Oh please! Knicks want to ruin Nets season

They took the bait. The Knicks players, having already carved their names into the Knicks (overrated) history, told writers assembled at their Westchester training facility that they'd like nothing more than drive a stake though the heart of the Nets playoff chances.

Oh come on. You're 14-60, the very measure of incompetence and financial irresponsibility. Try to be humble, Jason Smith, Cleanthony Early and whichever else NBA nobody talked big.

Here's a sample...

Cleanthony Early on #Knicks spoiling Nets' playoff chances: "Things are already messed up, let’s mess some other things up."

— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) March 31, 2015

Bravo Cleanthony!  You've played 34 NBA games and are averaging 5.4 points.

#Knicks Jason Smith says yes Knix are motivated to beat #Nets and hurt their playoff chase "especially against...our hometown rival"

— Fred Kerber (@FredKerber) March 31, 2015

Touche' Jason the journeyman!

Derek Fisher, who actually has done something in the NBA --just not this year-- steered away from what used to be called "bulletin board material."   Smith went the furthest.

"We haven't had a [good] season but we want to go out there and kind of ruin everybody else's season, too," Jason Smith said as reported by Al Iannazzone. "We've said that in film. We've said that in practice. We don't have a chance of making the playoffs. We know that. We want to make sure that other teams don't really get that chance, either, especially Brooklyn, our hometown rival."

Lou Amundsen handled it best, telling Fred Kerber it was a challenge to play the Nets ... or any team that's good. "Brooklyn is fighting for contention, so they’re going to be bringing a game. That’s good for us. We have so many young guys, it’s important for those guys to experience, if it’s not playoff basketball, at least what this is like to be fighting for position, to be fighting for standings late in the season."

The Nets really don't need any motivation to beat the Knicks. They're in a tight playoff race and need every win. They'd like to rest their starters, too.  But if they did, these guys just made their day.

• Knicks have something to play for: Shaft the Nets - Fred Kerber - New York Post
• Knicks aim to 'mess' with Nets' playoff push - Ian Begley - ESPN New York
  
• No extra motivation needed to beat Knicks - Mike Mazzeo - ESPN New York
• Knicks plan to finish season as spoilers - Al Iannazzone - Newsday