NEW YORK - If there was ever a thought that these new New York Knicks would jump out to a roaring start of their 2008-09 season under new coach Mike D'Antoni, those flights of fancy have now disappeared. They spent another 48 minutes tonight at home against the Milwaukee Bucks in a rudder-less, unenergetic, passion-free state in losing their second game in a row, 94-86 in a game that wasn't nearly as close the score might indicate. The Knicks coach, who typically begins his post-game press conferences almost immediately after games end kept his team sequestered in the locker room for several minutes after tonight's snooze-fest. He was clearly not a happy camper when he finally came out. "It's the spirit and the energy that we play with," he said. "It's not that they don't want to. I was just talking to them. We never attack until we get into a desperate situation. It's like we were on our heels the whole game and we're kind o waiting for something bad to happen to us.

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NEW YORK – If there were any questions about who is in charge of the Knicks, they quickly answered last night. All you would have to do is look at the end of the bench to see Eddie Curry and Stephon Marbury – the poster boys of the Isiah Thomas regime – watching the game, but not being invited to participate. This is Mike D’Antoni’s team now and the new coach is looking to build a likable franchise – one that will come to play every night, while leaving the drama and stain of the Isiah Era behind. And the final result on opening night – a 120-115 win over the Miami Heat – signaled more than just a nice victory to begin D’Antoni’s tenure. More importantly, the inmates no longer run the asylum at Madison Square Garden. Under the new coach, there will be a meritocracy, where playing time is earned by performance and not dictated by the size of a paycheck.

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