Rant #729: Extinguished

Seemingly everyone in New York loves the Knicks.

Sure, there is a "new" team in town, the Brooklyn Nets, but everyone knows that the Knicks own New York, and have for 60 years.

When you talk pro basketball in New York, you mean the Knicks, no one else.

And when the Knicks are good, they are the only professional sports team in town to galvanize the fans to stand behind them.

I am a huge Yankees fan, but when the Yankees are good, you still have plenty of Mets fans who could care less. And the same goes for our football and hockey teams, too.

But when the Knicks are good, they are the talk of the town.

Well, they are currently the the talk of the town now, but for all the wrong reasons.

After a tumultuous regular season, where they pretty much walked out on coach Mike D'Antoni and saw him replaced with the highly capable Mike Woodson, with "Linsanity" defined and stamped out seemingly in one fell swoop, and with an assortment of injuries that would keep a lesser team down, the team somehow found its way into the playoffs.

Their opponent, the Miami Heat, are so much better than the Knicks that it's ridiculous.

But the Knicks had a chance to do something in this series, even though they were two games down.

They were going home, and anyone who has ever seen a Knicks game at the Garden knows how loud it can get there. The fans really are the team's sixth man.

But after a second loss to the Heat on Monday, forward Amare Stoudemire, one of the team's leaders, decided upon himself that the Knicks are not only down and out, but dead, too.

Being frustrated with his team's play against the Heat and his own play, Stoudemire took it out on a glass enclosed fire extinguisher, which he punched in a tantrum tantamount to a kid punching his pillow when Mom won't give him any more candy.

The problem is that the pillow pretty much takes what you give it. The glass enclosed fire extinguisher doesn't budge.

Stoudemire has lacerations on his left hand, and a small muscle in the hand had to be repaired via surgery. He is out for Game 3 and probably out for the playoffs, period.

What a boneheaded thing to do.

When Stoudemire came to the Knicks, he was looked at as the savior. As the Mets of basketball--a perpetual also ran with two world championships in all its decades of existence--the Knicks had been a joke for years. With Stoudemire coming on board, the Knicks, all of a sudden, became very attractive, a fun if still under-talented team to watch.

Stoudemire became a huge force, having an excellent regular season, and being an MVP candidate.

He was the first piece of the puzzle, and with numerous other personnel changes, Anthony came on board. This was supposed to be the start of something big.

The Knicks made the playoffs for the first time in years last year, and fizzled out against the hated Boston Celtics.

This year was supposed to be better, but the strike-shortened season and a lot of inner turmoil kind of spoiled things, even though the team managed to rise above all the nonsense and make the playoffs.

But Stoudemire wasn't the same player this year. Due to an assortment of injuries and personal problems, he had a poor year.

But the Knicks made the playoffs, and the series with the Heat could provide him a showcase to redeem himself.

Now he goes ahead and does what he did.

What a fool.

During his early days in the league, Stoudemire had a bad reputation as a moody, but very talented, player, very immature for his age. He barely got out of high school, never played in college, and some looked at that as a reason for his immaturity.

But coming to New York seemingly changed all that.

But it really didn't, did it? He is still very immature, based on this act.

And now, if you didn't know it already, the Knicks are dead in the playoffs, and Stoudemire might have played his final game with the Knicks.

He was shopped around during the season--including as part of a proposed Dwight Howard deal--but nothing materialized. He has a huge contract, and that put some other teams off.

But if the Knicks sweeten the pot with some cash, I am sure they might be able to move him during the summer.

He has damaged his reputation beyond repair in New York, and as I said before, the crowd in Madison Square Garden can get very loud--even when they boo.

And they will boo Stoudemire next season, you just know they will.

Maybe there is a silver lining to this cloud, but right now,  I don't see it.

Maybe the Knicks can win a game or two at home, but against the trio of James, Bosh and Wade, I severely doubt it.

But you never know.

But whatever the case, Stoudemire's act was not only boneheaded, it was selfish. No, he didn't mean to do what he did, but he did what he did, so that is that.

Oh, to be a Knicks fan! You really have to dig down deep, and the Knicks are going to have to do that too.

But to me, the Knicks' season went up in smoke when Stoudemire punched that glass enclosed fire extinguisher.

I am sure that the remnants of that thing will sell for a lot on eBay.

Tomorrow, I have some personal business to attend to, so I won't be writing a Rant. But I will be back Friday.