Francesa Destroys 'Dogs, Bums' Masquerading As Knicks During Brutal Loss In L.A.
NEW YORK (WFAN) -- What did you think he was going to do, ignore it?
WFAN's Mike Francesa lit into the Knicks something fierce on Wednesday, following their historic meltdown against the woeful Lakers in Los Angeles the night before.
It wasn't so much the 126-97 final score that set Francesa off, as it was the utter embarrassment the Knicks were during the second and third quarters, when playing defense was, at best, just a theory.
"I have not had great expectations for the Knicks, but last night, coming off that terrible loss to Cleveland and with a chance to still make the playoffs, I decided to watch the Knicks play L.A., or attempt to play L.A.," Francesa said to open his show. "And I wound up having to sit threw three quarters, because what we got to see, after a reasonable Knicks first quarter, was the worst two quarters of basketball, maybe in Knicks history, and without question the worst quarter of basketball in Knicks history."
Opening monologue on the Knicks
The Knicks led 22-14 at the end of the first quarter, but then disappeared in such disturbing fashion it's hard to believe this team had won eight of its previous nine games.
"The Knicks last night, against a D-league team of players that the staunchest of NBA fans could not pick out of a lineup, they gave up 87 points in two quarters, in the second and third quarters!" Francesa said. "And in the third quarter, the Knicks, or whoever was masquerading in Knicks uniforms, these dogs, these bums who were out there on the court last night against Phil Jackson's old team, against their old coach, playing for what is supposed to be a playoff spot, they allowed a bunch of D-leaguers to score 51 points in the third quarter!"
Francesa then got nostalgic and shot out some knowledge that put Tuesday night's fiasco in perspective.
"Now realize this, the Knicks in their history, at their all-time worst ... and remember this is a team that allowed 100 points to Wilt Chamberlain in a game ... they had never allowed 51 points in a quarter in their history," Francesa said. "They gave up 51 points to a bunch of guys that shouldn't even be in the league. So you have to play invisible defense, you have to almost be ... you have to be deliberately bad to allow 51 points in a quarter."
Francesa went on to say how all the great Lakers teams in history, from Chamberlain and Gail Goodrich to the "Showtime" years under Pat Riley to Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal had never scored 51 points in a quarter.
"The Lakers shot 18-of-28 from 3, and at one point were 14-of-19 from 3-point range, getting layup after dunk after layup and this is a Lakers team that is awful, that is the second worst team in the West ... a team that Kobe Bryant called a bunch of bums last week, a team that has been run out of L.A., laughed off the court," Francesa said. "They laughed the Knicks off the court. You saw (Lakers coach Mike) D'Antoni sneering on the bench in the third quarter, giggling with his assistants as the Lakers went up and down the floor and got basket after basket and layup and dunk after dunk on this Knicks team."
In a season of disappointment and failure on just about every level, Francesa said Tuesday night's effort took the cake.
"So if you are the Knicks, how could you possibly show your faces after that game? This is the low of the low. This is it. This is back up the truck. I don't care who goes. If they all go, good riddance ... Anybody who touched anything having to do with that game last night, if you never come back, I'm happy ... ever!" he said. "I guarantee you couldn't name five guys on the Lakers. And there's Carmelo (Anthony) acting tough at the start the fourth quarter. What? You are down 45 and now you are going to get tough on defense? And the Lakers were loving it. They came out in the fourth quarter and they were pressing the Knicks up 40!"
Mike had a lot more to say, and you can listen to it by clicking on the audio link above.
Oh, and by the way, the Knicks, who sit in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, three games behind Atlanta for the final Eastern Conference playoff berth with 11 games to play, travel to Sacramento on Wednesday.
We'll see if they bring their defense -- or, at the very least, any sense of dignity -- with them.
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