highlight Factory looking for ten wins in a row, rolling toward the playoffs with Mike Woodson coaching and minty-fresh superstar Carmelo Anthony running the show.
Roll the calendar ahead nearly four years, and you can’t get Spike to give a tweet, much less find a seat. The closest we’ve seen to Spike recently is a dude in Houston dressed as his look-alike, when the Knicks visited the Rockets a few weeks ago. Down 29 last month against the Cavs, Spike pulled a Lethal, and bailed before the game’s end. He’s a busy man these days, I’m sure.
It’s not likely he’ll be hyping up his Knicks as they waltz into Philips Arena this afternoon, outwardly hoping for the Atlanta Hawks (3:00 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast, 92.9 FM in ATL, MSG Network in NYC) give his favorite team the same breaks Atlanta endowed upon the Wizards on Friday night, the Clippers earlier in the week, and the Bulls last weekend in the fourth quarter.
Maybe the Hawks will lay down and allow Melo to pump up his trade value. Or, maybe the Hawks will bother to show up, and stop New York (21-27, 2.0 games behind the 8-seed) from winning two in a row for the first time since December 22. Either way, Knicks fans, go ahead and fill up Philips, and do those insipid chants you do… or not. Either way, Spike no longer seems to care.
Truth be told, Melo isn’t all that thrilled himself these days. Anthony was booed mercilessly on Wednesday as he struggled through an 8-for-26 shooting night, by a Madison Square Garden crowd that didn’t seem to know how to react when he plopped a nine-foot shot that sealed the 110-107 victory for the hometown Knicks against Charlotte. Carmelo’s reaction toward the fans at the final horn was equally bewildering.
The numbness is all part of the subterfuge crafted by Phil Jackson and the Knicks’ management, to poison-pill Anthony’s tenure in hopes he’ll begrudgingly accept a trade-clause waiver. For Jackson, this appears to be the last arrow in his quiver; he knows must ride-or-die with Kristaps Porzingis going forward if he is to salvage his tenure as a Knicks executive. Thus, just about every team is getting a phone call from the Zen Master. He’d trade Anthony crosstown to the Harlem Globetrotters, without taking back Meadowlark Lemon or Curly Neal, if he could get away with it.
Porzingis continues to produce (last 10 games: 14.5 PPG, 44.8 FG%) as he has worked through Achilles issues. Yet he looks lost as far as understanding his role on either end of the floor. And Jackson realizes he cannot build a team around the Unicorn until Anthony is lofting 20-30 shots per game for somebody, anybody, else.
Who else might not be feeling their team right now? How about the entire Hawks’ graphics department? Some poor souls spend endless hours on pixels and 3-D rotating characters for players who shot a collective 36.1 FG% at home on a Friday night, including All-Star Paul Millsap’s 1-for-7 atrocity as Atlanta flopped 112-86. Reverting to MS Paint intros would be perfectly understandable at this point.
After making social media headlines on Wednesday night, the Hawks (27-20) forgot to bring The D to the proceedings. Dwight Howard and Millsap allowing counterparts Markieff Morris and Marcin Gortat (11 combined offensive rebounds) to feast on the glass. No one bothered to read the scouting report on Otto Porter, Jr. (5-for-7 3FGs), either.
Uncontested shots were available all over the floor for the Wizards (41.9 team 3FG%, 18-10 on fast break points, 40-30 on paint points), who extended Atlanta’s miserable run to ten first-quarter deficits/ties in their last 11 home games, the Hawks spotting Washington 37-25 in the opening frame and losing every quarter thereafter.
The Wizards’ tape will be encouraging for Knickstape producer Jeff Hornacek, who has given up on The Ron Baker Experiment and returned Courtney Lee (16 points and 3 steals vs. CHA on Wednesday) to his place in New York’s starting lineup. Lee’s backcourt mate, Derrick Rose, hopes to exact a measure of revenge after coming up short late in Atlanta’s 108-107 escape from the Garden two weeks ago.
Porzingis (8-for-11 FGs vs. CHA) did not play in that January 16 game, and hopes Atlanta will be as gracious as the Hornets in helping him shake off the rust. Tricking Millsap and Howard into a halfcourt tempo would allow Melo and KP to pick their offensive spots while not having to pay for loafing on the other end.
Unleash the rookies! Be it either DeAndre’ Bembry or Taurean Prince, Atlanta needs to find some fresh legs to relieve Thabo Sefolosha (out with a groin strain), who presently seems too worn down to defend at the level he is capable of acheiving.
Whoever the swingmen are, Coach Mike Budenholzer has to find a starting unit (alongside Howard, Millsap, and Dennis Schröder), and an early bench rotation, that is active with deflections, winning loose balls, and committing to perimeter closeouts. This afternoon, there is no excuse for summoning the ghost of Spike Lee.
Let’s Go Hawks!
~lw3
