Phil Jackson Says The Knicks Are Giving The Basketball Gods ‘Heartburn’

Phil Jackson
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The Knicks got spanked like they were trying out for Fifty Shades of Grey when the Cavs were in town for the Sunday matinée, and Phil Jackson hated their play almost as much as audiences hated the E.L. James big-screen adaptation. The Zen Master didn’t sit idly by while it was happening, either. He took to Twitter to vent his frustration, and if the Knicks are upsetting the “bb gods,” then you know the Red Holzman ideologue is pissed.

You knew something was coming when he started off with this:

Then came the smackdown, or at least the geriatric version of it (for the record, the Knicks give us indigestion, and we’re a lot younger).

The Knicks have the worst record in basketball at 10-45, but Jackson’s stripped them down to the skein of a professional basketball team with former Westchester Knicks guard Langston Galloway their primary offensive threat — and leading scorer yesterday with 13 points — these days.

Yes, this bunch of no-names continues to fumble Jackson’s beloved triple-post offense, but they don’t have the talent on the court anymore to compete at the NBA level, and that should play a role in Jackson’s summary of events. The player he traded to the Cavs earlier this year, J.R. Smith, had 17 points on an efficient 7-of-11 from the field, including the dunk of the game with this double-pump reverse alley-oop from another former Knick, Iman Shumpert.

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The two of them certainly enjoyed their reunion with the MSG crowd:

The Basketball Gods have been upset with the Knicks since Isiah Thomas held Jackson’s job, and they’ve got a large hole to climb out of before they can even begin to atone. Jackson knows this, so this might be the public jab he feels they need to finish the season with something beyond a whimper.

[H/T NYDN]