SPANISH HARLEM – No, it’s not a typo, we are still in 2020… don’t worry I’m not drunk, just hungover. And yes, I still love Carmelo Anthony and I’m happy to see him back in the NBA, where he belongs. A bunch of players had to leave the Knicks to be fully appreciated and last night the fans were on point. We showed how important he was to the franchise, because he certainly deserved it.
Say what you want about Carmelo but what you can’t say is that he didn’t want the challenge. 
He wanted to win and he wanted to win in New York. He was a great player here and yet we look back on the decade as Knicks fans with sorrow. I remember the days when Melo was one of the best players in the NBA and the expectations were high… maybe too high. We wanted more and put that on him. He tried his best but never fulfilled what we all wanted… that chip.
On another note, let’s give Mike Miller a lot of credit. No offense to David Fizdale, but this team looks totally different than the team we saw earlier in the season. The offense looks the same and the defense is better but you can see a different energy. It was stated last night during the game that a players-only meeting the day of Fizdale firing helped bring group together. I think there is more to it. I didn’t hate Fizdale but maybe another voice was needed and Miller has shown that he is not overwhelmed in the moment.
This reminds me a lot like when the Knicks had Jeff Van Gundy. He wasn’t the big name coach but he knew a lot about the game and it showed in the x’s and o’s. The Knicks are better and yes, I had a couple beers. But this feels eerily similar. We will know about this team in the new year and I like what I see so far… Bring on 2020! I’m ready.
And with that…Happy New Year to all of my friends and family on MeetTheMatts.com. Comment below and come back tomorrow for Replacement Matt.
You can also find us on Twitter @BuddyDiaz19, @MeetTheMatts & @Matt_McCarthy00, Instagram @MeetTheMatts and like our Facebook pages, Meet The Matts.
