Amar'e Stoudemire (photo. King Lawrence)

Game 3: New York Knicks at Atlanta Hawks

Two second-tier East teams that both have an affinity for playing low-energy Sunday games. That is until Anthony Carter came along. When both sides looked like it was time to slosh away the third quarter and hope the hangover subsided for the fourth (all three sides if you include me), Carter forced some turnovers, grabbed some boards, and (gasp) made a few shots. Yes, Amar’e was great, Carmelo was unselfish and Landry Fields now has a teardrop tattoo for killing the rim in the second quarter, but the key to the Knicks’ future will be energy guys like Jared Jeffries and Carter willing them through their lulls. On a day where New York played a team that needs guys just like them more than anything, they were the difference.

Fleeting thought: Jamal Crawford added to his NBA-record 33 four-point plays in this game. This means that historically he’s better than anyone at pretending he just caught a Klitschko jab to the dome after shooting a corner trey. Congratulations.

Lasting thought: While it does look like D’Antoni is getting a better feel for his new team, there’s a definite nervousness out there that this new construct might be getting into the nasty habit of playing to its competition. With ‘Melo, New York is 3-1 against over .500 teams (with two big W’s on the road) and 0-2 against the Cleveland Cavaliers. This past Sunday, the Knicks held All-Star power forward Al Horford to four points. Friday night’s Cavs game saw every power forward on Cleveland’s roster score more than 15. I just took another Pepto and chased it with gasoline.

Game 4: Boston Celtics at Milwaukee Bucks

Sorry Milwaukee, but I’m not sure if the Bucks really mattered so much in this game. I’m always down to check in on Brandon Jennings‘ development, but I’m not super worried about it. America came to watch the new-look Celtics tonight and judge accordingly. Personally, I like ‘em a lot. As much as I love guys like Kendrick Perkins (solid post defenders who rebound but can’t score), I refuse to buy the wild overrating of them that happens in today’s NBA coverage. Let me be clear about this: I want them on my team, but I don’t want to pay them $10 million a year. In the first five minutes of this game, Nenad Krstic showed us just how tough it is to play a team that you need to account for all five guys on the offensive end. He also showed us that it’s possible to have two syllables, but just one vowel in a word. The Celtics straight coasted to this win.

Fleeting thought: There was a sweet cut to Rondo and Pierce sitting on the bench in the second quarter, where the level of disinterest in their faces was straight palpable. My caption: “Bored.” The Celts have officially gotten into playoff coast mode. We’ll see you in May.

Lasting thought: Boston’s second unit for much of last night was comprised of Avery Bradley, Ray Allen, Sasha Pavlovic, Jeff Green and Troy Murphy. Their collection of role players look almost nothing like they did two weeks ago – obviously minus Ray-Ray. It’s just wild to think that a team that was a quarter away from winning an NBA championship last year and in first place in the East right now would get that shook up at the trade deadline. Do you really want to spend the last 20 games of what may be the last real run for an aging team getting acclimated to two new starters and four new guys? I like that the Lakers stood pat. Don’t need a whole lot on top.

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And what did I need? After four games, 11 hours and a steady stream of black coffee, I just needed a shower. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to pitch a story where I’d be actively watching a day’s worth of basketball the day after my 25th birthday. Or maybe it was. After it was all over, there were only two things that mattered to me: soap and running water. Thanks for tuning in.

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