Game #45: Knicks vs. Kings
When: 7:30 PM
Where: Madison Square Garden
Network: MSG
Starting Lineups (Subject To Change)
Kings (17-31)
PG: Isaiah Thomas
SG: Tyreke Evans
SF: John Salmons
PF: Jason Thompson
C: DeMarcus Cousins
Knicks (29-15)
PG: Raymond Felton
SG: Jason Kidd
SF: Iman Shumpert
PF: Carmelo Anthony
C: Tyson Chandler
Matthew Falkenbury, theKnicksBlog.com
Isiah Thomas is coming back to the Garden! Hide the women and children!
No, I’m just kidding. The only Isaiah Thomas coming to the Garden is a member of the visiting Sacramento Kings and they are in town to take on the Knicks tonight.
The last time these two franchises, which go all the way back to when the NBA first came into existence, got together, James Johnson hit a buzzer beating three to give the Kings a 106-105 win.
Of course, if the Knicks did not fall behind by 27 and had a healthy Carmelo Anthony, Raymond Felton and Amar’e Stoudemire that night, things could have been much different.
The Knicks, unlike in past seasons, have faced many teams this season that are at the bottom of the NBA and with very few exceptions, have taken care of business against these teams. They are 17-4 against teams that are currently under .500.
The Kings on the other hand have had to deal with infighting, relocation rumors, youth trying to come together and lots of losing. It’s a bit similar to the movie “Eddie” except that Whoopi Goldberg wont be coaching and nobody will burn Clyde’s retired number with fireworks.
This is another chance for the Knicks to pad their record against one of the bad teams in the NBA and in the process, tie Miami for the best record in the Eastern Conference.
A win tonight and a loss by Miami tomorrow against the Raptors means Mike Woodson will be coaching the East All-Stars. Not a bad incentive for the players to have so their coach can get the accolades he deserves.
At the end of the day, the Knicks should win this game without an issue. But, we thought that would be the case last time these two teams played, so we’ll see what happens tonight.
Five Questions About Tonight’s Game
- Will the Knicks have another slow start?
- Who on the Kings will guard Carmelo Anthony?
- Does Isaiah Thomas understand why fans will be booing him, even though he personally did nothing wrong?
- Will the Knicks bench, led by Smith and STAT continue to thrive?
- How will Raymond Felton look after hurting his Pinky last night?
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