Blazers vs. Knicks: Video Highlights, Twitter Reaction and Grades

The New York Knicks proved on Wednesday night that they don't need Mike D'Antoni after all.

At least, not so long as they're playing a team as awful as the Portland Trail Blazers. Mere hours after it was announced that D'Antoni and the Knicks were parting ways, the Knicks went out and destroyed the Blazers at Madison Square Garden, winning 121-79.

Read on for a full reaction to the beating the Knicks gave the Blazers.

Tweets of the Night

Netw3rk summed up Portland's effort on Wednesday night quite perfectly:

"

Blazers are going through the motions of going through the motions.

— netw3rk (@netw3rk) March 15, 2012"

InsideHoops.com thought the same:

"

The #TrailBlazers strategy tonight vs #Knicks is to not focus on trivial stuff like scoring and defending

— InsideHoops.com (@InsideHoops) March 15, 2012"

Katie Baker of Grantland.com added this commentary:

"

Tonight's Knicks game is a microcosm of whole NBA season. Total low point for NYK and yet there's still a team that's just so, so much worse

— katiebakes (@katiebakes) March 15, 2012"

Bleacher Report's Matt King figured the Knicks' dominant performance had everything to do with Mike D'Antoni not being on the sidelines:

"

So the Knicks REALLY hated Mike D'Antoni apparently.

— Matt King (@TheRealMattKing) March 15, 2012"

Frank Isola of the New York Daily News urged Knicks fans not to get too carried away:

"

Knicks needed a win, yes. But is winning like this a good thing? Need I remind you of Semih Erden & Cavs? Let's not go overboard this time

— Frank Isola (@FisolaNYDN) March 15, 2012"

Must-See Highlights of the Night

Check out this nifty ball movement by the Knicks on a fast break in the second quarter:

That play had nothing on this awesome alley-oop from 'Melo to Tyson Chandler in the first quarter:

Grades for Key Knicks Players

Jeremy Lin: C

Linsanity scored six points on 2-of-4 shooting, adding six assists and four rebounds. He also turned the ball over six times.

Basically, he didn't do a whole heck of a lot in this game. Not by his standards, anyway.

Carmelo Anthony: B+

'Melo's first game in the post-D'Antoni era went quite well. He scored 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting, pitching in seven assists and two rebounds. He was 3-of-6 from downtown. That there's a solid evening.

Amar'e Stoudemire: A-

Stoudemire scored 17 points on a very efficient 8-of-10 shooting, adding eight rebounds. He outplayed opposing power forward LaMarcus Aldridge on Wednesday night, which is worth a few extra points.

J.R. Smith: B

Smith was 7-of-14 from three, scoring a game-high 25 points. That's pretty good, but he was at his best during garbage time, so I say "meh."

Grades for Key Trail Blazers Players

LaMarcus Aldridge: C+

Aldridge scored 15 points on 5-of-15 shooting, adding seven rebounds. He should have dominated in this game, but he didn't. For shame.

Gerald Wallace: B

Wallace had a double-double in this game, with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Hats off to him for playing hard enough to fill up the stat sheet.

Raymond Felton: D

Felton failed to do what so many point guards have been able to do against Lin and the Knicks, and that's basically have his way with them. He scored nine points on 2-of-10 shooting and committed five turnovers. Yeesh.

Stat of the Night: 55-29

That was the score at halftime, which pretty much says it all. The Blazers actually made an effort in the third quarter, but it was way too little, way too late. They took the fourth quarter off. J.R. Smith took it upon himself to entertain MSG.

Game MVP: Carmelo Anthony

I'm giving the game MVP to 'Melo because he played pretty well in a game he absolutely had to play well in. Kudos to him for not looking like a problem on a day when so many of the Knicks' problems were on display.

Smith gets a pat on the back, but that's it.

What's Next

The Knicks host the Indiana Pacers at Madison Square Garden on Friday. They'll be looking to make up some much-needed ground in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

The Trail Blazers head to Chicago to take on the Bulls on Friday night. 

Yeah, it's not exactly going to get easier for them after this one.