The Toronto Raptors are looking to put the finishing touches on the franchise’s best season ever. In the third-last game of the campaign, the Raps head to New York to take on the woeful New York Knicks.
New York is a disaster (again), stuck in the basement of the Eastern Conference (again), with controversy surrounding one of the NBA’s marquee franchises. The Knicks storylines over the past week or so:
- The Knicks are rumoured to be interested in Raptors GM Masai Ujiri to replace Steve Mills, despite hiring Phil Jackson to be Team President for $12 million a year for five years in 2014
- Reports say Jackson wants to retain interim head coach Kurt Rambis, the coach who wants Porzingis to post up more, the coach who is 9-17 at the helm of the Knicks and owns a 41-149 (.216) record over his past three head coaching stints
- Carmelo Anthony had to tell Rambis to play the young guys instead of taxing the veterans down the stretch of a lost season. Melo played 38 minutes in a 14 point loss five days later.
What a tire fire.
The story:
This game is essentially meaningless. The Raptors have the second seed wrapped up and the Denver Nuggets own New York’s first-round pick if it is higher than their own. (Toronto owns the lower of the two, shouts to the legendary Andrea Bargnani trade.)
New York is nursing a couple injuries, including a shoulder strain for Kristaps Porzingis. Jose Calderon is not expected to play either.
Luis Scola and Delon Wright did not travel. The 35-year-old Argentine is just getting some rest, but Wright has a hip pointer. For what it’s worth, The rookie was grabbing his left hip after the final play of the Pacers game.
Toronto beat the pants off New York last time around. It was a 122-95 whooping, Lowry had a triple-double and the Knicks were generally healthy.
Who plays?
With three games left in Toronto’s season, head coach Dwane Casey could rest the studs. It makes sense on paper: Toronto cannot move up, Lowry and DeRozan are 3rd and 8th respectively in minutes played per game, and the 905ers were great against Indiana on Friday.
Toronto has some incentive to take this seriously. Carroll is back from the knee injury and this is the closest thing to a real NBA roster he will see before the playoffs. All games help take the rust off, but guarding Melo is a better re-acclimatization game than whoever the Nets or Sixers (RIP The Process) will throw out there.
What to watch for:
The celebrities? Norm Powell? Robin Lopez’s weird hook shot? The final Raptors match-up of Sasha Vujacic’s NBA career?
I don’t know, man. This one is a struggle. There’s the “Saturday night in NY” hangover effect maybe?
The Knicks still use the triangle offence. In this NBA, that is like using dial-up when high-speed internet is widely available. Some NBA die-hards wrote this team off weeks ago and avoid watching them at all costs.
But hey, blow outs are fun. Let’s hope we get to see one for the good guys.
Details:
Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
Location: Madison Square Garden
Network: Sportsnet
Radio: FAN 590
Betting lines: Raptors -3.5, T: 195.0
