KNICKS FANATICS

Raps Get Slapped Up Out of the 'Offs

There's no doubt about it. Chris Bosh and the Raptors had nothing for Dwight Howard and his Magic. The Raps were the first team bumped out of the 2008 playoffs as Dwight Howard continues to rip through the competition with scoring, brutal rebounding and insane blocks.

He's a beast no matter how you look at it. His 21 pt, 21 rebound performance left no doubt who wanted it more.

"They played a great series, they executed on offense and defense better than we did and when it came to the small things, they did a better job," Chris Bosh said after the Magic ended Toronto's season with a 102-92 Game 5 victory last night.

"I can't sit here and bark in protest that the better team didn't win. That's pretty obvious. They beat us pretty good."

Bosh couldn't help but put the GM hat on after suffering the loss that ended his team's season.

"If we have somebody that is aggressive on the offensive end, creating plays, making shots and getting to the basket ..." said Bosh, his thought trailing off. "I think we have some shooters, but if our shooters develop a talent where they can take guys off the dribble, that'll make us a lot better."

The Magic outmanned the Raps on the perimeter as coach Mitchell seemed unable to find a lineup to suit his mood. After an unlucky an injury-filled season TJ FORD is still saying he wants to be back with the Raps. But with Calderon playing the bigger role to close out the season, you have to wonder if TJ is in the long term plans.





THE REPORT IS IN


According to sources, Larry Brown will be the next coach in Charlotte for the Bobcats. After the NYK debacle, "Next Town" Brown has found himself another willing suitor. If you're Michael Jordan and the Bobcats, after having signed big name Jason Richardson, the move makes sense because you need to go after the best. Despite what happened with the Knicks with Brown at the helm, he's the best coach available.

With Okafor and Gerald Wallace on the defensive end, Larry Brown has two players close to the basket who can play strong guarding the interior, something he didn't have in NY. In Felton, he's got a young PG who is very mobile, very raw and very coachable. He doesn't have the savvy or strength that Chauncey had while Brown was coaching the Pistons, but Raymond Felton should benefit from LB's coaching in ways Stephon Marbury could not.

Brown will inherit the roster problems that are Sean May and Adam Morrison. To be fair, Morrison was injured most of the year as was May. Except with May, its been the case with most of his career.

J-Rich and Gerald Wallace are two way threats that are interchangeable in the lineup. With Gerald's ability to also play the four in small lineups, the core of the Bobcats is pretty strong, relatively young and coachable...they should be players Larry Brown can work with.

The Bobcats also added former Knick Nazr Mohammed to anchor the middle. He saw limited minutes at Center soon after the trade but I imagine that with a training camp and LB at the coach, Nazr will soon allow Okafor to play his natural position.

Michael Jordan found his Tarheel counter part in Brown. With Charlotte's media being a fraction of the NYC MSM, MJ should have nothing to worry about.


Hawks Walk the Walk


Joe Smith and Joe Johnson have arrived. The Hawks have not been satisfied with just making the playoffs this year after ending the longest "playoff-less" drought in the NBA. After not making the playoffs since 1999, the Hawks have held court and forced the team with the best regular season record to a best of 3 series. Are the Big3...the Boston Three Party about to become the 07-08 Dallas Mavs and waste a terrific regular season record to a team who barely got into the playoffs?

We have been paying attention to the Hawks since the preseason. Josh Smith was reported to have spent a few weeks training with one of the league's most mobile big men and defensive game-changers in Hakeem Olajuwon. Josh and Joe have had their sights on the playoffs all season but making the playoffs have not been enough. After dropping the first two games by an average of 21 points to Boston in Boston, Joe and Josh turned in performances that have shocked the NBA world.

"[Coach Woodson] said I had to carry the load," said Joe Johnson, who started the fourth with a 3-pointer and finished it with two free throws with 14.3 seconds to play for a 95-89 Hawks lead. "Mike [Bibby] was setting picks and I continued to take what the defense gave me. They were going to stay with Mike and not let him get an open shot and I was just trying to get around my guy to make plays."

"People were acting like we were supposed to be some charity case but we felt all along that we belonged," said Smith, who finished with 28 points, 12 in the fourth quarter, besting his previous career playoff high of 27 points from Saturday's Game 3 win over the Celtics. "They bested us in [Games 1 and 2 in] Boston. We can't erase that. But this is a series now, a real series."

So ATL now has everyone's undivided attention.

“We don’t want what happened to Dallas last year to happen to us,” the Celtics point guard said of the top-seeded Mavericks’ first-round elimination by eighth-seeded Golden State last April.

“Joe Johnson’s (expletive) the most underrated player in our league besides Rasheed Wallace,” Kevin Garnett said. “Most underrated player in our league. I give it to him, he played his (butt) off.”

Anyone else fall off their chair when Pachulia shoved his forehead into KG's? Make no mistake, the Hawks aren't taking this series lightly or planning on sitting one out. If you thought the first two blow outs were indicative of what was to come from this series, you were wrong!





Knicks Notes: Thibodeau is still my choice. When I think of the 90's Knicks, I think of their defense. Thibs was responsible for their defense and I think that with him as HC, Ewing & Oakley will still have as much of a chance at the assistant positions as if Jackson was the HC.

The coaching search is still ongoing. Ewing's still pitching a bitch and expecting MSG to give him a call out of courtesy and respect. If he wants the job BigP should get off his ass and make the call himself. Sometimes if you want something n life, you can't wait around until the right people feel they owe it to you. You gotta just jump up and take it. Still, I don't think he really wants the job. He just doesn't want to say no to it either. Who would say no? Dolan's throwing his money around like he doesn't know what else to do with it.

Mark Jackson is also on the Bulls' interview list which is reportedly set for Wednesday. Riley's won't coach the rebuilding Heat anymore (did he coach them this season?). Who wants to bet he'll jump back on the bench when they start to make noise in the playoffs again? The slick haired one is devious.