Athletes don’t want to say it, but we know what it is. As if taking a cue from Bill Belichick, they use the “it’s just another game” mantra. The savvy sports fan know what it is though. Certain teams, athletes and fans just strike a nerve. That’s why I can appreciate the honesty from Deron Williams after dropping a season high 38 points on the New York Knicks last week.
His words: “I don’t really watch sports,” Williams said. “I don’t really watch too many games but I do see Twitter. People tweeting me and every three lines was Jeremy Lin destroyed Deron Williams. So I definitely took offense to that from the first game.”
That “first game” is the starting point to all the Lin-isms, controversy and national attention to a New York squad just hoping to stave off a post “Decision” Cleveland Cavaliers squad for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Jeremy Lin drove, dished and dazzled his way to 25 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds in front of a Madison Square Garden Squad in as much shock as the opposing team. And a certain All-Star point guard as well.
A couple weeks later at the scene of the first sign of “Lin-sanity”, Williams did his best to erase all evidence of February 4 in the minds of those with one foot off the Lin wagon. The Ivy League graduate was granted admission into the Reggie Miller off the ball movement academy. The silence in the basketball mecca was a sign of even the most faithful of fans putting things in perspective. Williams a bona fide point guard who can straight embarrass anyone you put in front of him on any given night vs. Lin, a very good ball player still learning to play the position on both sides of the floor at the NBA level.
Williams was already on edge evident by New Jersey’s standing in hoops limbo. A franchise clearly in rebuilding mode, with the blueprint hinging on March 15 (trade deadline). A big time Russian owner and Brookyln’s own MC a part of the movement to the regal Barclays Center is nice, but intrigue of Kris Humphries’ romantic excursions can only intrigue for so long right?
While Williams’ dizzying array of shooting was an individual statement no doubt, I sensed potential. Not the potential of Lin’s defensive maturation. Not the potential of a healthy Knicks squad clicking come playoff time. I thought about the possibilities of a New York basketball rivalry.
Manhattan vs. Brooklyn. Spike Lee vs. Jay-Z. Storied history vs. well, do the two trips to the Finals during the Jason Kid era count for anything? You get the picture. The Knicks have experienced battles with time-old rivals in the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers to go along with Jeff Van Gundy’s leg embracing days against the Miami Heat in the 1990s. This could
A simple move to Brooklyn doesn’t make it a legit rivalry. The Nets yearly race for the most ping pong balls in Secaucus (home base of the lottery) would continue, thus making them a continued afterthought in the eyes of the Knicks franchise. The Nets threw out some fighting antics with a billboard of owner Mikhail Prokhorov and part owner Jay-Z. At the top was the statement, “The blueprint for greatness”. Oh yeah, the sign was on Eighth Avenue, a skip and hop away from the Garden.
This move was a step in the right direction. Don’t get it confused though, landing Dwight Howard on March 15 will not only change the fortunes of New Jersey/Brooklyn, but would no doubt create one of the more anticipated basketball rivalries in recent memory.
Having a top five point guard puts you in the race. Adding the game’s top big man elevates you to contender. If the Nets somehow can manage to offer a package (and maybe include a third team) of Brook Lopez and draft picks and retain key young and improving pieces in Anthony Morrow and rookie MarShon Brooks, a legit foundation would be laid.
So for the next couple weeks, after watching Williams and Howard interact during All-Star weekend, we will speculate of the forgone Williams/Howard duo in Brooklyn, Dallas or L.A. All the talks of Howard’s “list” means nothing of course until a deal is finalized. But you can’t help but imagine the possibilities.
It’s said when certain cities like New York, Boston, Philadelphia and L.A. do well, the NBA flourishes. The financial gain with two competitive teams in The Big Apple would make chump change out of Lin’s few weeks of impact. You think New Orleans Hornets general manager, I mean commissioner David Stern can work something out?
Leave a Reply