The Stars Guarantee Lebron to New York 2010

OK, the Knicks put it all out on the  court Friday night.

Strike that. What I meant to say is that they put it all out on the courtside seats.

Paige-Butcher

They packed the house with the best talent New York has to offer: The Yankees’ CC Sabathia, Joba Chamberlain and Alex Rodriguez . . . The Giants’ Justin Tuck and Antonio Pierce . . . Rappers Jay-Z and Grand Master Flash. And there was this very pretty blonde woman named Paige Butcher who I am told is a covergirl for Maxim magazine.

Friday night, for the first time in recent memory at Madison Square Garden, celebrity row was stocked with actual celebrities.

They say you’ve got to shake what your mama gave you, and that’s exactly what the team did in LeBron James’ only visit to the Garden this season. The Knicks know they aren’t going to lure the best player in the NBA to New York with the actual basketball product they’re putting on the floor. Instead, they threw him a New York-style Garden party the likes of which hasn’t been seen on a regular basis since the days of Charles Oakley and Larry Johnson, both of whom also were sitting courtside.

It’s clear that James was enjoying some of the party. He bobbed his head in time with the music of Grand Master Flash, who played between quarters and at halftime. James also is a Yankees fan, and when he was told before the game that a bunch of the players were going to be at the game, he seemed almost childlike in his awe.

“The fact that they would take time out of the schedule with what they just accomplished is humbling,” said James, who scored 33 points in the Cavaliers’ 100-91 victory.

Yes, the Yankees gave the Knicks a big assist by winning the World Series in six games. James got a chance to see what it is like to be a champion in New York. He got to see the Knicks milk the Yankees’ win for all it was worth. The team played “New York, New York” during a timeout and invited the six Yankees in attendance – A-Rod, Sabathia, Chamberlain, Mark Teixeira, Melky Cabrera and Robinson Cano – out on the court as the crowd gave them a standing ovation.

Photo credit: Getty Images | Third baseman Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees and Recording Artist Jay-Z watch as the New York Knicks compete against the Cleveland Cavaliers. (November 6, 2009)

Also, if James caught any of MSG’s halftime report, he got to hear his good friend Sabathia declare that there is “nothing like winning in New York.” He also would have heard Sabathia predict that James will end up leaving Cleveland for New York.

James has continued to coyly keep his options open, saying the only thing he is concentrating on right now is trying to win it all this season with the team he has. He did say Friday night, however, that he believes it would be good for the league if the Knicks (who are owned by Cablevision, which also owns Newsday) had a team that was relevant again.

“I think the NBA is missing out on the fact that the Knicks haven’t been great in a few years now,” James said. “We all know the history of the Knicks. We all know what has happened in this building. As a fan, I think it would be great one day for this team to be particularly good, though I’m not saying they’re not good now.”

James didn’t have to say the Knicks aren’t good now, because everyone in the building – from A-Rod to the cute little kid holding a “We love you LeBron” sign – knows it. This is a team waiting for July 1, waiting to see if the next time they see James on this court will be with him in a Knicks uniform.

By Barbara Barker: full bio

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