On with the Conflict

Remember the days when the Bulls invading the Knicks in a dimly lit MSG was a bigger deal in the Big Apple than the upcoming Dave Matthews Concert on Nov. 12 in the Garden? Whether or not you have a "Satttt-a-liiiite, in your eyes" or are simply just blocked by the bumper to bumper traffic on 8th Ave. in Manhattan getting to the game is irrelevant--its clear to see the rivalry has transpired. Granted, the franchises are different, the personnel is different, and most importantly, the feel is different. The days of Patrick Ewing patrolling the paint in double-thick wristbands, drenched in more quarts of sweat than a lonely divorcee waiting for the dial-up connection on his home desktop so the google image results of Blake Lively can boot up are over. The best there ever was (MJ-23) has been replaced with a budding talent (no pun intended, budding Rose, get it? amirite?) teamed with the pieces to bring the Bulls back to prominence in the Eastern Conference. On the other bench, the Knicks are slowly recovering from the chaotic imbroglio that Isaiah caused during his tenure at the helm for New York. Still, someone needs to show both teams a tape of game 3 of the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals (just watch the first minute) before tip-off.

But, many of you will say the NBA is in an entirely different era. Charles Oakley has been replaced with a guy who actually wears "Oakleys" while he plays (Amare), and Eddy Curry's $11 million salary is eating away (no pun intended)at the competitiveness of the rivalry. I agree with you. Spike Lee probably won't even be in attendance tonight as the Knicks and Bulls square off in the early regular season. On second thought, he's probably filming another humdrum, 3 hour HBO documentary like "If God's Willing and the Creek Don't Rise" that can cause even Adderall induced adolescents to nod off. Where does the bad blood go?

If anything or anyone can rejuvenate the rivalry and pump some passion back into Chicago vs. New York, it's Joakim Noah. The Bulls' pony-tailed power-forward leads the league in rebounds per game and isn't afraid to take a jab at an opposing city, or player. In fact, he's a competitor--he enjoys getting booed. But, there's a cop for every criminal, and this story needs someone for the yanks out East to side with. The roll John Starks played to perfection a decade ago is now vacant and is interviewing applicants to hold the position. Wilson Chandler has the state of mind to lash a hard foul. I mean come on, the guy has a shoe deal with PONY, he's not necessarily weighing his options. Even Timofey Mozgov's headshot fits the description of a foreign villain, and his commy routes lead back to the USSR. I suppose we can all hope to see a few shades of red tonight that aren't part of the Bulls' uniform.

As for Pick of the Day, the Suns were one point away from covering last night as they lost by a deuce to part-time Olive Garden chef Manu Ginobili and the ageless San Antonio Spurs. For tonight, the Pulse Man likes the Thunder getting 5 points in Portland taking on Brandon Roy and the Blazers.

Pick of the Day: Thunder (+5) @ Blazers, THUNDER (-105)

Record:(28-23-0)


Now I'm done. Rack Me

Frost