Mike D’Antoni was introduced as the new Knicks coach at MSG today, simply stating he was excited to be here before answering questions from the press. D’Antoni defended his reputation as a coach who didn’t emphasize defense saying that his teams averaged 58 wins over the past four years which means “our team was the best defensive club on the floor 58 nights a year”. He went out of his way to praise Donnie Walsh......

The revelation that Bruce Ratner, would-be Atlantic Yards developer and Nets owner, has been secretly discussing selling the team to the owners of the New Jersey Devils, has put Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz’s athletic reputation on the line. Newark mayor Cory Booker, who would love the team to come to the Prudential Center in his town, has offered to settle the fight for the Nets with a simple, winner-takes-all game of hoops: Cory vs.......

It may have come a year too late, but Isiah Thomas is no longer President or coach of the New York Knicks. Donnie Walsh announced Friday afternoon that he had relieved Thomas of his coaching duties saying, "The bottom line is we haven't won and the team didn't look like it was motivated to try to win and compete. Those were the reasons. A new coach is necessary to change direction of the team." Clearly,......

His team tied the franchise record for most losses in a season. He assembled a mass of costly players that were long on extra pounds and short on ability to win games. He was found liable on six counts of sexual harassment. The day after Isiah Thomas' Knicks played the final game of the 2007-08 season -- a loss of course -- the coach and the rest of the world are still waiting to learn......

Rangers 5 Devils 3: There is justice in the hockey world. One game after inadvertently deflecting the winning goal for the Devils off of his skate, Marc Staal scored the winning goal for the Rangers. Staal’s slap shot beat Martin Brodeur through the five-hole with three minutes left in regulation of a 3-3 game and gave the MSG crowd another chance to serenade Brodeur. Staal’s goal was one of the many highlights for the Rangers,......

Above photograph of Mets manager Willie Randolph (center) with Jackie Robinson's widow Rachel (left) and daughter Sharon (right) and below photograph of Governor David Paterson throwing the ceremonial first pitch of the game by Kathy Willens/AP Mets 6 Washington 0: It was a great day and night at Shea. During the day, Rachel Robinson, Jackie’s widow, toured the Jackie Robinson Rotunda at Citi Field and described it as “walking into a cathedral in a......

Photograph of Jamal Crawford, David Lee, and Stephon Marbury watch the 4th quarter of the Knicks-Celtics game by Ed Betz/AP Of all the local fan bases, the Knicks' -- and not the pessimistic Mets' -- supporters have earned a reward. They got just that with free concessions during Monday's loss to Boston (what else is new?) on fan appreciation appreciation night in the season's final home game. Knicks marketing SVP Howie Jacobs explained, "We......

Yankees 8, Rays 7: Three home runs helped give the Yankees a six-run cushion, but the fourth gave them the final margin of victory. Johnny Damon showed signs of life by starting the game with a homer, and Alex Rodriguez followed with a solo shot of his own in the first inning. Morgan Ensberg got into the act an inning later, and Ian Kennedy appeared to have clear sailing ahead of him. He left the......

Rangers 2 Devils 1: If you were under the impression that these teams like each other, this game should clear that misconception up. New York and New Jersey spent sixty minutes Friday hitting and scrapping and when it was all over the Rangers had a huge victory and a big advantage in the series. Jaromir Jagr got things started with an amazing shot that beat Martin Brodeur off the short-side. Sean Avery scored only 23......

Photograph of the Rangers' Ryan Callahan putting a puck pasting Devils goalie Martin Brodeur by Bill Kostroun/AP Rangers 4 Devils 1: Don’t let the score fool you, this was a close game for about 57 minutes. New York got on the board first thanks to Brendan Shanahan, but New Jersey answered with a power play goal from Paul Martin. The game remained tied until the 7:23 mark of the third period when the Devils......

Phillies 5, Mets 2: In a game that was a microcosm of last season, the Mets held a lead against the Phillies before surrendering it in inglorious fashion. Entrusted with a 2-0 advantage in the seventh inning, Scott Schoeneweis -- who was booed during introductions -- allowed three runs and only recorded one out. Of course, he didn't get help from Carlos Delgado, who hit Chase Utley in the back on what may have......

Photo Nate Robinson, Eddy Curry, and Stephon Marbury during a March game against the Miami Heat by AP/Frank Franklin II Are the Knicks under Isiah Thomas the worst team in the history of sports? According to New York Magazine, they just might be. Jeff Coplan’s piece offers the most complete and depressing summary of the Knicks during the Dolan era. From designating Knicks as “the Church of Lowered Expectations” under Dolan to describing the......

File photo of Knicks coach Pat Riley, left, and Patrick Ewing, during the media day on Oct. 10, 1991 by AP/Richard Harbus The little children out there may have trouble remembering it, but the Knicks were once good. In fact, they even played in the NBA Finals in 1994. Patrick Ewing did all he could, but when John Starks went 2-for-18 in Game 7, he helped keep Ewing on the Dan Marino list of......

Tampa 6 Yankees 3: After five games the biggest question in Yankeeland is what happened to the offense? 15 runs scored in five games is not what anyone expected from this team, but that’s where the Yankees stand thanks to some anemic hitting. It’s a collective slump with every regular not named Abreu, Rodriguez or Cabrera struggling. Some of the noteworthy failures right now are Jason Giambi is 1-for-12 (.083) Johnny Damon 2-for-18 (.111) and......

After eight days of negotiations, the Knicks and former Pacers president Donnie Walsh agreed to a deal that will make Walsh the team's president of basketball operations. That means the much-loathed Isiah Thomas, currently the Knicks' president and coach, will have a smaller role -- if any role -- with the organization, but the exact details of his situation remain to be seen. Knicks fans who have had enough of Thomas -- all of......

Marlins 5 Mets 4 (10 innings): Forget the final score, the biggest news was Pedro Martinez grabbing his left leg after a pitch in the fourth. Pedro later told reporters he felt a “pop” and will head for a MRI shortly. Needless to say, “pop” is not a good thing for a pitcher to feel and it seems very likely that Martinez will be heading to the DL. For how long remains to be seen,......

Penguins 3, Rangers 1: As the playoffs draw nigh, people are beginning to wonder if the Rangers will be able to make a run when the second season starts. As almost everyone knows, the regular season in hockey doesn't prove anything. The Stanley Cup playoffs are where statements are made. If the Rangers were trying to tell the league something Sunday, it must have been, "We take a lot of penalties and can't score." Playing......

Phoenix 110 Nets 104: The Nets almost pulled it out in a topsy-turvy game, but the Suns proved to be too much. The Nets jumped out to a 10-point lead after one quarter, but Phoenix came back and took a one-point lead at halftime. The Nets got as close as a three-point deficit in the fourth quarter, but they simply couldn’t get over the hump. Vince Carter had 32 points in the loss.Philadelphia 4 Islanders......

Toronto 103 Knicks 95: The march to the end continued with another loss and another lack of defense. Zach Randolph didn’t play again (wink wink) but surprisingly Randoph Morris spent the night sitting on the bench. It’s clear from things like the 18-minute shoot-around the other day that Isiah simply doesn’t care anymore. And while that isn’t necessarily a surprise and may not even cost him a job in the organization, it is disappointing to......

Knicks 103, Heat 96 (OT): Jamal Crawford led the Knicks with 24 points as they defeated a Miami Heat team stocked with talent like Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal Chris Quinn, Mark Blount and Earl Barron. That the Knicks needed overtime to beat the NBA's worst team at home should be a big embarrassment. Such a dramatic win saved the Knicks their longest home losing streak ever -- it would have been eight -- and......

Could it really be true? Is our long nightmare really over? It certainly seems that way as multiple reports state that Donnie Walsh has decided to become the Knicks' President, agreeing to a three-year deal worth around $15 million. Any remaining Knicks fans are probably saying 'thank you' to Donnie Walsh right now. Why Walsh would put his reputation in jeopardy and his retirement on hold to run the Knicks isn't entirely clear, but maybe......

Photograph of the Nets' Vince Carter trying to keep the ball from the Knicks' David Lee by Seth Wenig/AP Nets 106, Knicks 91: At this points, with Knicks fans just assuming defeat, the Nets picked a good time to avoid embarrassment and finally take down their rivals. Vince Carter had 27 points and Richard Jefferson poured in 26. New Jersey has faint playoff aspirations. They probably won't make it, but at least they have......

Timberwolves 114, Knicks 93: More losses = more balls in NBA Draft Lottery. That may be the best gift Isiah Thomas can give the Knicks before this season is over (a resignation would probably be better). In a match-up featuring two of the NBA's worst teams, the Knicks managed to come away as the loser, dropping their 11th of 12 games. Shockingly, at 19-50, the Knicks haven't been eliminated from playoff contention in the Eastern......

Flyers 4 Rangers 3 (Shootout): Do you judge success by the final score or the effort it took to get there? Clearly, the final score is a disappointment, but when you consider the Rangers were trailing 2-0 with less than 10 minutes left, getting a point is somewhat of a victory. New York got back into the game with goals from Marek Malik and Nigel Dawes, but fell behind 3-2 when Daniel Briere scored at......

Rangers 2 Devils 1 (Shootout): These were two HUGE points. Thanks to a Dainius Zubrus goal in the first period, the Devils jumped out to an early lead. Both teams settled in and played smart, defensive hockey and it looked like that one goal might hold up. But, Ryan Callahan made a great move from behind the net and he threaded a pass across the crease that Chris Drury deposited into the net with under......

Rangers 5, Penguins 2: Sean Avery seems to have a fan club. He scored two goals to earn himself a "Re-sign Avery" chant as the Rangers bounced back from consecutive losses in Florida to down the Sidney Crosby-less Penguins. Now, you may say, isn't beating the Crosby-less Penguins like beating the Jordan-less Bulls? That's almost true. Besides, no one will care when if those two points help the Rangers to a better seed and home-ice......

You've got your bracket filled out for the NCAA Tournament and you wanna cheer on the team you picked to win it all. But where does one go to root with like-minded fans? A new map from Mapfaced solves your problem! They have a list of 33 schools and the corresponding bars that will welcome your Carolina Blue, chant "Hoya Saxa!" with you, or enjoy your off-key singing of "On, Wisconsin!" Mapfaced even has......

The Knicks keep finding new and interesting ways to lose. Monday’s 110-98 loss saw them shoot the lights out from three-point range, hitting 47%, but miss a lot of shots from inside the arc, hitting less than 40%. Zach Randolph had a nice game, scoring 21 points and pulling down 14 rebounds while Wilson Chandler continued his development with an up-and-down night that saw him score 15 points. But, the real news of the day......

Hawks 109, Knicks 98: Maybe the national champion from the NCAA Tournament should play the Knicks at the end of the regular season. The Knicks would probably win, with probably being the key word. They made 15 of 28 free throws in this one against the Hawks, That, combined with a 3-of-16 performance from outside the arc and generally atrocious defense, led to another predictable result. The Knicks have won 19 games all season. The......

Tampa Bay 3 Rangers 0: The Rangers decided to truly represent New York and went to Florida this weekend for some rest and recreation. They certainly didn’t play a lot of hockey, losing Friday and then mailing it in on Saturday. They only managed 20 shots and while Henrik Lundqvist made some big saves, he couldn’t bail New York out when they needed him most. The loss leaves the Rangers only four points ahead of......