No Regard Daily Previews: Bright Lights, Big Payback

One Game We Will Definitely Watch Tonight:
Miami Heat vs. New York Knicks (aka LeBron James vs. New York City)


Lately, I've had to remind myself that this isn't a Knicks blog. It's been difficult, because for the first time in my adult life, my team is the talk of the League, in a good way. They are exciting, they are gellin' like Magellan, and they are looking like a playoff lock. With all that, it's hard for me not to think of the Knicks first and foremost when I currently think about the NBA (or when I think about anything, really). That said, I've told myself that, for this blog's purpose, I need to avoid the temptation of writing about the Knicks all the time.

Well, that's gonna have to wait, isn't it?

I suppose it's highly unlikely that tonight's game will match the overall quality of Wednesday's matchup between the Knicks and the Celtics. That was the kind of game you're lucky to see one of in December, let alone two involving the same team in the same week. But it's almost sure to match or surpass that game in histrionics. I need not remind you of the harsh words so many New Yorkers had for LeBron post-Decision, and while Amar'e has gone a long way in making us forget about what could have been, tonight should bring up a lot of emotions that haven't been felt so strongly since July. A win for the Knicks here would be the ultimate catharsis to a Greek storyline that has been filled with desire, betrayal, and jealousy. That win is obviously what I would like to see most tonight. Aside from that, I have some specific images in mind that would make this game even more enjoyable:

• Spike Lee with his arms crossed, staring down LeBron as he warms up. Spike's a little dude, for sure, but you can't tell me that wouldn't rattle just about anybody.
• Amar'e delivering a monstrous dunk on LBJ, and hearing the Garden crowd explode with the loudest MVP chant yet.
• A sign stating something along the lines of, "How are things off-Broadway?"
• Raymond Felton hitting another double-double and reminding the Heat that they have some missing pieces.
• LeBron scoring 50. The better LeBron plays, the better this game will be. If the Knicks can find a way to win in spite of a huge performance from James, it will be the ultimate statement.

Here's to what is sure to be one of the regular season's most watched games, and if I'm lucky, one of the best nights ever to bleed orange and blue.

One Game We Definitely Won't Be Watching Tonight:
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Indiana Pacers


This is like an alternate universe version of Heat-Knicks. Imagine that LeBron had spent months teasing Pacers fans that he'd be bringing his talents to Indianapolis, only to stay put in Cleveland, thereby creating a newly intense Midwestern rivalry. As you know, that is not what happened. Needless to say, we will not be switching over to this game at any point tonight.