It’s been a packed week and a half for NY Sports, let’s get into it!
KNICKS: 11-29
That four game road trip killed the Knicks, as losses to the Suns (121-113), Clippers (135-132), Lakers (117-87), and Jazz (128-94) dropped the Knicks record to 10-28, and seemingly any hopes about making the playoffs in a weak Eastern Conference. When they returned home, a 123-111 loss to the Zion-Less Pelicans at MSG, dropped the Knicks to 10-29.
But then something amazing happened, against one of the top teams in the East, and a potential contender for an NBA title, the Knicks scored 40 points in the 4th quarter, for an epic 124-122 win at MSG over the Miami Heat, who hadn’t lost two straight all season, until this past Sunday.
Their is light at the end of the tunnel my friends, keep believing.
NETS: 18-20
The losing streak hit 7. Losses to the Mavericks (123-111), the Raptors in Caris Levert’s return (121-102), the Magic (101-89, and the Thunder in Overtime (111-103) dropped the Nets to 16-20, and 8th in a mostly weak Eastern Conference.
They ended their streak, with a thrilling win 117-113 win at Barclays Center this past Friday, in a game against the Heat that Caris Levert woke up and brought his team back down 109-100 with 4 minutes to go, for the win, but it was clear. They need KYrie Irving back.
Well, this past Sunday, Nets fans received their wish, as Irving came back and poured it 21 points against the Trae Young-less Hawks, as the Nets rolled on what felt like a “Free Ride” to everyone watching and in Barclays Center, 108-86 for their second straight win.
Hope has returned Brooklyn! Your hero has returned.
RANGERS: 22-19-4
A new era has begun on Broadway. But before we get into that, I want to recap the last 3 games of the Rangers 4 game road trip, which were all losses. They fell 7-5 to the Oilers in a game that would’ve went down as the best comeback in Rangers history, but they couldn’t completely overcome the 6-0 deficit, as a late empty netter sealed the deal for Edmonton. After that, NYR 4-3 to the Flames, and 2-1 to Vancouver with the game-winner coming with 79 seconds to go in regulation, ending a frustrating road trip for the Blueshirts.
But like I said before, that didn’t stop a new era from beginning, when the Rangers returned home.
Meet Igor Shershterkin, a 24 year old Sweden who is the top goalie in Minor League Hockey. He finally got his long awaited call, up to the NHL and made his debut on January 7th 2019, a game that I attended with my family against the top scoring team in the league, the Colorado Avalanche.
It felt like a playoff game, as you could feel a buzz in the building at MSG. But, it didn’t look so good for Igor early on, as 2 goals on the first 3 shots of his career had given the Avs a 2-0 lead.
But the Rangers would rally, and Igor would settle in. By the end of the night, he had the fans continuously chanting “Igor” and showering him with love. What happened? The Rangers rallied for a 5-3 win, with Artemi Panarin leading the way on offense, while Shershterkin made 31 saves on the defensive end in his NHL debut. It had a playoff atmosphere, and it didn’t disappoint. Personally, me and my family got on the Jumbo-Tron several times, and went crazy along with the crowd.
Truly a memorable night, and an awesome game!
The wave for Igor, would continue two nights later, against the rival Devils when he made 46 saves en route to a 6-3 win. On offense, it was the “Tony Deangelo show” as he racked up a hat trick and 2 assists for 5 points on the night!
A 5-2 loss to the reigning Stanley Cup champs ST Louis Blues on Saturday (1/11), on the road in a game where Henrik Lunquist played for the first time in a week to the “Unusal” 3 goalies situation, humbled the Rangers a bit, as they returned home for a “Monday Night clash against their rival New York Islanders at MSG.
I’m proud to report that as I write this, the Rangers are in good spirits again, as they took down the Islanders 6-2, behind superstar Artemi Panarin’s 5 point night (2 goals, 3 assists) and 32 saves by Alexander Gegoriev in goal.
Overall, while this team may not be a playoff team in 2020, the future looks bright and exciting on Broadway.
GIANTS: ALL RISE!
Their is a new coach in town, and his name is Joe Judge. The New York Giants hired a former assistant coach of legendary coach Nick Sabbah, and a ex special teams coach of the greatest coach ever in Bill Belichek.
At first, I didn’t know what to think of this hire like many others, but then I saw his introductory press conference and I was blown away.
Right from the start, you knew from what he said and the demeanor in his voice, that he wasn’t messing around.
Here are some quotes from his press conference, that sounded a lot like the last Super Bowl wining coach, the Giants have had in Tom Couphlin.
“What I'm about is an old-school, physical mentality. We're going to put a product on the field that the region will be proud of.”
“I want this team to reflect this area. That's blue-collar. That's hard work.”
“I worked for two great coaches (Bill Belichick and Nick Saban). There wasn't a day I didn't come home with a full education.”
And perhaps the best one of all, “We’ll punch you in the nose for 60... play evrey play like it has a history of it’s own”. Judge also said, he will take players punctuality seriously, while also making sure his players practice “Live tackling” with pads on, which is something only the Patriots do in the NFL.
Judge talked the talk. Now he must back it up on the playing field. Either way, Aaron Judge now has company for the” Best Judge in town”.
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