Liberty City|Yao and Co. Better than the Knicks[4-3]

[Mandich]

Hi guys, as you see, I am having a shot at an association. I tried several times at Live's but my PC is really old and has a lot of problems, so running the game was a really big problem. I will play 2k9 at my PS2, so it means there won't be any in-game pictures. It will be a story of a young GM Luka Mandich seeking a job in the league, I ain't nearly as good as Sit when it comes to witting, but I ain't bad either. Which team should I chose, keep following to find out. Wish me luck guys


Starters



C-David Lee
PF-Al Harrington
SF-Gerald Wallace
SG-Quentin Richardson
PG-Nate Robinson


Active Bench



Forward-Tim Thomas
Guard-Stephon Marbury
Guard-Chris Duhon
Forward-Jared Jeffries
Forward-Wilson Chandler
Guard/Forward-Danilo Galinari
Guard-Cuttino Mobley

Inactive



Center-Jerome James
Guard-Mardy Collins
Forward-Malik Rose

[Mandich]

PROLOGUE

Beeeep

"Aww shit, time to get up"-said Luka, the main character of this association. He is an 31 year old ex-Wildcat who didn't shine as a player, but was always known by his Larry-Bird-like basketball IQ. Anyways, lets get the story started
"Hey Jessica, did anybody call"-Luka asked his girlfriend. "Yes, somebody from the T'Wolves board called, he said something like you being their scout"-Jessica said as he gave Luka his breakfast, scrambled eggs. "Hmm, what do you say babe, can I do better than a scout"-Luka asked while grabbing a fork. "Well, I don't know, there has been many coach firings lately, and the season is right at the corner, so you may get a higher offer"-Jessica was a bright girl. "Know what, I ain't just gonna sit and wait, lets give some owners a call"-Luka said as he finished his meal. "K babe, gotta run now, c ya later"-Jessica said as she rushed trough the door

Luka was trying to figure out where he would get the most money. Luka wasn't going after fame and respect, just bout money. He was in some deep depths at this guy, and he promised to return every dollar of it. As he started his PC, which was complete rubbish, he figured-"Hell yea, Sit is a GM, maybe he can get me some recommendations"-Luka reached for his cell. As Sit picked up the phone:"William Sit speaking"-"Hey there model, how is the Stealth going"-Luka asked while poking his nose. "Actually, we are the Thunder again, Gary almost got me fired dude, the crazy Lemur got the board to change the Franchise name"-Sit explained."Ahh, the Glow, how is the guy, heard he doesn't like you very much"-Luka asked like he cared. "Dude he hates me, but who gives a shit, now everybody knows he is a dick, why you calling anyways"-Sit sounded like he was in a hurry. "Dude I need a job, I tried as a freaking director but I just have every job that has nothing to do with hoops, so I was wondering make you can help your old pal, remember when I saved you from that murder charge, that was a close one"- Luka played on old wounds."Ye man, I remember, but sure I can get you hired as a scout anywhere you want, maybe as an Trainer at Seattle"-"Nah man, I pity you, you suck bigtime. Hows ma boy KD doing, hope that Westbrook kid ain't troubling him"-Luka was a close family friend of the Durant's. "Durant, dude that kid is the epidome of a dumbfuck, but the fans love him, so I guess we will keep the kid"-Sit said as he drinked a sip of water. "Ye, he is just a kid, he will mature, and when he does, NBA watch out, anyways, can you get me a job as a GM or a coach anywhere in the league"-Luka was asking for a big favor. "Whoah dude, that you wont get easily. I don't know, I could try, but no promises. Don't get excited, I probably won't get u a GM spot, or even not a HC one."-Sit was being honest. "A'ight man, so you call me later, I gotta go now, gotta pay some bills"-Luka was reaching for his Nike's. "K man, I call you later"- Sit said as he hunged up

Luka got outside the door but suddenly, he saw a guy that looked like Gary Payton lying on the floor covered with blood.
"Hello, 911, I think there has been a suicide attempt, dude ain't moving...

[Mandich]

Chapter 1: Liberty city

It was almost a week from when Luka and Sit last heard, but Sit still didn't call Luka back. Luka lost all hope that he would get any help from his ex-buddy, and was getting more nervous every day. "Honey he ain't gonna call you"-Jessica was telling Luka this all the time. "He will, I just know he will"-Luka always answered. Jessica went to work, and Luka stayed home in his apartment, all alone, sitting on his sofa by the phone, he just couldn't live with the fact that Sit will not call him. As he was about to give up, the phone rang......"Hello, Luka Mandich speaking"-Luka picked up the phone as quickly he could. "Mr. Mandich, this is Jason James, I am from the Knicks board, Mr.Sit recommended you for a job at MSG"- "Really, that is nice to hear,"-Luka jumped. "Well, I heard you were qualified for many positions"-James said. "Well I do know a lot about business, I was director of a large company once, and I also know a lot about basketball"-Luka was bragging. "Well, if that is true, maybe you can come into NY for a GM interview"-James asked "General Manager? Well I didn't know you were seeking for one, but yes, I would be honored"-Luka was jumping all over his crib. "Oh Mr. Mandich, you are just a candidate, we still have some people who could take up the GM spot, but we would like you to come into New York as soon as possible"-James explained. "Oh I see. But the trip from Orlando to NY isn't exactly cheap you now"-Luka took a seat. "Yes, we will pay you the flight, it is tomorrow at 7PM, I think you can find your way to MSG by yourself"-James said in a rush. "Well, yes I could find it, but are there any more open spots that I could fill in"-Mandich was careful. "Well we could always use some scouts"- "Ok, lets stick on the GM spot then, so I shall see you tomorrow then"-Luka said and hunged up,

He was excited, a chance of being a GM at the worlds most famous basketball club, and right in the time when he hat D'Antoni, who can basically make the team better himself without the help of the General Manager. He grabbed a glass of wine and quickly dranked it. "Liberty city, here I come"-Luka said, fulled with confidence. He didn't call Sit to thank him, Luka decided to stop any connection with him, which was suprising considering Sit basically handed a job to him...
"Aww baby that's great, we are going to NY"-Jessica was thrilled as she founded out the news. "Well, you will have to wait here Jessica,he only payed for one ticket, and besides, the job isn't mine yet, I gotta earn it"-Luka explained. "Trust me, you will, now lets get you dressed...."

The day later

"I guess we landed"-Luka said as he went for the exit. As he went out, he took a cab to drive him to the MSG. The driver was a Sloth. He was a baldy covered with scars and had terrible teeth. He smelled like shit, so did the cab. As soon as they got there, Luka payed and rushed out of the car. "Damn that guy scared the crap out of me"-Luka said to himself as he entered the MSG. He went to the receptionist's desk and asked where Mr. James is. As the boy explained him where James is, Luka skipped to the elevator and went to the office. "Ah, here he is"-said Luka as he entered the office. "Knock knock, anybody there"-Luka said as he entered. "Oh hello there Luka, please take a seat". The two shook hands and took a seat. "How was your flight"-James asked. "Well, it was ok, but I was stucked watching The Smurfs, little kid cried every time someone changed the channel"-Luka said as he took his coat off. "Yes the Smurfs, brings back memories...you know you are our last candidate, and the previous ones haven't impressed"- "Well, I hope I knock you off your feet then"-Luka smiled. "Yes, I took a look at your resume, didn't know you was a Wildcat once. what position did you play"-James asked. "Actually, I played the starting Point guard, with 6'4" I had quite trouble with smaller players"-Luka had some aces up his sleeve. "So, you finished college, you worked as a scout for the Pacers, right". "Yes, from 2005-2007"-Luka answered. "So, why did you quit the job"-James was curious. "I got an offer from a highly respected company to be their director, maybe you heard about them, "Gear", they sell sports equipment"-Luka asked. "Sure, my son wears their shoes, well there is quite some money in that business, you still working for them"-James asked. "Actually, no, the job was quite stressing, and I did some things I wasn't good at"-Luka explained. "And if we made you our GM, what would you do"- "I'd start Marbury, he ain't leaving anywhere with his fat contract if he is just sitting in the stands. Maybe get a good Center, Lee isn't a natural one"- "Well, the team doesn't like Stephon very much, what would happen with the team chemistry"-James was testing Luka. "Well, players have to adept to a life of a professional basketball player. I think they can't be the ones making off-court calls, in fact, they should give a warm welcome to Stephon"-Luka has risen to the test. The two continued chatting for another half an hour, Luka got the GM job, which was quite suprising. He called his girlfriend Jessica to tell her the news, and quickly rented a condo

[hova-]

Okay, now that went fast, but hey, you got the job. Nice to see some mixture elements with Sit's story. Especially that you are the one who found GP ^^ that is nice.

Keep it up .. dunno why there are no comments .. maybe guys get lazy after reading Sit's stuff. But keeep it up, Im lovin it

[Fresh8]

You dick. I got you a job and you never called back.

[Mandich]

hova-, Thanks for the kinds words, appreciate it

Sit, Wait and see what will happens when NY plays Seattle

[Mandich]

Chapter 2: Family meeting

It was 2 days since Luka was hired at MSG. To be a general manager of the Knicks is big, and he knew the teams chemistry has to go sky high if they want to make play-offs. Luka was sitting in his office, smoking a cigar and trying to figure out how he would rise the teams chemistry. He knew that Stephon is a big problem and he didn't really know what to do. To ask your boss is kinda stupid, he doesn't want to interrupt him just to ask what to do in a kinda stupid situation. "I'll go down the gym to ask the fellas"-Luka though as he went down to the practice gym. He knew Al Harrington was in the gym with Nate Robinson, the two became friends as soon Al came into New York. Al was helping Nate create new dunks. Luka hasn't met any of the teams players yet, but James gave him some info on what are they like. He went down to the gym to pay the two a visit.


"That is some wicked windmill kid"-Luka said to Nate as he entered the gym. "I am sorry sir, I think I don't know you"-Nate was a very polite young man. "Yes, I know that. I'm Luka Mandich, nice to meet you"-The two shook hands. "Are you our new GM"-Harrington asked. "Yes Mr. Harrington, I am. Mr. James from the Knicks board said you two are here every day, so I decided to pay a visit to the teams new captains"-Luka smiled. "Wow, me and Nate captains, but sir, I just came into New York, wouldn't this effect the rest of the team in a bad way"- "No, I think there wont be any problems. You are the best player on the team in my opinion, and Nate the most popular one. But I didn't come here to interrupt you two, just continue what you started"-Luka said as he took a seat. "Alright, watch this dunk"-Nate said as he throwed down a powerful windmill reverse. "That ain't getting you a 50, try that off a toss"-Luka suggested. Nate tried it, but he couldn't make the dunk even after three tries. As Nate continued dunking, Luka approached Al. "So, captain, could you tell me a little bit about the Marbury drama". -"Well sir, I don't know a lot about it, but I think Marbury should either play, or either get traded. He has a fat contract and currently he ain't worth shit"-Harrington was honest. -"I did it, I did it, did you see Al, did you"-Nate yelled as he throwed down a windmill reverse off a self-oop. "Ye man I saw, come over here a bit"-Harrington said. As Nate approached, Luka asked him the same question as he asked Al, and he got the same answer. "Well, I guess he is back on the bench then, but don't tell anything to the team, let it be a suprise, I want to see their reaction


Luka then went back to his office and started his laptop. He went on the teams trading block, and saw only Marbury being on it. "Lets put some other names on i"-Luka said as he added Richardson, Curry and Duhon to the trading block. Duhon is a quality player and the Knicks could get a nice Shooting guard for him. He surfed a little around other teams rosters, but didn't decide to offer a trade to one of the teams. "let them come to me"-Luka thought.He didn't want to talk with Stephon about his status, Luka just send him a text message to come to tomorrows practice, and if he doesn't, D'Antoni will let him know.


The next day...


Ring...ring..."Hello"-Luka answered the phone. "Hello Mr. Mandich, I just wanted to inform you that Stephon was at this mornings practice, but the whole team isolated him"-D'Antoni sounded concerned. "Thanks for informing me Mike, was there at the practice, or some tension between the players"-Luka asked as he went to the kitchen. "No, everyone acted like he wasn't there, I think this is getting serious"- "Don't worry Mike, they can't hate each other forever, sooner or later Marbury will start talking to the fellas, and when he does, they will forget everything"-Luka explained as he put a whole sandwich in his mouth. "Well i certainly hope so"-D'Antoni sighed. Luka didn't say nothing because of his full mouth, so D'Antoni thought he hunged up. "Stupid bastard"-D'Antoni said. "what did you say"-Luka asked. "Oh, mmm I'm just watching a soap and a guy got murdered"-D'Antoni was pissed. "Yes ok Mike, I am going to take a shower now, take care of the team, A'ight" -"Alright sir"-D'Antoni said as he hunged up.

[Mandich]

GAME RECAP

New York @ Minnesota/89-67

In the opening game of the season, the New York Knicks got an easy win over the T'Wolves. The final score was 89-67. Minnesota never got close to the Knicks on the scoreboard, so the game resulted as a blowout. It was, however, a low-scoring game. David Lee was the Jordan player of the game. He finished with 16 points, 4 rebounds, 3 blocks and 3 steals. An decent all-around display by the big man. Tim Thomas had a game high 19 points, to go with 8 boards and 3 blocks. The game was a block party, even Nate Robinson had 2 blocks, but he was also productive at the offensive end, scoring 14 points and having 3 assists. The Knicks played great defense, which was quite suprising, considering they were the worst defensive team last year. Eddie Curry scored 12 points, pulled down 7 rebounds and rejected 5 shots. A great comeback game by the big man, he has fully recovered from his injury. Chris Duhon was very unselfish. He had 8 dimes, that is very good, considering he played off the bench. He also had 12 points.

At the T'Wolves, the was no player that stood out of the rest. They had a terrible game both offensively and defensively, so the team moral has hit the bottom after this loss. Corey Brewer had 14 points and 5 rebounds, he had a decent game but shot only 4/14 from the field. Al Jefferson had a game high 13 rebounds, which combined with 12 points gives a pretty decent overall performance by "Big Al". Another notable performance is the 8 points and 8 assist game by Randy Foye.

The next game will be played at the Rose Garden, where the Knicks will pay a visit to the reigning champions, the Boston Celtics. Keep following!

[hova-]

Nice win, I guess this was pretty easy considering that the T-Wolves struggle big time in the game. Many blocks in herre ... Curry rejecting shots and grabbing boards, thats the only unrealistic thing, I guess I say that because I hate this guy. Keep it up!

[Valor]

The next game will be played at the Rose Garden, where the Knicks will pay a visit to the reigning champions, the Boston Celtics. Keep following!

small mistake, Rose Garden is the home of the Portland Trailblazers, not the Celtics.
Celtics arena is called the TD Banknorth Garden

[Fresh8]

Knicks winning is unrealistic

I'm just kidding!

[Mandich]

hova-, I hate Curry too. So keep following, I have a Curry suprise for you
Valor, Yes, thanks for noticing, I mixed Boston Garden and Rose Garden
Sit, Oh, 1 win is just a start

[kibaxx7]

Knicks winning is unrealistic

Hehe Nice game by Tim Thomas.

[Mandich]

GAME RECAP

Boston @ New York

NEW YORK (AP) --- The Knicks suprised the NBA as they downed the Celtics 90-88. It was Quentin RIchardson who hit the game winning three-ball to win the game for New York.

In a game that was full of fouls, ruff and raw plays, Boston quickly set a defensive standard which the Knicks somehow managed to follow. This game was a fight to the end, and despite the Knicks chasing the Celtics lead almost the whole game, they escaped with the win. "Quentin really got lucky. Kevin (Garnett) was right in his face when he knocked down that three. But hands down, the Knicks played great"- Bostons coach Doc Rivers was a bit disappointed that his team lost to a lottery team.

David Lee was leading the Knicks today as he took another Jordan player of the game honors. He finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 8 blocks! "I was just going up and contesting every shot I could, but now I wish I didn't, Garnett really dunked hard on me"-said Lee. Quentin Richardson, who hit the game winning shot, had 15 points, 9 boards and 5 assists. He was also very good at the defensive end, blocking 2 shots and running away with 2 steals. But when you see this next stat line, your eyes are going to fall out. Stephon Marbury played only the 4th quarter, but still managed to prove himself as a team leader. "Starbury" scored 13 points, dished out 5 assists and pulled down 4 rebounds. "I felt great man, it was like the whole team forgot everything I did, and I thank them for that. Hopefully, I maintain this rhythm I got into today"- Marbury was ecstatic. Nate Robinson, The Knicks starting Point Guard, had only 9 points, but still managed to add 6 assists and 7 rebounds to his stat line.

Boston was lead byRay Allen. Ray Ray scored 41 points in his teams loss, he also added 4 steals and 4 assists. "Man I left my heart on that court. I run as fast as I could, played Defense and contest every single shot, it is a shame that we lost"-Allen was emotional. Kevin Garnett was the teams 2nd option today. The Big ticket scored 16 points and pulled down 7 boards. He also had 2 blocks and a steal. Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo had poor games.

The next game we again play at home. the Philadelphia 76ers will come to MSG and try to defeat us. Keep Following

[Mandich]

New York involved in a trade with the Charlotte Bobcats

Luka Mandich of the New York Knicks have confirmed a two-team deal. New York sends struggling center Eddie Curry to Charlotte, an in return they get a great defensive player in Gerald Wallace. This deal can be called a mini blockbuster, because Gerald Wallace is the best player in this deal


Welcome to New York, Gerald Wallace--------------------------------------------Glad to see you gone, Eddie Curry

Now that the deal is confirmed, the Bobcats have quite a first team. Curry,Okafor,Diaw,Bell and Felton. Now that Okafor has switched back to his natural position, the Power forward spot, Charlotte has become a serious playoff-contender team. If Eddie Curry can step up and finally reach his potential, Charlotte can go deep into play-offs.

The Knicks, on the other hand, get a decent all-around player. Although they are very thin on the center position now, with only Lee and Jerome James who can play it, they have strengthen their team in their weakest spot, defense. Wallace brings at least a steal and a block per game, not to mention the fact that he contests every single shot he can.

Gerald Wallace will debut in tomorrow's game against the Philadelphia 76ers at the MSG. Keep following!

[hova-]

With Curry playing well for you its a realistic trade since the Cats now really have a team that can make the playoffs. In real life this would be ridiculous. I like the acquisition of Wallace although it leaves you with a bad partition of the different positions. Lee is just not a real C and you will notice that when you play the guys like Duncan and Yao.

Nice win against Boston btw

[Mandich]

hova-, Yes Curry played solid the first two games, but I just hate the guy, really hate him. And yes now I have only 1 true center in Jerome James, but he is a crap player so I don't have a true center. But you know I play in a way that I take many shots, and rarely play in the post, maybe just some lay-ups. And yes I killed the Celtics

[Mandich]

GAME RECAP

Philadelphia @ New York

NEW YORK (AP) -- New York is now on a streak of three consecutive wins after this one over the Sixers. The score was 110-103 for the Knicks.

The game itself was full of missed shots. New York shot 41% and Philadelphia 39%. I resulted with many rebounds and turnovers. David Lee again lead the Knicks, getting his 3rd straight Jordan player of the game honors. Lee had 26 points, 18 rebounds and 3 blocks. "That kid is the future of the NBA. He jumps higher than any big man I have ever seen"- Elton Brand said for David Lee. However, Lee was not the only player shining, Nate Robinson had 15 points and an impressing 14 assists. He was flirting with a triple-double as he had 7 more steals. The newly acquired Forward, Gerald Wallace, didn't have a particularly great game, as he only scored 9 points and blocked 4 shots. The Knicks again had many blocks and steals, so the sliders will need some adjustments. Al Harrington is really struggling, the team captain only scored 10 points, and pulled down 4 boards. "I need some time to adjust to this style of offense. We really play more on shooting than on low-post"-Harrington said post game.

Thaddeus Young had a memorable performance as he scored 29 points, including a hard dunk right on Wilson Chandler. "Man he posterized the S*** out of me".Chandler said. Young also had 10 rebounds. Andre Iguodala had 28 points and 5 assists. He was particularly hot from beyond the arc, shooting 5-6. Elton Brand was shut down by Lee, as he scored 14 points and collected 8 rebounds. Lee blocked him 2 times. Andre Miller didn't play due to injury. Lou Williams replaced him as he scored 10 points and dished out 8 assists.

[hova-]

Oh yeah, three straight. NY is rollin. Looking forward to see some slider adjustments

[Fresh8]

What colour is the players' names in?

[Mandich]

hova-, Yes, sliders adjustments gave some "results", you will see
Sit, #0040FF

[Mandich]

GAME RECAP

LA Clippers @ New York

NEW YORK (AP) -- Nate Robinson scored 24 points but it wasn't enough as the Clippers ended the Knicks winning streak as they won 11-104

In a game full of excitement and thrill, full of great moves and performances, the Clippers took the win.
It was a great game, unfortunately, the Knicks lost. The Clippers win was based on consistency and their great roster. Chris Kaman lead the Clippers with 20 points, 13 rebounds and 6 blocks. He took the Jordan player of the game honors. He delivered when he needed and only missed two shots in the entire game. Eric Gordon also had a good night. The Rookie scored 20 points and had 2 steals. "Wow, I really wasn't expecting that he would be this good"-Richardson said about the rookie. Al Thornton had a decent game overall as he scored 19 points, 14 in the first half. He also had 4 rebounds and 4 assists. The Clippers sixth man, Ricky Davis had an outstanding all-around display with 15 points, 4 boards and assists, 2 blocks and a steal. He was this game's X-factor. Baron Davis, although only scoring 15 points, had 15 assists as his team won in this one. "We played balanced, Baron was unselfish, Camby played defense (5 blocks) and Kaman scored"-said the Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy Sr.

Nate Robinson showed that he is a true warrior. He scored a game high 34 points, including 8 threes, had 8 assists and 3 steals. "Man I just gave my best, but this is basketball, its all about the team, not about the player"-Robinson was a great guy. David Lee again had a great game, scoring 16 points and grabbing 15 rebounds, he also had 5 blocks. He is however showing big signs of a I-need-a-rest. Quentin Richardson continued his balanced performances as he dropped 15 on the Clippers. Al Harrington is continuing to struggle, as he scored 4 points, and was only 2-9 from the field. He will have to prove himself fast.

In the next game we travel to Indiana to face the Pacers. Keep Following!

[Mandich]

GAME RECAP

New York @ Indiana

INDIANA (AP) -- The Knicks are 4-1 after this win over the Pacers and are looking promising under their new GM Luka Mandich. Danny Granger missed the winning shot as the Knicks won 97-96

The biggest lead a team had during this game was 6 points, when the Pacers were leading 6-0 at the start of the game. The game was full of lead changes, but Danny Granger will kill himself after this one. He had the ball 6 second before the end of the game, the score was 97-96, he crossed over the Knicks defender and went for a open lay-up. Fortunately, because of the layup missing 2K9 game, Granger missed and the Knicks won. "Man I can't understand how I managed to miss that layup, maybe i choked"-Granger said. He finished with 14 points and 4 rebounds. Brandon Rush was Indiana's high scorer, as he scored 15 points and had 2 boards. Rush was in the starting 5 and showed his coach that he can lead a NBA team, even though he is a rookie.Gerald Wallace had a game high 16 points, he also had 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks. "I finally showed that I am worth playing in a big market like this"-Wallace said.

David Lee took another Jordan Player of the game honors, as he had 10 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks. The blocking slider adjustment resulted in a positive way. Al Harrington finally woke up from his coma. He has broken the 10 point barrier for the first time in this season as he scored 14 points. He is slowly getting his confidence back. A big plus off the bench was Danilo Gallinari, the Italian scored 12 points and blocked 2 shots. Quentin Richardson, who is involved in some trade rumors lately, showed that he can put his problems aside as he scored 11 points and pulled down 4 rebounds. "The trade rumors aren't worrying me"-Quentin said confidently.

Troy Murphy had a decent game for the Pacers, as he scored 13 points to go with 6 rebounds. He had much help on the glass from his European team-mate, Rasho Nesterovic who had 14 rebounds. Rasho also had 12 points. Both teams starting points guards had a playmakers battle going. Eventually, T.J. Ford won with 10 assists. Nate Robinson had "only" 9.

In the next game we face off the Spurs, who will most likely beat us due to Duncan being bigger and better than our best player, David Lee. Keep following!

[Mandich]

GAME RECAP

New York @ San Antonio

SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- The Knicks were absolutely crushed in San Antonio as the Spurs took the win 99-85.

Bruce Bowen, my many the dirtiest player in the NBA, will surely remember this game for a long time. As Nate Robinson was going for a layup late in the fourth quarter, when the game was solved, Bowen went to contest his shot as he grabbed Robinson in midair, resulting in both players being sprawled on the ground, and Nate falling awkward on his left arm. Nate then stood up and took a swing at Bowen, hitting him right in his mouth. Both players were called technical fouls, as the game went on. "Nate behaved very unprofessionally, but I forgive him"-Bowen said after the game. Now Robinson must wait until the NBA decides how will the 5'9" guard be fined. "This was a non-needed move by Bruce, but Nate didn't have to hit him"-The Knicks GM Luka Mandich said.



Now lets get back to the game. Spurs dominated the whole game, leaded by Manu Ginobili, who flirted with a triple-double as he had 22 points, 9 assists and 7 rebounds. Manu also had 4 steals. He hit 4 threes didn't have a single foul. Bruce Bowen, today's karate man, scored 21 points and had 2 steals. Most of the points were threes, of course. He was left open many times as the Knicks defense were unable to keep up with Tony Parker's quick game. Parker scored 16 points, dished out season-high 14 assists and also had 4 steals. "The Fundamental" didn't have an outstanding game, but he didn't suck either. Tim Duncan scored 12 points and had 6 boards. "We played really good, New York's defense was awful, I must say"-Duncan criticized the Knicks. But it wasn't all that awful at the Knicks defensive end. David Lee continued his amazing form, as he became the second player in NBA history to have the so called, high 5. The only one who did it before him was Hakeem Olajuwon. Lee had 14 points, 17 rebounds, 7 assists, 6 steals and 5 blocks! "I played great today, but I am really feeling tired, D'Antoni has to rest me"-Lee said. The Knicks high scorer on this one was Quentin Richardson, the former foot-locker champ scored 18 points and pulled down 9 rebounds.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES

Player of the Game

Manu Ginobili

22 points
7rebounds
9assists
4steals

OTHER NOTABLE PERFORMANCES

San Antonio

Bruce Bowen-21pts-2stl
Tony Parker-16pts-14ast-4stl-6reb
Tim Duncan-12pts-6reb-4ast-2blk
Matt Bonner-11pts-2reb

New York

David Lee-14pts-17reb-7ast-6stl-5blk
Quentin Richardson-18pts-9reb
Stephon Marbury-12pts-3ast-2reb
Danilo Gallinari-11pts-3reb
Al Harrington-2pts/-continues to struggle
Nate Robinson-6pts-6ast-2stl-1blk

[hova-]

Tough loss, dirty Bowen .. but Nate hitting him, hell yeah that is my lil man. Keep it up. ginobili is unstoppable in this game.