Back in December, I was watching a basketball game on TV and sportscaster Bill Walton said, "Just watch. By the end of January, the Knicks will be right back in it."

All of a sudden, the Knicks have a five game winning streak.

There are reasons to believe this isn't just luck. Stephon Marbury seems finally to have reached an agreement with Larry Brown on his proper role. (It's amazing how much easier these adjustments come when you win.) And they're beating good teams, like in this week's overtime win against the Dallas Mavericks.

I also think Bill Walton knows what he's talking about. As a former player and critical intellectual, he has a good sense of the underlying dynamics that would make a team win. Hopefully he's right. Of course, I'm a huge Bill Walton fan. No one is capable of dishing out the opinions quite like he does. ("What a terrrr-ible pass!")

Not one, but two exciting teams at Madison Square Garden? It's been so long. Maybe this is the year.