For those who have endured the Knicks miserable losing streaks of 10 and 16 games — not to mention their latest five-gamer — or have suffered through the Nets losing 15 of their last 20 games, take heart.
Real live, good players are taking over the Garden and Barclays Center this weekend.
So cast aside thoughts of the 10-43 Knicks and the 21-31 Nets (consider there are 12 teams with more wins than the Knicks and Nets combined) and revel in players who actually do strange stuff, like put the ball in the basket.
Knicks fans can torture themselves — yeah, like this season hasn’t been enough — by playing “what if” in the jewel of the weekend, the actual All-Star Game Sunday.
Among the Western Conference starters is Golden State’s Stephen Curry, who came within one draft slot of going to the Knicks back in 2009. Curry will be one of three guards starting for the West, joining fellow “Splash Brother” Klay Thompson and James Harden. The latter two start for the injured Kobe Bryant and Blake Griffin. Curry was the leading vote getter among fans.
“I play the way most people like and are entertained by shooting the ball and my stature is the most normal to fans that are watching,” the 6-foot-3, 190-pound Curry said of his popularity. “I’m not like LeBron [James], blessed with that kind of physical ability. I’m just trying to find different ways to have fun on the court and get better. I just play.”
And he does it for the Warriors, Knicks fans. But New Yorkers must be over that by now, huh?
“Things have worked out, but you never know what would have happened if the alternative happened,” Curry said.
The West also will start Memphis’ Marc Gasol with a fifth starter yet to be named. Anthony Davis of New Orleans, one of the most exciting scoring, rebounding, shot-blocking specimens on the planet, withdrew Wednesday because of a sprained shoulder. He was replaced on the roster by Dirk Nowitzki of Dallas.
“After careful thought and consideration, I’ve decided I will not be participating in this year’s NBA All-Star competitions,” Davis, who was also scheduled to compete in one of the corporate-sponsored Saturday night events, said late Wednesday in a statement. “I want to thank the fans for voting me into the All-Star Game. … While I’m disappointed that I won’t be able to compete, I’m still very excited about the opportunity to be a part of the All-Star events in New York.”
Who wouldn’t welcome a chance to get lost riding the NYC subways?
The East starting lineup remains intact — so far — reflecting the way the fans voted. Cleveland’s LeBron James, Chicago’s Pau Gasol and Knick Carmelo Anthony start up front while Washington’s John Wall and Toronto’s Kyle Lowry were voted backcourt starters.
Anthony, on Wednesday, rated himself “probable” to play Sunday, despite a balky knee. During an ESPN radio interview Thursday, while reiterating his belief he’ll play in the game, he said it is “very likely” he will be shut down for the remainder of the season once All-Star Weekend is over.
For the Nets, their All-Star representation comes Friday at Barclays Center in the Rising Stars Challenge which has a USA vs the World format for the first time, with the winners apparently allowed to invade Grenada. Mason Plumlee will play for the U.S. while Bojan Bogdanovic is on the World team.
Friday also has the Celebrity Game with Anthony serving as one coach at the Garden. Saturday’s events are set for Barclays Center, with the Shooting Stars event, the 3-point Shootout, the Skills Challenge and the Dunk Contest, where undoubtedly someone will attempt jumping over the Brooklyn Bridge.
Sunday marks the fifth time the Garden, in one form or another, will house the All-Star Game. And maybe the Garden will reflect the way it once was when stars like Walt Frazier played every game. And they did things like win.
“It hurts me more for the fans because they’re so dedicated, loyal, faithful. For me doing a game to see it so quiet, there’s no hoopla, pageantry. It does hurt,” Frazier said. “I used to get goose bumps from the national anthem. I could only get through half the anthem before hearing chants of ‘Dee-Fense.’ Fans were so ready. I’d get the goose bumps.”