There is much more on the line tonight in the game between the Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks than just a win or a loss. Especially for Knicks Coach Mike D’Antoni and Suns Coach Terry Porter. It may seem like just an average regular season game on the surface, but really its a clash of styles that will one day soon be another small piece of evidence in the never ending debate between fast break or half court play.
Mike D’Antoni is a proud man, and i’m sure he’d love to stick it to his old boss Steve Kerr and give him a big fat “I told you so” with a high scoring game that results in a New York Knicks win. Conversely, i’m positive that Terry Porter would love to have a nice low-scoring affair with Shaq punishing the small front line of the Knicks, resulting in an important win for the Suns, and Porter’s defense of his boss’ honor.
Personally either way I think it should make for an exciting game with lots of emotions. I love the way the New York Knicks have been playing ever since the trades that brought in Al Harrington and Tim Thomas. Harrington has been a big time scorer as of late in the D’Antoni system, and Thomas has provided a nice spark off the bench. There has been a lot of talk this weekend, into today about how Steve Nash doesn’t appear to be happy since the trade of his buddy Raja Bell for Jason Richardson. My guess is Nash will be just fine in a few games when he sees how easy it is to throw lob passes to Richardson from almost any angle. Richardson is a high flier like Shawn Marion, but with a better shooting touch and more all around technical ability.
One of the most interesting stories I want to see play out however will be the undersized center David Lee for the Knicks attempting to guard the gargantuan Shaquille O’Neal in the paint. It will be a modern day David vs. Goliath battle, huh?
