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Phil Jackson is officially the president of the New York Knicks! Regardless of your feelings about the Knicks, it is just great to have Phil back in the NBA. Will Jackson’s basketball brilliance help the Knicks get a win tonight against the Pacers who have been the top team in the East all season? Maybe, but probably not. The Knicks will have to play even better than they have been playing during their six game win streak.
The Pacers are on a four game win streak, but are not playing quite as well as they were at the beginning of the season. For the Knicks to try and make a playoff run, this is a big game for them. The Knicks are still on the outside looking in. Despite having a strong first game for the Pacers, Andrew Bynum did not travel to New York and will not play in tonight’s game. Pacers head coach Frank Vogel said Bynum aggravated an old injury and will receive treatment instead. Knicks center Tyson Chandler who had missed a few games for personal reasons, will start tonight.
While having Phil Jackson may help the Knicks in the long term, it is unlikely it will have any impact on tonight’s game. The Knicks still do not have enough fire power to combat all of the scorers on the Pacers. Jackson himself admitted the Knicks need a shooting compliment to Carmelo Anthony that they do not currently have on the roster. Tim Hardaway Jr. is having a great rookie year, but for some reason head coach Mike Woodson still starts JR Smith instead of him. Knicks vs. Pacers- who you takin?
