FanHouse SpikeLee

You have to love Kobe Bryant's timing. Just in case you were worried that Andrew Bynum's injury would knock the Lakers down a notch, Bryant reminded the world on Monday night why you can't ever take his team for granted by exploding for 61 points against the Knicks.

Scoring in bunches is nothing new for Bryant -- this was his 17th game with at least 50 points, and his fifth with at least 60 -- but this performance was notable for a few reasons. For one, no player in the history of the game has ever scored more points at Madison Square Garden.

Stephon Marbury, exiled two weeks ago by Donnie Walsh, was back on the sidelines to watch the Knicks last night. The only catch? This time he bought his own ticket, sitting courtside next to the Laker girls, chatting with Knicks super-fan Spike Lee before the game and meeting with curious reporters at halftime. From Marc Berman of the New York Post:

"I'm earning my check by doing nothing," Marbury said. "I'm enjoying it to the fullest. I can go in and out of the country when I want during the season. They'll make a decision when they're ready to make a decision. I'm getting healthy, adding two, three years to my career. This has been great for me, able to heal."

What's he so eager to go in and out of the country for -- he realized the Real Madrid offer was fake, right? In any case, Mike D'Antoni downplayed Marbury's presence, saying the guard's presence didn't violate the team's "stay away" order from a couple of weeks ago. I'm not sure how that's possible, but perhaps the team doesn't want to get into the position of trying to police an unenforceable edict.

Marbury did have an interesting comment about his future, saying he's been in contact with several teams and that "a lot of people will be shocked" at the team he's apparently settled on joining once his buyout is complete. When that actually happens is anyone's guess, but I can't help but wonder if his trip to the game was an attempt to prove just how annoying he can be should the Knicks continue to let his situation linger.

There's nothing I enjoy more than trudging my way through pouring rain to huddle under a small tent with people I don't know to wait to speak with people who, as a general rule, want nothing to do with me. But I hold my commitment to FanHouse with too much gravity to stay safe in a warm (dry) bed, so I made the trek to New York City's Union Square for the NBA Tip-Off 08 presented by KIA Motors Basketball Celebration on Tuesday and, with the exception of the weather (and maybe David Stern), it wasn't a disappointment.

Video, and some details, after the jump.

There's nothing I enjoy more than trudging my way through pouring rain to huddle under a small tent with people I don't know to wait to speak with people who, as a general rule, want nothing to do with me. But I hold my commitment to FanHouse with too much gravity to stay safe in a warm (dry) bed, so I made the trek to New York City's Union Square for the NBA Tip-Off 08 presented by KIA Motors Basketball Celebration on Tuesday and, with the exception of the weather (and maybe David Stern), it wasn't a disappointment.

Video, and some details, after the jump.

You've obviously seen, or at least heard, about LeBron James dropping a 50-spot on the Knicks while telling Spike Lee about it, talking with Jay-Z about it, and dealing with crazy-pill riddled fans running up to him for high fives while the game is still going on. That's just a standard evening in New York though. And while it is crazy, it is also exciting. And when you're arguably the most famous current basketball player in the world, crazy/exciting is a good thing many times.

One thing Cleveland, Ohio is not usually classified as is "exciting". So it is with great disdain that Clevelanders and Ohioans see LeBron even get a whiff of the excitement and celebrity surrounding Madison Square Garden. And with even less excitement that they hear his sometimes guarded answers regarding the possibility of him playing for the Knicks.

'LeBron,' [Andrew] Marchand started, 'have you ever thought about being a Knick?'

'No,' LeBron replied and then chuckled. The rest of the media then broke into laughter.

LeBron then said of the loaded question, 'That might have been worse than the fan running out on the court.'

Of course, he then immediately went on to describe the Garden as the "mecca of basketball" and the "greatest basketball arena in the world", at which point the entire greater Cleveland area may have gone into an epileptic seizure. The interesting thing though, is that I don't see LeBron going to be a Knick. Remember, Jay-Z owns the Nets. Not the Knicks. And they're moving to Brooklyn. But Cleveland is nice this time of year too ... no, seriously.

The Cavs beat the Blazers in Portland, largely due to a dominating performance by LeBron James. That's not exactly a news flash, as LeBron often carries his team to victory. But what is news is the fact that for (at least) the second time this season, a fan's taunting seems to have motivated King James to destroy the home team. The mention of the fan happens about 1:07 into the video.

Look people, hasn't Spike Lee taught us anything? The top players in the NBA are insanely good, and if you give them any extra motivation, they will crank it up to another ridiculous level and crush you. LeBron outscored the entire Blazers team 17-15 in the fourth quarter, and hit the game-winner because incredibly, teams refuse to double him immediately in these situations to get the ball out of his hands.
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