(AP Photo/Donna McWilliam)

We've seen this one before. The Knicks looked spirited on both ends once more, this time against a superior Dallas Mavericks team. Late-game blunders, though, sealed the Knicks fate in a scenario that's become painfully familiar this season. Some notes:

- New York actually came out great, jumping to an 11-point lead in the first quarter. A couple things contributed to the lead. First, they gave (J)ason Kidd the Rondo treatment, matching him with Jared Jeffries and doubling off of him at will. Initially, Kidd responded the same way Rondo did- by taking and bricking open threes. On the other end, Chris Duhon got off to a preposterously hot start, hitting from every range in what would eventually be a 9-9, 22-point first half performance.

- With about 2:30 left in the quarter, however, Eddy Curry was inserted for the first time this season. It's not that Curry was all that bad. He hit a layup, grabbed a few rebounds, and did his best chugging up and down the court. It's more that, even with an 11-point lead, it was the wrong time to let the big guy spin. The Mavs were playing a lineup featuring 6'8'' James Singleton at center. This rare situation in which the Knicks were overqualified in the size department allowed the Mavs to push the ball and promptly erase the double-digit cushion. That would be all we saw of Curry.

- Wilson Chandler must have the most temperamental jump shot I've ever seen. One jumper swishes smoothly through the net, while the next caroms off the top of the backboard. Every outside pull is an adventure. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised to see Wil follow a make with a brick off the Jumbotron, a fan's head, or the Empire State Building. His shot charts should include both where he released and where the ball landed. Anyway, cruelty aside, Chandler had himself a nice game with 20 points on 8-16 shooting. So much for the SCOWL! factor, though. Turns out the Knicks do lose when Wil's got the offense going.

- I watched Eastern Promises last night, which only exacerbated my unwarranted fear of Phil Weber. For those of you who have seen the movie, if I ever find myself alone with a naked Phil Weber in a public bath, I will be out the door SO fast.

- With 13 and 15 tonight David Lee recorded his 24th double-double this season, surpassing last season's mark of 23.

- Kelly Tripucka (in a loss, cough cough) channeled Clyde by referring to a Chandler-Barea mismatch as Wil having a "mouse in the house".

- Nate Robinson has hit 3 of his last 30 threes. He's taking open shots, too. They're just not falling. And let me tell you, Nate's slump is killing us on offense. It doesn't like he'll be able to shoot himself out of this one, so he's gotta make an effort to attack the basket and step up his point guard game. New York simply can't execute down the stretch with one of their main late-game weapons struggling so badly. Something tells me Nate's got a 30 point, 6-6 three-pointer performance coming soon, though.

- Down the stretch that's all it was. The Knicks simply couldn't execute, even on good shots. On the other end, the Mavs (including Jason Kidd, who gets the J back for this one) hit shots when it mattered, grabbed offensive bounds, and got away with repeatedly hacking David Lee to pieces.

- Let me mention again the tremendous first half that Chris Duhon had. 22 points on 9-9 is spectacular, and he did it by viciously attacking whoever the Mavs threw at him. Why he reverted to casual point guard play in the second half, I can't explain. I would've loved that aggression down the stretch.

- If I ever committed a heinous crime and was to be punished in the Clockwork Orange video-torture contraption, Jason Terry's "jet" celebration would probably be the one clip that I found most excruciating.

- Jared Jeffries played exactly the game you want from him. 0-0 for 0 points, a handful of rebounds, and plenty of little defensive plays and tips to keep things going. I don't mind JJ at all as a glue guy. It's when he's a key part of the offense that I start pulling out eyebrow hairs.

- Speaking of Jeffries, if tonight had a silver lining, it was pretty solid defense on Dirk Nowitzki. Dirk's shots weren't falling anyway, but Chandler and Jeffries did a fantastic job doubling and denying him the ball, while Lee was sharper than usual at switching and picking up whoever got spit out of the Mavs' pick-and-rolls.

Again, there was nothing surprising about tonight's loss. It was good to see the Knicks come out with some energy, but we've scene this late-game collapse before. A lot. One of these days, friends, we won't have to put up with this nonsense.

This post is what I believe to be the first-ever game thread typed with one hand. While righty punches keys, lefty is being quietly gnawed upon by a lounging puppy. I multi-task like you wouldn't believe. Anyway. in the spirit of brevity, I'll spare the details and just share the basics. Knicks. Mavs. 8:30. Dallas. Will the Knicks rebound from Tuesday's OKC embarassment? Can Nate, Q. and Wil get it back together? Will Eddy Curry make his season debut? Who matches up with Dirk Nowitzki? Chandler had problems last time. Also, remember that Dallas owes us one. For real.

Bring the comments and don't forget to stop by Mavs Moneyball for the Dallas perspective. Go Knicks.

Note: I really wanted a picture of Tony "Dum-Ass" Dumas, but couldn't find a good one. That joke used to be hilarious to the second grade NBA fanatic contingent of my suburban New Jersey elementary school me.

This season, Knicks fans and people around the league have discovered a fresh, young talent with electrifying potential. Wil's an explosive athlete, his shot is coming along, and he's matched up capably with big-name offensive threats. We love Wilson, and he'l probably be in the running for Most Improved come springtime. Now, I'm here to tell you that Chandler's success may have even more significance than it seems. Using my revolutionary Scoring Comparison Of Wins and Losses! (SCOWL!, and yes the exclamation point is mandatory) statistic, I've uncovered some telling numbers behind Wilson's performance this season. Let's check some numbers. Using NBA.com's player card, I've determined the following:

- The Knicks (a 13-20 team) are 10-6 when Chandler (14.6 ppg) scores 15 or more points.

- Chandler shoots .521 (.450 from three) in wins and .355 (.230 from three) in losses.

- Chandler averages 18.2 points per win and 12.3 points per loss. That's a SCOWL! stat of +5.9 points.

Now, it seems like a given that players providing above-average output would translate to team wins, but look at the SCOWL! numbers for other key Knicks:

Chris Duhon: -0.7

David Lee: +0.2

Al Harrington: +4.5

Nate Robinson: -0.5

Quentin Richardson: -0.7

Stephon Marbury: 0.0 (just kidding)

So, with the exception of Al Harrington, the main Knicks average about the same in wins and losses. I know this is crude, and I guarantee that there's an intelligent statistic out there that better describes this phenomenon, but I dig the simplicity. My point is that, to the naked eye, Wilson Chandler's output has been in sync with team success. Indeed, the team has fared better on Wilson's hot scoring nights, and his point production appears to correspond more with winning than any other meaningful Knick's. I hereby declare that Wilson Chandler is the lynchpin of New York's success. Rack them points up, Wil.

Happy Wednesday, biddies. Here are some links to digest after last night's meltdown in Oklahoma.

- Myles at the Knicks Blog suggests we chill out. We know this is a rebuilding team. There are going to be highs and lows (sometimes within days of eachother!), but it's really not about just this season. I needed to hear that after last night.

- Kelly Dwyer:

You know, the Knicks try, and I know that alone isn't supposed to earn you full credit, but they're just so damn short. Sometimes they match up against the wrong (for New York) batch of opponents who seem to realize, all at once, "we can really see the rim very well from here," and shoot accordingly.

I'd be careful using the word "try" in reference to last night's game, but KD makes a point. The Knicks as currently composed leave a poised team with ample time and space to get shots off. It's just a matter of patience and execution.

- "Well, that first half SUCKED". Gotta love this kid's halftime report. I hope he does these frequently.

- You know who we saw for a second last night? Angry Chris Duhon. Late in the third, Chris was peeved with bad calls and bad team play, and buried two straight threes, just rimming out on a third one. It was great to see somebody exhibiting some emotion at the Knicks' sloppiness, and who better than Duhon? I only wish he'd show that much fire on a consistent basis, and lead the team with that energy.

- Fanhouse ranks the Knicks 19th in the NBA: "You know, if the universe ends in early June, 2010, there's going to be a lot of pissed off Knicks fans in heaven (or otherwise)."

- This just in: Marc Berman reports that Eddy Curry will be suited up and ready to go for tomorrow night's contest in Dallas. They're a big team, and I could actually see Eddy getting some meaningful court time if he's up for it.

- According to Hindu mythology, the blackbuck brings prosperity to wherever it roams. New mascot?

- UPDATE: I somehow managed to forget the link that was meant to be the centerpiece of this post. Matt Moore's post comparing Mike D'Antoni and 7SOL to The Dark Knight's Joker. An excerpt:

Just because SSOL failed in the desert doesn't mean it will always fail, and it didn't mean the end of the movement. Because tonight, when the Knicks, with Al Harrington firing threes and Nate Robinson splitting defenders, beat the Celtics, with all their defense, all their fundamentals, all their strength, you saw a glimpse of it. The battle's eternal, and necessary between the two. Chaotic, freewheeling mania versus controlled, disciplined order.

I'm late on this, but if you haven't read it, please do.

That's all for the moment. Be careful on that ice. I nearly broke all my bones this morning. Peace.

(AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

And the massive overreaction begins...now.

Absolutely infuriating. The Knicks made it clear before tonight's matchup with Oklahoma City that this wouldn't be a letdown, that they anticipated a trap and were ready to overcome. Bull. Shit. I've followed the Knicks for nearly 15 years, and I can think of few games that were as absolutely atrocious as this one. The opponent, the circumstances, the effort-- all of these made for an embarassing night to be a Knicks fan. Some notes:

- The Knicks didn't shut down Rajon Rondo on Sunday. Nope, they tricked us. Instead of actually stopping him, they merely captured his tremendous talent and passed it off to Russell Westbrook. The rook got anything he wanted against Chris Duhon, and put up a Rondo-like 22, 9, and 6. Oh, and you thought the Knicks managed to cool off Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett in the last game? Nope. Their skills were handed off to Kevin Durant and Jeff Green, who hit everything from every range for 27 points apiece (and 12 boards for Durant, so I suppose he's KG).

- I guess I forgot to mention why this sucked so much. If you're just looking at the box score, you won't know that the Knicks had a blowout on their hands for much of this game. The deficit was double digits at halftime, and bled into a 23 point hole midway through the third. Against one of the worst teams in history, that's inexcusable. How do I know their one of the worst teams in history? Because in the next several minutes, it took only a passing effort by the Knicks to completely erase the lead and cut it to 2. Seriously. Had they even given a quarter of a shit throughout the game, this would've been a cakewalk. The defense was monumentally awful.

- I was gonna rip into Chris Duhon for taking a steaming dump tonight, but I see now that he had 18 and 6 on relatively decent (6-15) shooting numbers. Now that I think about it, he was the one to can a few big shots and lead that late-game charge. Still, though, if I had a quarter for every time he hit David Lee in the hip with a pass, I could buy a tank of gas! Ha! Am I too late on that one?

- Credit Oklahoma City with being a really surprisingly solid city and arena. They're really loveable underdogs. There's a pre-game prayer (I'd like to see that), they have silly sound effects for each player (I guess the Knicks do to, but somehow this is sillier), and get legitimately rowdy when their team performs. Hats off to the OKC. Still, it would've given me sick pleasure to rob them of a much-deserved win.

- Down 23 in the third, I started typing up a Francis the Vomiting Man post when the unexpected happened: my computer froze. Immediately, I took this to mean that the game was so foul that even Francis wouldn't grace it with his barf. Then, as the Knicks hastily swept away a double-digit deficit, I thought that maybe divine forces had intervened with my vomit post, knowing that the Knicks were going to eke out an improbable victory. Wrong-o. The Knicks suck.

- After a couple games of the same garbage, I'm ready to say it. Quentin Richardson and Nate Robinson are killing us. Killing us. They're the two most trigger-happy long-range shooters on the team, and neither of them has even vaguely resembled a competent basketball player in the last few games. On the other end, where both are notoriously pesky, they've instead chosen to slack off and hack people instead of playing their typical brand of defense. On a team with more than 4 breathing players, Nate and Q would be benched. Hard. We desperately need these guys to get back to being themselves.

- David Lee's really gotta start making up his mind when he gets caught in a pick situation on defense, but props for 14 and 13 when everyone else was struggling.

- Fun stat o'the night: The Knicks are now 0-17 when trailing after three quarters. You can feel it, too. There have been some fun wins, but none where my heart was racing at the end for the right reasons. New York can't finish close games and get shots and stops when they count. Why? There's still no leader. Chris Duhon crawls into his shell, while Nate Robinson is left to do whatever he damn well pleases out there.

- What got into Joe Smith?

- The night had one redeeming moment, and that was a replay of a 1997 incident I only vaguely remember. MSG played footage of an interview with Scott Brooks, dejected and bitter, discussing being cut after the Knicks signed Walt Frazier to a ten-day contract. They even had shots of Clyde in warm-up gear taking layups. The catch? It was an April Fool's Day prank. I think I remember this happening, but I'm not sure. Either way, Brooks' performance was hysterical.

- It's getting eerie now. Somebody with the right access needs to go back and figure out the Knicks' record in games with and without Kelly Tripucka providing the color commentary. I actually really like KT as an announcer, but the man's cursed. Clyde does one game and the Knicks surprise the reigning champions. Tripucka returns, and they get humiliated by the worst team in the NBA. I watched There Will Be Blood for the first time today, and I'm now convinced that the Knicks should hire Klitzy from The Girl Next Door to grab Tripucka by the hands and shriek "GET OUT OF HERE, GHOST! GET OUT!".

- Hey Elias Sports Bureau, when's the last time somebody beat the best team in the NBA and lost to the worst team in consecutive games? Thanks! -Seth (Edit: Were the Celtics actually the best team in the NBA? The Lakers have a better record now, and may have at that point as well.)

I don't think I've ever written a recap that quickly. This one stirred up a lot of angst in my belly. It was either that or the graham crackers I've been pounding all night. Anyway, Durant, Green, and Westbrook are fabulous young players who I love dearly, but nobody else on Oklahoma City is competent enough for the Thunder to give the Knicks problems, let alone smoke them. Tonight proved that the Knicks are, well, still the Knicks. Wanna know which four other teams the Thunder have beaten? They've defeated the Warriors, Raptors, T-Wolves, and Grizzlies. You know what those are? Bad teams. You know what the Knicks are? I think we may have gotten a hint this evening.

Good evening, everybody. Your Knicks are in the cradle of civilization, Oklahoma City, this evening to face the basketball team so unfortunately known as the "Thunder". Coming off that uplifting win against Boston, the Knicks are compelled to be on their best behavior and get the job done in OKC to kick off this Western road trip in style. We'd love to see a win tonight, but something tells me it's not going to come easy. This is your thread for comments throughout the evening. Tipoff's at 8, and I'll be around. Come along and bring your commenting shoes as well.

Update: Forgot to mention. If things get loose tonight, we may be graced with Eddy Curry's presence. I'm oddly giddy at the prospect.

...and not the ones about me cross-dressing. Those are completely without basis. Who are you to judge, anyway? It's my journey.

No, the rumors we're discussing are hard to ignore, and they center primarily around the one guy I wish they didn't: David Lee. From what I can tell, it started with Tommy Dee, who is still all over these rumors that the Blazers seek Lee. Props to TD for the dilligence (at least until we find out that his source is a 14 year-old fantasy owner scheming to make his fourth round pick of Jerryd Bayless pay off because not finishing first in his league has a price: Blood.). Anyway, let me summarize said rumors for you. The Blazers want David Lee. The Knicks want literally any human being with a beating heart, and especially if he can play defense. Possible returns include Travis Outlaw, Jerryd Bayless and/or Sergio Rodriguez, Channing Frye and in a longshot but oft-rumored three-team deal, Marcus Camby. (For what it's worth, Marc Berman  thoroughly bashes the legitimacy and blog roots of these rumors, and then floats a "BLAZERS EYEING CURRY" rumor of his own. Which is more believable. Because the Blazers would obviously want an injury-prone 300-pounder who doesn't rebound to shore up their awful front line of LaMarcus Aldridge and Greg Oden. And it's in all caps.). 

To be fair, the most recent news are these reactions from Donnie Walsh, who called the rumors a "fabrication" and shot them down completely. So perhaps these particular rumors can be left alone. Nonetheless, Lee's name just keeps coming up, and unless you believe Mike D'Antoni's explanation ("cause thats who everybody wants"), it seems likely that the Knicks have been on the phones about him. Plus, Walsh is pure business, and he'd probably tell us that the moon landing was a fabrication if he thought it best suited his Knicks dealings (ten points if you can come up with a scenario in which denying the moon landing allows an NBA trade to pass).

Please don't go.

This all terrifies me. I'll admit that I'm a silly, starry-eyed homer, and really believe that Lee means more to this team as a player than as an asset. His skillset, his energy, and his unrelenting loyalty to this team should not be overlooked. Especially that last one. Over the last three years, nearly every Knick has been caught complaining, beefing, or voicing some desire to just give up and move elsewhere. Not Lee. Despite fluctuating minutes, an indefinite starting job, and several roster moves that hindered his development, Lee's kept his head up, his mouth shut, and his play at top level. To me, that's the kind of guy a winning team needs on the court and in the locker room, and I'd give Lee a long-term deal ASAP. I understand that the goals are to make some preposterous big-name signings, but the last few years in Cleveland have shown that you've gotta fill in the cracks to make a star-studded team matter. What better guy than Lee?

Right now, the Knicks need defense, and I get that. It's just that they have more roster room and flexibility than ever before. Why waste it? There's got an open roster spot, Malik Rose's expiring deal, and some Cuttino Mobley-related trade exception (which I still don't understand) to work with. Why not make a mini-deal or raid the D-League? Anything. I'd do anything to keep David Lee on the Knicks. I'm actually so far gone that I'd turn down most trades for superstars to keep Lee on the Knicks. That's how big the P&T basketboner is for Lee.

So, now that you've heard my Lee-loving spiel, I've gotta put it to you guys. Is it time to trade Lee? Am I overrating his worth? (Yes, but how much?) Does he fit the Knicks' long term goals? Speak up in the comments.

(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

We deserved this. After striking distance from .500 was squandered in sloppy losses to teams like Milwaukee, Minnesota, and Indiana, we Knick fans deserved a feel-good win. This one felt good, indeed, as Wilson Chandler spearheaded a hard-fought effort on both ends. Wil's career-high 31 points and 8 rebounds helped New York overtake the champs at home for the first time in six meetings. Some notes:

- I missed the first half eating dinner with my grandparents, but the Knicks seem to have started pretty well. They lead after the first and were down only three at half. The opening offense came mostly from Al Harrington and Wilson Chandler. The two combined for 31 in the first half, while the rest of the team generally floundered (including an unfathomable 1-12 in the half by Quentin Richardson). It was hard-nosed play by the bigs and pesky ballhawking by the guards that kept New York in it at intermission.

- In the third quarter, Chandler took over. He gave Kevin Garnett as much of a headache as you can give the reigning defensive player of the year. Wil nailed pull-ups, attacked the rim, and drew contact to befuddle Garnett for 15 third-quarter points.

- Even in the fourth, when the shots stopped falling, the Knicks showed some of that long-dormant spark to grab loose balls and play passing lanes. It was a refreshing sight, and it didn't hurt that the Celts' three-point efforts vaguely resembled a romp of otters trying to play Jenga. (I've got a gift for metaphor, I know). 6-25 didn't help their case. 9 of those misses, too, were Ray Allen's 0-9 from three on a night when he was otherwise 7-9.

- Clyde returns, Knicks win. Just saying.

- Mike D'Antoni rolled the dice by matching either Jared Jeffries or Al Harrington with Rajon Rondo, and it's hard to argue the results. Rondo was only 1-7 from the field, had only 3 assists, and looked off all night. The big guys were clearly instructed to let Rondo shoot, and it worked to perfection. This allowed Jared and Al to back off and either double or clog the lane, providing David Lee with some much-needed help around the basket. Mike D'Antoni: defensive mastermind?

- I mentioned very early on in the season that Nate Robinson added some ear tugs to his free throw routine, and tonight we learned why. See, in Bad Boys 2, (an underrated movie, if you ask me. Seriously.) Martin Lawrence tugs on his ears to calm himself down. And you know the age-old Buddhist maxim, don't you? "Do as Martin Lawrence does in Bad Boys 2, and you shall do no wrong". I recite that every morning.

- In another Knicks/movies revelation, Mike Breen shared that David Lee's favorite actor is Kevin Spacey, his favorite actress is Julia Roberts, and his favorite meal is steak and potatoes. From this I deduced that Dave's ideal date would be Applebee's followed by a K-PAX and Mona Lisa Smile double feature. Oh, and he had 14 and 14, for those of you more interested in basketball than mediocre movies in which Kevin Spacey plays an alien.

- The "Olé, olé, olé, olé" chant playing over the PA system is a little forced. Not a fan.

- Though he literally couldn't hit the broad side of a barn tonight (I actually took him outside for an attempt, and he hit the roof), Quentin Richardson did manage to do what he does best: annoy Paul Pierce. Not that he got under his skin and affected his play or anything. Pierce was awesome. Q did manage to get some subtle hip checks and hushed profanities in though, and for that we thank him. Can't wait for the post-game posturing and spite.

- Maybe because I'm used to watching a team that needs every win it can get, I was a little surprised to see Doc Rivers throw in the towel with 1:30 remaining in the game. The Knicks were up 12 when he sat the Big Three for good, but crazier things have happened. I guess when you're a championship contender, you cut your losses and stay focused on long-term goals. I wouldn't know.

And that is all, good citizens. The Knicks kick off a west coast trip Tuesday with what "should" be a win in Oklahoma City. Until then, I'm happy to bask in the warmth of this most satisfying victory over the despicable Celtics. Great night.

I'm putting this thread up early for two reasons. One is that I've gotta eat an early dinner with family, so I won't be around for the lead-up to and beginning of this evening's Knicks-Celtics game. The second is this: a Knicks-Blazers trade rumor proposed by The Knicks Blog's Tommy Dee. Dee isn't your run-of-the-mill rumor-spewer, so this has me more than a little concerned. The upshot is that the Blazers want David Lee, while the Knicks are looking to move Eddy Curry and get some young guards and/or legitimate centers in return. Possibilities of a three-way are mentioned. I love David Lee and want more than anything for him to stick around, so this all freaks me out quite a bit.

Anyway, this is your thread to discuss the game (tipoff's at 6) and any trade rumors. The deadline's not for over a month, so expect these discussions to heat up in the coming weeks. As for Knicks-Celtics, this may not be far from the truth, but hey, you never know.

Update: Forgot to mention, do check out Celtics Blog for the Boston end of tonight's blog matchup. It still hasn't it hit me that CB is under SB Nation yet.