BRONX, NY – It’s 5 pm EST on Tuesday and we’re just a few hours from tipoff of Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Knicks and Cavs at Madison Square Garden. (SPOILER ALERT: Knicks won in dramatic fashion). It’s also 95° here in NYC or, as I like to call it, Do the Right Thing weather. (More on that film’s director in a moment.) Anyway, with the heat figuratively and literally on in the Big Apple, I think I’m gonna stick with talking about the Knicks and a little bit about New York’s two baseball teams.
I’m a little bit torn about this Knicks team. On one hand they are an incredibly likable bunch, particularly best buds Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart. The great play they generate on the court is only outdone by the comedy they generate off it. In this day and age, it’s refreshing to see two guys prove that you don’t have to be mechanical, sports-platitude-spewing zombies to be at the top of your game. Sports, across the board, needs more “characters,” and these guys are in some way hearkening back to the 1970s. And you can see it rub off on their teammates. That’s pretty great. Kudos!
Now that I’ve said how much I like the Knicks as a team, I’ve made it fairly clear that I do NOT like their owner, James Dolan. Not at all, actually. How can anyone possibly root for him to win anything? Along those lines, I’m growing more and more tired of the so-called “Knicks Celebrity Row.” I’m cool with Ben Stiller and Tracy Morgan, but the idea of Spike Lee, Timothée Chalamet, and (especially) Stephen A. Smith partaking in any sort of Knicks celebration, kinda makes me sick. I’m willing to concede that Do the Right Thing was a masterpiece and that Chalamet is a fine actor, but you will not get me to say anything good about Mr. Smith.
All of this said, and I’ve said this before, I think this is the best chance the Knicks have had to make a finals and actually win a championship in forever. They should handle Cleveland. I’m not saying it will be easy, but they should win this series. And, while this is happening, San Antonio and OKC will be going toe-to-toe like Ali and Frazier for at least 6 games. Whoever wins that series will emerge exhausted. So, there you have it Knicks fans, this is your big chance.
As for the Mets and Yankees, I will start with the Yankees. They will get Gerrit Cole back this week. You remember him, right? The guy who was on that cheating Astros team and welcomed to the Bronx with open arms? The same. The Yankees have been uneven, but they should be fine… except the Rays look ridiculously good right now. 162 games… a lot changes.
As for the Mets, they have been on a decent run lately BUT… believe in this team at your peril. I don’t trust a starting rotation whose supposed ace can only go 5 innings and walks 6. The pen is a mixed bag of tricks too. And I’m still big-time anti-David Stearns.
So, if all goes as planned today, I should be banned from MSG and Citi Field by the end of the day. Hurrah! Come back tomorrow for a chest-thumping Knicks guy, Buddy Diaz.
