AFP (Associated Fabricated Press) , November 1, 2010

The New York Knicks kicked off the 2010 NBA season with an impressive victory over the Boston Celtics as Lebron James had the Garden crowd on their feet most of the night. The game was never really close as the Celtics looked overwhelmed by the energy in the building from the start. James led the Knicks with 31 points, 8 assists, and 9 rebounds. Channing Frye picked up where he left off last season and registered a double double with 25 points and 12 rebounds. Knick fans arrived early for the game, a game they had been anticipating for 4 years. It was clear the last two seasons, that the Knicks were at least going to position themselves to make a run at Lebron when his contract was up.

Lets take a look at how the Knicks arrived at this point. They finally did what everyone had been screaming for and allowed some of those ridiculous contracts of the past to expire. Last summer, the Knicks allowed Steve Francis' and Stephon Marbury's contract to expire, cutting their payroll by a third and getting them 7 million dollars under the salary cap. With Mardy Collins and Jamal Crawford coming into their own, the Knicks were content to let Francis and Marbury go. Marbury ended up resigning for 2 years at the veteran's minimum as he didn't receive much interest from any other teams due to another knee injury that kept him out most of the season. Other then Frye, the Knicks were able to lock up all their young players at a reasonable price the last 2 years as well. Frye with his all star play the last few seasons, deserved the max deal he got in 2008.

Give credit to Jim Dolan and Isiah Thomas for staying the course and allowing several big contracts to expire over the past few years. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on who you ask, Isiah's luck finally ran out after two seasons as coach. After a promising first year run into the playoffs, the Knicks took a step back in the 2007-08 season and missed the playoffs. Isiah made a quiet exit as he took the coaching job at Indiana St. University after the season was over, avoiding being officially fired by Dolan. This opened the door for Dolan to start over and he finally has been recognized for making a smart move by bringing in Mark Jackson as coach and Kiki Vandeweghe as GM. Jackson in just two years in the hot seat, has shown that he knows how to run a basketball team and guided them into the playoffs this past season.

Finally, Vandeweghe made the move that Knick fans were looking for by putting a package together that Cleveland would agree to. James had indicated that he would sign with New York, but wanted to go via sign and trade so Cleveland wouldn't be left empty handed. In the end, the Knicks traded all-star Eddy Curry and his expiring contract, their 2011 and 2012 first round pick unprotected, Nate Robinson, and 3 million in cash. Curry and Robinson were vital parts of last season's playoff team, but were expendable when Lebron's name popped up. Cleveland likely could have gotten a much better deal elsewhere but Lebron made it clear to Cavs management that his preferred location was New York, otherwise he would sign with the Knicks straight up. Now, on this cold, rainy night in the city, people walked out of Madison Square Garden with high hopes. It was as if they could already smell a long overdue championship coming back to New York. If tonight was any indication, 38 years of frustration may come to an end next June.