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Spring Break Training PART I |
Spring Break Training PART II |
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SABRES, PENS, SHOTGUNS & METS |
BILL BUCKNER WAS INNOCENT |
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TheMatts
Posts:1581
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| 05-13-2008 - SelecA - |
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PHOENIX, AZ – West Coast Offense. Run and Gun. Loose Cannon. Loyola Marymount. Fast and Furious. Anyone familiar with the game of basketball recognizes that terminology. They are words used to describe the fast paced ball indicative of teams Mike D’Antoni has coached from Milan in the Italian League until this season with the Phoenix Suns. As many of our readers know, we advocated for Mark Jackson to be the next head coach for the New York Knickerbockers for reasons we don’t need to re-hash. Let us say now that we wish all the best to Coach D’Antoni but we have serious doubts and reservations. The Knick foundation has always been built on defense from the championship teams of Red Holtzman, through the Pat Riley teams and right up to Jeff Van Gundy’s tenure, the last two covering the Patrick Ewing era. D’Antoni’s style of play, on paper, does not seem to fit with the teams’ history or it’s current makeup of players. There were very few redeemable characteristics about the Prophet Isiah Thomas but he did preach defense, even if that defense was in a court of law. If D’Antoni were to take a new approach and embrace a little D, he might have to abandon the “shoot it in 7 seconds” fast break style. In D’Antoni’s mind, a high-octane scoring machine can outplay solid defense. Though he may prove us wrong, we do beg to differ. Even the West Coast, highflying Laker teams of the 1980’s played quality defense. In spite of the classic line from the movie Airplane spoken to Kareem Abdul HYPHEN Jabbar, “I think you're the greatest, but my dad says you don't work hard enough on defense. And he says that lots of times, you don't even run down court. And that you don't really try... except during the playoffs,” the Lakers played serious defense. Michael Cooper was a defensive specialist and Magic Johnson and Byron Scott were no slouches when it came to D and picking pockets. How do you explain how an excellent Phoenix Suns team never made it to the NBA Finals under D’Antoni? Simply. In three of the last four years, they faced and lost to the best defense in basketball, the San Antonio Spurs. What does Mister Mike have going for him?” Well, he is fluent in Italian and a dual Italian-American citizen. So D’Antoni will be an excellent companion at any of New York’s fine Italian restaurants. And since Stephon Marbury has expressed an interest in ending his playing career in Italy, he can recommend any number of fine Italian League franchises to him. This kind of value cannot be overlooked.
We’ll need to give D’Antoni two full years at the job before we can judge his performance as Knick Head Coach. He’ll need Donnie Walsh’s help in sanitizing the Garden in a complete house cleaning or he’s doomed from the start. If and when a new roster is in place, basketball may be fun again at the Garden. But D’Antoni has come at a steep price - $24 million guaranteed for 4 years. If he falters half way through the contract, the Knicks will have to eat the salary. Much the same as Willie Randolph on the Mets, Mark Jackson would have come at a cheaper price. He would have had the fans behind him because he’s a hometown hero and expectations would not have been as high as with D’Antoni. We wish you the best in this unenviable endeavor. We’ll be watching you with out third eye... Angry Ward tomorrow.
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Linda
Posts:96
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| 05-13-2008 - SelecA - |
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| Matts, ANYTHING is better then what that team had. There is no way he can do worse. |
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Oregon Pete
Posts:77
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| 05-13-2008 - SelecA - |
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| I am not the biggest NBA fan but you cant help watching out here. Since I moved, its either the Trail Blazers or Ducks. Thats why I love this site so much. Anyway, I see the Suns when they play the Blazers. The players seemed to like the guy and thats all that matters in that league because even the worst player makes more than what the Knicks gave him. |
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Sam's-a-fan
Posts:910
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| 05-13-2008 - SelecA - |
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| Matts, I can sum up in two words why the Suns didn't make the finals last year...Rober Horry. |
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ANGRYWARD
Posts:694
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| 05-13-2008 - SelecA - |
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| You asked for it Matts. You had to put an "Airplane" quote in there didn't you? Since I enjoyed our "Caddyshack" thread a couple of weeks back. I am calling on an all-out "Airplane" assault. I am serious... and don't call me Shirley. |
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Yankees Suck
Posts:427
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| 05-13-2008 - SelecA - |
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| The only thing worth a damn at MSG is Rangers Hockey. After the atrocious level of play this season, the Knicks should be reassigned to the WNBA. |
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ActiveForums 3.6
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MATTS-MATICS: NY Jets vs NY Rangers |
BRAVE Fan Talks REDSKINS
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ROY HOBBS ON STEROIDS??? |
MEAGHAN & JAKE: COOLEST FANS |
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Nobody Remembers The Loser |
Giant/Super Tuesday |
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MATTS-MATICS: Hockey Nuts Go At It |
See us on: "Law & Order" |
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MATT FACTS:
Chad Pennington is NOT a Brett Favre fan... Hillary Clinton and Don Nelson have never been seen in the same place... Jerry Manuel is not related to Charlie ManuelJerry Manuel is not related to Charlie Manuel... Somebody namd Michel coaches the Pittsburgh Penguins... Tiki Barber quit the Giants. The Giants then won the Super Bowl... The New England Patriots only lost ONE game out of 19!!! Aaron Heilman was actually funny in re to Eli and Plaxico Burress helping the Mets as a pitcher and outfielder, respectively. Repeat, Heilman was funny... Jessica Simpson would rather date Tom Brady - trust us... Eli Manning is better than Archie - now... Alyssa Milano is a Met fan. RRRRR... Rickey Henderson speaks in the 3rd Person... Shawn Green has big ears... Howard Johnson likes to stay at the Holiday Inn, ironically... Sandy Alomar, Sr. is the youngest of 9 kids. That's why he was quick around the dish. Jiminy Cricket was the Philly Phanatic in a previous life…Fred Wilpon is pals with Sandy Koufax... Mike Ditka is a really tough guy.. Buffalo has a Triple A baseball team. They are NOT called The Snowballs... Chan Ho Park has people thinking of naming a ballfield after him - it would be called Chan Ho Park Park... John Maine has never been, oddly enough, to Maine... Curt Gowdy, Jr. has never been to Yellow Knife, Canada... Kevin Mitchell played 6 positions for the Mets in '86 and, according to Doc Gooden's book, didn't like cats... John Olerud & Wayne Gretzky have never been seen in the same place... Kevin McReynolds now makes his living doing laugh tracks for sit-coms... Tony Gwynn is nearing 300 lbs... Carlos Beltran has Mercedes Benz dealerships named for him in Barcelona, Spain... Willie Montanez was called Guillermo by Lenny Randle... Rusty Staub beat Jeff Kent in a race – TODAY... Jay Horwitz is a dynamite Cricket players – somebody said... Jeff Wilpon was a decent minor league catcher... Ziggy Palfy lives in Slovakia and is a big Met fan... Superman Returns, yet still can’t hit Billy Wagner... David Wright will win the Triple Crown – on a horse... Omar Minaya is Tobey McGuire’s stunt-double in Spider Man 3... Hilary Clinton has Mr. Met pajamas – we think... Albert Einstein was a HUGE Met fan... The Metropolitan Opera House was named for the Mets after their 2nd season in ’63... Wally Backman, ’86 sparkplug, considered changing his name to Wally Back-Matt... Neil Allen and Mike Stanton, former Mets, have Allen & Stanton Streets on Lower East Side named for them.
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