The Doom Machine (3/13): Fortuitous Bounce

With 116 wins combined between the last five opponents and over 60 games played by each team, the Knicks have done very well against the equivalent of your favorite Entemann's snack. The only team above .500 among this collection of victims is Minnesota and they are barely holding on to their decency at 32-31. But last night, Spero Dedes correctly noted that this same brand of draft lottery dream teams had handed the Knicks some head scratching losses earlier in the season. Our Knicks, because you have to claim them when they're bad, have played well below expectation while hitting the low notes with passion.


The streak may continue against the sarcophagus that is Milwaukee on Saturday. Indiana is sandwiched between the aforementioned Bucks and a 76ers team that insists on losing. Winning two out of the next three is not only possible but probable, yet these are the 2013/14 Knicks we speak of. As a fan you are constantly reminded that there is no climb to a peak without an equally long drop into a valley.

But just when you had made previous arrangements to call it quits and focus on subjects of more consequence to your survival, the Knicks fight their way into headlines. They do this not only to remind you of their existence, but to slip you the poison pill that was spat out with the flipping off of Jeremy Lin's contract: that little death capsule is hope.  

Jackson, McGuire and Frazier.

Hiring Phil Jackson will at the very least bring his philosophical leanings towards empathy and compassion on board. Maybe life is an RPG and the Knicks have been playing it with too much muscle and no healers. (Heal us Phil, heal us.) Maybe James Dolan's ego will shrink when the zen master calmly asks for control. The universe's placing of Dolan and Jackson so close to one another is in itself a dichotomous experiment; this is a perfect True Detective season two duo.

At best, Jackson will perform exceptionally well for someone who has no experience in the position he is filling. The fire and brimstone of a March 19th protest outside of Madison Square Garden may be reduced to some sign holding, chants and early resignation from fans who simply want Dolan gone or silenced. With their appetites calmed by the hiring of a basketball messiah it is no longer about this season, making the playoffs, or just keeping Carmelo Anthony. Jackson is a walking body of work we would see ourselves forced to give time and space to operate. Whether or not it is foolish to believe this is the beginning of something great is yet to be seen. 

If impatience is your guiding light be happy about the winning streak. No one truly knows how this season will end now that the cogs have randomly started moving us forwards. Thanks for the winning streak and glimmer of hope, jerks. Although, if you are impatient there is a good chance your towel was thrown in weeks ago. So, I cannot wait for the fidgety lot of you to meet Phil, a man who meditates.

Reserving judgment is the antithesis of the seduction traps placed by "click on this link" writers who have said yes or no to the Jackson hiring without his having served a day on the job. It may be the high road we should take as fans of a team that has always opted for the easier way out. A change of philosophy for a team that plays for a city hellbent on motion may neither be immediately rewarding or disastrous. But one thing is for sure: strange times lay ahead.   

- Alex Moran (@MoonbeanMarcos)