Miguel’s Friday Thoughts

Welcome to another edition of Miguel’s Friday Thoughts. Today we are going to focus our attention on the Knicks and their latest addition.

Jeff Hornacek is the newest head coach for the New York Knicks. This is not a news that brings a smile to my face. He had a decent record with the Phoenix Suns, but that’s not the biggest thing that we need right now. The Knicks need talent on their roster with fresher legs. I don’t know what Phil Jackson is thinking. The only great move he did was drafting Porzingis. What else has he done since? Absolutely nothing. You mean to tell that you didn’t even bothering looking into Tom Thibodeau or even Mark Jackson, whom by the way is a New York native? Both of these guys would’ve been a much better fit over Jeff Hornacek.

The Zen Master is way too caught up in the triangle offense. Yes, it helped him win 11 championships but the system is not going to work forever and for everyone. The system is outdated. Stop being so stubborn, Phil! I’m pretty sure Carmelo is losing patience and feels extremely disappointed that Phil can’t keep his promise. I’m a Knicks fan and I will always be a Knick fan, but Melo needs to stop dreaming and waive his no trade clause and go somewhere else to compete for a championship. I hate when he see very good players waste their prime years and not win anything. I hope I get to see guys like him, Chris Paul and many other players compete for a championship. These guys don’t want to look back and say “what if”.

It just gets more and more depressing as a Knick fan to see nothing BIG happen during the offseason. All I can hope for is for someday to see a winning atmosphere  at the Garden like it once was back in the 1970s.

Miguel’s Friday Thoughts

Welcome to another edition of my one and only “Miguel’s Friday Thoughts”. I will touch on the Eastern and Western Conference Semifinals of the NBA.

We start things off on the Heat/Raptors series. This is by far the best series of the semifinals that we are witnessing. Both Games 1 and 2 went to overtime. In Game 1, Kyle Lowry tied the game at regulation from a half-court heave shot which left me and many viewers in shocked. In overtime, the Heat came out furiously and scored eight quick points on the Raptors. They came back to make the game close again, but Wade and the Heat managed to seal the deal in the end. In Game 2, Heat looked absolutely careless with the ball. They committed 20 turnovers in the first half, while only committing 11 turnovers in Game 1. Jonas Valanciunas became a huge reason in Raptors offense in Game 2. He finished off with 15 points, 12 rebounds. Nine of his 15 points came in the fourth quarter. As for the Raptors backcourt of Lowry and DeRozan, their struggles continues in the series. DeRozan missed five of his seven free throws in Game 2, which is very uncharacteristic of him. Raptors are going to need so much more from Lowry and DeRozan. When your All-Stars are struggling, it affects the entire team especially from the offense standpoint.

Warriors are still playing great without Steph Curry. They have a 2-0 lead against the Blazers. The Blazers offense was great for the first three quarters and lead as many as 18, but the Warriors never quit. They have too much resiliency and heart. They stepped up on defense and left Damian Lillard scoreless in the fourth quarter. Warriors rallied back in the fourth to win the game. Curry won’t be able to play in Game 3 but there is a possibility he can return for Game 4. I don’t see the reason why he should be playing at all in the semifinals. He needs his knees and ankles so much in order to face of the winner of Spurs/Thunder for the Western Conference Finals.

Speaking of Thunder and Spurs. There is no question that the Spurs got robbed on that last call at the end of the game. Dion Waiters clearly pushed Manu Ginobili in a inbound possession something that I have never seen before. Referees later admitted that they missed the game. Although, the series is tied, Thunder has a chance to respond even louder for Game 3 in their home court. This could also be a statement game for the Spurs because they don’t want to trail in the series against the Thunder. They need to stop giving the ball so much to LaMarcus Aldridge. He’s been great in the series, but like Dion Waiters said, “one man can’t beat you.” It takes team work and ball sharing alongside with defense to beat the Thunder.

Cavs are easily taking the Hawks like if they are a little league baseball team. The Cavs are making it seem as if the Hawks don’t belong in the same league as them. Hawks should be extremely embarrassed for allowing the Cavs to make 26 3-pointers in Game 2. If I were the Hawks, I cannot allow that kind of embarrassment again and have to find a way to avoid to get swept AGAIN. If you are going to go out, then go out with dignity.

 

 

 

Lions Comes Up Short Against Quakers

The season is winding down for the Columbia Lions. It’s been a season full of ups and downs. Ivy League title hopes? Well, let’s not get too ahead of ourselves here now. Lions first need to take care of business against Penn, which they didn’t exactly do that in Game One of their doubleheaders.

Quakers got the best out of the Lions early on in the game attacking four runs in the first. All came in with singles and doubles. Lions starter Josh Simpson was struggling heavily out their. His command wasn’t good enough to put away Penn’s bats. The damage continued in the second inning when catcher Tim Graul smacked a 2-run homer to increase the lead 6-0. Graul would pick up an RBI single to extend the lead 7-0 in the fourth.

Columbia was held to just three hits through the first six innings. However, things got a little interesting in the seventh and final inning. Senior Logan Boyher hit a home run off the videoboard in left-centerfield to lead the frame off and put the Lions on the board. Few moments later, with two men on base, Robb Paller hits a 3-run homer to right field to cut the run deficit to three, but it was a little too late. Quakers would hold on to beat the Lions 7-4 in Game 1 of the doubleheader.

Simpson finished the season with a 2-4 pitching record. He allowed eight hits, six earned runs with two strikeouts.