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Confidence Score Results – NFL Week 1

Jon Wagner — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 19:35:21 +0000

Each week throughout the NFL season, Jon Wagner, NYSD reporter, will be picking the full weekly NFL slate of games based on confidence scores, going from highest (most confident) to lowest (least confident) that a certain team will win. Submit your own picks in the comments section here at FRO, and see if you can beat Jon’s total confidence score each week! Here are Jon’s results for Week 1:

CORRECT, WEEK 1: 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 8, 4 ,1

WRONG, WEEK 1: 10, 9, 7, 6, 5, 3, 2

WEEK 1 RECORD: 9-7 WEEK 1 SCORE: 94 (of 136)

SEASON RECORD: 9-7 SEASON AVERAGE: 94.0

Not a great start to the season in terms of picking winners. Only 9-7 in the opening week, and I should have been 8-8. However, 4 of the 7 I got wrong were among the 6 lowest scores, and I still pulled out a score of 94, thanks in part to a horrible rule that kept me from rightfully losing 15 on Chicago. The way the Niners played shocked me, and I didn’t think the Chiefs would be that tough at home. I had my suspicions about the Cowboy offense, but I thought that unit would do a little more than it did. I thought the same about Atlanta, and Buffalo was worth the risk at 2 even though I knew Miami was better. But, that’s the fun of picking e NFL. So, send in you Week 2 picks and see if you can beat me this week!

-Jon

Oakland at Tennessee Sun 9/12 1:00pm EST

After the disastrous 0-6 start to the season last year before finishing 8-2, a home game against the improved yet still mediocre at best Raiders should get the Titans off on a winning note, especially with Vince Young –- and Kerry Collins, who’s not what he used to be –- starting things off for Tennessee this season.

Pick: Tennessee Confidence Score: 16

Detroit at Chicago Sun 9/12 1:00pm EST

Joe Paquette, Jr., a 63-year-old Lions’ fan with two arthritic knees easily became the NFL’s most devoted fan when he walked 450 miles over 17 days, from his home in Michigan to the Lions’ practice facility, just to tell the Lions in person that they needed “sisu,” a Finnish term meaning “strength of will, determination, perseverance, and acting rationally in the face of adversity.” Unfortunately for the Lions, sisu alone, sans enough talent, won’t be enough to break a 20-game road losing streak in Chicago, against a Bears team which is at home, and simply a better team than Detroit.

Pick: Chicago Confidence Score: 15

Carolina at NY Giants Sun 9/12 1:00pm EST

Hosting the Panthers has been a nightmare matchup for the Giants, who became the first NFL team in 26 years to be shut out while hosting a playoff game when they lost to Carolina, 23-0 in 2006. Last year, with a playoff berth on the line, playing for the final time in the old stadium which bared their name, the Giants were again embarrassed by the Panthers, 41-9. This time should be vastly different. The Giants still have a myriad of issues to address as the season progresses, but the early season schedule appears favorable, including their opener against a Carolina team that should be far less dangerous than in years past, after an offseason veteran purge, leaving the Panthers with the NFL’s youngest roster.

Pick: NY Giants Confidence Score: 14

Cincinnati at New England Sun 9/12 1:00pm EST

Tom Brady emerged unharmed from an early Thursday morning auto accident and he should be fine by Sunday. And, he gets back his favorite underneath target in Wes Welker, who makes the Patriots’ offense significantly more dangerous. That, along with opening at home should be enough to overcome the Bengals, even with Cincinnati’s own wide receiver addition of Terrell Owens to compliment Chad Ochocinco the way Welker will compliment Moss.

Pick: New England Confidence Score: 13

Minnesota at New Orleans Thu 9/9 8:30pm EST

The 2010 NFL season kicks off with a rematch of last year’s NFC championship game, which the Vikings should have won, if not for some costly turnovers. They outplayed the Saints last January, but with New Orleans brimming with pride and confidence after taking home its first Super Bowl title, and with Brett Favre hurting for wide receiver weapons, the Saints should be able to win easier this time.

Pick: New Orleans Confidence Score: 12

Green Bay at Philadelphia Sun 9/12 4:15pm EST

A game featuring two teams moving in opposite directions. The Eagles have moved on from the Super Bowl contending Donovan McNabb era to that of Kevin Kolb’s with questions if Philadelphia is even a playoff contender. Meanwhile, the Packers are a serious Super Bowl contender and Aaron Rodgers is a legitimate MVP candidate. This would figure to be an easy win at Lambeau, but anything can happen on the road in the NFL. Still, the Packers should open with a win at The Link.

Pick: Green Bay Confidence Score: 11

San Diego at Kansas City Mon 9/13 10:15pm EST

The Chargers usually start out of the gate slowly, but probably not here, not even on the road. Their talent advantage over the Chiefs should help them spoil the first Chiefs’ home game on Monday Night Football since 2006 and the unveiling of what Kansas City is billing as the “New Arrowhead” after a $375-million makeover.

Pick: San Diego Confidence Score: 10

San Francisco at Seattle Sun 9/12 4:15pm EST

Head coach Pete Carroll makes his Seahawk debut as former Eagle Brian Westbrook tries to show if he’s got something left in the tank to compliment RB Frank Gore. The Niners appear to be the clear cut favorite in the NFC West, and even on the road, where they only went 2-6 last year, they should send an early message to a fellow NFC West foe that they are the new team to beat in the division.

Pick: San Francisco Confidence Score: 9

Arizona at St. Louis Sun 9/12 4:15pm EST

Two new quarterback eras begin in this contest, one starts with a veteran, the other with a top-picked rookie. Derek Anderson takes over the Cardinals for Kurt Warner and Sam Bradford makes his first NFL start. Bradford looked good in the preseason, but he will have a tough job making a team that didn’t win a home game last season be more competitive, especially for a roster that includes nine 2010 draft picks and five undrafted free agents. Even without Warner, the Cardinals are the better team and should get the road win.

Pick: Arizona Confidence Score: 8

Dallas at Washington Sun 9/12 8:20pm EST

The Cowboys start their 50th anniversary season hoping it ends with them hosting the Super Bowl in their brand new “Dallas Palace.” The Redskins, meanwhile, start the Donovan McNabb regime, looking to turn things around after last year’s 4-12 season. A dangerous opener but one the Cowboys should win if they’re on their game.

Pick: Dallas Confidence Score: 7

Atlanta at Pittsburgh Sun 9/12 1:00pm EST

Pittsburgh would be the clear favorite with Ben Roethlisberger, or perhaps even with a healthy Byron Leftwich. However, with Dennis Dixon making just his second NFL start (playing in only his third NFL game), and with the once-proud Steelers’ offensive line and rushing game both on the decline, the Falcons might be going into a usually tough place to play at just the right time. With more offensive weapons with which to work, Atlanta should come away with a nice road win to start its season.

Pick: Atlanta Confidence Score: 6

Indianapolis at Houston Sun 9/12 1:00pm EST

Are you ready for some football? Well, how about a key AFC South divisional game, right from the start of the season. Over the past few years, the Texans have been the trendy pick each season to make their first trip to the playoffs. But, each year, they come up a little short. And, each year, all the Colts do is win during the regular season. This should be a tough test for each side, but until we see different, the wise move is to cautiously err on the side of history, especially with the ultra-competitive Peyton Manning itching to go this year after losing in Super Bowl XLIV.

Pick: Indianapolis Confidence Score: 5

Baltimore at NY Jets Mon 9/13 7:00pm EST

Story lines abound. Monday Night Football. The Jets play their first regular season game at the New Meadowlands Stadium. Rex Ryan against his old team, which like his current one, is a Super Bowl contender. Will the Jets in fact get one step further than the AFC title game they reached last year, or will they be more like the team that went 4-7 after a 3-0 start a year ago? And, is Baltimore poised to go further after winning soundly at New England in last year’s playoffs before adding Anquan Boldin and T.J. Houshmanzadeh to bolster the only part of its game that was really lacking. It’s tough to go against the Jets opening on Monday night with their defense and with Ryan pumping them up, but the Ravens are talented enough to barely win what should be a terrific, physical, old school football game.

Pick: Baltimore Confidence Score: 4

Denver at Jacksonville Sun 9/12 1:00pm EST

Kyle Orton has slowly been putting to rest earlier criticism during his career that he wasn’t even close to an NFL-caliber quarterback. While he’s being pushed by the quickly popular Tim Tebow for the starting job, Orton is likely to get the nod in Jacksonville and should remain the starter as long as his solid play continues. The defection of Brandon Marshall to Miami will hurt however, and RB Knowshon Moreno could miss the game with a hamstring injury. The Jaguars though, have their own problems offensively, and in a game that could be low scoring and close, the kickers could come into play. The Broncos get the edge there, with Mike Prater, who was 30 of 35 last year, including 10 of 13 from 40 or more yards away. In contrast, Jacksonville’s Josh Scobee was just 10 of 16 from the same distance and only 3 of 7 from 40-49 yards.

Pick: Denver Confidence Score: 3

Miami at Buffalo Sun 9/12 1:00pm EST

An AFC East game with each team featuring new defenses. The Bills made the switch from the Tampa-2 to the 3-4 while the Dolphins revamped much of their defense to compliment the addition of big play receiver Brandon Marshall. Miami is the better team on paper, and Buffalo could be a bad team this season, but a hunch says it takes a few games for Chad Henne and Marshall to gel while RB C.J. Spiller, who gets the starting job as a rookie after an impressive preseason, will do enough to start the Bills off with a mild upset of Miami at home.

Pick: Buffalo Confidence Score: 2

Cleveland at Tampa Bay Sun 9/12 1:00pm EST

Not even Joe Paquette might want to see this unappealing game if he were either a Browns or a Bucs fan. If he were the latter, Paquette wouldn’t be able to watch the game on TV as it will mark the first regular season blackout for a Bucs’ home game since 1997, the year before Tampa Bay moved into Raymond James stadium. Cleveland begins its Mike Holmgren and Jake Delhomme era while Tampa looks to stride forward after a rocky start with head coach Raheem Morris and quarterback Josh Freeman at the helm. In the battle of attrition been two of the NFL’s weaker teams, go with the home team, barely.

Pick: Tampa Bay Confidence Score: 1

Week 1 Confidence Ratings

Jon Wagner — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 17:59:17 +0000

Each week throughout the NFL season, Jon Wagner, FRO’s Sr. Writer At-Large, will be picking the full weekly NFL slate of games based on confidence scores, going from highest (most confident) to lowest (least confident) that a certain team will win. Submit your own picks in the comments section here at FRO, and see if you can beat Jon’s total confidence score each week! Here are Jon’s picks for Week 1:

Oakland at Tennessee Sun 9/12 1:00pm EST

Pick: Tennessee Confidence Score: 16

Detroit at Chicago Sun 9/12 1:00pm EST

Pick: Chicago Confidence Score: 15

Carolina at NY Giants Sun 9/12 1:00pm EST

Pick: NY Giants Confidence Score: 14

Cincinnati at New England Sun 9/12 1:00pm EST

Pick: New England Confidence Score: 13

Minnesota at New Orleans Thu 9/9 8:30pm EST

Pick: New Orleans Confidence Score: 12

Green Bay at Philadelphia Sun 9/12 4:15pm EST

Pick: Green Bay Confidence Score: 11

San Diego at Kansas City Mon 9/13 10:15pm EST

Pick: San Diego Confidence Score: 10

San Francisco at Seattle Sun 9/12 4:15pm EST

Pick: San Francisco Confidence Score: 9

Arizona at St. Louis Sun 9/12 4:15pm EST

Pick: Arizona Confidence Score: 8

Dallas at Washington Sun 9/12 8:20pm EST

Pick: Dallas Confidence Score: 7

Atlanta at Pittsburgh Sun 9/12 1:00pm EST

Pick: Atlanta Confidence Score: 6

Indianapolis at Houston Sun 9/12 1:00pm EST

Pick: Indianapolis Confidence Score: 5

Baltimore at NY Jets Mon 9/13 7:00pm EST

Pick: Baltimore Confidence Score: 4

Denver at Jacksonville Sun 9/12 1:00pm EST

Pick: Denver Confidence Score: 3

Miami at Buffalo Sun 9/12 1:00pm EST

Pick: Buffalo Confidence Score: 2

Cleveland at Tampa Bay Sun 9/12 1:00pm EST

Pick: Tampa Bay Confidence Score: 1

Long-Awaited Win Smells Great To Hofstra

Jon Wagner — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 18:45:21 +0000

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – The recent stench emanating from the Hofstra University men’s basketball team was a strong one, both figuratively and literally.

After losing five straight to close out the first half of a conference schedule which included only two Colonial Athletic Association wins, both against last-place Towson (4-16, 1-9 CAA), the Pride (10-12, 3-7) was sorely in need of a fresh, clean start to the second half of it’s CAA season.

Frustrated by his team’s poor play, Hofstra head coach Tom Pecora tried a new motivational tactic while seeking his first win in three weeks, since a 77-61 victory over Towson, on January 6th.

Pecora admitted, “We haven’t had practice gear in about a week because I got mad, and I said, they shouldn’t wear anything that says ‘Hofstra’ on their chest… we were starting to smell a little bit because they were wearing the same shirts.”

The perfect deodorant?

A home game with a much easier opponent on the slate.

Finishing a tough stretch of alternating home games and road contests which included three separate trips to Virginia and a fourth to Philadelphia, Hofstra’s losing streak came against five of the CAA’s top six teams, by an average of 12.4 points.

“We looked at the schedule as soon as it came out and we went, ‘Wow, what a January that’s gonna be.’ We had hoped to come out of it better than we did… the opponents we were playing were all upper tier teams… now we’ll get some home games, and the students are back, and the crowds will be better, and we can go on the road… with a little more confidence… not as many long trips.”

So, it was great timing for the unpredictable, eighth-place North Carolina-Wilmington Seahawks (7-14, 3-7 CAA) to pay a visit to the Mack Sports Complex on Wednesday night, and help Hofstra dash some cologne on its poor first half within the conference.

UNCW, which entered the game with four consecutive road losses, while dropping five of six overall, had surprisingly played better teams very tough on the road, winning at one of the CAA’s upper echelon teams (William & Mary) by one point, and losing two-point games at Virginia (second-place in the ACC), and at Richmond (a solid Atlantic-10 squad this year).

However, when their perimeter shots don’t fall, the Seahawks have also shown a tendency to be run out of the gym, as was the case before a crowd of 2,525 fans at Hofstra, which saw the Pride lead wire-to-wire in a thorough 93-54 domination of UNCW.

It was such a rout, the Pride’s first half total of 54 points –- the most in Pecora’s nine seasons as Hofstra’s head coach -– matched the Seahawks’ total for the game.

Pleased with his team’s perimeter defense, Pecora said of the Seahawks, who missed their first seven shots from behind the arc, “They can put four three-point shooters on the floor at one time, and they [only] shot 3 of 17 from three.”

Hofstra meanwhile, started hot, making seven of its first 10 shots from the field, as junior forward Greg Washington (14 points, 7-12 fg) led the way early, scoring six of the Pride’s first seven points.

Washington was one of five Hofstra players to score in double figures, the first time that happened for the Pride since five starters scored all of Hofstra’s points in a 77-66 upset win over then-25th ranked George Mason, on February 23, 2006.

The early start gave the lanky 6-foot-10 forward as well as his team, some much-needed energy at both ends of the floor. “Once I get the first shot,” Washington said, “I want to keep going and going and that helps me defensively, [and], it gets the team going.”

Joining Washington in double figures were junior guard Charles Jenkins (24 points), senior guard Cornelius Vines (15 points), freshman forward Halil Kanacevic (14 points off the bench), and freshman point guard Chaz Williams (11 points).

Pecora is hopeful that his team’s selfless play will carry over for the rest of the season. “If it was a game where one or two guys got 30 or 40 [points],” he said, “I don’t know if our confidence would rise as much as it would now, by us sharing the wealth… I think that’s important for this group.”

A jumper by senior guard Johnny Wolf (the only Seahawk in double figures, with 14 points), pulled UNCW to within 11-7, 5:07 into the game, but Hofstra scored the next 13 points, nine from three-point range (on a pair of three-pointers by Vines and a trey by Jenkins).

Hofstra extended that run to 23-2, capped by the first-ever six-point play and only eight-point trip that Jenkins could remember in all of his years of playing basketball, whether at the college level or prior.

Jenkins, who had his most efficient game of the season (leading all scorers while making 7 of 9 shots from the floor and 9 of 10 free throw attempts), scored his second straight basket on a fast break layup, to put the Pride up 28-9, with 9:21 left in the half.

Junior guard Jeremy Basnight was called four an intentional foul as Jenkins hit the floor hard after making the shot.

UNCW head coach Benny Moss was then called for a technical foul, after which Jenkins sank all four free throws for the whistles on both Basnight and Moss. Jenkins followed the foul shots with a running jumper to complete the personal eight-point possession while scoring his tenth straight point, giving Hofstra a commanding 34-9 lead, with 9:16 remaining in the opening half.

From there, Hofstra coasted. Washington’s putback gave the Pride its biggest first-half lead, 54-22, before a Wolf three-pointer made it 54-25 by halftime. Only six missed free throws (Hofstra was 13-19 in the opening half) kept the Pride from posting a 60-point first half.

Four Hofstra players (Jenkins, 16; and, Washington, Vines, and Kanacevic, with 10 each) reached double figures in the opening 20 minutes.

The lead grew to as much as 42 points on three different occasions in the second half, as Hofstra won by easily its largest margin, while recording its highest point total and shooting its best percentage (57.7 percent) from the floor, this season.

Pecora’s teams have always been about defense first, but he was encouraged by the offensive improvement against the Seahawks. “I was weened on defense and rebounding,” he said. “But, the most important statistic is offensive field goal percentage… offensively, we got better spacing, and we opened the floor a little bit.”

Still, there was plenty to like about the defense and rebounding.

Hofstra limited UNCW to just 33.3 percent (18-for-54) shooting while junior guard Chad Tomko (0-4 fg), who entered the game as UNCW’s leading scorer (14.3 ppg), was held without a point for just the second time in 86 career games, and for the first time this season.

Meanwhile, the Pride outrebounded the Seahawks, 41-30, led by Washington and Kanacevic tying each other with a game-high eight rebounds apiece. The two also combined for all of Hofstra’s 14 blocked shots, 10 of which came from Washington, to tie a school record. “That’s a very impressive statistic,” Pecora said.

Perhaps an even better number is the 170 career blocks for Washington. He now needs just nine more to break the 27-year-old school record of 178, set by David Taylor (1979-83).

Though Jenkins, Kanacevic, and Williams have developed as the core of Hofstra’s team, Pecora knows that Washington will have to expand that core by one more key piece for the remainder of the season.

“Gregory is the key to everything we do,” Pecora said. Before the game, Pecora told Washington, “Let’s play like the old days, like you were playing early in the year and late last year.”

Pecora added of his other more experienced players, “We’ve got to get those veterans playing… and taking ownership of this team. I think they had lost their confidence and I was surprised by that. It just goes to show you, [that] you can play a game on Saturday and be down 30 in the second half [at Drexel, in a 75-62 loss] and four days later, be up 30 in the second half.”

“That felt good,” he said earlier. “We haven’t had one of those, it feels like, in a hundred years. I’m happy about it. We’re back home, hopefully we can build off that. We have another home game on Saturday… we have to be consistent and we have to play at a high level the rest of the way.”

Pecora (146-123 at Hofstra), who with the win, tied Frank Reilly (1947-55), for third place on the all- school list for head coaching victories, continued to work on that even with his best player, during the waning moments of his team’s easiest win.

“During a timeout in the second half, I was getting into [Jenkins]… “I still want you to stay aggressive,” Pecora told one of the conference’s leading scorers, with Hofstra up by more than 30 points. “That’s got to be your mindset every minute you’re on the court… [because] we’re still working on becoming a better team.”

Jenkins seems to have gotten the message. On breaking the losing streak, and admiring his team’s resiliency, he said, “It feels very good. Coach always tells us that tough times don’t last and tough teams do.” But, Jenkins also understands that, “Tomorrow it’s… back to business.”

He also now realizes what it means to earn the right to wear those new, clean Hofstra practice shirts again. “We’re not just playing for each other, we’re playing for Hofstra,” Jenkins said.

Said Pecora, “They get their practice gear back… practice won’t stink tomorrow, in one sense, anyway.”

Fordham Rams Losing Streak Reaches Nine

Howard Goldin — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 20:33:07 +0000

The Fordham Rams men’s basketball team (2-14, 0-4) was in the spotlight during the past week. On Wednesday night, Fordham played its first game at the “Mecca” of basketball since 2002. The Dayton Flyers (13-3, 2-0) defeated the Rams, 74-58. On Saturday afternoon, Fordham played its first home game since December 8. The homecoming, televised by CBS College Sports Regional Network, was spoiled by Fordham’s loss to the Rhode Island Rams (14-2, 2-1), 85-67.

There was a similarity in how both games were played. The two teams battled competitively throughout the first half in each contest. Fordham’s opponents, after a lengthy scoring run, took a double digit lead that could not be overcome. The young Fordham squad was outclassed in experience and cohesiveness in each game. Fordham’s first year head coach Jared Grasso, the youngest NCAA Division I coach in the nation, replaced ousted former coach Derek Whittenburg on December 3. Grasso explained each loss with similar words. On Wed he said, “I’m proud of the effort, but we have to be 40 minutes good, not 25 or 30.” After Saturday’s game in the Bronx, Grasso opined, “They’re freshmen; they don’t know what it takes to play 40 minutes.”

Fordham trailed 16-7 at the 12:36 mark of the opening half of its rare game at MSG. An 18-7Saturday’s result at home was much the same scoring run by the Rams tied the game at 24 with 3:07 left in the half. The halftime score was a surprisingly close 31-26 in favor of Dayton. Fordham earned its only advantage of the contest, 36-35, at 17:37 in the second. Dayton them made its second half surge. A 17-3 Flyers scoring run brought the team a 52-39 lead with 12:32 remaining. Dayton reached a game-gh advantage of 21 (69-48) with 4: 34 to go in the contest.

The visitors took an early lead on Saturday, but the game was tied six times and the lead changed hands four times in the first half. Fordham final advantage of the game was the same score as its only lead on Wednesday, 36-35. It occurred with 1:36 remaining the first half. Rhode Island netted the final five points of the half to go ahead by a 40-36 score. After two more tied scores, the Rams of Rhode Island sco0red 16 unanswered points to go ahead 68-46. After a long 30-4 scoring the run, Rhode island earned its largest lead, 28 points, 76-48, The lead decreased in the final minutes, but the result was already decided.

Jim Baron, a four-time winner of the A-10 Coach of the Year Award, spoke of the reasons for his team’s victory, “I thought it was two different halves. [In the second half], I thought we did a much better job defending and sharing the ball. We played very aggressive and intense.” Grasso talked of his team’s youth and his faith in its future improvement, “Our freshmen play more minutes than any team in the country…We have to get tougher. We have to learn to fight through adversity. We’re getting better. We’re getting better than we were two weeks ago. I know we’re going to be good with these young guys.”

Knicks Flip Clips

Wire Services — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 04:31:00 +0000

NEW YORK – This one needed to be good, if only because it was the last home game the New York Knicks would play before the All-Star break. Once upon a time, the Knicks had won just two of their first ten games at Madison Square Garden; a win against the Los Angeles Clippers would produce a .500 record after 26 games.

Just as remarkable, New York –which has settled into third place- had an opportunity to move within four games back of the idle Toronto Raptors. By contrast, Los Angeles, which owns third place of the Pacific Division, trail the front-running Phoenix Suns by a whopping 14 games.

That’s how it goes for the Knicks [22-28], winners of two straight –and now eight games better than the 2005-06 team-, after stomping the Clippers, 102-90, in front of 18,539 delirious fans, who ‘waved’ in delight on Wednesday evening.

Eddy Curry and Jamal Crawford each tallied 23 points. David Lee –sporting a shiner beneath his right eye after absorbing Tim Thomas’ elbow- scored 16 points and concluded his 30^th game of 10 or more rebounds on a terrific hustle play with :32.6 seconds remaining. Stephon Marbury finished with 15 points and tossed in a game-high seven assists; it was the 26^th time he has topped New York in that category.

“Tonight, they had a line-up that was able to hit shots,” observed Elton Brand, who put in ten of his own for 22 points, with 13 rebounds. “Curry is so efficient in the paint. Crawford hit from the corner. Marbury hit a big three in the third [extending the Knick lead to 60-55].

“On our side, we tried to play unselfishly. But, we couldn’t hit our shots. That was the difference.”

While Los Angeles was outshot by less than two percentage points, a look at the stat sheet reveals another story. The Clippers [24-24] won the battle on the boards, 41-39. Their reserves outscored the Knicks’, 41-26. And, both in the paint [46-40] and on second-chances [26-10], they were superior.

The only true disparity was on the free throw line, where New York hit 36-of-44; L.A. was a paltry 14-of-20.

Earlier in the day, Isiah Thomas had spoke of his latest creation. Jerome James was set to help Eddy Curry on the defensive end, and contribute whatever he could on the offensive side. Except that, to the surprise of very few, James didn’t stay on the floor very long.

Just 3:15 into the game, he was gone, with his second personal foul. Soon, it would be Clippers 10, Knicks 1, and the beginning of a very long half. Though New York would eventually tie the game at 17, following Curry’s lay-up, Los Angeles was sparked by a pair of Thomas dunks en route to an 11-2 run over the final 2:33.

The Clips, ahead 28-19 after twelve minutes, quickly extended to a 12-point lead when Thomas, a former Knick, drained a trey. Even at the break, they were still on the long side of a 53-43 score. But, Marbury’s 12-point spurt in the third allowed New York to assume a 70-64 advantage to start the final quarter.

“They just turned it on,” said Thomas, who complemented Brand’s effort with 22 points, including six threes. “They made their shots. Tip your hat to them. They did a good job of making it a game. Then, once they got back into it, they made their shots down the stretch.”

The other Thomas, the Knicks’ coach, viewed the third quarter from a different aspect.

“Defensively,” he noted with a smile, “it was very impressive. We held them to 11 points. They were shooting well in the first half, [whereas] we were a little out of rhythm. I wanted to make sure that we were still confident and disciplined.”

Sometimes, the numbers don’t lie.

Previously, New York had won just two of 29 games when the trailed at the half. They are much more successful when holding a lead into the fourth, as they are now 18-0 when closing out a game.