Tina's Tales from Minnesota
To say I froze would be an understatement
by: Tina Cervasio
Thursday, March 12th
Off Day
And it's a true off day. No practice for the Knicks. So after my regular morning routine, and reading the clips, papers, doing some internet updating, I had to do some paper work for MSG, expenses and stuff like that. Finally, I head out into the 3-degree weather to do some exploring, and of course, shopping. Maybe it was 12 degrees. Regardless ... it burned. I realize I'm from New York, which is not Miami weather, but the wind in Minnie was biting; it chills you right to the bone.
Technically, you don't even have to go outside! Almost the entire city of Minneapolis is connected through skyways and tunnels. It's a maze, but if you know the routes, it's an amazing way to walk the city without ever feeling the bitter weather. I did a combo of both, some outside, some through the skyways, but out-of-towners tend to get lost. And I did. But in the process I found a 40% off sale at Macy's. It was a lost and found kind of day.
So ... guess what? I went out at night!! Pigs do fly.
A bunch of the MSG crew met up for dinner in the lobby and headed out into the icy cold, Twin Cities night. Director Howie Singer, Producer Spencer Julien, AD's Jim Gallagher and Kevin McHale (insert Timberwolves joke here) and myself. We went to a great Irish Pub type of restaurant for dinner, and Mike Crispino eventually met us there, because he was flying in from New York.
We had a great time talking at dinner, and then ... well, I must protect the innocent. We did quite a bit of hopping around the city. However, the hopping didn't make us feel any warmer. We were able to catch the amazing Syracuse-UConn game from the Garden, watching the six overtimes over the course of probably, three different places. Good times!
Back to work tomorrow.
Friday, March 13th
Game Day
The team had a shootaround at the Target Center around 10:00 a.m. All the New York beat writers were there, and guess what we all talked about: the weather. To be honest, it was about 27 this morning and it felt balmy in Minnie.
When Coach D'Antoni met with the media, it was fun re-hashing the Knicks solid defense in the 4th quarter of the Detroit game. In the locker room I got to talk to David Lee about his knee sprain a bit, and Larry Hughes took time to really break down why the defense played well in the 4th against the Pistons.
Since it was just so darn cold, after shootaround I went back to my room, ordered room service and did my prep.
I'm trusting you guys all watched the game as the Knicks won their third straight on the road. In his postgame press conference, Coach immediately told the media that Nate Robinson had been throwing up during the game, and was dealing with stomach issues. I did notice Nate taking extra water every time there was a stoppage, and one time he was crouching down during Minnesota free-throws. But never really caught him in the act. (Disgusting, I know)
In any event ... let's REWIND ... because here's something you don't see or hear on TV because at the moment; it was inconsequential. Pre-game, I ran into the Knicks locker room to talk to Nate about what he said after the Detroit game. He talked about how much fun he had in that game, but I wanted specific reasons, besides the fact that they won. So while we're talking, Nate's opening up two huge cartons of food. I say, "what on earth are you eating?" – and this is about an hour before tip-off, mind you – and Nate starts talking about this great lasagna and chicken strips he and Will (Wilson Chandler) ordered. Well, in the postgame locker room – you now know it – Nate agreed his little stomach ailment very well could have been from his pre-game feast! Pretty gross if you really think about it.
But in the end, the Knicks won, and it's good to know Nate doesn't have a lingering stomach virus, because Chris Duhon's expected to miss Sunday's game in Cleveland, so the Knicks will need Nate to be great, yet again.
By the way ... my Terps upset Wake Forest to make it to the semi-finals of the ACC Tournament. My producer, Spencer, who graduated from Maryland the same year as me, kept updating me during the game through my IFB. (That's the little earpiece reporters wear during TV broadcasts to hear direction from the producer and director, as well as the game announcers.) But they have to play Duke. Ugh. Still, these two wins in the Conference Championship should make a great case for Maryland to burst the bubble, and get in the tournament come Selection Sunday.
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