The last time the Giants won a game, they played in the Polo Grounds, wore leather helmets, FDR was president, the talking picture machine was all the rage and the repeal of Prohibition healed a nation. Or maybe they last won a game in October. But the former sounds more dramatic. Yesterday’s win prevented Big Blue from being the first team to start a season 5-0 and then lose their next five games.
The win wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t easy and made Giants fans nervous, but it was a win. And since this isn’t the BCS, that’s all that matters. The team needed to stop the snowball of losing that was careening down the mountain in East Rutherford and pull out a win one way or another. And that’s what they did – pulled out a win not one way but the other. Getting that winning feeling back is all it takes to turn their season around (well, let’s hope so).
Eli Manning earned …

1. Lou Williams and Trevor Ariza are overachieving: Williams scored a season high 30 points last Friday against the the Grizzles. On the season he is averaging 16.7 points, 5.1 assists and 3.5 rebounds. More importantly he is shooting 48% from the field. Ariza has scored at least 15 points in every game but one this season. On the season he is averaging 18.3 points per game but needs to increase his FG% if he wants reach to elite status. Ariza also has at least one steal in every game but one.

2. Drew Gooden is a must start: Gooden has started the past four games with Erick Dampier out and has 14.8 points, 13 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots per game. He is shooting 50% from the field and 81% from the line in 36 minutes.

3. Peja Stojakovic has become important again: Peja has scored at least 25 times in two of his past five games. He made a season high 7 three-pointers and pulled down 13 rebounds vs. the Suns last week. He has …

Week 1 (Oct. 26-Nov. 1)
Teams playing four games: Dallas, Denver, L.A. Clippers, Memphis, Milwaukee, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Portland, Sacramento, San Antonio, Toronto
Teams playing three games: Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Cleveland, Detroit, Golden State, Houston, Indiana, L.A. Clippers, Miami, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Utah, Washington
Teams playing two games: Chicago, New Orleans

Guards

James Harden (Thunder)- Harden has averaged 19.7 points, 2.6 steals and has made 10 three pointers over his last three games. The rookie has received more playing time and looks to be on the rise despite yesterday’s bad shooting today (2-of-15).

Charlie Bell (Bucks)- Bell scored a season high 19 points last Saturday vs. the Grizzles. He has started every game since November 3rd and is a good source for threes and steals with Michael Redd still sidelined due to injury.

Jarrett Jack (Raptors)- Jack scored a season high 17 points vs. the Heat last Friday. He played 32 minutes yesterday and recorded 8 points with 11 assists. With Marco Belinelli missing time with a groin injury it means extended …

Joakim Noah leads the NBA in rebounds and is no where to be found on the 2010 All-Star ballot.His teammate Brad Miller is on the ballot considering he is averaging 9 points and 4 rebounds.

Noah leads the league with 12.6 rebounds and second with 4.6 offensive rebounds per game. He is tied for seventh in blocks per game (2.0) and is averaging a career high 12.1 points per game The third year player has posted eight double-doubles and five straight while shooting 55% from the field.

Noah is up against Dwight Howard, Brook Lopez, Andrea Bargnani and Al Horford in the East but his scrappy play should keep him in the mix. Noah attributes his improvement to bulking up and league experience. On November 7th and 10th he recorded career highs in points (21) and rebounds (21).

The Knicks won a game this week! And The Answer may be coming to New York (so the question must be: Will a desperate team do anything to keep their fans interested?). But with last Friday’s loss, the Knicks established the worst 10-game start in franchise history. Things could be a lot worse, though; here are some other bad starts throughout history that may help them feel better about themselves: The Hindenburg blew up over New Jersey on the first of its 10 scheduled round-trips between Europe and the United States, killing 36 people; the Titanic hit an iceberg and sunk four days into its maiden voyage; William Henry Harrison died of a cold one month into his presidency in 1841; Wally Backman lasted four days as manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks before he was unceremoniously shown the door; Gilligan’s three-hour tour got off to an inauspicious start, getting stranded on a deserted island for 15 years, until the castaways were miraculously rescued, followed by them buying …

The usual state of affairs when the Rangers sign a free agent goes something like this: Free agent is past his prime with his best days well behind him, he signs an outrageously sized contract and then plays like crap while laughing all the way to the bank (see Redden, Wade or Fleury, Theo). But the Blueshirts have hit the jackpot this year, with Marian Gaborik, Vinny Prospal and Ales Kotalik (well, three out of four ain’t bad – Donald Brashear and the word “jackpot” don’t go together – except to his agent). Unfortunately, it’s the rest of the roster that’s dragging the team down.
Gaborik, Prospal and Kotalik have scored a combined 26 goals. The Rangers have a total of 62, which means those three free-agent pickups have contributed 42% of the team’s scoring. Prospal’s the bargain of the century, with his one-million-dollar contract (I’m so old I remember when a million dollars was a lot of money). Kotalik gives the Rangers the point man …

In 2006, the Mets were one game away from the World Series. And that’s been their biggest problem the last three years. They still think they’re one game away from the World Series. But they’re not. And they’re not even close. 2006 was their year. It was their chance. Their opportunity. And they blew it. And they’ve been a step behind, plugging holes, sticking their finger in the dike, fixing last year’s problems, or even the problems from the year before that, ever since. Unfortunately, the big problems who go by the names of Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel (is Wally Backman waiting in the wings now that he’s been hired to manage Brooklyn? God, I hope so) are still here, so we’ll have to live with them at least through the beginning of the 2010 season.
The Mets’ failings are more than the bullpen issues of ’07 and ’08, and more than the power outage and injuries of ’09. The team needs more than Matt Holliday and John Lackey (though they definitely need …

1. Brandon Jennings is the real deal: In two games last week Jennings has scored 87 points with 14 assists. So far this season he is averaging 25 points (8th in the NBA), 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 1 steal. He also is shooting 49% from the field, 83% from the foul line and has 17 three-pointers. In a 8-cat league his fantasy value equals the 10th overall player.

2. Marc Gasol has been playing like his brother: Gasol  pulled down 16 rebounds last Saturday for the second time this season. He is averaging 14.8 points, 11.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. Also he is shooting 56% from the field and 78% from the line. He is looking like one of the biggest steals in the draft.

3. Danny Granger is showing why he was a top 4th pick: The Pacers upset the Celtics last Friday and Granger was a big part of that with 29 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 6 three-pointers. His rebounding has increase with Troy Murphy sidelined.

4. Chris Bosh …

Week 4 (Nov. 16-22)
Teams playing four games: Atlanta, Charlotte, Cleveland, Detroit, Houston, Indiana, Miami, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Portland, Toronto
Teams playing three games: Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Golden State, L.A. Clippers, L.A. Lakers, Memphis, New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Antonio, Utah, Washington
Teams playing two games: Minnesota

Darren Collison (Hornets)- With the injury to Chris Paul, Collison started at point guard and had 10 points, 4 steals and 2 steals in 25 minutes last Saturday. Paul could be out for about a month which increases the value of the rookie.

Marcus Thorton (Hornets)- Thorton should  receive extended minutes off the bench with the injury to Paul. Thorton has scored 32 points over in last two games including a career high 20 last Friday.

C.J. Watson (Warriors)- Watson scored a season high 19 points vs. the Knicks last Friday. He is shooting 51% from the field and averaging a steal per game.

Wes Matthews (Jazz)- Matthews has scored in double-figures in four of his past six games. Deron Williams has missed the past two games which …

The Yankees win the World Series and as soon as you can say the words “Johnny Damon wants a four-year contract” the rest of the New York–area teams go down the tubes. They went a combined 5-11 this past week. It must be a hangover. Are all the local teams riding on the Yankees’ coattails and going to all of their parties? It’s also possible that many of the area teams just stink. The Knicks and Nets went a combined 0-7 this week, and are 1-16 for the year, for instance. It was only the always-good Devils that skewed the combined record by going 4-0, and they barely count as a local team.

Here’s a day-by-day look at the past seven days.

Friday: The injury-riddled Nets lost to Philly, which kept them winless for the season, and the Devils beat the Islanders in a continuation of the New Jersey–Long Island War of 1801, in which it was so cold and icey out during the Battle of Massapequa that both sides just gave up …

Guards

Toney Douglas (Knicks)- Douglas scored a career high 23 points in 36 minutes vs. the Hawks on Wedesnday. He scored 16 and 21 points in his previous two games and has made nine three-pointers on the season.

Rudy Fernandez (Trailblazers)- Fernandez has played inconsistent minutes all season but has 13 three-pointers and is averaging 1.78  steals per game.

Kyle Lowry (Rockets)- Lowry is averaging 8 points, 5.12 assists and 1 steal off the bench. He has played in at least 24 minutes in every game but two this season and has three games of at least eight assists.

Honorable mention: Devin Brown (Hornets)

Forwards

Jared Dudley (Suns)- Dudley has scored in double figures in five of his past six games. He has 18 three-pointers on the season and is averaging 1.30 steals per game.

JJ Hickson (Cavs)- Hickson scored a season high 18 points in 31 minutes vs. the Heat yesterday. He is starting over Anderson Varejo which means he could provide a decent amount of points and rebounds.

Taj Gibson (Bulls)- Gibson has scored in double figures in three of his …

1. Head Coach Mike D’Antoni has assembled four different starting lineups in nine games.

2. Their opponents have scored over 100+ points in every game but one (Jazz)

3. Opponents are shooting 49% from the field and averaging 109 points per game  (2nd and 3rd worst in NBA)

4. NY is shooting 29% from three (27th in NBA)

5. Starting PG Chris Duhon is shooting 26% from the field and needs to be benched

6. Four of their eight eight losses have been by 12 points or more.

What i would like to see the Knicks do:

1) Start Toney Douglas, Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, David Lee, Jordan Hill…Al Harrington has been effective off the bench

2) Play better defense

3) Buy out Jared Jeffries