WEEK TWO RECAP

    Some big shots, big falls, the complete meltdown of James Dolan seven games into the season, Christmas swag, and the return of Russ.

1. Four games into the season the Knicks have lost their main defensive presence, Tyson Chandler, for 4-6 weeks with a fracture in his right tibia. The Knicks were having their fair share of problems before the injury, going into last Tuesday's game against Charlotte 1-3. With their front line now led by Amare Stoudamire (also pretty far from 100% but on the floor) and Bargnani things will probably get a lot worse before they start getting better.

2. Steph Curry also suffered an injury this past week adding onto his list of health woes. While not as serious as Chandler's, reports have said both a foot bone bruise and a sprained ankle are what caused him to leave their game against the Timberwolves. He didn't play Friday against San Antonio but clocked in nearly a full 35 mins in Saturday's loss to Memphis.

3. Steve Blake hit a last second three carrying the Lakers in what was surely a satisfying 99-98 victory against Dwight Howard and the upstart Rockets, marking the first time the Lakers and Dwight have faced off since this summer's free agency mess. The Lakers came back from behind in the fourth, repeatedly putting Howard on the line and forcing him to dictate the game.

4. Another big shot of a different kind was Anthony Bennett, 2013 first overall pick, sinking his first field goal of his pro career. Bennett made it count, hitting a three to go 1-5 on the night and putting him at 1-20 through the Cavs first five games.

5. The NBA leaked and confirmed the jerseys with sleeves will be worn by teams playing on Christmas day. These look like the shootaround/warmup gear that teams wore in the 90s before games, one giant logo, no text, number on the side. The reaction has been pretty poor across the board, but sure enough people will buy them and they will continue to market this type of thing.

6. Jeff Green is the closer of the week. An insane three pt attempt with .6 seconds left on an equally insane cross court inbounds from Gerald Wallace to beat the Heat 111-110 in Miami. Miami will probably be playing deep into the playoffs and the Celtics are most assuredly tanking for next years draft so this win doesn't carry the big picture bravado it may have three years ago, but this could possibly be the highlight of Boston's season when it's all said and done.

7. In an off court twist that seems only plausible with the Knicks, a story came out this week that owner James Dolan has someone on his payroll to tail coach Mike Woodson at all times. I'm not sure what Dolan is hoping to accomplish with this type of monitoring but I suppose Mike Woodson is okay with the aspect of the job as it means he still has the job. The Knicks have started out pretty rocky despite Dolan saying he expects them to win a title. Dolan has already done away with the Knick City Dancers and after the Knicks rough loss to San Antonio Sunday there is much speculation as to whether or not Woodson is far behind.

8. The Pacers defeated the Bulls Wednesday night 97-80 in the beginning of what will inevitably be a heated division rivalry for time to come. Both tough defensive minded teams that play with a lot of energy and a lot of heart. The Pacers are currently the only undefeated team in the league at 7-0.

9. Andrew Bynum announced that he'd considered retirement when asked about his healing process from knee surgery over the last year. While he has not been a player of force in two years that would still be a shame for someone so young to leave so early.

10. Russ is back! Whether you love him or hate him or a little of both he will at least keep Kevin Durant from losing it all in a blaze of glory. He came back five weeks early after being cleared to play and scored 21 pts against the Suns last Sunday.