The NBA regular season is set to start on Christmas Day, but in the meantime, we’ll continue to simulate the Knicks season (based on the original 2011–12 schedule) on PlayStation 3, and post the results here as if they were actual games. So! The Knicks have started to hit the soft, chewy part of their schedule, just in time for Carmelo Anthony’s return. They took advantage of it over the fake weekend, beating the sadsack Cleveland Cavaliers 82-74 and the Charlotte Bobcats 86-70. Four different Knicks reached double figures in points against the Cavs, but Carmelo was the central star against Charlotte, scoring 32 points. The Knicks are now 9-11 on the season, never forget, and the weakness of the Eastern Conference has allowed them to be tied for sixth place in the conference standings. (With the Nets, for what it’s worth.) Their next “game” is tonight, against Minnesota. (Ricky Rubio is the only rookie in the game, by the way, at least the pre-lockout roster version.)
As always, here’s a short video from each game, shot off our television, using our iPhone.