Kobe Bryant just came up with a 61 point performance in leading the Lakers to a 126 to 117 victory over the Knicks.

As long as Mike D’Antoni is the coach of a bad Knicks team then high scores will abound, but there is definitely something special about scoring 61.

Kobe’s New York moment turned out to be a once-in-a-lifetime thrill ride as the league’s reigning MVP poured in 61 points – the most ever by any player at the Garden – in the Lakers’ 126-117 victory.

King, the former Knick, held the previous Garden record of 60 points set on Christmas Day 1984. Jordan’s 55 points on March 28, 1995, were the most by an opposing player.

The movie director Spike Lee, who 14 years ago dubbed Jordan’s performance as the “double-nickel” game, paid homage to Bryant by calling his masterpiece the “Roger Maris,” in reference to the late Yankee’s 61 home-run season in 1961.

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Man, just think of all the great players that have played in Madison Square Garden.

61, unbelievable.

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Man, today there was this crazy thought rolling through my head. What if the Pistons had kept Chauncey Billups and Iverson had stayed on the Nuggets?

Nowhere to go with that thought, so how about taking a look at how some of this player movement and coaching movement is working out?

Chauncey Billups from Detroit to Denver
Denver is 7 – 3 in their last 10 games and in 1st place

Allen Iverson from Denver to Detroit
Detroit is 4 – 6 and in second place.

Ron Artest from everywhere to Houston
Houston is 7 – 3 and in 1st place

Jermaine O’Neal from Indiana to Toronto
Toronto is 3 – 7 and dead last in the Atlantic Division

Rick Carlisle to coach Dallas
Dallas is 8 – 2 but only in 4th place in the Southwest

Terry Porter to coach Phoenix
Phoenix is 5 -5 and in second place behind the Lakers

Mike D’Antoni to coach the Knicks
3 – 7 and 4th place in the same division as the Celtics

Mo Williams to Cleveland
9 – 1 in the last 10 and first place over the Pistons

This is a fun one
Elton Brand from L.A. Clippers to Philadelphia
Baron Davis from Golden State to L.A. Clippers
Corey Maggette from L.A. Clippers to Golden State

76er’s 4 -6 3rd place
Clip’s 2 – 8 5th place
Warriors 1 – 9 but still in 3rd place

Which just begs the question, what if Chauncey Billups had never left the Pistons?
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What are the Knicks thinking?

Sometimes you have to just cut your losses and move on. Are the Knicks listening?

No, it seems not.

The New York Knicks have no plans to do anything with Stephon Marbury, except pay him his $21.9 million salary and give him a great seat to watch all their games.

Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni and team president Donnie Walsh said that they will not waive, buy out or trade Marbury. They also will not let him play in games, unless there is an injury to their top three guards, Chris Duhon, Jamal Crawford and Nate Robinson.
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Stephon Marbury will be a free agent at the end of the year. Get rid of him. Even if all your guards were injured and could not play, do you really want to go to Stephon Marbury?

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Chris Duhon shows his passing ability

This one had to hurt.

One of my favorite hoop players to watch, but one of my favorite players to not have on my team, Stephon Marbury has lost the battle for starting point guard.

That was Mike D’Antoni’s explanation yesterday on why he has all but chosen Duhon as the New York Knicks’ starting point guard over Stephon Marbury . Duhon has looked barely adequate at best during three preseason games, but that hasn’t stopped D’Antoni from glowing.

D’Antoni’s most detailed support of Duhon came two days after Marbury said “I’m a starter, period,” following the Knicks’ preseason loss to Philadelphia.
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Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski was the Olympic coach and D’Antoni was an assistant and has influenced Mike D’Antoni in this area.

“It’s not like we’re coming off a championship,” D’Antoni said.

“(There’s) some gut feelings,” D’Antoni added. “People underestimate Duhon. I think he’s a really good basketball player and what he does is win. But I don’t want to compare him to Steph. I don’t think it’s fair.”

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Zach Randolph only equals a Darko and a Marko?

How can this even be a real trade?

Memphis is looking to trade Darko and Marko? What? Come on.

No, as reported in Hoopsworld, …

The deal, which has been on the table for quite some time, had the Knicks sending Zach Randolph to the Grizzlies for Darko Milicic and Marko Jaric. As we’ve discussed at length in this space, the positive for the Knicks in what would otherwise seem like a lop-sided trade, would be the possibility that Mike D’Antoni’s expertise with European players might be just what Milicic needs to finally arrive as a productive NBA player.

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Zach’s value went down under Isiah Thomas and could go up under Mike D’Antoni or could not. Anyway, that seems to be the holdup on this trade. What is Zach really worth?

By the way, go to Hoopsworld. It is a fun read.

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Can nice guy Mike D’Antoni give the New York Knicks the discipline they need?

Image details: New Orleans Hornets v Phoenix Suns served by picapp.com

A tale of two coaching changes and a true mystery as to what is going on.

Donnie Walsh of the Knicks hired Mike D’Antoni to be coach of the Knicks.

Donnie Nelson of the Dallas Mavericks hired Rick Carlisle.

So please explain what is going in here.

Let’s start with D’Antoni, who was fired by the Phoenix Suns.

For New York, this is a mistake.

Wrong coach, wrong time.

The Knicks need toughness.

Discipline.

Accountability.

On his best day on the job, D’Antoni brings none of these elements to Madison Square Garden. Basketball doesn’t need to be fun in New York. It doesn’t need to be entertaining. Most of all, New York wants tough, relentless teams. In the Western Conference, you need to win with style. It sells tickets. It gets people out of warm weather into an arena. This isn’t necessary in New York. It takes the perfect personnel to run, and that isn’t there today, tomorrow – maybe never.

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Jimmy Dolan and Isiah Thomas left the Knicks with a boatload of big contracts that will keep bad players trapped in New York. Worse yet, they are not in the style of D’Antoni. He likes his teams to run, pass, and shoot quickly. The Knicks just like to ball hog.

Can D’Antoni survive in New York if he starts losing and can’t switch any players?

Rick Carlisle

Coach Carlisle is the type of coach that like to script out the plays. Chauncey Billups once remarked that they knew exactly what they would run in the last two minutes of any game. Carlisle will sometimes call all the plays from the bench. Will the wide open playing Dallas Mavericks be able to even wait for the signals.

Carlisle is also a master of defense. He preaches one on one principles and does not like to double team. Does this mean Dirk Nowitzki will have to play defense?

Donnie Nelson, the Mavericks’ president of basketball operations, said in a statement that Carlisle was “our top choice from the onset.”

“His integrity, exceptional basketball IQ and balanced approach are exactly what we were looking for,” Nelson said. “Rick’s playoff experience and success make him a great fit for our team and its future.”

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Rick was great with the Pistons at winning with very little in terms of star power, but he eventually wore out his welcome and the Pistons got rid of him and hired Larry Brown.

These are strange hires, even by the good old boys standard.

Can D’Antoni win with selfish players?

Can Carlisle win with offense first players?

Tune into the NBA next year to find out.

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