Monday after work I went home to recharge the batteries for the busy week ahead.
Tuesday night after work I went out to Newark, NJ to the Prudential Center to see the Nets play the Philadelphia 76ers.
My Cousin Andy met me there and he joined the King and I. He always loves our company. It was a great time having him with us.
As for the game, it was rather boring. Both teams had trouble scoring points. The 76ers wound up coming out ahead in the end, 82-77.
The Sixers were led by Jrue Holiday who scored 19 points. Spencer Hawes added 18. On a side note, the King and I saw him play in college with the Washington Huskies back in January 2007 when we saw a game at Cal-Berkeley which was part of our "Bay Area Blast" excursion.
For the Nets, Brook Lopez had 16 points. Other bright spots were Kris Humphries and rookie Derek Favors who both grabbed 13 rebounds.
Wednesday night after work it was off to Madison Square Garden for the showdown between the Knicks and the visiting Boston Celtics.
This game lived up to the hype. Unlike the game in Newark, this was an action packed down to the wire thriller.
The Knicks played very well throughout the game and they led for the majority of the game but with four tenths of a second to go, Paul Pierce of the Celtics delivered a potential game winning dagger as the Knicks fell behind by 2.
The Knicks called a timeout to set up a possible miracle finish. In fact, they did execute it to perfection as Amar'e Stoudemire hit a trey to put them ahead as time expired.
The officials went to replay to see if indeed the shot beat the buzzer. After further review, the basket was ruled that it came a split second late and the Knicks fell short, 118-116.
Paul Pierce finished with 32 points and he had 10 rebounds. Ray Allen poured in 26. Kevin Garnett aka KG added 20 points and 13 boards for the big three. Rajon Rondo dished out 14 assists.
For the Knicks, Amar'e Stoudemire scored 39 points as he set a team record with his ninth consecutive 30+ game. He also had 10 rebounds. Raymond Felton had 26 points and 14 assists. While Wilson Chandler contributed 18 points and 12 boards in the heartbreaking loss.
Regardless of the outcome, it was a tremendous game to watch.
Thursday night after work I went out to the Nassau Coliseum to see the Islanders take on the Anaheim Ducks.
The Islanders were in search of a rare victory. They got off to a fast start as they scored 3 unanswered goals to take a 3-0 lead midway through the contest. The Ducks chipped away as they got within one goal in the third period. The Islanders fought hard and were able to hold them off as they skated off with a 3-2 win.
Friday night after a holiday party at work I went back to the Garden to see the Miami Heat make their first visit since they added LeFraud James to South Beach as he stated in his ridiculous announcement back in July.
Needless to say, the hostile Garden crowd booed him every time he touched the ball.
My biggest problem with him was that he was from Akron, Ohio which is a mere 39 miles from Cleveland where he grew up. He should have stayed home and been a real "hometown" hero by winning the NBA championship some day for them.
Instead he ran away from home. Yes that's his choice. He was free to do when he thought was best.
He just didn't show any class in what he did.
As for the game he played he was a monster as he tuned out the boos and silenced the crowd with a triple double to lead his new team the Miami Heat past the Knicks, 113-91.
He scored 32 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
He did put on quite a show. As an astute basketball observer I did appreciate his performance.
As for his supporting cast, Dwayne Wade aka "DWade" had 26 points and Chris Bosh who also turned down the Knicks had 26 points as well. It should be noted that every time he went to the free throw line the crowd yelled out loud and clear "OVERRATED". I beg to differ, I think Bosh is a nice player. I won't say great but very good. If he wore a Knick uniform he would be graced with open arms and he would get the love he deserves.
As for the Knicks, Danilo Gallanari led the way with 25 points. Amar'e Stoudemire had his record breaking of scoring 30 or more points snapped though. He finished with 24 and he pulled down 14 rebounds. Wilson Chandler added 17 points and he snatched 10 boards in the losing effort.
The Knicks fell short to the best in the Eastern Conference this week but you can tell the team is heading in the right direction once and for all. It's only a matter of time before they get back to being a contender.
Stay tuned as I recap my weekend getaway to the Sunshine State.
Thank you for reading and following along.
Happy Holidays to all!
Yours truly,
Gary Herman
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