Top Ad
I DIG Radio
www.idigradio.com
Listen live to the best music from around the world!
I DIG Style
www.idigstyle.com
Learn about the latest fashion styles and more...

Porzingis expects fun but weird return to MSG

Written by 
Published in Basketball
Wednesday, 13 November 2019 12:10

NEW YORK -- Kristaps Porzingis is intimately familiar with the winding hallways of Madison Square Garden. For the nearly four years he played for the New York Knicks, Porzingis would saunter up the ramp from the loading dock, walk down one dimly lit hallway and turn right into the Knicks locker room. Thursday will be the first time Porzingis will turn left and enter the sparsely decorated visitor's locker room.

Porzingis has already faced his former team once this season, but Thursday will be the first time he has played his former team in his former home arena since the trade that sent Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks. If Twitter is any indication of how fans will receive him, Porzingis said he expects to be booed.

"Social media is mostly negative," Porzingis said after the team's practice on Wednesday. "We will see. It is going to be a lot of emotion that is for sure. I am excited to play. Playing at the Garden is always fun. It is going to be weird at the same time."

The Knicks drafted Porzingis in 2015 and fans booed him during the selection. Then, Porzingis became the face of the Knicks' franchise. Years of losing took its toll on the young All Star. Porzingis infamously skipped his exit meeting with former team president Phil Jackson and expressed discontent with the franchise's direction. President Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry traded Porzingis to the Mavericks ahead of the 2019 trade deadline.

Leaning up against the wall of the NBPA's gym -- the same gym where Porzingis once spent time rehabbing from a torn ACL -- Porzingis said he was uninterested in revisiting the contentious circumstances that led to his move to the Mavericks.

"It is in the past now," Porzingis said. "It happened. I am in a new place."

The Knicks, however, are in a familiar position. They have a sputtered to a 2-9 record and have been blown out by the Cavaliers and the Bulls -- both teams at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. After their poor performance against Cleveland, which caused fans to violently boo the Knicks off their home court, Mills and Perry addressed reporters and voiced their discontent with how the team has been playing. Porzingis has seen all of that unfold from afar.

"When I was there, the expectation was always high for us," Porzingis said. "It is a city that is hungry for success in basketball. And for them, for the fans, for the city to be going through this year after year, it has got to be tough. When things are not going right, there needs to be changes and this year is no different for them again."

Having already faced the Knicks in early November helped with Porzingis' nerves, he said. Before that game, which the Mavericks lost 106-102, coach Rick Carlisle told Porzingis, "lose yourself in the team and don't get distracted by who we are playing." Carlisle said he plans to reiterate that advice.

"He did that in the first game and he had a very good all-around game. We just didn't win," Carlisle said. "My advice this time is really the same. We got to make this about our team being in New York and competing to try to win a game, not about these other kinds of distractions."

Read 868 times

Soccer

Alves reports for weekly Barcelona court visit

Alves reports for weekly Barcelona court visit

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsFormer Brazil footballer Dani Alves on Thursday checked in at a Bar...

Fulham stadium plans include rooftop pool

Fulham stadium plans include rooftop pool

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsFulham have unveiled lavish plans for their redeveloped Riverside S...

Liverpool, Utd campaign to combat tragedy abuse

Liverpool, Utd campaign to combat tragedy abuse

EmailPrintLiverpool and Manchester United have jointly launched an education programme through their...

2026 FIFA


2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPIC

UEFA

Basketball

MPJ defends brother amid betting investigation

MPJ defends brother amid betting investigation

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsDenver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. said Wednesday night that...

Rockets, with play-in in sight, win 10th straight

Rockets, with play-in in sight, win 10th straight

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsOKLAHOMA CITY -- Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta, front offic...

Baseball

'He looks happy': Has Juan Soto finally found a home with the Yankees?

'He looks happy': Has Juan Soto finally found a home with the Yankees?

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsWHEN JUAN SOTO began to initiate himself with the New York Yankees,...

Athletics' Andújar has surgery, could miss month

Athletics' Andújar has surgery, could miss month

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsOAKLAND, Calif. -- Athletics outfielder Miguel Andujar had surgery...

Sports Leagues

  • FIFA

    Fédération Internationale de Football Association
  • NBA

    National Basketball Association
  • ATP

    Association of Tennis Professionals
  • MLB

    Major League Baseball
  • ITTF

    International Table Tennis Federation
  • NFL

    Nactional Football Leagues
  • FISB

    Federation Internationale de Speedball

About Us

I Dig® is a leading global brand that makes it more enjoyable to surf the internet, conduct transactions and access, share, and create information.  Today I Dig® attracts millions of users every month.r

 

Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: www.idig.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Affiliated