Many times as a sportswriter -- or maybe just a Knicks writer this season -- you find yourself writing some of the most absurd material you can ever imagine for a basketball game story. The winner came Tuesday night in Chicago, when the Big Mac became the main course in a broiling controversy (sorry, that was lame) between the Bulls and Knicks.
You can't argue the fact that Chicago was breaking an unwritten NBA rule in the final minute of the 98-69 win. Proper etiquette in the final minute of a blowout is to kill the clock and, under any circumstances, do not shoot the ball.
But the 22,000 fans at United Center were begging for two more points. Two lousy points. My luxury suite for a free Big Mac! Apparently these people have never seen the documentary, Super Size Me.
Somewhere Ralph Nader is penning a letter of protest to the Chicago Bulls organization, for promoting fast food on its young fans. LeBron James, you're CC'd.
A free Big Mac is so hard to resist.
"Big Macs are tasty," Jerome James said in his honorable attempt to break the tension. "You ever have one of them things hot?"
Well, I certainly never was desperate enough to eat one cold.
The Bulls may have been innocently trying to give the home crowd a little extra something to go home with (hey, they had to sit through a 30-point blowout that had zero entertainment value), but they aren't totally innocent. If you just needed two points, why are you jacking up threes? And why was rookie Tyrus Thomas going for an alley-oop?
Why were the Bulls playing pressure defense in the third quarter up by 30?
Yes, the whole situation was absurd, but I like that the Knicks don't allow themselves to be punked. I would just rather see that kind of fire before the game instead of after it. Sure, it was the fourth game in five nights, but it was hard not to notice the pregame warmup (which is one of my favorite things because you can watch how guys prepare, what they work on, etc.), the Bulls had half of their team on the floor and most of the Knicks remained in the locker room.
* * *
Speaking of pregame, Isiah Thomas was bombarded with the typical questions that revisited the Eddy Curry trade. Considering Curry's arrival season and the fact he played for the Bulls and is from Illinois, that is a relevant topic. The pregame portion of media availability is for these types of questions. But during the postgame scrum, while Thomas was taking the high road about the Bulls' Big Mac quest, he then was blindsided with a question about his team's effort.
"Do you see any difference in effort by the way the team's playing since you did get your extension? Do you think they were maybe trying to save your job before? Notice any changes since that time?"
Thomas uttered a "No" and I tried to intercept with a quick question about the playoff race. Didn't exactly lighten the mood, but I just blurted it out. Isiah answered me, but you could tell he was working on his reply to this reporter, who probably should have first known that the Knicks record may be awful since Jim Dolan gave Isiah his extension (3-12), the Knicks are rarely blown out. In fact, most of their games go right down to the wire.
Thomas finished answering my question and then turned to the previous questioner.
"By the way, I'm pretty secure in who I am," he said. "And I've done all right in my life. So I don't need people to save me. But thank you."
Comments (20)
You say that the Bulls shouldn't have shot 3's in the final minutes, but then you rip them again for going for an alley-oop. I'm sorry, but isn't an A-O worth 2 points. Get your story straight, and enjoy our 26th pick in the first round. Your #9 pick is looking awfully sweet right now.
How is asking Isiah about the Knicks nosedive since he got an extension "blindsiding Isiah"
Also, Why is it up to you to "lighten the mood" and keep Isiah from having to answer difficult questions?
I don't know why people give this guy, Isiah Thomas so many kudos. The team is only 9 games better than last year with many rookies they were bound to be better regardless of the coach. It's really a shame to see the Knicks turn into whining babies every time they lose in their coaches image. Remember when he wouldn't shake Jordan's and the Bull playres hands after they finaly beat his Pistons. If it walks, talks and acts like a punk...it is in fact a punk!!
Isiah is a bad coach. Every time his team loses his excuses are as follows: "better team beat us", "we didn't have enough energy, "our guys are young" and other excuses. When his team wins, the articles the next day always have many Isiah quotes (odd) including, "we are a pretty good team" or
"we are just starting to kick in our defense".
Fact of the matter is that this team is not much better than last year. Some of his biggest wins are the result of free throw disparity including shooting over 50 (to the Pistons 6) in a win over the East's best team. Or shooting 20 FT's to none in a LOSS to the Sonics. (how did that happen...the NBA...fixed as it is...was desperately trying to get the Knicks in the playoff but master Isiah would have none of it with his bad coaching) Or a win against the Lakers without Kobe.
Eddy Curry is supposed to be the savior and plays no defense, does not rebound (Jason Kidd has a higher rebound per game average) so 1/3 of his game is well below par and he wanted to make the All star team.
As a GM, Isiah is even worse. (see Jared Jeffries, Jalen Rose, Jerome James etc) This team will continue to lose and when they do, Isiah will whine as he did as a player, (refusing to shake hands as he grinned and bowed his head right past the Bulls bench when the got swept in the playoffs) about other players running up the score, ("dont' go the the hole or else)or that he just has injuries. After having not one "marquee" player that usually gets alot of referee help, the Knicks are at the top of the league in FT attempts. They just cant make them. Too make matters worse, he even complained about not getting enough respect from refs in a recent loss.
Thanks for the lottery picks Isiah and hope you have fun for years to come watching us become the East's top team. On TV. My only regret is that I was not Karl Malone on the night he split your forehead open. In the words of Chevy Chase....your not um.....good....you stink!!
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In those games that the Knicks lost down the wire, how was their effort in the first halves?
Do you think that had anything to do with them losing?
If so, then why isn't it fair to question their effort, in some really bad losses to bad teams, that could have made the difference in making the playoffs or not?
You asking why the Bulls are playing pressure defense up 30 in the 3rd is like asking a professional basketball team to quit playing hard after halftime. No matter the score the Bulls always play hard for 48 mins. Is it the Bulls fault the Knicks don't like to play ball for the full 48, play defense in the 3rd by being 5ft away from the guy they're defending and give up when times get tough? Just because the Bulls reserves play w/ the effort the NY's starters should be playing with is nobodys fault but their own. If NY played any defense then they wouldn't be in that situation to begin with.
Anybody want to mention the fact that 4 of the Knicks 5 best players were out? What would have happened if the Bulls had to play w/out Kirk, Deng, Gordon, & Wallace?!?!? No mention about that however...bottom line, yes the Knicks "suck" but they don't suck 30 point blowout bad. BTW, been to Chicago, you folks should be getting salads at 100 points not Big Macs.
It's absolutely fitting that the Knick's blogger is an apologist for the team's failure, just like everyone in the Knicks organization. Plus, "saving" Isaiah from some legitimate journalist's legitimate question is always a super-classy move.
Also, people who adhere to unwritten rules should really write them down, so the rest of us don't just ignore them in playing hard or otherwise. Just look at how poor Denver, and now Chicago, were duped into closing out the game when they should have gone soft like the Knicks.
As it is, I saw Eddy Curry sitting on the bench clutching one of those free Big Mac coupons, eagerly hoping the Bulls would reach 100. Better tell Little Man Nate and Shooter McFrancis to cool it the next time they whine about getting their asses handed to them in Chicago, or Fat Eddy will eat them.
To DFoldena- I wish he'd eat you,you piece of garbage!
Any promotion that encourages the Home team to run up the score on the Visitors is a mistake and is just going to provoke a negative response. The Bulls should be above that. Things like this make it hard to argue when Chicago is referred to as the 'Second city' to New York. Pressing in the 3rd quarter while up by 30 would be considered Bush league in High School Ball. Skyles should be ashamed. MJ would not have condoned it
I didn't realize that the New York Knicks are a HIGH SCHOOL team - because that's the ONLY place where scoring 98 points can be considered 'running up the score'!
The Bulls average 98 points per game. The Knicks average 98 points per game. The Bulls had bench players and rookies in the game at the end. Yet the Bulls were running up the score? Total hogwash.
If the Knicks don't want the other team to 'run up the score', maybe they should score more than 70 points!!
Would any Pat Riley-coached Knicks team apologize for a 98-69 victory over a rival where they gave full effort over 48 minutes? Did the Bulls ever whine and complain like this when they were getting their butts kicked by 40 points at times after MJ retired?
The Knicks have turned into the laughingstock of the NBA, with Isiah Thomas, Nate Robinson, and Steve THE FRANCHISE Francis being the primary CLOWNS.
And to complain about the lack of talent on the floor for the Knicks is only to indict their great GM Isiah Thomas even further!
"Proper etiquette in the final minute of a blowout" - huh? So the Bulls played 47 minutes of good basketball, and ran up the score for ONE MINUTE? What's the Knick's excuse for the other 47 minutes??
The Knicks are disrespecting their fans, the NBA, and the history of the Knick franchise by complaining about a bunch of bench players and rookies running up the score while putting up their season average. The Knicks are disrespecting their fans by fielding a high school basketball team and trying to pass them off as NBA professionals.
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