In the first meeting between the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers since Phil Jackson left Los Angeles was lopsided to say the least. The Lakers made easy work of the Knicks at the Staples Center on Tuesday night setting a franchise record in the process with Jackson in attendance.
Although many didn’t anticipate Jackson showing up to Staples for the game in an effort not be a distraction, Jackson was seen in a suite with former Laker/Knick Metta World Peace.
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With a little more than eight minutes to go in the matchup with the Lakers, the new Knicks president made his way out of Staples and said the following about the 51 points scored by his former team according to Billy Witz of The New York Times:
“Fifty-one points,” Jackson, in a dark blue suit and a striped tie, said as he arched his eyebrows. “When it’s 35 points you start to get worried. When it’s a 51-point quarter, that’s really awful.”
As a result of the loss to the Lakers, the Knicks will not finish the season above .500. Despite the fact New York will not end up with a winning record, the Knicks can still clinch a playoff spot if able to close the gap with the eighth seeded Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference.
As for the Lakers, the storied franchise has already been knocked out of playoff contention and is already looking toward the future. The Lakers will have a high pick in the 2014 NBA Draft this summer while also having a considerable amount of cap space at their disposal.
Needless to say, both teams will begin the rebuilding process this summer with uncertain futures moving forward.
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