Liam Flynn
Years ago
Coach Flynn's US Blog 4 - Liam and the Knicks
"Da da da na na, da da da na na, da da da na nana - Start Spreading the news, I'm leaving today. I want to be a part of it - New York, New York"....
Hi Folks,
I am writing this blog from NYC, the second last stop in my US trip. From a purely travelling perspective - if you havent been here before then get down to your nearest Flight Centre and book a trip becasue it is AMAZING! From a sporting perspective, there are no better cities in the world that can offer so many diverse opportunities for quality viewing -Yankees, Jets, Mets, St Johns Uni, High School basketball and of course the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. That's were I was last night...and I must say that its everything yu think it would be and then some.
Last night the Knicks played the Duncan-less Spurs in a game which may have been one of the worst outside shooting displays that there ever has been on a basketball court. The night was still an entertainment spectacular - cheargirls, celebrity sightings (Denzel and Spike) interactive competitions, awesome music etc plus I was only five rows from the court sitting next to the players race (about two metres behind where Isiah Thomas watches the game from). It was unbelievable to see the players so close, they are incrediable athletes (except for Mike Sweeney who looked like he ate a whole cow before the game)...I'll get another chance to see them at Knicks practice tomorrow. I am catching up with the Knicks strength and conditioning coach to see what stuff he does with the team to improve lateral speed, quickness, agility and explosiveness. Any coaches who are interested in that kind of stuff should email me when I get back form the states. I am also catching up with Penny Hardaway's personal coach to find out what he does individually with Penny to work him out in the off season. Again, if you would like to hear about this stuff send me an email.
Anyway back to the game, the Spurs are are a mediocre team with out big Timmy, but it didnt help that Ginobuli played terrible and that Bowen, Parker and Brown couldn't 'throw the ball in the ocean from the beach'. Stephan Marbury (who I think is a punk) had a terrfic game as did Malik Rose, against his old team. It was interesting to see the dynamic between Jamal Crawford and Marbury...they dont pass the ball to each other, and they are not shy about showing there displeasure to each other, the crowd and the coaching staff when it happens. I would be surprised if one of those guys isnt moved on next season or at least one of them is sent to the bench in place of a 'pass first' point guard.
Friday I am off to Syracuse for the Sweet 16 and Elite 8. UNC are in this region so it should be fun viewing. I think they are so talented - a great PG in Raymond Felton, an absolute gun in Rashard McCants, and their big guy (I think his name is Marvin Williams) is SO strong. They should advance to the Final Four, but who really knows with all the upsets we had last weekend. That's the beauty of college hoops I guess!
Cheers
Liam
