Emotion Win For New York Over The Heat
Carmelo Anthony gave New Yorkers a salute, then a show.
He went to center court before the game to thank fans for coming to Madison Square Garden, when even the Knicks themselves didn't know if people were ready for sports yet.
Then he and his teammates provided a win for their city they know has lost so much.
Anthony had 30 points and 10 rebounds, and the Knicks gave suffering New Yorkers something to cheer with a 104-84 victory over the Miami Heat in their storm-delayed season opener Friday night.
"Over the last couple of days, we didn't even know if this game was going to be played. Then before the game we look up and they say they canceled the (New York City) Marathon, so it was like, we have to go out there and play," Anthony said. "So today was something to give New York a couple hours of some peace. Come to the game, support us. We gave them a good show out there tonight, that's the least that we can do."
In the first sporting event in New York since Hurricane Sandy, the Knicks dominated a game the Heat players weren't sure should even be played with the region still so devastated. But the Knicks hoped they could provide a distraction for a few hours, and fans who were able to watch surely loved what they saw from a team that could barely compete with Miami last season.
Anthony noticed plenty of empty seats when he first came out to warm up, then saw they had almost all been taken by the time players returned for the opening tip.
"I think this win meant a lot for us, for the city, fans, you know, just everybody in New York," guard Raymond Felton said. "This was a big win, so I'm happy we got it."
Steve Novak, a non-factor against the Heat in last season's playoffs, added 17 points off the bench and Felton had 14 points and nine assists to begin his second stint with the Knicks.
LeBron James scored 23 points for the Heat, so impressive in a season-opening victory over Boston on Tuesday but never really in this one. Dwyane Wade, who thought the game should be postponed, finished with 15 points and Chris Bosh had 12 points and 11 rebounds.
The Heat beat the Knicks in five games in last season's first round, and at least for one night New York appears to have closed the gap on the champs.
But the focus surrounding this one had little to do with basketball.
Knicks players said Thursday they weren't sure what kind of crowd to expect with many New Yorkers in such bad shape and perhaps unable to travel to the game with the city's transit system crippled. New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg even decided late Friday afternoon to cancel Sunday's marathon.
But Madison Square Garden was packed with a sold-out crowd of 19,033 and lively from well before the tip right through their loud cheers when Rasheed Wallace, retired the last two seasons, entered with about 3 minutes left.
"Right from the get-go you could tell there was a difference in energy, disposition, quickness to the ball (on) both ends of the court," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "They played a very good basketball game. Got us on our heels pretty much the whole game and we weren't able to recover from there. We have to move on. We're clearly much better than this."
Anthony took the microphone before the game and told fans that this was the "most important time for the city of New York to come together as one and build the city back up." Then there was a moment of silence for the victims of the disaster.
It wasn't long before it was loud again.
Anthony hit two 3-pointers in a 10-0 run that gave New York a quick 11-point lead, and he followed six consecutive points by JR Smith by pulling up for a long 3-pointer and a 30-12 lead with 1:14 left in the first quarter. Anthony was even further away when he tossed in another 3 at the buzzer, capping his 16-point period and giving the Knicks a 33-17 advantage.
The Heat couldn't get the deficit into single digits in the second, but were within 55-44 at halftime following 13 points from Wade after his scoreless first period. Anthony was 1 of 9 in the second after hitting six of 10 shots in the first.
But he had consecutive baskets in the Knicks' run of seven straight points early in the third, and the lead grew to 75-52 on Novak's 3-pointer with 3:12 remaining in the period. New York was ahead 81-63 heading into the fourth.
The Knicks' scheduled opener at Brooklyn on Thursday night was postponed, and Heat players thought this game would be, too. Wade was so sure the Heat weren't coming to New York that he didn't even bother to pack until after practice Thursday.
Miami flew afterward and finally arrived in New York after a three-hour bus ride from nearby Newark, N.J. Seeing all the traffic as New Yorkers tried to recover, Wade wrote on his Twitter account that the game shouldn't be played, a feeling he reiterated Friday morning after the Heat's shootaround.
"If we're in a car and we're in traffic for three hours, what are other people who are really affected by this, what are they doing? How are they getting around, how are they moving, et cetera?" Wade said. "So it was just like, come on man, we shouldn't be here to play a basketball game. If anything, we should be here to do something to help the city."
He decided Friday to donate his game check, around $210,000 before taxes, to relief efforts.
The Knicks finished 19 of 36 from 3-point range. Wallace made one with 41 seconds left.
Game notes
The Madison Square Garden company is donating $500,000 for storm relief and is hosting a telethon on MSG network during the Knicks' game against Dallas on Nov. 9. MSG chairman James Dolan said he was glad Friday's game was taking place, believing it was good for the city and that many people had told him they were either coming or planned to watch on TV. ... The Heat announced Friday they will unveil a banner to commemorate James' gold medal with the U.S. basketball team Saturday before they play the Denver Nuggets. It will be displayed alongside three others for players who won Olympic gold as members of the Heat -- Wade, Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway. ... Marcus Camby sat out after missing most of the preseason with a sore left calf. He recently returned to practice, but Knicks coach Mike Woodson said Camby hadn't gone through enough contact workouts
He went to center court before the game to thank fans for coming to Madison Square Garden, when even the Knicks themselves didn't know if people were ready for sports yet.
Then he and his teammates provided a win for their city they know has lost so much.
Anthony had 30 points and 10 rebounds, and the Knicks gave suffering New Yorkers something to cheer with a 104-84 victory over the Miami Heat in their storm-delayed season opener Friday night.
"Over the last couple of days, we didn't even know if this game was going to be played. Then before the game we look up and they say they canceled the (New York City) Marathon, so it was like, we have to go out there and play," Anthony said. "So today was something to give New York a couple hours of some peace. Come to the game, support us. We gave them a good show out there tonight, that's the least that we can do."
In the first sporting event in New York since Hurricane Sandy, the Knicks dominated a game the Heat players weren't sure should even be played with the region still so devastated. But the Knicks hoped they could provide a distraction for a few hours, and fans who were able to watch surely loved what they saw from a team that could barely compete with Miami last season.
Anthony noticed plenty of empty seats when he first came out to warm up, then saw they had almost all been taken by the time players returned for the opening tip.
"I think this win meant a lot for us, for the city, fans, you know, just everybody in New York," guard Raymond Felton said. "This was a big win, so I'm happy we got it."
Steve Novak, a non-factor against the Heat in last season's playoffs, added 17 points off the bench and Felton had 14 points and nine assists to begin his second stint with the Knicks.
LeBron James scored 23 points for the Heat, so impressive in a season-opening victory over Boston on Tuesday but never really in this one. Dwyane Wade, who thought the game should be postponed, finished with 15 points and Chris Bosh had 12 points and 11 rebounds.
The Heat beat the Knicks in five games in last season's first round, and at least for one night New York appears to have closed the gap on the champs.
But the focus surrounding this one had little to do with basketball.
Knicks players said Thursday they weren't sure what kind of crowd to expect with many New Yorkers in such bad shape and perhaps unable to travel to the game with the city's transit system crippled. New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg even decided late Friday afternoon to cancel Sunday's marathon.
But Madison Square Garden was packed with a sold-out crowd of 19,033 and lively from well before the tip right through their loud cheers when Rasheed Wallace, retired the last two seasons, entered with about 3 minutes left.
"Right from the get-go you could tell there was a difference in energy, disposition, quickness to the ball (on) both ends of the court," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "They played a very good basketball game. Got us on our heels pretty much the whole game and we weren't able to recover from there. We have to move on. We're clearly much better than this."
Anthony took the microphone before the game and told fans that this was the "most important time for the city of New York to come together as one and build the city back up." Then there was a moment of silence for the victims of the disaster.
It wasn't long before it was loud again.
Anthony hit two 3-pointers in a 10-0 run that gave New York a quick 11-point lead, and he followed six consecutive points by JR Smith by pulling up for a long 3-pointer and a 30-12 lead with 1:14 left in the first quarter. Anthony was even further away when he tossed in another 3 at the buzzer, capping his 16-point period and giving the Knicks a 33-17 advantage.
The Heat couldn't get the deficit into single digits in the second, but were within 55-44 at halftime following 13 points from Wade after his scoreless first period. Anthony was 1 of 9 in the second after hitting six of 10 shots in the first.
But he had consecutive baskets in the Knicks' run of seven straight points early in the third, and the lead grew to 75-52 on Novak's 3-pointer with 3:12 remaining in the period. New York was ahead 81-63 heading into the fourth.
The Knicks' scheduled opener at Brooklyn on Thursday night was postponed, and Heat players thought this game would be, too. Wade was so sure the Heat weren't coming to New York that he didn't even bother to pack until after practice Thursday.
Miami flew afterward and finally arrived in New York after a three-hour bus ride from nearby Newark, N.J. Seeing all the traffic as New Yorkers tried to recover, Wade wrote on his Twitter account that the game shouldn't be played, a feeling he reiterated Friday morning after the Heat's shootaround.
"If we're in a car and we're in traffic for three hours, what are other people who are really affected by this, what are they doing? How are they getting around, how are they moving, et cetera?" Wade said. "So it was just like, come on man, we shouldn't be here to play a basketball game. If anything, we should be here to do something to help the city."
He decided Friday to donate his game check, around $210,000 before taxes, to relief efforts.
The Knicks finished 19 of 36 from 3-point range. Wallace made one with 41 seconds left.
Game notes
The Madison Square Garden company is donating $500,000 for storm relief and is hosting a telethon on MSG network during the Knicks' game against Dallas on Nov. 9. MSG chairman James Dolan said he was glad Friday's game was taking place, believing it was good for the city and that many people had told him they were either coming or planned to watch on TV. ... The Heat announced Friday they will unveil a banner to commemorate James' gold medal with the U.S. basketball team Saturday before they play the Denver Nuggets. It will be displayed alongside three others for players who won Olympic gold as members of the Heat -- Wade, Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway. ... Marcus Camby sat out after missing most of the preseason with a sore left calf. He recently returned to practice, but Knicks coach Mike Woodson said Camby hadn't gone through enough contact workouts
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Zab And 50 Talk Business
Judah told ESPN.com on Tuesday that he had meetings in New York with 50 Cent -- Curtis Jackson is the real name of the rap star -- on Monday and Tuesday as they continued to negotiate a deal.
"I just left 50," Judah said. "He's a very interesting person. I've spent a lot of time with him when he was in (Las) Vegas (where Judah lives). We've been friends. I've been knowing 50 for a long time. His brain for business is phenomenal. We met Monday and (Tuesday). When you're doing big things it takes time. Anything that comes fast is not worth it. We're planning on doing it big.
"I like what 50 brings to the table. It's a great game plan. I think it will be a very good situation that will play out in boxing. It'll be something new and fresh."
50 Cent recently received a promoters license in New York for TMT Promotions -- "The Money Team," named after what his partner and pal Floyd Mayweather Jr. calls his crew -- and is in the application process in Nevada.
Judah said his contract with Main Events had run out and that he was a free agent. So will he be joining 50 Cent?
"Why not? I'm a free agent and I'm hearing my options, but TMT is the ideal place," Judah said. "I know it's a good place."
TMT Promotions is either in discussions with or has already signed fighters such as former featherweight titlist Yuriorkis Gamboa following his contract settlement with Top Rank, super middleweight contender Andre Dirrell and featherweight titleholder Billy Dib of Australia.
And there is, of course, Mayweather, who is scheduled to be released from jail on Friday following a domestic abuse conviction. Whether Mayweather will have TMT, which he is part owner of, promote his fights or he will continue to work with Golden Boy Promotions remains to be seen. Golden Boy has promoted all of Mayweather's fights since 2007 even though there was never a long-term contract between them.
"The team is phenomenal," Judah said. "It's gonna be a dream team to have Zab Judah, Floyd Mayweather, Dirrell, Gamboa, Dib all in one circle."
Judah declined to go into any specifics related to 50 Cent's plans.
"I don't know if can tell that. I can't let it out of the bag," Judah said. "But 50 is a boxing promoter. It's 100 percent real and he's got big plans."
Of his own impending deal with the company, Judah said, "It'll be done. In the coming days. We're just waiting on 'Money May' to come home (from jail)."
Judah (42-7, 29 KOs), 34, said there were no hard feelings between him and Kathy Duva's Main Events. Main Events was his original promoter and then, after years apart, they reunited in 2010. Duva was instrumental in helping guide Judah to his third junior welterweight title in 2011. After losing it to Amir Khan in a unification bout last July, Duva secured Judah -- also the former undisputed welterweight champion -- a title eliminator against Vernon Paris. Judah knocked out Paris in the ninth round on March 24 to become titleholder Lamont Peterson's mandatory challenger.
Peterson's hold on the title is tenuous as he awaits a licensing hearing in Nevada following his positive drug test. If Peterson is licensed, Judah is supposed to be his next opponent. If Peterson is not licensed and stripped of the title, Judah would be ordered to face the IBF's next leading available contender, Mike Alvarado.
"My contract with Main Events was up," Judah said. "Kathy is a great promoter and she did a phenomenal job with my career and bringing me back but we came to the height of our situation. It was great for both of us and I give her and everyone at Main Events 100 percent respect. This is just business. I lived out the contract that we did and now I have this chance with 50."
It's Looking Slow For The Money Team
The breakup, rumored for weeks, was announced by 50 Cent on Twitter on Thursday. It means featherweight titlist Billy Dib, one of the fighters who 50 Cent signed, will make his next defense on the undercard of Miguel Cotto's fight against junior middleweight titleholder Austin Trout on Dec. 1 (Showtime) at Madison Square Garden in New York.
50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, announced during Mayweather's two-month summer incarceration for domestic abuse that he had formed TMT Promotions, which is short for "The Money Team" and is what Mayweather calls his entourage. 50 Cent and Mayweather were going to promote fights together, and 50 Cent also strongly hinted that the company would promote Mayweather's fights instead of Golden Boy Promotions, which has been promoting Mayweather's events since 2007.
TMT Promotions was licensed by the New York State Athletic Commission in July, and 50 Cent signed multiple fighters, including undefeated former unified featherweight titleholder Yuriorkis Gamboa, Australia's Dib and super middleweight contender Andre Dirrell.
But 50 Cent said that he and Mayweather are no longer working together, tweeting, "TMT IS OVER. The Money team is no longer a team. So it's SMS Promotions. That's it. That's all."
SMS Audio is the name of 50 Cent's headphone product line.
50 Cent also tweeted, "I'm no longer a part or down with TMT Promotions. If anyone wants a Money Team jacket I'm selling mine for a dollar. The (snap) back hat comes with it. That's a (fair) price.
"Get your TMT sweat suit NOW!! For just $7.99 online No shipping and handling. I move the fighters to SMS Promotions 'cause the other half of the money team didn't put up (their) MONEY$."
Leonard Ellerbe, one of Mayweather's advisers, could not be reached for comment.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission is expected to approve 50 Cent's application for a promotional license at its monthly meeting in mid-November -- the date is not set yet -- according to commission executive director Keith Kizer.
The application process began in June with 50 Cent and Mayweather named as the two principals in the company. However, Kizer said on Sept. 19 that he received an email from 50 Cent's representative saying that Mayweather would no longer be part of the venture. On Tuesday, Kizer said he received a letter from 50 Cent's attorney saying the company would now be called SMS Promotions instead of TMT Promotions.
50 Cent also tweeted that Dib (35-1, 21 KOs) would make the third defense of his 126-pound belt against Cotto-promoted Puerto Rican prospect Jayson Velez (19-0, 14 KOs) on the Trout-Cotto undercard.
"We negotiated and agreed to terms for the fight for our fighter, Jayson Velez, to challenge Billy Dib," Gaby Penagaricano, Cotto's adviser, told ESPN.com. "It is not signed yet, but we have agreed on the terms. It shouldn't be any problem. We are just putting it all down on a contract. We've been discussing and negotiating it over the past several days."
Penagaricano said the fight would be part of Showtime's telecast.
"It is definitely one of the fights on the telecast on regular Showtime," he said. "We are working on a third fight, but it has not been decided yet. We are working with (Showtime Sports general manager) Stephen Espinoza on that, but (Dib-Velez) will be on Showtime."
50 Cent also tweeted what promoter Top Rank said earlier this week -- that Gamboa (21-0, 16 KOs) would face Miguel Beltran Jr. (27-2, 17 KOs) on the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez IV undercard on Dec. 8 (HBO PPV). Gamboa-Beltran will be for a vacant interim junior lightweight title.
Top Rank was Gamboa's promoter until earlier this year. Gamboa, who is friendly with Mayweather, was unhappy with Top Rank, which led to 50 Cent buying out his promotional contract for seven figures. Now, Gamboa is reunited with Top Rank after it made a deal with 50 Cent to put him on the card.
Top Rank is also working with 50 Cent to put Dirrell on the undercard of the Nonito Donaire-Jorge Arce junior featherweight title fight it is in the process of finalizing for Dec. 15 in Houston. Dirrell (20-1, 14 KOs), who was part of the Super Six World Boxing Classic before dropping out because of an injury he suffered in a disqualification victory against Arthur Abraham in March 2010, has only fought once since
Knicks Nets Game Reschedule
The game will be televised nationally on TNT.
The league originally wanted to go on with the game as scheduled, but New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg recommended that it be postponed.
"Mayor Bloomberg informed us this afternoon that after further analysis of the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy that he felt it was in the best interests of the city of New York, the teams and our fans that we postpone the Knicks-Nets game scheduled for Thursday night," NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement Wednesday. "Our thoughts are with all those affected by this devastating storm."
The rescheduled date is far from optimal. It will be both teams' fifth game in seven nights.
The Knicks begin their season Friday night against the Miami Heat, not sure what to expect when they take the floor but hoping it helps their devastated city in some way.
The Knicks know that with the difficulties fans are facing, it may not be the usual packed house that would be expected for a marquee matchup against the team that knocked them out of last season's playoffs. But they're ready to play.
Forward Steve Novak says: "Either way, it will be great to be in the building."
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