By Tony
Arnoldine
Tuesday, January 20th, 2004
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The New York Knicks are in the midst of a power surge as of late. Thanks
to the wheeling and dealing of new GM Isiah Thomas, the Knickerbockers have
gone from a bad, boring team to a decent, exciting team. The acquisitions
of Stephon Marbury and Penny Hardaway, coupled with new coach Lenny Wilkens,
have brought excitement to the court and the seats at Madison Square
Garden.
For the first time since 1998, New York fans are anxious to watch the Knicks.
Now they can expect to see a good fight, if not a win. Take, for example,
the overtime loss to Dallas last week at Madison Square Garden. Marbury carried
his new team and brought the crowd alive with a late game steal and assist
that led to an Allan Houston three.
Not only can the fans cheer on an exciting team, but also they have been
given one of the best backcourts in basketball, with Allan Houston and Stephon
Marbury. Marbury, at age 26, is a player that the Knicks can build around
for the future, while also maintaining the "win now" attitude that surrounds
all New York sports teams.
Many New York media outlets, one radio show in particular, criticized the
trade saying that Marbury is a player that does not make his team better
and is selfish. However, with just a glance at the numbers since his Knicks
debut, it can be clearly seen that Marbury raises the level of play of all
of his teammates.
Marbury is averaging over 11 assists per game since joining the Knicks, a
stat that far exceeds the numbers put up by Charlie Ward or Howard Eisley,
two players given up by Thomas to acquire Stephon. Since he has arrived,
the numbers of Keith Van Horn have improved, also putting to bed another
rumor that the two could not get along on the court.
Don't forget Anfernee Hardaway, either. After having a few lackluster seasons
in Phoenix and dealing with injuries, he has accepted the role of a
come-off-the-bench guard/forward. He can still be an impact player, however,
putting up double figures in two games with the Knicks and making a start
in place of the injured Keith Van Horn one time. He is also a versatile addition
to the Knicks bench, as he can play at the one, two, or three.
At press time, the Knicks have won four in a row and five of their last eight
since acquiring Marbury. In two week,s the Knicks have gone from another
underachieving Eastern Conference team to a possible playoff contender. And
in the East, just a winning record could get you a three-seed.
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