Welcome To The Madness, Part 2

by The Rabbi, OTSL Video Editor

Yesterday, I gave you a primer on the conference tournaments that started on Wednesday.  Since then, white smoke has come out of Vatican City signaling Part 2 needs to be up...(wait, that signals something else, okay).

Onward to the final three conference tournaments (of importance) that start Thursday.

Atlantic 10 Tournament (Thursday-Sunday, BROOKLYN, New York)

Who's In:  

VCU (good transition to the A-10 this year, and despite a little bump in the road in the middle of the year, could get a Top 4 seed with a tourney win); Saint Louis (one of the hottest teams in the tourney, will definitely get a Top 4 seed with a tourney win here; amazing job getting this team together after Rick Majerus passed away in November); Butler (actually has to play in the opening round Thursday, but has enough of a great non-conference resume that they will be as high as a #5 as low as a #8 seed).

On the Bubble:  

Temple. They've been a very good team late in the season.  Had a major win the past weekend against VCU to get themselves on the cusp of a berth.  The Owls, who have won seven in a row needed that VCU win because the only win of any substance they had was against St. Louis...in January.   Temple should just need one victory in the A-10 tournament to put themselves in the field of 68.  But they may need two wins to avoid the First Four.

LaSalle.  Like Temple, they got a bye to the Quarterfinals on Friday; however their 4th place finish in the A-10 may not truly be enough.  They have 21 wins, but only five against teams ranked in the RPI Top 100.  Ouch.  The Atlantic 10 is very top heavy, but LaSalle is somewhere surprisingly in the middle.  They need to win at least one more game (just like the back to back wins they had against Butler and VCU back in late January) to ensure they get to go dancing.

Games to watch:  

Temple vs. George Washington/UMass (Friday).  There were so many mid 90's memories that dealt with these three teams, the big time A-10 powers.  It seemed like every single time there was an A-10 final, one of these three teams was involved.  For Temple, it's a little more important than that this time out, as the Owls NEED a victory to get themselves into the Big Dance without having to sweat it out on Selection Sunday.  The Owls only won by one earlier last month at UMass.  Luckily for Temple, UMass has faded a little bit.

LaSalle vs. Butler/Dayton (Friday). We've mentioned LaSalle's issues: they have a boring resume, but a good enough league record in a top flight conference can get you in the tourney.  However, as we mentioned yesterday, how you finish is a very important thing and thus a loss against what will most likely be Butler could cost LaSalle a trip to the NCAA's.  

Who wins?  

Saint Louis.  12 out of 13 wins to close out their season, with that one loss in overtime.  They've been playing in a different level than the rest of the A-10, and it will show here.

ACC Tournament (Thursday-Sunday, Greensboro, NC)

Who's In:  

Duke (not the #1 seed in this tournament; undefeated with Ryan Kelly in the lineup, will be #1 seed overall if they win here); Miami (only team that can beat Duke in conference, but struggled down the stretch, still have an outside chance at a #1 seed); North Carolina (very unspectacular this year, but still can avoid being an #8/#9 seed if they go deep here); NC State (even more unspectacular, but has enough good victories to quietly avoid the bubble).

On the Bubble:

Virginia.  Talk about your ULTIMATE bubble team this week.  They've lost SEVEN times (yes SEVEN) to teams ranked outside of the RPI Top 100.  However, they beat Duke, Wisconsin, as well as fellow bubble team Tennessee.  They finished in a good enough spot in their conference to make sure they got a bye into the Quarterfinals, but they also lost four out of their last seven at the wrong time.  Just one more win in that stretch may have officially put them in.  

Maryland.  As we've said before, this is a LONNNNNG shot.  We're only keeping them here to make what is a very quiet bubble in 2013 a teeny bit more interesting.  Granted, the ACC hasn't been the murder's row conference it has been in years past (and should be again next year when Syracuse, Pitt, and Notre Dame join the fold), but the Terrapins going 8-10 in conference in a down year will not bode well for them with the Committee.  Trust me.

Matchups to Watch:  

Virginia vs. NC State (maybe) (Friday).  We'll get this matchup as long as the Wolfpack get past the Virginia Tech Hokies.  I have to believe that if the Cavaliers win, they have a decent case for their NCAA tournament berth and it really should be at the Wolfpack's expense.  A win by the Cavs will be their second this year over the Pack, and this one would be at a neutral site.  If Virginia can get over what seems to be consistently erratic play starting Friday, I think they have a really good shot to get to the ACC Semis.

ACC Final (Sunday).  If form holds, this would be Duke vs.Miami, and oh would that be glorious!  I think we should throw out their first matchup in Coral Gables in mid-January where Duke didn't have Ryan Kelly and look at the classic these two teams had at the beginning of March when Duke won 79-76 at Durham.  Miami has cooled off a tiny bit since their hot start (they were the last undefeated team in conference), but they still held on to win the ACC Regular Season Title, and they can still play with anyone in the country.

Who wins?  

Duke.  Sorry.  As much as I hate them, right now, with a full lineup, they are the best team in the country.  They showed that early in the season and they are showing it again late in the season.

Big 10 Tournament (Thursday-Sunday, Chicago)

Who's In:  

Indiana (winning the Big 10 Regular Season plus the Conference Tourney should get them a guaranteed #1 seed; they may get it regardless); Michigan (struggled a little bit of late, but should still get a #3 or #4 seed); Michigan State (still an outside shot at a #2 seed if they win the tourney here); Ohio State (won against Michigan State and at Indiana to end the season; will definitely get a #2 seed if they win here); Wisconsin (fighting between the #4, #5, #6 seed lines for the last few weeks).

On The Bubble:

Minnesota.  Started the season amazingly hot, then tailed off, then got their biggest win of the year against Indiana (ranked #1 at the time).  Of course, then they tailed off again in their last two games, losing to Purdue and Nebraska back-to-back, playing more like the 9th best team in the Big 10 than the team that ripped off 11 consecutive victories in the first half of the year.  

Illinois.  They will likely make The Dance, but their inconsistency is about as bad as that of the Golden Gophers.  Like Minnesota, they have a big victory at home against a then ranked #1 Indiana team.  That started a run where they won of five out of six, putting this team on the cusp of a NCAA berth and then they lost two out of their last three, including to the team below them in this rundown.  I have to believe they need at least one victory in the Big 10 tourney to lock up their NCAA spot.

Iowa.  They've gotten into the discussion late, due to finishing ahead of Minnesota and Illinois in the Big 10 closing the season with a 6-2 stretch.  However, when you go 1-5 against the Top 5 teams in the conference AND you have a non-conference schedule that would only make a Division II Team proud, there is a huge problem with your NCAA Tournament resume.  If Iowa gets three wins in the conference tourney, we can put them in the discussion.  Anything less and they watching from the couch when The Dance starts next week.

Games to Watch:  

Minnesota vs. Illinois (Thursday).  Yup, the two teams I just mentioned on the bubble somehow find themselves playing one another in Round One of the Big 10 tourney.  The loser of this game may sweat a little bit on Selection Sunday.  They would also put themselves in the very vocal discussion of the teams who just might have to start their NCAA play on Tuesday/Wendesday.  The winner has a chance at one more HUGE win Friday vs. Indiana.

First Semifinal (Saturday).  This could very well be Indiana vs. Michigan Part Three.  The Hoosiers won both matchups this year, by a total of NINE points.  If the amazing matchup they had in Ann Arbor this past Sunday is any indication, this could be a terrific game if both teams show their entire arsenals.  Now this match-up could also wind up being Indiana vs.Wisconsin, which could be interesting, considering the Badgers won the first meeting this year, in Bloomington.  A revenge game for the Hoosiers could add some spice to this potential Semi.

Who wins?  

Surprisingly enough, I won't go chalk here because I think this goes to the Michigan State Spartans.  I feel like they have enough experience to go through a grueling tournament like this.  Plus, they have that #2 seed to play for, so there's a good amount of motivation there.

That's it.  It's been fun these last few days (although my fingers would not say the same after all this typing).  Go forth and enjoy The Madness my friends.  I'll be on the couch for the next four days watching all the ball I need to watch.

March Madness, Part One (You know before it officially starts)

by The Rabbi, OTSL Video Editor 

This is my favorite time of the year, as we are as close as you can be to The Madness FINALLY beginning.  This week marks the peak swing for Conference Tourneys.  Even though a lot of people might say these tourneys invalidate a whole season's worth of work, I still enjoy what we are about to see.  The CRAZIEST week of the year.  

Now even though the little guys have finished up or are about to finish up, there are still eight big conference tournaments getting underway within the next 24 hours.  In those tourneys, you'll see a majority of the teams who will make an impact come next week when the major part of The Madness gets underway.  I'll let you know what these major teams are playing for this week, plus a lot more about these tournaments.  Let's get started:

MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE (Tuesday-Saturday, Las Vegas)

Who's In:  New Mexico (never been a doubt, probably a Top 4 Seed), Colorado St. (would like to avoid the 8-9 game range and move up to a #6 or & #7 Seed), UNLV (been about as close to a Top 25 team all year as you can get, would like to move up to a #5 Seed), and San Diego St. (enough quality wins and opponents non-conference to overlook a mediocre 9-7 conference record).

On the Bubble:  Boise State. They're as close to in (same record as San Diego State), but have a much weaker non-conference slate, which means they have to do a tiny bit more to make it to the big dance.  

Matchups to watch:  Boise State vs. San Diego State (Thursday).  Two very close games between these two teams in the regular season (splitting home and home) means Boise State will need the tiebreaker.  If Boise can win two straight against the Aztecs (they won by four in the regular season finale on Saturday), there's going to be very little doubt that they are a tournament team unless...

Boise State/San Diego State vs. (most likely) New Mexico (Friday).  Either team gets blown out (and we're presumably moving New Mexico in here because we think they should get through their opening round), it leaves a bad lasting impression on the committee.  Some people on the tourney board may not have seen either team fully at many times this year (hello West Coast bias!), but they do watch conference tourneys.  Getting blown out in the game that leaves the final impression on the committee is not good for your cause.  It could cost the Broncos a Madness slot an may knock the Aztecs dangerously close to that "Last Four In" range.

Who wins?:  In a year with a very strong upper crust of those five teams (although New Mexico did win the conference by two games), I remind myself of the one thing I hate about this tourney:  IT'S A HOME TOURNEY FOR UNLV!  Top seeded Lobos lost earlier in the year in the Thomas and Mack Center, I unfortunately see another loss coming their way here.  UNLV will win this tourney.

BIG EAST CONFERENCE (Tuesday-Saturday, New York City)

Here it is.  College basketball purists have been fearing this, and after this year it will come to fruition.  This is the last tournament of the current incarnation of the Big East at The Garden.  When the Catholic schools play here in the near future, it won't be the same.  The moments will still be there though...sort of.

Who's in:  Louisville (has a 7-game winning streak, can close out a #1 seed with a tournament victory), Georgetown (can close out a #1 seed with a tournament victory), Marquette (sneaky good team looking to keep their Top 4 seed line after winning a share of the Big East regular season title), Pittsburgh (looking to break in to that Top 4 seed line after a shaky 2012), Syracuse (FREE-FALLING right now, losing 4 out of 5) and Notre Dame (lesser talent than years past, but still going to get a Top 6 seed here)

On the Bubble:  Cincinnati.  Widely regarded as a "lock" in some circles, they play Providence in the first round.  They lose there, whose to say Providence shouldn't get in after having the same conference record as Cincy and a better end to the season?  That said, as long as Cincy wins, the rest of their week should be for seeding.

Villanova.  Beating a very hot Georgetown pretty much locked up their bid, but they need to be a bit careful against a very scrappy St. John's team on Wendesday.  A loss there may make the committee remember this wasn't a very good 'Nova team before conference play.  A win against the Johnnies, and the next step for Villanova is making sure they avoid Dayton games on Tuesday and Wendesday.

Matchups to watch:  Semi-final #1 (Friday).  The possibilities are endless.  Georgetown should dispatch Cincy or Providence in their semifinal, and the likelyhood is they'll either play Syracuse or Pitt.  If it's G'Town/Syracuse, it will be their last game (we promise) as Big East foes.  If it's Pitt, they've played some tough battles with Georgetown and this would be the last one for a while, as I don't think they're going to schedule each other non-conference.

Conference Final (Saturday).  If it's the Top 2 seeds, then Georgetown and Louisville are playing for a Top seed.  The Big East has been a dog fight this year, and almost all the teams who will make the tournament out of this group have experienced their ups and downs (the one's who won't make The Dance only experienced downs).  Having a #1 seed come out of the Big East would be a huge accomplishment for a conference going through a lot of turnover and turmoil this year.

Who wins?:  As much as I've loved the job that Peyton Siva and Russ Smith have been doing for the Cardinals, there just seems to be something that's clicking with the Hoyas (last week's loss to Villanova aside.)  I'll pick one of the Big East's most historic teams to carry on the legacy of the new Big East and go with Georgetown.

SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE (Wednesday-Sunday, Nashville)

This is the least top heavy conference (BY FAR), but the most intrigue is squarely on the bubble here, as there are 5-6 teams at least in the discussion there.  This is a big time "bid-stealer" league if there ever was one.

Who's in:  Florida (only team with a non-conference and conference record that's sparkling, is probably looking at a #3 seed regardless of performance this week in Nashville), Missouri (the bubble sucks, which is why they're in. Too much of a good non-conference start overlooks a disappointing 11-7 conference finish)

On the Bubble:  Tennessee.  They have a good resume, but still a few holes left.  The SEC is considered a weaker conference than any of its other Big 6 BCS neighbors, but Tennesee is the best of it's "rest".  They've won eight out of their last nine and have beaten every good team in the SEC:  Florida, Missouri, and Kentucky.  They just had a weak non-conference schedule and that puts them here.

Kentucky.  Don't be fooled, this is not the defending national champions here (those guys are all gone).  They've played like a good team through most of the year, but when star freshman Nerlens Noel went down, the Cats went 4-3.  They weren't playing like world beaters before the injury and surely not after it.  They weren't losing to Georgia and Arkansas afterwards.  Now, as the #2 seed, they won't play till Friday, but even a win in that first game won't give them a guaranteed spot.  More on that in a second.

Ole Miss.  With such HIGH expectations when the season started, all of a sudden Ole Miss became just another high mediocre major during the season with a less than stellar profile.  They didn't beat Kentucky or Florida, and their only major win was at home against Missouri.  The Rebels have a non-conference strength of schedule in the 100's.  Not good, but a finals appearance in this tournament can possibly get this team over the hump.

Alabama.  Still here based on the fact that they got the "double-bye" to the tournament.  But the Tide have lost to Dayton, Tulane, and Auburn; not exactly resume builders.  Then again, if enough teams lose, the Tide can sneak in with an SEC Final appearance.  But nothing more.  Anyone else wins this tournament, they will end up being a bid stealer.

Games to watch:  A possible Tennessee vs. Alabama Quarterfinal (Friday). It's one of those games where the loser will definitely be out, but the winner won't necessarily be in.  Tennessee has a lot more talent in Cuonzo Martin's second year, and I kind of feel like they are in with two wins in the tournament.  This would be their second.

Second Semifinal (Saturday). If form holds (and it usually doesn't) it would be Missouri or Ole Miss vs. Kentucky.  Kentucky is going to be the story of this tournament in their fight to defend their title.  If they get to this semifinal, all they'll have to do is win to get back in.  If Kentucky's status is "In", they can start fighting to get out of that First Four.

Who wins?:  Missouri has always been the most talented team of this bunch, but has never really shown it during the season.  This tournament is going to be a crapshoot here, so I'll go with the semi-dark horse #6 seed here, and go with Mizzou to get the automatic bid and improve their seeding.

PACIFIC-12 CONFERENCE (Wednesday-Saturday, Las Vegas)

The Pac-12 finally switched from the only place they've had their tourney (Los Angeles) to a place where a good amount of money can be made on their tourney (Las Vegas).  After last year's DISASTER of a tourney where the Pac-12 only got two schools in, this year's edition is definitely much better.

Who's in:  UCLA (won five out of their last six, have a great non-conference schedule, won regular season title), Arizona (thudded to a 4-4 finish, but started 20-2 which is good enough for me).

On the Bubble:  Colorado.  In most circles as a #10 seed on projections, the Buffaloes would have probably been a lock if they didn't lose to Oregon State this past Saturday.  Now, they have one more shot against Oregon State in the opening round of the tourney.  They win that, it'll be hard to leave them out of The Dance.

California.  Also in most circles as a likely Madness team, though they ruined an amount of momentum by losing at home to Stanford this past weekend.  However, in an improved Pac-12 this year, the Golden Bears were a moment away from clinching a share of the regular season conference title.  That should be enough to get them in but they still want to get out of that "Last Four In" range.  

Oregon.  They've been a Top 25 team until the past month when the Ducks quacked back to the pack (see what I did there?).  They have only one really good road victory since February and they did lose three out of their last five towards the end of the year.  They should be in, but they can't afford a Quarterfinal loss to Washington or Washington State, which could hurt their chances even more.  Again, they should be in, but not 100% as of yet.

Arizona State.  RPI of 90, but again, Conference Tournament week is HUGE in terms of the NCAA Committee's perception of you.  The Sun Devils need a very solid run here; a Finals appearance could cement their chances of making The Dance.  Most likely though, they would be a bid-stealer if they win.

Matchups to Watch:  Arizona vs.Colorado Quarterfinal (Thursday).  This would be a rematch (if Colorado wins Wednesday) of last year's final if it were to go down.  The two also had a memorable game earlier this year where Colorado looked like they made a game winning shot, but after a long deliberation it got waved off (which led to their coach wanting basketball to abolish all replay).  Colorado easily won the rematch in February and if the Buffaloes could win in this spot they can get much higher NCAA seeding.

Pac-12 Second Semifinal (Friday).  However, if Arizona wins that Quarterfinal, they may set up another matchup with UCLA.  Arizona, which went into the league season as the favorites, then lost both of their games to the Bruins.  This would be big for Arizona to catapult them into Top 4 seeding range if they can beat the Pac-12 regular season champs.

Winner?:  UCLA.  They are clicking at the right time right now.  Only Cal is a tiny bit hotter than the Bruins in this conference, but those high expectations that were set for UCLA's young team at the beginning of the season are starting to be met.  I'm giving the Bruins the title here.

BIG-12 CONFERENCE (Wednesday-Sunday, Kansas City, MO)

Who's In:  Kansas (pretty much a #2 seed if they win the tourney; too much needs to happen for them to get a #1), Kansas State (amazing season in Bruce Weber's first year, probably a #4 seed), Oklahoma State (played like the second best team in the conference; right now they project as a #3 seed, but might go as high as a #2 seed with a conference title).

On the Bubble:  Oklahoma.  VERY close to being in, but lost last Saturday to TCU, one of the worst teams in the country.  Even still, they look semi-safe right now.  They cannot afford one more loss though, which we'll get into a second, or the very bland resume of the Sooners (no bad losses, and 2-4 against those three "In" teams) will get a second look, and that could also put Oklahoma in the "Last Four In" group.

Iowa State.  They've had some of the most heartbreaking losses in this field.  They are 2-4 against those three "In" teams I keep mentioning, but unlike Oklahoma, all six of those games were by single digits and both losses to Kansas were in overtime (although there are a lot of fans in Ames that would say they had the second game against Kansas stolen from them).  However, they also have two BAD losses during the year to Texas and Texas Tech and BYU is their only great non-conference victory.  They still have work to do.

Baylor.  Yeah, this was the team ranked preseason Top 10 and made the Elite Eight last year.  But the Bears come into the conference tourney winning only three out of their last 11.  The only reason they're even on this list is because of the shellacking they gave Kansas over the weekend in Waco.  Baylor needs at last a finals appearance in the conference tourney to make the NCAA's.  Anything else and they'll be watching March Madness at home.

Matchups to Watch:  Oklahoma vs.Iowa State Quarterfinal (Thursday).  As I've mentioned before, both have tournament profiles that look the same, but Iowa State has played just a little more excitable.  They split during the regular season, each winning on the others court by double digits.  The winner here probably avoids the First Four in Dayton and can try to sneak out of that 8-9 game range, which would make their second round matchup much harder.

Baylor vs. Oklahoma State Quarterfinal (Thursday).  I'm excited for this one.  Oklahoma State won by two in OT when these two last played on the 6th of February.  Baylor NEEDS this game for any NCAA Tournament consideration, while Oklahoma State (who is kind of in the same position Baylor should be in) would love to knock them off.

Winner:  Kansas.  Can never go against the old guard especially when they are the most talented team in the conference.  Even though Kansas has had some hiccups in this year (see TCU), the Jayhawks still have enough talent to get over the speed bumps they had this season.  I think the Jayhawks prevail.

Part 2, previewing the remaining three conferences will come tomorrow.  Enjoy the madness, everyone.

Inspiration......found

by The Rabbi (Video Editor of "On The Sportslines")

So, I've been keeping up with these blogs, doing them bi-weekly and I was stumped on what to do this week.

It's been too depressing to talk about hockey season (thanks Rangers), it's a teeny bit too unpredictable to talk about College Basketball (thanks every single #1 team losing every single week).

Then, I watched the Knicks this past Wendesday.  As a Knick fan, this season has been a roller coaster of a ride (the last chat I had with OTSL's Jay Kaplan showed how frustrated we both were), but for JUST one night, I took all of that aside and took in what can be considered one of the best NBA games this season to watch, which was saying something in a week where there were a ton of them (anyone see the Heat-Kings Double OT thriller the night before?).

Warriors-Knicks had a lot of story lines going for it outside of former St. John's and Knicks hero Mark Jackson returning to his 2nd home at the World's Most Famous Arena.  For one, the Warriors came into the game shorthanded, without the services of ANOTHER former Knick hero, David Lee, due to his part in a wild brawl (by TODAY'S NBA standards), Tuesday night against the Pacers.  So, while yes, the Warriors may have been without their second best player, but this game almost made you forget all of that by the time it was over.

First of all, how about Stephen Curry?  Let me tell you about the season this man has had (now I SOUND like Hubie Brown).  He has (as mentioned two weeks ago) benefited greatly from no longer sharing the backcourt with Monta Ellis (more on him a bit later in this piece).  Steph Curry just wanted to be the man.  Steph Curry wanted to be THE Go-To player on an up and coming team.  Last night might have been his coming out party.  Curry became only the 14th person in MSG history to come up with a 50+ point game, dropping 54 on the Knickerbockers.  NO ONE had that total in the NBA this year, not Lebron, not Durant, not the guy on the other side who leads the NBA in first quarter scoring (some guy the Garden Faithful call 'Melo).  NO ONE.  Four years to the month when Knicks fans witnessed a three day span where Kobe went for 61 and THEN LeBron went for 52, they got to see Steph Curry put on a show with the  dimension of it coming against a much better Knicks team, even if their defense is highly questionable right now.

Stephen Curry, on a team that didn't have too many other options went 18-28 from the field including 11-13 from 3 point range.  11 FOR 13!!!  That's insane!  This was a game when even a fan of 1980's basketball wouldn't just say they were watching Dell Curry's son, they could say with some measure of confidence that they were watching the next great scorer in the NBA.  Stephen was the definition of a One Man Gang Wednesday night and that can be evidenced by the breakdown of Golden State's points: 54 points for Steph, 51 from anyone else not named Steph.  Whether Curry feels slighted for not being an All Star in 2013, or feels slighted that he was one pick away from being a Knick in 2009 (how's Jordan Hill working out? oh, right), something motivated Steph Curry to have the performance of his life.

Oh, and to get away from my ranting, copy and paste this link to see the latest on what the aforementioned Monta Ellis did for his new team, the Milwaukee Bucks:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmGqVxYbITU

It does make me think both Ellis and Curry are doing fine.

Moving on to Steph Curry's victims, the Knicks.  When I talked about JR Smith two weeks ago as the Wild Card on this team, my pal Jay Kaplan went so far to call him John Starks-ian (though for me JR Smith has a LONG way to go to be John Starks, a LONG way), but against Golden State we saw the good JR Smith.  He went 10-19 from the field (the only one who actually shot 50% from the field for the Knicks, which is almost a miracle in itself), including six Three Pointers of his own to go against Steph's 11.  It may be a performance that we'll see from him more than once between now and playoff time, but it was surely the kind of game that can get him on a something of a hot streak again.  As I mentioned, when JR Smith is actually on, the team feeds off his energy.  Smith's go-ahead shot with under two minutes left in the fourth quarter is the type of shot the Knicks will need him to make down the stretch.

As for Carmelo Anthony, did he shoot too much en route to his 35 points?  Is the former pope Catholic?  Nevertheless, the Knicks will always need Carmelo to be that big scorer regardless and against Golden State, he was just that.  Even when Anthony is getting other people involved, he's usually getting himself involved first and foremost.  With the Amare Stoudemire still on a minute count of 30, the Knicks have needed Carmelo to be THE GUY who puts the ball into the basket, first and foremost.  When point guards like Raymond Felton are on the floor, Melo is usually a pretty good option to go to.  I've been in and out on if he deserves Top 5 MVP voting this year, but right now I'm in.  I feel like not only has Melo been the key scoring option on this team (well, duh), but he's improved himself this year and become more than just the top points-per-game guy, but he's also become a leader on the team too.

Well, maybe co-leader.  The most impressive thing outside of the 54 points that Curry put up against New York was Tyson Chandler, who took advantage of Warriors big man Lee being suspended and went all H.A.M. (I am allowed to say that, right judges?) on the boards last night and put up 13 rebounds.

Oh I'm sorry, what I meant to say was, 13 rebounds in the first quarter.  Sorry about that.

You can never find a problem with what has been the biggest non-Melo acquisition for this team.  Sure, Tyson's offense (yes, he has provided some!) has been somewhat here and there (16 points against the Warriors qualifies as a "here"), but something that Knicks fans see EVERY game is Chandler's defensive abilities.  It was a lot more of a question a year ago when he was surprisingly crowned NBA Defensive player of the Year; despite playing half of the year on a Mike (no D) 'Antoni team, shockingly.  This year though, with the presumptive Defensive Player of the Year flailing in LA (Dwight Howard), Tyson put his name in the running with his performance against Golden State.  Sure, he was supposed to dominate as the only true "big" on the floor, but 28 rebounds?  This is a feat that has never been achieved in the long career of Tyson Chandler and is quite an accomplishment.  Cheers to you, Mr. Chandler for singlehandedly getting double digits on the offensive AND defensive boards.  

This short blog post reminded me why I like being a Knick fan this year.  Yes, there is the pessimism of the team being too old and yes, I always find myself asking "where are they going to screw up?" (and will continue to do so from now until the day the Knicks get eliminated from the playoffs even the most realistic Knick fan thinks that it will happen), it's games like this 109-105 win over the Warriors DESPITE the 54 from Stephen Curry that make me realize - and I hate to sound presidential here - that I AM better off with the New York Knicks than I was 4 years ago.  It's not too embarrassing to be a Knick (or in this case a Warrior) fan anymore.