While Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks were busy celebrating their NBA championship, James Dolan and Mike D’Antoni toasted to a coup of their own. David Stern announced Wednesday that the Knicks would be allowed two basketballs per possession this upcoming season.
“It’s pretty controversial, sure, but you have to remember that I haven’t tipped the scales in the Knicks’ favor since fixing the 1985 dra … I’m doing it for the fans” Stern said on a conference call.
Not everyone around the league, however, thinks it’s fair. One high ranking Western Conference executive said on condition of anonymity: “It’s not fair.”
Recent simulations by ESPN.com’s John Hollinger have taken the additional ball into account and project the Knicks to finish third in the Eastern Conference. Although their scoring increased by 40 percent, Hollinger tempered his optimism based on the fact that the Knicks would still be forced to play defense.
“As much as this will help our offense shoot more threes, I love that it’ll distract people from focusing on what I’m doing to Amar’e’s knees. This should give them something to talk about.”
By Vin Conzo. Image by Pat Lamorte
