New York New York

My, my, what do my eyes spy on the eve of the NBA All-Star weekend? Why, it’s the Bulls atop the Eastern Conference standings, but where are the Knicks? You know, the team that invented the game for the enjoyment of the greatest fans on the face of the earth. Why, the Knickerbockers are all the way down, twelfth out of fifteen teams. Wait, there’s more deliciously good news. You know Tom Thibodeau, who last year was lionized as the second coming of Red Holzman, the greatest coach of the greatest NBA dynasty, those Knicks of 1970-1973 (Michael Who?)? Why, I just read a story in today’s The Athletic, about how the New Yorkers have lost thirteen out of their last sixteen games, oftentimes blowing big leads against mediocre teams. And their coach, the Second Coming, has been making head-scratching moves a la Jim Boylen. The writer described Thibodeau as a “coach notorious for treating random February games against the Pistons like they are game sevens.” Yes, he does, and that’s one of the big reasons his teams don’t go anywhere. But, that’s OK. The coach, the team, the fans are all made for one another. Enjoy. And fingers crossed this Mojo finds its way to Yankee Stadium should baseball ever start up this year.