The series returned to Madison Square Garden as the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals battled to determine who would secure a 3-2 series lead in the pivotal game 5 match-up. The Rangers and Caps have traded wins, with the Rangers winning Games 1 and 3 and the Caps taking Games 2 and 4. There has been no apparent home ice advantage seeing as they split the games in New York and in DC. As everyone knows, Game 5 is so crucial in a best of 7 series, especially when the series is dead locked at 2 games apiece. The Game 5 winner ends up taking the series 80 percent of the time, so this remained a must-win situation if the Rangers wanted to continue this championship run.

The Rangers drew first blood with an early goal in the first period, but the Capitals fought back and ended up taking a 2-1 lead with very little time to spare. You could sense the anxiety in the New York crowd, they were in dire need of a goal, as the Rangers season was hanging in the balance. With only seconds separating the New York Rangers from a series deficit they would be hard pressed to overcome, lightning struck twice in a matter of moments and the Ranger fans got their miracle. Brad Richards scored the unlikeliest of power-play goals with just 6.6 seconds left in regulation, and Marc Staal added another one in the second half of overtime to lift New York to a shocking 3-2 victory over the Caps. ” The last minute was incredible” Staal said. Just seconds away from a 3-2 series hole and facing a tall order of having to win two straight to survive and advance ,the Rangers ended up with one of the most thrilling wins in team history.

You couldn’t write a better script than this if you were a New York Rangers fan last night. This game had everything, physical play, stars demonstrating tremendous heart by sacrificing their bodies, and it was a dog fight to the end. The Rangers are now sitting in the driver’s seat with a 3-2 series advantage on the Washington Capitals and are looking to keep their foot on the gas and never look back. This critical Game 5 win shifts the momentum back to the Rangers and they are now only one win away from reaching the Eastern Conference finals.

The Knicks hosted the struggling Cleveland Cavaliers (13-19) last night. The game was a match-up that clearly favored the Knicks and one that New York had to have in order to catch the powerhouses of the East.  From the tip, Kyrie Irving came out displaying his explosiveness and demonstrating why he was selected as the 1^stOverall Pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. The Cavs’ outstanding rookie and Jeremy Lin went toe-to-toe, exchanging blows with their dishing and swishing (as the great Walt Clyde would say).  Lin scored 19 points and more importantly dished out 13 assists, while Irving had 22 points to go along with 7 assists. Lin and Irving continue to be the two catalysts for their squads, but last night was all about the Knicks reserves.

The Knicks trailed by as many as 17 points in the second quarter and were a dozen behind at intermission before getting a lift from their second unit, who helped carry the Knicks to a victory that leveled their record at 18-18. Sharp shooting specialist Steve Novak poured in five-three pointers during the second half uprising and finished with 17 points in 18 minutes. Iman Shumpert and J R Smith were the spark plugs that the Knicks desperately needed in the 3rd quarter. They were active on the defensive side of the ball, as their disruptive hands and aggressiveness caused the Cavaliers into forcing critical turnovers. Baron Davis also contributed off the bench with 8 assists in 15 minutes and now for the first time all year, the Knicks are healthy.

The next couple of weeks should tell us a lot about the New York Knicks. The main question: Are they Contenders or Pretenders? Their next three opponents are against the cream of the crop NBA teams. On Sunday, they will face the Boston Celtics, followed by the San Antonio Spurs and the Defending NBA champs, the Dallas Mavericks. These teams have been extremely successful over the past 5 years and they know what it takes to win. In my eyes, the Knicks have the depth and scoring to compete with these elite teams, but I’m not convinced they are committed defensively to compete with the “Big Boys” just yet. D’Antoni’s system is based heavily on offense and that will not work if the Knicks don’t make defense their number one priority. In the playoffs, the offense is ran through more of the half-court and the Knicks will have to adjust accordingly.

Will Amar’e commit defensively? Will Lin limit his turnovers when teams are constructing their scouting report solely on him?  Will Melo try to take over the game by himself during crunch time? All of these questions need to be addressed and I don’t know if they can in time to make a playoff push.

Carmelo Anthony has mostly been a spectator as Jeremy Lin went from the end of the Knicks' bench to the biggest story in sports. Before Lin's entrance into the Knicks lineup this season, New York was playing poorly, posting an 8-15 record which was extremely disappointing for a team sporting Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire in their starting five.  The Knicks season and D'Antoni's job were hanging in the balance until the sudden emergence of Linsanity. New York won eight of nine games with Lin at the helm, and Melo was nursing an injury that kept him out of action for the last seven of those games. Lin has flourished  as the new floor general for the Knicks and continues to demonstrate the definition of being a true point guard.

Carmelo Anthony returned to the line- up last night and the million dollar question that everyone wanted to know was, if Melo and Lin could co-exist to compete as a legit NBA contender.  The Nets put a damper on all the excitement as Deron Williams lit up the garden with 38 points and 6 assists. Lin posted his normal numbers, but Anthony demonstrated some rust as the 5 time all-star forward  scored 11 points and went 4 for 11 from the field. Anthony missed several shots around the rim that he usually finishes and  looked out of sync. Melo and Lin linked up on a few occasions with a nice pick and pop that lead to a couple of elbow jumpers. However, the team's offense looked stagnant at times and  illustrated helter skelter play when Anthony was  inserted into the line - up. Lin has been a facilitator and had the Knicks clicking on all cylinders before the return of Anthony. Lin and Melo must develop a connection in order for the Knicks to be discussed in the same breath as the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls.  It has only been one game, but the doubts will continue to rise if Lin and Melo can't blend together. The Knicks are now a very deep team since the acquistion of shooter J r Smith and the return of point guard Baron Davis. The pieces are aligned for New York, now its just a matter if they can put the pieces together to finish the puzzle. Championships are won with dedication, sacrifice, and chemistry. If Melo is willing to sacrifice the stardom and the accolades for winning (of being the star),then the Knicks will be in contention come May.

    Jim Zissler

     646-453-8821 | jzissler@insideseg.com
New York, NY USA

http://www.cntraveler.com/travel-tips/travel-specialists/jim-zissler

Kathy Griffin, Sarah Silverman, Louis C.K., Tracy Morgan, and Wanda Sykes are only a handful of the comedians who will be performing this week during the 8^th Annual New York City Comedy Festival. The five day event, taking place November 9-13, will feature hilarious standup comedy, a discussion with “Saturday Night Live” writers, New York’s Funniest Standup Competition, and much more. There will also be a collaborative tribute in honor of the late New York City comedian Mike DeStefano, Wednesday, November 9^th. All proceeds will go toward the Mike DeStefano Foundation. To see a full list of shows/comedians visit the NYC Comedy Festival website: http://www.nycomedyfestival.com/.

Is it too early to plan for a Super Bowl party? Not for Inside Sports & Entertainment Group, which just landed the rights to sell VIP packages to the big game. The New York-based events manager is offering a “VIP experience” for a hefty $3,400 to $6,000.

The cash buys tickets to next year’s Super Bowl, to be held at the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium in Arlington, Texas, as well as four nights in a premium hotel and—integral to any Super Bowl weekend—high-end tailgating. Those who prefer watching far from the maddening crowd can rent stadium suites for a mere $115,900.

For Inside Sports—which specializes in organizing trips to events like the Final Four and the Kentucky Derby—the new relationship with the National Football League is a coup that could generate revenues in the seven-figures annually. It gives the firm access to better tickets and hotel rooms than fans can find on their own. Senior Vice President Jason Zinna says demand is high, even with the lousy economy. “If people [are going to] spend money on anything, it’s football,” he adds.

The last time the Eagles made this many high profiled moves during one off-season was in 2004 when they signed wide receiver Terrell Owens and defensive end Jevon Kearse. That year the Eagles finally got to the Super Bowl after losing three straight years in the NFC championship game. All the transactions the Philadelphia Eagles have made over the last week has made them one of the clear favorites if not the favorite to win the Super Bowl this year.

Another interesting twist to Tiger’s return is who will be on his bag.  Woods will need a new caddie after firing Steve Williams last week after twelve years of working together. Steve caddied for Australian Adam Scott during the 2011 Open Championship with Tiger’s permission as he tried to heal from his numerous injuries. Now Williams will be caddying for Scott on a full time basis. The Golf Channel has reported that Bryon Bell a childhood friend and president of Tiger Woods Design will caddie for Tiger at Firestone. Bell has caddied for Woods in the past when Tiger gave Williams the week off so he could compete in car races in New Zealand.  In those three tournaments Tiger won, and tied for second twice. Though no long term commitment has been made by Bell it will be interesting to see what Tiger decides is best for him in the long run.                 

Carlos Beltran is now a member of the San Francisco Giants. The trade became official as the Mets gave up Beltran and cash to the Giants for top pitching prospect Zach Wheeler. With the long awaited and inevitable trade finally done many people assume or question if this means that the Mets are giving up on the season. Let’s face it at first glance you would assume yes, behind Jose Reyes’ MVP caliber season, Beltran is the Mets second best player as he himself was also an All-Star. How can a team trade a player of that stature and not be throwing in the white flag? However, if you look deeper into it this is a trade the Mets absolutely had to make. Carlos Beltran is a free agent at the end of the year and there is no chance that the Mets were going to resign him, after coming off an injury plagued season and seeing limited time in spring training no one would have thought Beltran would have the kind of season he ishaving. With this type of production Beltran was the most coveted hitter on the trade market. With high contending teams looking to add another productive bat they were willing to part ways with top prospects and that’s exactly what the Mets got in Zach Wheeler. Wheeler in the eyes of scouts is something special with the tools to someday be a number one in a rotation, so the Mets recieved great value for Beltran. Also, I believe that the players themselves know that they can still contend. The Mets are 7.5 games out of the wildcard with 2 months of the season left alot of ground is needed to be made up but the players have the attitude that they can still compete for the final spot. The Mets are filled with players this year who are overachieving or who are just unproven that are stepping up and producing extremely well. If they go on a little streak who knows what can happen. The Beltran trade was one that needed to be done and hopefully it will work out for both teams (especially the Mets) but one thing is for certain don’t necessarily give up just yet.

NFL teams must prioritize who they want to sign because if too much time is spent on one player it could cause them to miss out on another player they coveted. This short time frame is new territory for all teams, and it will be interesting to see which teams handle the pressure the best. Though organizations may not have had a lot of time to discuss with players and their representation about negotiating a new deal general managers and owners sure have had a lot of time to discuss what they will say when given the chance to speak. The next few weeks will be filled with NFL news and will shape how organizations will fair this season and in the future.