Preview and Free Pick for Clippers at Knicks

It will be interesting to see whether more eyeballs in the New York and Los Angeles areas will be tuned into the NFL or the NBA.

In separate games that are being played about nine miles apart, the Los Angeles Chargers are visiting the New York Jets in the Meadowlands, while the New York Knicks are at Madison Square Garden, hosting the Los Angeles Clippers, who are bringing former league MVP James Harden into their lineup after a lot of speculation.

In the NBA betting odds that have been posted on this game by the folks at BetOnline, the Knicks are a slight favorite:

New York Knicks -1.5 (-112)
Los Angeles Clippers +1.5 (-108)

Over 223.5 points -110
Under 223.5 points -110

Harden had a difference of opinion on the nature of his communication with Daryl Morey, the president of the Philadelphia 76ers, regarding a contract extension, and that led to him asking for a trade. In the "me-first" NBA, players can often force a trade, and if they don't get it they will sulk, which isn't good because basketball is a team game.

So instead of having Harden, which he's done in Brooklyn and Houston previously, the Sixers did their best to move him. It was well-known that he wanted to go to the Clippers first and foremost, but the Clippers weren't putting together a deal that was good enough to satisfy the Sixers. Well, apparently an accord was reached, and now L.A. owner Steve Ballmer is happy.

Remember that Ballmer is building the Clippers a home of their own. And by all accounts, the Intuit Dome is going to be something spectacular, over by SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. I watched Ballmer in an interview the other day. He is super-pumped to be bringing in Harden.

The superstar players he joins are pumped too, or so we've been told. We're talking, of course, about Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Russell Westbrook. The question might be how long that feel-good thing is going to last.

There's a prop at BetOnline that asks whether Harden will be a member of this team in the 2024-25 season, which is when the new arena opens.

Yes -250
No +170

Now correct me if I'm wrong, but when he was asked at a press conference whether he would have any problems fitting in with the system, or something like that, didn't Harden say, " I AM the system"? Granted, Harden was the league leader in assists last season, but maybe that's kind of a bad sign.

A guy who is perpetually unhappy is not a sure bet to fit in with other ego-driven individuals who have customarily had high usage figures. He has had a triple-double with 53 points at Madison Square Garden, but that isn't going to happen on Monday night. And if it does, it will be the result of some dysfunctional offense.

It may take a while for Harden to get comfortable with his new teammates. And let's see if he will get aggressive enough to get to the line against whatever scheme Tom Thibodeau is going to work up. The Knicks have lost four of their first six, and they wasted a 45-point effort by Jalen Brunson against Milwaukee the other night.

But they will prevail here, while Ballmer wonders whether he might have to buy more basketballs to keep everyone happy.

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