Giants
The Giants’ start to 2012 was as good as it gets: a playoff run and second Super Bowl victory for Coach Tom Coughlin and quarterback Eli Manning against the New England Patriots. Despite leading the NFC East for a good part of the season, the Giants would lose two blowout games in weeks 15 and 16, ending their guarantee for a spot in the playoffs. The Giants finished off strong in the last game of the season against the Philadelphia Eagles, winning 42-7. However a win for the Chicago Bears over the Detroit Lions would end their chances for a playoff berth.
The Giants did see an emergence from two young players; David Wilson and Andre Brown. However they will have to wait until next season to confirm if these two have a legitimate future with the team.
Jets
There was plenty of press surrounding the Jets in 2012 – and hardly any of it good. They made headlines in the offseason when they picked up quarterback Tim Tebow. While many thought Tebow would add some chemistry to a struggling offense, as well as give starting quarterback Mark Sanchez incentive to step his game up, the Jets barely used him. Little hope remains that Tebow will return to the Jets next year.
Star cornerback Darrelle Revis suffered an ACL injury in week three, which cut his season short and proved to be a bad omen for things to come in the remainder of 2012. While Sanchez finished the season with a quarterback rating of 67.9, backup quarterback Greg McElroy showed some potential in a win vs. the Arizona Cardinals after scoring the only touchdown in the game. The team finished with a 6-10 record, failing to make the playoffs. Many jobs are up in the air for the Jets, including Coach Rex Ryan.
Nets
This year, New York welcomed a new team in the NBA after the Nets moved from New Jersey to Brooklyn. In the offseason there were talks of picking up Dwight Howard, but the player ended up with the Los Angeles Lakers instead.
The Nets started off the season strong, however dropped to a 16-14 record with one game left to play in 2012. On Thursday the team fired Coach Avery Johnson, due to a 3-10 record in December. Although there is still time left to pick things up this season, it seems as if the Nets’ luck in New York is the same as it was in New Jersey.
Knicks
Earlier in 2012 New Yorkers got a taste of “Linsanity” as star point guard Jeremy Lin gave the team a huge boost in confidence. After Coach Mike D’Antoni resigned, Mike Woodson stepped as head coach and earned a three-year contract. The team would make the playoffs last season but lose to the Miami Heat in the first round. The Knicks then lost Lin to the Houston Rockets in the off season, but made up for it after picking up veteran guard Jason Kidd and re-signing Raymond Felton.
Amar’e Stoudemire suffered a knee injury in the offseason and has yet to return to the team. Scoring leader Carmelo Anthony has still kept up the pace of the Knicks, with the help of Tyson Chandler and solid bench players such as Steve Novak and J.R. Smith. The Knicks currently have a 21-9 record and remain a threatening squad as the year comes to a close.
Yankees
The Yankees picked up future hall of famer Ichiro Suzuki in 2012, and made a decent run in the playoffs after clinching their division. Suzuki had a batting average of .322 during the season and a solid performance in the playoffs. The same cannot be said for Alex Rodriguez. The third baseman showed a decline during in the post season, and was pulled from the starting lineup. The Yankees would lose in the ALCS after a sweep by the Detroit Tigers. Derek Jeter also suffered an injury during that series and would miss the remainder.
Mets
In 2012, the Mets saw their first no-hitter in the franchise’s history with Johan Santana at the mound against the Cardinals. The rest of the season was not so hot for the Mets, after they finished with a 74-88 record. Bright spots on the team include Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey, who is the MLB’s only knuckleball pitcher, as well as David Wright.
NHL Lockout
A players strike and failure of league management and the union to reach an agreement led to the cancellation of the better part of the 2012-2013 season. As of now, the likelihood of a 2012-2013 season is slim to none, as the two sides will have to come to terms by mid-January before the whole season is scrapped.
Rangers
The Rangers won the Eastern Division this year - for the first time since 1994 – with a record of 51-24-7. They would go on to win in Game 7 during the first two rounds of the playoffs; first against the Senators and then against the Capitals. Henrik Lundqvist proved yet again to be reliable in front of the net; however it was not enough as the Rangers lost to bitter rivals the New Jersey Devils in the Stanley Cup semi-finals.
Islanders
The Nets are not the only team to be moving to Brooklyn’s new Barclay’s Center. The Islanders announced this year that it will be their home as well starting in the 2015-1016 season after they move from the Nassau Coliseum.
The Islanders finished second to last in their division in 2012. The team has not won a playoff series since 1993, and for the fifth year in a row has not earned a playoff berth. However John Tavares was a bright spot on the team, after having one of the best scoring seasons in the league. He finished off 2012 with 31 goals and 50 assists.
