Hope is a Good Thing

"Even a journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step." - Ancient Chinese Proverb.

My knee-jerk reaction to the Knicks sweep at the hands of the Boston Celtics is not to have a knee-jerk reaction.

Yes, I am incredibly disappointed they couldn't even win a single game, especially after two heart-breakers on the road. I'm more disappointed that after two close games in Boston they came to New York and dropped an egg on the home crowd, being down so much so early the crowd never really got into the game, either game.

Here is why Knicks fans should be heartened: After years of refusal the Knicks finally went with Breaking Bad's "no half-measures" policy. They scorched earth and traded everyone they could. Then they built a new team around Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony.



Two problems with this approach: Amare's questionable health and the high price paid to get Carmelo.

The Knicks obviously don't have the depth to compete with the better teams in the NBA. And they don't have a good enough point guard to distribute (and defend) though I would have loved to have seen how they did with a healthy Billups.

Here is what they do have: two legitimate scorers. For the long and storied career of Patrick Ewing the Knicks never had a suitable scorer to compliment him.

Note: John Starks does not count because he was a barely literate volume shooter.

Now they have two great forwards who if they can stay healthy and be surrounded by a good core (defensive center, facilitating point guard,) they form the foundation of a potential NBA champion.



And that brings hope to a fanbase that has had no reason to be hopeful in at least 10 years.

But it still sucks to get swept out of the playoffs.