New York Knicks Are Back Despite Losing Heartbreaker To Boston Celtics

The New York Knicks and Boston Celtics met in a great game tonight in the world’s most famous Arena, Madison Square Garden. The game was the renewal of a rivalry that hasn’t been competitive since the 1970s.

The Knicks may have lost tonight in heartbreaking fashion to a Paul Pierce jumper, but they are back. Make no mistake about it, the New York Knicks are back.

The Garden was alive and electric, very reminiscent of the 90s when the Bulls and Heat would come in for playoff series. I love watching a game at the Garden when the crowd is up for a game. I’ve seen so many games in recent years where the Garden was dead and it seemed that basketball was dead in New York.

New York was thought to have been the leader to get LeBron James in the offseason, but we all know where he took his talents.

Adding Amar’e Stoudemire was by far the best pickup for the team, too bad his three pointer didn’t count tonight. Missing out on Joe Johnson is also a huge blessing in disguise.

The Knicks are one player away from reaching the upper echelon in the Eastern Conference and bringing it back to the prominence it once had. Celtics, Bulls, Heat and the New York Knicks running the Eastern Conference like it should be.

Having meaningful games and marquee players at the Garden is so important to a struggling NBA. The lack of rivalries and intrigue has hurt them over the past couple of years. The NBA could be dead if it hadn’t gotten the Lakers-Celtics together in the Finals two out of the last three years.

While the NBA was in declining interest and rivalries seeming to fade, the Knicks were a team that faded with it. The meaningful games in the Eastern Conference seemed to go with it.

James was never going to win a championship in Cleveland, Wade wasn’t going to do much more than barely carry the Heat to the playoffs. The Heat and Knicks are a real rivalry, not Boston and Cleveland. The Celtics and Knicks are a real rivalry, not Milwaukee and Chicago. The Bulls and Knicks are a real rivalry, not Toronto and New Jersey.

The Knicks are relevant once again and it’s so exciting.

Raymond Felton has the shackles removed from his time in Charlotte and is being used effectively and how he should have been used all along in the NBA. The kid was never a bust, a person who watched a lot of ACC basketball could tell you that no matter what the level, Felton was going to succeed.

For this team he is a perfect fit. Sure Chris Paul would be really nice to have in this lineup, but Felton is much cheaper and would allow the Knicks to add another shooter via free agency.

Having three max contracts limits what you can do, look at the Heat for example.

There is only one thing that the Knicks are missing, and that is Carmelo Anthony.

The Nets seem to be in the best position to make a run at Anthony, but it’s only a matter of time before he’s in a Knicks’ jersey. Carmelo only wants to play in New York and he will play in New York, not Jersey or Brooklyn, where he belongs.

Hopefully the Knicks are patient, keep the team together and add Anthony in the offseason. Really don’t want to ruin the good thing that is being built under the brightest lights in the "World’s Most Famous Arena".

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