Too Legit to Quit

The NY Knicks are back to being an elite team in the NBA again. I became a believer after their second beatdown of the Miami Heat. Last night's buzzer beater was just another example. This is the first year since Patrick Ewing that the Knicks have a legitimate shot to bring a trophy back to the Mecca for the first time since 1973. And for the first time in over a decade, I'm excited for playoff basketball. And it's still just December!

Since the Jets season is over (it was over before it started), and the Giants season is most likely over (false hope believing they'll win, AND the Redskins beat the Cowboys, AND the Packers beat the Vikings, AND the Lions beat the Bears), it's nice to have a sports team bring excitement through the winter months till baseball season starts, especially considering the NHL doesn't exist.

The Knicks aren't just good either. They're one of the most exciting teams to watch. Whether it's Jason Kidd or Raymond Felton lobbing passes to Tyson Chandler to throw down. Whether it's Kidd, or JR Smith or Steve Novak or Rasheed Wallace or Chris Copeland or seemingly anyone on the team draining threes. Whether it's Carmelo Anthony, a top scorer in the NBA, taking over and finding his groove. When the Knicks are on TV, it's hard to look away (unless they're playing the Rockets).

On top of their excellent play, the Knicks are also cementing a pretty solid foundation for a real rivalry with the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets, like the Mets and Jets, were never respected by their local counterparts. It made sense for the Yankees/Mets and Giants/Jets. The Mets are good once every 2 decades and the Jets are the model of dysfunction, while the Yankees and Giants are model franchises in their leagues and consistently build long term sustained success. The Knicks on the other hand, are not really that much better historically than the Nets. The Knicks haven't won since 1973 and have been to as many NBA Finals as the Nets since then.

A third of the games have been played and the Knicks are in position to make a deep run through the postseason, barring a disaster. With Amar'e Stoudemire set to return shortly and Iman Shumpert returning later this season, the Knicks will only get better. Mike Woodson has proven to adapt his coaching to the team he's given, unlike Mike D'Antoni, who can only coach well if Steve Nash is on his team. Amar'e's return will only strengthen this team's depth chart and hopefully bring not one, not two...but forty more wins!