Thoughts On Bulls-Knicks Three Point Shooting Contest

The Lakers and Celtics have undoubtedly the best rivalry in the NBA. Both franchises possess all the things that make a rivalry work: championships (32 combined), 10 NBA Finals match ups, and two diametrically opposed cities in terms of - well, pretty much everything.
The New York-Chicago rivalry operates under the recognition of sameness. Two large urban areas competing for big city basketball supremacy. The Knicks won two NBA titles in the early 1970s, while the Bulls as a team remained irrelevant until the late 1980s. It's no coincidence that both franchises were able to rise to power in the 1990s, when the Celtics and Lakers where in rebuilding mode. New York City and Chicago have always been recognized as epicenters of US culture and history. In the 1990s, the Bulls and Knicks fought for the same distinction in basketball.
That being said, all rivalries aren't created equal. The Bulls have won 128 of their 143 meetings, including 24 of their 36 playoff games. Yesterday's game was essentially meaningless in the grand scheme of the 2010-11 season, neither team is contending for a championship, but there's still remnants of the old rivalry sprinkled amongst both fan bases. This game was a big deal to a lot of people.
It's easy to blame this loss on the out-of-this world three point shooting, especially from unusual suspects Raymond Felton and Toney Douglas. The Knicks as a team shot 16-24 from behind the arc. While this is certainly an aberration, most of those were wide open looks. The majority of PG-SG-SFs in the NBA can knock down an open three. Blame the Bulls' half court defense and willingness to engage in an uptempo pace for this loss. We played right into what New York was trying to do, and turned the ball over 20 times to show for it.
Derrick Rose is currently second in the NBA in points per game with 26.8. Joakim Noah leads the NBA in rebounding, averaging 14.8 per game. It's nice to see them gain some recognition and sit atop some early statistical categories, but this picnic won't last forever. When Carlos Boozer returns, both Rose's points and Noah's rebounds will be cut down. Enjoy it while it lasts.

What's up with CJ Watson? I thought he was going to be one of the most underrated signings this offseason.  To quote myself, from a July 21st post:
While this move [Watson's acquisition] will surely go under the radar for sports fans outside of Chicago, it could end up to be one of the biggest moves the Bulls make this offseason. Before signing Watson, the Bulls lacked a guy who was capable of providing a huge spark off the bench. They now have that guy, as well as a player who can play major minutes at the point if Derrick Rose misses extended time like he did last season.
Embarrassing. Watson's jump shot looks awful, he's been sloppy with his passes, and has turned the ball over way more than a back up point guard should. He just doesn't look confident out there. It appears like he may have been a product of Golden State's offensive system. I hope not.
Amar'e Stoudemire had a very underwhelming stat line. 14 points on 5-21 shooting, 8 rebounds, and 8 turnovers. On the year, Stoudemire is averaging 19.5 points a game, shooting 39 percent from the field, 7.8 rebounds, and 6 turnovers a game. While the shooting percentage and turnovers are much worse than his career averages, Stoudemire doesn't look like he deserves the max contract he signed this summer.

In my opinion, a max contract guy should be the best player on your team AND a guy that you can win a championship with as the best player. That's why guys like Bosh, Joe Johnson, and Stoudemire are overpaid. If one of these three is the best player on a team, that team isn't contending for anything.
The only players that I think deserve max contracts (taking into account age, if I was giving out a long term max contract this offseason): LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Derrick Rose, Rajon Rondo, and Dwight Howard. I couldn't be convinced of anyone outside of these eight players.
I think I've found a player to compare to James Johnson's ceiling: Wilson Chandler. Both athletic small forwards who like to shoot the three. Neither play defense. Both are black holes once the balls is passed to them, opting to drive the lane rather than make the extra pass. Consequently, they both have poor shooting percentages. And that hair. Until JJ decided to change his hair style for the Knicks game, they had an identical "I'm not sure if I'm going to grow this fro out" look.