It was as good as a regular season could get last night, the Knicks tried to make a statement while the Celtics were about .02 seconds away from having their streak snapped. The game was a little over-hyped to begin with, but it still answered some pretty important questions lingering in the minds of Boston and NY fans alike.
1. Is Amare Stoudemire a feasible MVP candidate?
Although it may seem like he is, if you reed between the lines you'll see at this point, he is not in serious contention for MVP. The Knicks are currently are tied for 5th place in the East with Atlanta, since the Hawks beat them, they currently own the tie breaker. That means that the Knicks are 6th in the inferior Eastern Conference. That is not sufficient for the MVP this season, this is a very competitive season and there are too many players to be considered for the award. Dirk Nowitizski has the Mavs winning 10 of their last 11, they are 2nd in the West and they have beaten some formidable opponents (such as Boston). Dwight Howard is in serious contention based on his numbers alone, 20-12-2blks and still the greatest defensive presence in the league. I like Derrick Rose for the MVP too, he's top 5 in scoring top 10 in assists and the Bulls are among the East elite. Sorry, Amare but unless you can get the Knicks well above 50 wins and/or a top 3-4 seed for the play-offs, you will not be the MVP.
2. Are the Knicks a legitimate threat to the Celtics to win the Atlantic Division or maybe even the Eastern Conference?
Not at all. They don't have the depth, talent or experience to beat Boston in any series right now. Last night for most of the 4th quarter the Knicks were fighting just to hold off the C's and preserve their lead. They were fired up at home and tried to make a statement. Don't expect every Celtics-Knicks to be like last night, at least not until Melo comes. Like I said they are 6th in the East, during their winning streak the only good teams they beat were Denver and New Orleans. At best, they can pull off a first round upset, but not against the Celtics. One of my friends, said the Knicks scared him. Boston fans, the Knicks should not scare you. Chicago should scare the shit out of you, if not this season, then in seasons to come.
3. Is Celtics v. Knicks a rivalry?
If you even have question whether it is a rivalry or not, it is not a rivalry. Nobody is questioning if Celtics-Lakers, Spurs-Suns and Lakers-Spurs is a rivalry. The idea of the Knicks and Celtics being rivals is based on classic rivalries between Boston and New York in other sports. Specifically football and baseball. The Patriots and Jets are bitter rivals that compete each year for the AFC East, and of course, the most intense rivalry in all of professional sports, the Red Sox and Yankees. While people may perceive the Celts and Knicks as rivals, truth is, the 70's (post-Russell Era) is the only decade where both teams have been contenders at the same time.
They met three times in the play-offs during that era in 1969, 1972 and 1973, Boston winning the first New York winning the last two.I consider myself a basketball historian but unfortunately being born in '89 I was brought up during the Jordan era so I cannot speak of this rivalry empirically (sometimes Larry and Magic make me wish I was born in 1979). So I asked my father if he had ever considered New York and Boston basketball rivalries. He shook his head and replies "Nahh, L.A. and Detroit, those were the big ones." So Knicks and Celtics at the most, were a rival of circumstance.This is analogous to the Nets-Celtics rivalry in the early 2000's when Jason Kidd and the Nets passed through the Celtics twice on their way to consecutive Finals appearances. When and if the Knicks get Melo and are potential contenders, they could be "rivals" but once again, it will be circumstantial.
So for the teams, no this absolutely is not a rivalry there have been younger rivalries of far greater historical significance such as the Lakers-Spurs, or Detriot-Boston . For the cities of Boston and New York, yes it absolutely is a rivalry Boston and New York are the major metropolitan cities in Northeast and are arguably the two most successful sports markets as well.
Tomorrow, I will be posting notable NBA rivalries, stay tuned.
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