The New York Knicks Experiment

**SKA** · 05-03-2012, 02:56 PM

Re: The New York Knicks Experiment

DECEMBER 2010

NEW YORK KNICKS
Madison Square Garden - New York City, NY
Overall Record: 20-13
December Record: 10-3
Overall: 8th (+4)
Power Ranking: 3rd (+11)
Division Rank: 1st (--)
Conference Rank: T-4th (+4)
Team Chemistry: 67% (--)

The month of December was executed with relative perfection, despite a hiccup loss in Washington against the Wizards, and two final losses at the end of the month. Besides that, the team looked great starting off with a win against the New Orleans Hornets, followed by a win in Toronto against the Raptors, and then back home next day to watch Carmelo Anthony put up 39 in an 86-125 routing of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

That entire week was one of Carmelo's best, as the next game saw him put up 42 points once again facing the Toronto Raptors, this time at home where fans were delighted to watch him light up the show. Unfortunately, there was one down moment of the game which saw Corey Brewer helped off the court and from the game, where he was diagnosed with a sprained neck during post-game, and won't be able to return for 2-4 weeks. This, coach Mike Dantoni said, would result in more minutes for his starters and some extra for shooting guard Kelenna Azubukie, who is known to play small forward as well with his size.

The next game saw Melo put up another 40 points, but the rest of his team would do jack-squat as the Wizards were able to steal a win in Washington from a much-better, but out-of-zone New York Knicks team. Luckily for the guys, they were able to win their next six games starting with a victory against the Denver Nuggets, which saw point guard Chauncey Billups continue his above-average play with a career high 42 point performance against his former team. Their home stand would continue with two important games, the first being an 83-117 smackdown of the Boston Celtics, certainly sending a message to the veteran, but aging squad with two straight wins against the Celtics this season. Having faced much criticism for his recent performances earlier in the month, Amar'e Stoudemire came out with a solid 37 point, 18 rebound performance, dominating the game from start to finish with his presence in the paint.

It seemed as though Amar'e was peaking at the right time, but his next game would only be a 9 point, 8 rebound performance. Thankfully, the rest of his team was above-par, and were able to keep the high times going with an 87-102 victory against the Miami Heat in Madison Square Garden. The entire affair was a heated battle, with LeBron James receiving the loudest chorus of boos the Garden's seen in sometime, and most consistent, for every time James touched the ball, the arena would quickly rise up in anger. Things didn't seem to faze "the King" however, who put up a team-high 33 points while getting to the line eight times. Unfortunately, the Knicks got off to too hot of a start, and were determined to keep the lead throughout the rest of the game. Chauncey Billups continued to emerge as a team leader and certainly won the hearts of New York after his 37 point game in which he dished out 9 assists and hit all five of his three point attempts, lighting the Garden on fire with every swish. Melo also played a solid game, scoring 23 with 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks, scoring every free throw all five times he was at the line.

The very next day the time ironically had to travel to Cleveland, where they settled a deal with the Cavaliers giving the Knicks at 99-81 victory. At this point, the Knicks had three days to prepare for a Wednesday night showdown with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and it was there the Knicks were able to come out victors for a fifth straight game, 74-93. The week was short with only another game Christmas night, primetime against the Chicago Bulls in New York. And much like the Heat, the Bulls couldn't handle the atmosphere, as six New York players finished in double-digit scoring, highlighted by a 12 point performance from Roger Mason, who was 6-6 from the free throw line, and 2 for 3 from beyond the arc. Once again Billups was able to lead the team with 28 points and 11 assists, while Derrick Rose led the Bulls with 23 points in a 99-126 blowout at the Garden. Merry Christmas to all Knicks fans!

With Sunday and Monday off, the Knicks were preparing for another grand showdown against the Heat, this time down in the tip of Florida. And this time, the Knicks didn't fare as well. Although they were able to comeback in the third quarter after giving up an eleven point lead after the first, the Heat wouldn't allow this one to get away from them, and closed out the finish, outscoring the Knicks by ten in the fourth quarter to secure the home win. The big three of Miami were essential to their victory, each scoring over 20 points, while Amar'e was as clutch as ever, putting up 40 in a disappointing performance from the team.

To make matters worse, the team couldn't recover in their final game of the year of 2010, against the Orlando Magic. The Magic's game plan was executed well enough, as the Magic walked out of their stadium winners 94-101. No one man on the Knicks team had an incredible impressive performance, which was necessary for the scoreboard to lean their way.

As for December, the team looked great. Things were going all well until two losses against the Heat and Magic, two teams the Knicks are going to have to consistently beat in order to contend for an NBA title, the ultimate goal of this experiment. As for the rest of the team, the only player unhappy with his role on the team is Renaldo Balkman, who feels he isn't getting enough playing time since making his way back to New York (where he was drafted.) Unforunately, the team is more impressed with the performance of Shawne Williams, who is getting 0.6 more minutes on the court per game, and averaging a straight 5.0. The team overall, is not impressed with the was Balkman has been performing all year, and may be pressed to move him out in exchange for another player or draft pick.

New York Knicks - As of January 1st Stats - 2011
Player	GP	MIN	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TPG	FPG
Carmelo Anthony	33	33.8	21.2	8.0	1.9	0.9	0.7	2.4	3.6
Chauncey Billups	33	36.6	20.6	2.4	8.3	1.7	0.2	2.6	2.0
Amar'e Stoudamire	33	31.6	18.9	8.1	1.3	0.3	1.9	1.9	3.4
Landry Fields	33	31.1	10.0	6.2	1.4	1.3	0.5	1.4	3.7
Corey Brewer	24	21.3	9.7	3.3	0.5	1.6	0.1	1.5	2.0
Toney Douglas	33	12.7	5.5	1.5	1.7	0.6	0.0	0.7	1.4
Kelenna Azubukie	33	14.1	5.1	1.7	0.5	0.2	0.2	0.9	1.1
Shawne Williams	33	6.6	5.0	0.8	0.2	0.0	0.2	0.5	1.1
Roger Mason	33	12.0	4.5	1.4	0.5	0.0	0.0	0.6	0.9
Shelden Williams	9	5.3	2.1	2.0	0.4	0.3	0.1	0.4	0.9
Ronny Turiaf	33	28.5	1.8	6.2	1.3	0.0	1.2	1.2	3.5
Renaldo Balkman	33	6.0	0.9	1.6	0.2	0.2	0.0	0.5	1.2
Andy Rautins	1	8.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.0

NBA Standings - Updated: Jan 1, 2011
ATLANTIC	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
New York Knicks	20	13	--	6-1	12-9
Boston Celtics	15	16	4.0	3-5	9-15
Philadelphia 76ers	10	23	10.0	3-4	7-15
Toronto Raptors	7	25	12.5	3-5	6-14
New Jersey Nets	7	26	13.0	3-4	7-14
EAST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Miami Heat	25	9	--	5-1	15-5
Chicago Bulls	20	11	3.5	4-1	10-5
Charlotte Bobcats	20	11	3.5	1-4	12-8
Indiana Pacers	19	12	4.5	3-3	11-8
New York Knicks	20	13	4.5	6-1	12-9
Atlanta Hawks	21	14	4.5	4-3	14-10
Orlando Magic	20	14	5.0	4-4	13-10
Cleveland Cavaliers	18	14	6.0	1-5	11-12

Knicks News for the Month of December
♦ The Knicks appear to be shopping around forward Renaldo Balkman, who has recently been heard complaining about his minutes with the Knicks. Sources say Balkman isn't seriously requesting a trade as of now, but many feel that his grumblings will only continue to boil over and eventually erupt into problems between Balkman, his agent, and the front office. Unfortunately, offers the Knicks are considering don't seem the be in the team's best interest overall, and it may be worth more to up Balkman's minutes to keep him happy and playing well.
♦ One player the organization appears to be targeting is their 2008 1st Round draft pick Danilo Gallinari. The 22-year old was traded to Denver in the deal which saw Chauncey Billups arrive to New York, but he is already extremely unhappy with his position in Denver, where Wilson Chandler is responsible for consuming the small forward minutes. The Knicks, however, feel they are short on trading pieces, while the only talked of trades see Corey Brewer and at least a draft pick going to the Nuggets for Gallinari. The chances of a deal being done at this point stand around 20%.
♦ Coach Mike Dantoni has clearly had success with his recent emphasis placed on the team's defense. He's repeated message is that defense is the cut throat between title and no title. He has enough faith in their offense to allow more focus on the team's defensive formations and formulas. The statistics prove his success, as the Knicks have the 8th fewest PAPG at 95.8, while the offense is fourth in the league in scoring at 103.8. The team is also second in the league in blocks per game at 5.2, right behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, who are one place above the Knicks in differential. Leading that stat are the Miami Heat, who are also playing on a high level.

League News for the Month of December
♦ This time it would be Derrick Rose taking home the Player of the Month award for the East, and Dirk Nowtizki taking it home for his team in the West.
♦ The Cleveland Cavaliers agreed to send point guard Ramon Sessions to the productive Golden State Warriors in exchange for the Warriors' 1st Round draft pick for this upcoming draft, and veteran shooting guard Charlie Bell.
♦ Greg Oden has found a new home, as the Portland Trailblazers agreed to send him alongside big man Joel Pryzbilla to Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Chris Kaman and Willie Warren. The Trailblazers are said to have made the move because Oden had requested a fresh start somewhere else, while Pryzbilla may have been the only piece they could have moved to Los Angeles to get Kaman, who requested a trade from the team citing problems with management and the direction of the organization.
♦ The Oklahoma City Thunder agreed to a 1yr/$781k deal with multiple-time champion and veteran shooter Michael Finley.
♦ On the flip side, the Washington Wizards looked for some more veteran presence in the locker room, signing an odd 1yr/$856k deal with very old but respected Jerry Stackhouse.
♦ Midway through the month, another team said goodbye to their head coach, as Kurt Rambis was released from his contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves, who know have Todd Houston serving as their general on the floor.
♦ The Boston Celtics agreed to a 1yr/$1.58M deal with free agent Jarvis Hayes.
♦ The Detroit Pistons decided to sign Chris Hunter to a 1yr/$937k contract.
♦The Los Angeles Clippers added a veteran point guard by signing Rafer Alston to a 1yr/$1.60M deal.
♦The New Orleans Hornets signed Mike Harris to a 1yr/$1.44M

**SKA** · 05-03-2012, 02:59 PM

Re: The New York Knicks Experiment

JANUARY 2011

NEW YORK KNICKS
Madison Square Garden - New York City, NY
Overall Record: 30-18
January Record: 10-5
Overall: 13th (-5)
Power Ranking: 7th (-4)
Division Rank: 1st (--)
Conference Rank: 4th (--)
Team Chemistry: 77% (+10%)

New York started the month off hot with a dominating win over Indiana in the Garden, 100-134. This win was a very good sign for fans worried about a potential playoff matchup with Indiana, and that they mustn't be worried at all since Carmelo Anthony's season high 46 points and the rest of the team dominated throughout. The team would go on to host the Spurs at home, and defeat them in a solid matchup, 89-104. This game would see Corey Brewer return with a healed neck, but he would only score 6 while shooting a poor 3 for 10 from the field.

A big west coast road trip would follow, and the team would start off strong with a victory in Phoenix, while Amar'e Stoudemire returned to lead the Knicks with 21 points while five of his teammates finished with double-digit scoring as well. That game would see Kelenna Azubukie come up strong, scoring 11 off the bench. However, a big Sunday night matchup would see the team fall to the Lakers at the Staples Center, 91-116 as the Lakers ran away with the game from the start of the fourth quarter. Both Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant finished with 28, while the Knicks' offense sputtered throughout, as Melo led his team with only 22 points.

This loss would seem to shake the team's confidence, as they would fall to the Trailblazers in Portland, 70-96. The next day saw a 90-97 loss to the Jazz in Utah, but once home again, they played host to the Sacramento Kings who were making their rounds on the east coast, and would blow out the young west coast offense with an 87-134 showing, as Melo scored 44 going 15-17 from the field. Next came another challenge from the Phoenix Suns, this time in New York where they would fall to the Knicks 96-114.

And with that the team was back on the road, this time starting in Houston against the Rockets, where they took on a team now led by David Lee, whom they acquired from the Warriors earlier in the month. The Knicks would be too much though, walking away victorious at 101-89, while their next game would see a continued success against the San Antonio Spurs, coming in and swiping a 108-89 win. Unfortunately the team was faced with another tough task the very next day, taking down the ruthless Oklahoma City Thunder in OKC. Not surprisingly, the Knicks fell short, 90-97, as the entire team shot well but not one man stepped up to give the big time performance necessary to snatch the win.

This game would also see Stoudemire go down with a strained quad, having the leave the game in the fourth quarter, certainly hurting the team's presence in the paint for the game. While it's always tough to see Stoudemire go down, it was announced he would only be affected by the injury for 1-2 weeks while there was confidence he would continue to at least pump out 20 minutes a game with the injury.

Thankfully the team could get a win against the Wizards at home, as Melo hosted John Wall and his ragtag crew to a 45 point performance for fans in the Garden. However, they were more concerned about their game three days later, hosting the Miami Heat once again. With a strained quad on Stat and revenge on the mind of the big three in Miami, most were counting the Knicks out, but they proved to pack a bigger punch that anticipated. The crowd helped knock Miami out of grabbing a victory, as the Knicks' bench was able to step up, along with a 19-point game from Landry Fields, seemingly igniting the crowd with every one of his buckets. New York loves rookies, and New York loves when their teams win. They were certainly more than satisfied as their team was able to defeat the Heat once again, this time 97-101.

There may have been too big of a hangover, however, as the team traveled to Atlanta the next day where they lost and unprepared game to the Hawks, 99-103. Clearly the, Stoudemire was not producing as well, and the team was trying to adjust to life without their big man, but everyone seemed to have a hand in the defeat of the Detroit Pistons in their final game of the month, winning 88-111 at home. This win would put them one win over their record last year, certainly a fantastic improvement considering the All-Star Break hasn't even commenced.

New York Knicks - As of January 1st Stats - 2011
Player	GP	MIN	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TPG	FPG
Carmelo Anthony	48	34.2	23.2	7.9	2.1	1.0	0.6	2.3	3.7
Chauncey Billups	48	36.2	20.1	2.3	8.2	1.6	0.2	2.5	1.5
Amar'e Stoudamire	48	31.8	18.2	8.4	1.2	0.3	1.8	2.0	3.5
Landry Fields	48	31.2	9.9	6.0	1.4	1.1	0.3	1.6	3.6
Corey Brewer	38	21.4	9.7	3.0	0.7	1.4	0.1	1.3	2.1
Kelenna Azubukie	48	13.7	5.2	1.7	0.5	0.2	0.2	1.0	1.1
Toney Douglas	48	12.2	5.0	1.3	1.9	0.5	0.0	0.6	1.4
Shawne Williams	48	6.4	4.8	0.9	0.1	0.0	0.2	0.6	1.1
Roger Mason	48	11.8	4.4	1.4	0.5	0.0	0.0	0.7	0.9
Ronny Turiaf	48	28.4	2.4	6.2	1.3	0.4	1.4	1.1	3.4
Shelden Williams	24	5.0	1.2	1.5	0.3	0.4	0.0	0.4	0.9
Renaldo Balkman	48	6.2	0.9	1.5	0.3	0.2	0.0	0.5	1.1

NBA Standings - Updated: Feb 1, 2011
ATLANTIC	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
New York Knicks	30	18	--	6-1	16-10
Boston Celtics	25	22	4.5	4-6	16-16
Philadelphia 76ers	19	28	10.5	4-4	12-19
New Jersey Nets	12	37	18.5	3-3	11-17
Toronto Raptors	11	38	19.5	4-7	9-23
EAST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Miami Heat	34	14	--	6-2	20-9
Chicago Bulls	30	17	3.5	9-2	20-9
Atlanta Hawks	31	18	3.5	5-4	19-12
New York Knicks	30	18	4.0	6-1	16-10
Indiana Pacers	28	17	4.5	3-5	14-13
Charlotte Bobcats	27	20	6.5	3-5	15-13
Orlando Magic	28	22	7.0	4-4	18-13
Boston Celtics	25	22	8.5	4-6	16-16

Knicks News for the Month of January
♦ A decision was made to give forward Renaldo Balkman a more expansive role on the team, creating a role playing spot for the productive defensemen and rebounder. Balkman was said to be at breaking point with the team, but the front office has sources saying with confidence they feel Balkman will be satisfied and they gave the forward what he had been wanting. A win-win, in most cases. Offers were made from by the Washington Wizards and Philadelphia 76ers, but none were entertaining the front office.

League News for the Month of January
♦ Once again, Derrick Rose was able to take home the Player of the Month award in the Eastern Conference, while Kevin Durant was back at it in the Western Conference.
♦ The Golden State Warriors to a big risk trading their power forward David Lee to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Terrence Williams and Jared Jeffries. The move faced much criticism for the Warriors, considering David Lee was considered to be their big signing during the last summer. Now Lee is reportedly unhappy with his sixth man role taken on the Rockets, while Williams on the Warriors is said to be unhappy with his playing time. All-in-all, nearly nobody has been able to make sense of this trade.
♦ A day later a trade was made between the New Orleans Hornets and Phoenix Suns, as the team from Arizona sent Josh Childress to Louisiana in exchange for Marco Bellinelli and Marcus Banks.
♦ The Hornets would then go on to sign Matt Janning to a 1yr/$1.55M contract.
♦ The Golden State Warriors would end up signing shooting guard Rashad McCants to a 1yr/$1.56M contract.
♦ The Orlando Magic attempted to improve their defense down low for the playoffs, but acquiring center Ben Wallace from the Detroit Pistons, while sending Quentin Richardson and their upcoming 1st Round draft pick this coming summer.
♦ The Indiana Pacers signed Troy Murphy to a 1yr/$3.10M deal, picking up a guy already familiar with the Pacers game plan and their organization.
♦ Portland's Wesley Matthews suffered a broken patella putting him out of action for the rest of the season.
♦ Chicago was stiffed by a broken foot happening to their power forward Carlos Boozer.
♦ Charlotte was forced to lose one of their high-octane scorers in Stephen Jackson, as he broke his ankle putting him out of action for the next month.

**SKA** · 05-03-2012, 03:01 PM

Re: The New York Knicks Experiment

FEBRUARY 2011

NEW YORK KNICKS
Madison Square Garden - New York City, NY
Overall Record: 36-22
February Record: 6-4
Overall: 6th (+7)
Power Ranking: 3rd (+4)
Division Rank: 1st (--)
Conference Rank: 4th (--)
Team Chemistry: 86% (+9%)

After a solid month in January, the team got off to a bad start against the Dallas Mavericks in February, dropping the game 90-85 at home. Next the team was on the road in Philadelphia, where the squad got romped by a 76ers squad that put up 113 and was led by Andre Iguodala with 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 9 assists on the night. The most impressive stat, however, came from Amar'e Stoudemire, who would set a franchise record with his 11 blocks on the night. Those two teams would actually face off for a second time in a row two days later, this time with a match in New York, where it was announced power forward Amar'e Stoudemire would be back to normal minutes with his strained quad completely healed. Stoudemire made a statement in the game, coming back with 16 points and 16 rebounds while the Knicks were able to get the vengeful victory.

Two more losses would come their way, each against a team from Los Angeles. Both teams came into Madison Square Garden with a tough task, and both teams were able to fight it out for the victories. First, the Clippers won 105-95, thanks to a 29 point, 12 rebound game from their franchise man Blake Griffin. Next up, the Lakers won by an even slimmer margin, 97-91, as the Knicks just couldn't hit their shots in the fourth quarter. Thankfully, the team recovered with a win the next day in New Jersey, 108-104, as the team scored 39 points in the fourth quarter to come back and snatch the victory. The comeback was led by Carmelo Anthony who would score half of his 28 points in the fourth quarter.

The Knicks were then left with one more game before All-Star break, and they would close things out with a solid 96-106 over the Atlanta Hawks in New York, featuring a 29-10 game from Stat, 23-14 game from Melo, and 13-14 game from Chauncey Billups. This would lead into an All-Star Game which featured both Knicks' Anthony and Billups, while a snub was given to their big man Stoudemire. A crazy All-Star Game would see the West All-Stars walk away winners, 101-103, as Melo had 7 points and 4 rebounds, while Billups had 9 points and 7 assists.

After the break, the team got back to playing winning basketball. They were back on the mark with an 80-110 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. Next in line were the Cleveland Cavaliers, who couldn't keep up with the Knicks in the Q, losing 132-108. Finally, this left New York with one more game of the month, and who else would they play besides the Miami Heat. This game was in Miami, and this time, both teams were on point as the regulation game had to go into overtime. LeBron James played a great game scoring 32 with 10 rebounds and 7 assists, but his effort in the final minutes of overtime, along with his partner-in-crime Dwyane Wade, wouldn't be enough. Instead, the Knicks would outscore the Heat 13-9 in overtime, resulting in the 116-112 win on the road, giving the team plenty of momentum heading into the crucial month of March.

New York Knicks - As of March 1st Stats - 2011
Player	GP	MIN	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TPG	FPG
Carmelo Anthony	58	34.5	24.6	7.9	2.0	1.0	0.6	2.3	3.7
Chauncey Billups	58	36.1	19.4	2.3	8.5	1.6	0.1	2.4	1.8
Amar'e Stoudemire	58	31.7	18.1	8.5	1.3	0.3	1.8	1.9	3.6
Landry Fields	58	31.3	9.9	5.9	1.4	1.2	0.3	1.6	3.4
Corey Brewer	48	21.2	9.7	2.9	0.6	1.4	0.0	1.4	2.2
Kelenna Azubukie	58	13.4	4.8	1.7	0.5	0.2	0.2	0.9	1.1
Toney Douglas	58	11.7	4.7	1.2	1.8	0.5	0.0	0.6	1.4
Shawne Williams	58	6.6	4.6	1.0	0.2	0.1	0.2	0.6	1.1
Roger Mason	58	11.7	4.3	1.4	0.4	0.0	0.0	0.7	0.8
Bill Walker	40	7.7	3.0	1.1	0.3	0.3	0.0	0.5	0.9
Ronny Turiaf	56	28.0	2.4	6.1	1.2	0.1	1.3	1.1	3.3
Shelden Williams	28	5.0	1.1	1.5	0.3	0.4	0.0	0.3	0.9
Renaldo Balkman	58	7.4	1.0	1.6	0.3	0.3	0.1	0.5	1.3

NBA Standings - Updated: Mar 1, 2011
ATLANTIC	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
New York Knicks	36	22	--	8-2	22-11
Boston Celtics	30	28	6.0	5-6	18-18
Philadelphia 76ers	25	24	11.5	5-6	15-24
New Jersey Nets	16	44	21.0	4-5	13-21
Toronto Raptors	16	44	21.0	4-7	12-25
EAST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Miami Heat	43	17	--	8-3	27-12
Atlanta Hawks	39	22	4.5	7-4	24-13
Indiana Pacers	37	22	5.5	5-7	13-15
New York Knicks	36	22	6.0	8-2	22-11
Orlando Magic	36	25	7.5	6-6	22-15
Chicago Bulls	33	25	9.0	9-3	21-13
Charlotte Bobacts	31	28	11.5	4-7	17-20
Boston Celtics	30	28	12.0	5-6	18-18

2011 NBA All-Star Game Rosters
Eastern Conference		Western Conference
Head Coach: Eric Spoelstra (MIA)		Head Coach: Phil Jackson (LAL)
Pos	Starters	Pos	Starters
PG	Deron Williams (NJ) (2nd)	PG	Chris Paul (NO) (4th)
SG	Dwyane Wade (MIA) (7th)	SG	Kobe Bryant (LAL) (13th)
SF	LeBron James (MIA) (7th)	SF	Kevin Durant (OKC) (2nd)
PF	Josh Smith (ATL) (1st)	PF	Dirk Nowitzki (DAL) (10th)
C	Dwight Howard (ORL) (5th)	C	Nene (DEN) (1st)
Pos	Reserves	Pos	Reserves
PG	Derrick Rose (CHI) (2nd)	PG	Russell Westbrook (OKC) (1st)
SF	Carmelo Anthony (NYK) (4th)	SG	Manu Ginobli (SA) (2nd)
SG	Joe Johnson (ATL) (5th)	SF	Rudy Gay (MEM) (1st)
SF	Gerald Wallace (CHA) (2nd)	PF	David Lee (HOU) (2nd)
C	Brook Lopez (NJ) (1st)	C	Andrew Bynum (LAL) (1st)
SF	Danny Granger (IND) (2nd)	PG	Tony Parker (SA) (4th)
PG	Chauncey Billups (NYK) (6th)	PG	Raymond Felton (DEN) (1st)

Knicks News for the Month of February
♦ No trades were made before the deadline for the Knicks, as the front office feels their players have been unfairly looked down upon by other NBA franchises, and were having trouble the whole couple of weeks before the deadline to get any sort of trade going. With no new pieces into the fold, the Knicks understand their roster heading into the playoffs, while all players must go ahead and sink into their roles with ease and comfort.
♦ The team prays that no injuries happen heading into the playoffs, where they feel the team stands a strong chance of making it to the Eastern Conference Finals and defeating whoever is in front of them, with most experts predicting a Miami Heat showdown in the conference finals.

League News for the Month of February
♦ Players of the Month awards belonged to LeBron James in the East and Russell Westbrook out West for the month of February.
♦ The biggest trade of the year took place between the Boston Celtics, and Phoenix Suns, who clearly were reshaping their entire organization. The Celtics made breaking news by agreeing to get future Hall of Famer Steve Nash, as well as young big man Robin Lopez, while trading the measly duo of Nate Robinson and Jermaine O'Neal to the Suns. While Celtics fans were ecstatic about the trade, many Phoenix fans felt their front office got ripped off when dealing their franchise point guard, but were happy Nash was going to have a real chance at a title.
♦ The Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers came to an agreement, which sent the Clippers' most recent member of their roster, Rafer Alston, sent to Miami where he would become an essential part to their championship formula, all in exchange for point guard Eddie House and Miami's 1st Round draft pick in the upcoming draft.
♦ The Phoenix Suns also made a move with their recent signee, sending veteran point guard Flip Murray and their 1st Round draft pick this coming summer to the Boston Celtics in exchange for young point guard with potential, Avery Bradley.
♦ The Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks decided to trade some players, as the Bucks sent shooting guard John Salmons and veteran point guard Earl Boykins to Atlanta, while receiving Marvin Williams and Maurice Evans.
♦ The Phoenix Suns made another trade, saying goodbye to small forward Grant Hill as well as forward Hakim Warrick, sending them to Toronto in exchange for Amir Johnson and Julian Wright.
♦ The Milwaukee Bucks stayed busy with another trade, this time sending Carlos Delfino and Drew Gooden to the New Jersey Nets in exchange for Dan Gadzuric and Quinton Ross, the latter of which has already been traded once this season.
♦ The Memphis Grizzlies decided to fire their coach Lionel Hollins, and named Johnathan Reynolds as the team's new head coach for the rest of the season.
♦ The Los Angeles Clippers also let go of their head coach, Vinny Del Negro, and named assistant Chip Dennis as the team's new coach for the time being.
♦ Mike Bibby of the Atlanta Hawks was put out of action for the season with a torn Achilles.
♦ Right after being traded to the Nets, forward Carlos Delfino suffered a broken ankle, putting him out of action for all of March and most of April.
♦ The Portland Trailblazers also lost Chris Kaman for most of the season, thanks to a torn hamstring.

**SKA** · 05-03-2012, 03:06 PM

Re: The New York Knicks Experiment

MARCH 2011

NEW YORK KNICKS
Madison Square Garden - New York City, NY
Overall Record: 46-29
March Record: 10-7
Overall: 11th (-5)
Power Ranking: 10th (-7)
Division Rank: 1st (--)
Conference Rank: 3rd (+1)
Team Chemistry: 91% (+5%)

The New York Knicks really continued to look good until they approached the end of the month. After starting the end of April with three straight wins, they would continue to win their next nine of their first ten games of the month. Things started off with an impressive 109-85 victory in Orlando against the Magic, a team in similar playoff contention with the Knicks. The next day the team was back home where they laid out another solid defeat against the New Orleans Hornets. The Cleveland Cavaliers came to town after that, to no avail. The upcoming Sunday, the team went down to Atlanta where they suffered their first loss of the month, 91-122, allowing both Joe Johnson and Josh Smith to play above-average games. Thankfully, the team was able to recover against the Utah Jazz in the Garden, with a shaky 107-111 finish to the game.

Memphis was the team's next victim, as the squad headed into Tennessee and delivered a 111-94 victory as the team was scoring at will and well-balanced. Next the Knicks went into Dallas and completely dominated the Mavericks, winning 85-79 despite giving up 36 points in the fourth quarter and scoring only 18.

Two very important games were now next up, and they were against the same opponent both times, the Indiana Pacers. The team sat close to a high seed, much like the Knicks, but New York was able to snuff them out of any chance, defeating the Pacers at home 87-114. This game would see a complete performance from Carmelo Anthony, who put up 16 points and recorded a career high 18 rebounds. Two days later the Pacers had a chance to get back at the Knicks, hosting the team in Indianapolis, and although the game was much closer, the Knicks still walked away victors, 104-100. A Pacers comeback was short-lived, as both Melo and Chauncey Billups were able to silence the area with big shot after big shot.

Unfortunately the team was hit with news it didn't want to hear. Although it wasn't any too severe, nobody wanted to realize that Amar'e Stoudemire was suffering from back spasms. The team decided to pull his minutes down drastically, until he played nearly no minutes the games coming up to a complete recovery. The doctors diagnosed his case only 1-2 weeks time, but the Knicks had the toughest part of their schedule coming up, and still needed Amar'e to keep things going.

The Grizzlies were then given another shot at the Knicks, but failed to step up, losing 88-104 as the Garden was too much for the struggling team in the West to compete. However, the team's great run was cut short with a loss in Detroit against the Pistons, 87-121. This loss was the start of a serious downfall for the Knicks, facing heavy criticism at the end of their streak of losing six of their last seven games of the month.

Following the loss to the Pistons, the team struggled on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks. After that, the new Steve Nash'd out Boston Celtics visited the Garden, and were able to silence fans for much of the game as they would end up with a 106-84 victory. Kevin Garnett was particularly impressive, showing the New York crowd he could still wreak havoc, scoring 26 and bounding 16 boards. After that showing, the Magic were able to come in town and his a game-winning three pointer for a 93-90 result. The Garden was once again hushed for a second game in a row, as Jason Richardson danced his way back to the bench and into the locker room.

Two days later the team was able to sacrifice a victory from the Milwaukee Bucks, 97-99 in an embarrassing, but nonetheless close game. The Knicks didn't look in form as they still couldn't replace the production of Amar'e with any ease. But luckily the came out of the game victors. The very next day, Billups was able to put on his second career-high performance in scoring, putting up 45 in total against the Charlotte Bobcats. His effort was completely gone to waste, however, as the Knicks couldn't tame the Bobcats on the road, losing 102-107. After the game, Melo was also announced to have suffered a twisted ankle during the game, and would be plagued with that for the following 1-2 weeks.

The team's long week of five games in seven days finally came to an end, and the team was able to rest up an entire week, where they would play one game against the New Jersey Nets. No one seemed to have their head in the game, and instead on the long break of a week heading into April. The team would lose 95-84 at home, while the New York media was finally getting riled up about the team's latest showings heading into April and the NBA Playoffs.

New York Knicks - As of April 1st Stats - 2011
Player	GP	MIN	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TPG	FPG
Carmelo Anthony	75	34.8	24.4	8.2	2.1	1.0	0.6	2.4	3.6
Chauncey Billups	75	35.4	20.0	2.3	8.0	1.7	0.1	2.4	1.9
Amar'e Stoudemire	75	29.7	17.2	7.7	1.2	0.3	1.7	1.8	3.3
Corey Brewer	65	21.8	10.1	3.1	0.8	1.3	0.1	1.2	2.3
Landry Fields	75	30.8	9.3	6.0	1.5	1.1	0.3	1.5	3.6
Toney Douglas	75	11.7	4.9	1.1	1.8	0.5	0.0	0.7	1.5
Kelenna Azubukie	75	13.4	4.7	1.7	0.5	0.2	0.2	0.9	1.1
Shawne Williams	75	7.1	4.4	1.1	0.2	0.0	0.2	0.6	1.2
Roger Mason	75	10.8	3.7	1.1	0.4	0.0	0.0	0.6	0.8
Bill Walker	50	7.9	3.1	1.2	0.3	0.3	0.1	0.5	0.9
Andy Rautins	2	4.5	3.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0
Ronny Turiaf	73	28.0	5.9	1.2	0.2	0.2	1.4	1.1	3.2
Renaldo Balkman	75	8.9	1.1	2.0	0.4	0.4	0.2	0.6	1.5
Shelden Williams	35	5.0	1.0	1.6	0.2	0.3	0.0	0.3	1.0

NBA Standings - Updated: Apr 1, 2011
ATLANTIC	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
x - New York Knicks	46	29	--	8-4	27-18
Boston Celtics	42	32	3.5	8-6	24-20
Philadelphia 76ers	28	47	18.0	5-7	15-30
New Jersey Nets	22	52	23.5	7-6	17-28
Toronto Raptors	19	55	26.5	4-9	14-30
EAST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
x - Miami Heat	55	20	--	10-4	32-14
x - Atlanta Hawks	48	27	7.0	8-5	31-16
x - New York Knicks	46	29	9.0	8-4	27-18
Orlando Magic	44	31	11.0	7-7	27-18
Chicago Bulls	43	31	11.5	11-3	27-18
Boston Celtics	42	32	12.5	8-6	24-20
Indiana Pacers	43	33	12.5	6-9	22-25
Charlotte Bobcats	40	34	14.5	4-7	23-21

Knicks News for the Month of March
♦ Corey Brewer has really emerged in the last month as an important part and productive part of this Knicks team. Coming off the bench Brewer has been able to provide the team with much needed energy sparks, and has been a productive scorer throughout the entire month, including a high performance of 22 points in their big loss to the Detroit Pistons.

League News for the Month of March
♦ March is an impressive month to win the award, as Derrick Rose and Kobe Bryant were named Players of the Month in their respective conferences.
♦ March was a month of hirings and firing for coaches, as the season itself had a handle full already. The Detroit Pistons were the first to pull the trigger, not being afraid to let go of their former new-guy John Kuester, and picking up the recently released Vinny Del Negro, whom they feel was too good of a coach to let get through their hands.
♦ On the other side of the ball, the New Jersey Nets decided to pick up the recently fired John Kuester, and said goodbye to their coach Avery Johnson.
♦ The Philadelphia 76ers were next up, firing their head coach Doug Collins and picking up former Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins.
♦ The Phoenix Suns were the final team to say goodbye to their coach, firing Alvin Gentry and picking up in his place, Lonnie Madsen.
♦ The other player acquired in their trade with the Milwaukee Bucks, Drew Gooden was declared out for the season for the New Jersey Nets, with a torn ACL midway through March.
♦ The Los Angeles Lakers were also forced to place Matt Barnes on IR after he suffered a torn MCL in a game against the Sacramento Kings.
♦ Oklahoma City was disappointed to hear that they would be without Thabo Sefolosha for 6-8 weeks, heading into the playoffs, thanks to a torn hamstring.
♦ Only three players seem to be up to win the Most Valuable Player award, with LeBron James being the number one choice amongst most experts, with both his teammate Dwyane Wade and rival Kobe Bryant behind him.

**SKA** · 05-03-2012, 03:09 PM

Re: The New York Knicks Experiment

APRIL 2011

NEW YORK KNICKS
Madison Square Garden - New York City, NY
Overall Record: 52-30
April Record: 6-1
Overall: 6th (+5)
Power Ranking: 2nd (+8)
Division Rank: 1st (--)
Conference Rank: T-2nd (+1)
Team Chemistry: 98% (+7%)

As the short month, or long, depending on how you look at it, got under way, the team prepared themselves for a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, which would feature a 100% healthy Carmelo Anthony just in time to close things out on the rest of the league. April went picture perfect, with their only loss coming to the Celtics at the end when Melo, Amar'e Stoudamire, and Chauncy Billups played a minimal amount of minutes.

After the 39 point game from Melo against the Cavs, the Knicks took down the Toronto Raptors, 103-116 at home as well. The next day the Knicks stole a 94-91 win in Philadelphia against the 76ers who will certainly be missing out on the playoffs after another disappointing season. The New Jersey Nets were the team's next victim, getting held to only 64 points while the Knicks put up 98 of their own. Another solid win would follow, this time going 99-83 in Indiana against the Pacers. One more win against the Chicago Bulls would lead to the lame duck game against the Boston Celtics, as the team prepared itself for the NBA Playoffs awaiting them.

New York Knicks - As of April 14th Stats - 2011
Player	GP	MIN	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TPG	FPG
Carmelo Anthony	82	34.4	24.5	8.0	2.0	1.0	0.6	2.4	3.6
Chauncey Billups	82	34.8	19.8	2.3	7.8	1.7	0.1	2.4	1.9
Amar'e Stoudemire	82	29.6	17.1	7.8	1.2	0.3	1.6	1.8	3.3
Corey Brewer	72	22.0	10.1	3.1	0.8	1.3	0.1	1.2	2.3
Landry Fields	82	30.5	9.0	5.9	1.4	1.1	0.2	1.6	3.6
Toney Douglas	82	11.7	5.1	1.2	1.8	0.5	0.0	0.7	1.5
Kelenna Azubukie	82	13.3	4.5	1.7	0.5	0.2	0.2	0.9	1.1
Shawne Williams	82	7.2	4.4	1.2	0.2	0.0	0.2	0.6	1.2
Roger Mason	82	10.7	3.7	1.1	0.4	0.0	0.0	0.6	0.8
Bill Walker	57	8.0	3.1	1.2	0.3	0.3	0.1	0.5	0.9
Andy Rautins	2	4.5	3.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0
Ronny Turiaf	80	28.1	2.3	1.2	0.2	0.2	1.4	1.1	3.2
Renaldo Balkman	82	9.5	1.2	2.2	0.4	0.4	0.2	0.6	1.5
Shelden Williams	35	5.0	1.0	1.6	0.2	0.3	0.0	0.3	1.0

NBA Standings - Updated: Apr 14, 2011
ATLANTIC	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
y - New York Knicks	52	30	--	11-5	33-19
x - Boston Celtics	48	34	4.0	10-6	30-22
Philadelphia 76ers	31	51	21.0	7-9	18-34
New Jersey Nets	26	56	26.0	7-9	20-32
Toronto Raptors	21	61	31.0	5-11	16-36
CENTRAL	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
x - Chicago Bulls	46	36	--	12-4	29-23
x - Indiana Pacers	46	36	--	7-9	25-27
Milwaukee Bucks	39	43	7.0	8-8	25-27
Cleveland Cavaliers	33	49	13.0	5-11	22-30
Detroit Pistons	33	49	13.0	8-8	26-26
SOUTHEAST	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
z - Miami Heat	60	22	--	11-5	36-16
x - Atlanta Hawks	52	30	8.0	11-5	34-18
x - Orlando Magic	48	34	12.0	8-8	31-21
x - Charlotte Bobcats	44	38	16.0	6-10	27-25
Washington Wizards	29	53	31.0	4-12	18-34
EAST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
z - Miami Heat	60	22	--	11-5	36-16
x - Atlanta Hawks	52	30	8.0	11-5	34-18
y - New York Knicks	52	30	8.0	11-5	33-19
x - Boston Celtics	48	34	12.0	10-6	30-22
x - Orlando Magic	48	34	12.0	8-8	31-21
x - Chicago Bulls	46	36	14.0	12-4	29-23
x - Indiana Pacers	46	36	14.0	7-9	25-27
x - Charlotte Bobcats	44	38	16.0	6-10	27-25
NORTHWEST	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
y - Oklahoma City Thunder	51	31	--	8-8	31-21
x - Portland Trailblazers	50	32	1.0	13-3	32-20
x - Utah Jazz	42	40	9.0	6-10	24-28
Denver Nuggets	40	42	11.0	8-8	26-26
Minnesota Timberwolves	31	51	20.0	5-11	20-32
PACIFIC	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
z - Los Angeles Lakers	56	26	--	12-4	34-18
Golden State Warriros	39	43	17.0	7-9	22-30
Sacramento Kings	37	45	19.0	9-7	24-28
Los Angeles Clippers	33	49	23.0	5-11	20-32
Phoenix Suns	29	53	27.0	7-9	18034
SOUTHWEST	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
y - Dallas Mavericks	52	30	--	11-5	32-20
x - San Antonio Spurs	47	35	5.0	7-9	29-23
x - New Orleans Hornets	44	38	8.0	9-7	30-22
x - Houston Rockets	43	39	9.0	8-8	30-22
Memphis Grizzlies	28	54	24.0	5-11	18-34
WEST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
z - Los Angeles Lakers	56	26	--	12-4	34-18
y - Dallas Mavericks	52	30	4.0	11-5	32-20
y - Oklahoma City Thunder	51	31	5.0	8-8	31-21
x - Portland Trailblazers	50	32	6.0	13-3	32-20
x - San Antonio Spurs	47	35	9.0	7-9	29-23
x - New Orleans Hornets	44	38	12.0	9-7	30-22
x - Houston Rockets	43	39	13.0	8-8	30-22
x - Utah Jazz	42	40	14.0	6-10	24-28

NBA League Leaders - Updated: Apr 14, 2011
Points Per Game		PPG	Rebounds Per Game		RPG
	1. Derrick Rose	31.1		1. Dwight Howard	11.5
	2. Kevin Durant	31.0		2. Zach Randolph	11.0
	3. Dirk Nowitzki	30.4		3. Andrew Bogut	10.6
	4. Kobe Bryant	30.3		4. Gerald Wallace	10.4
	5. Monta Ellis	27.5		5. Al Horford	10.2
Assists Per Game		APG	Steals Per Game		SPG
	1. Chris Paul	9.9		1. Chris Paul	3.0
	2. Jason Kidd	9.7		2. Kobe Bryant	2.4
	3. Michael Conley	8.5		3. Gerald Wallace	2.4
	4. Russell Westbrook	8.1		4. LeBron James	2.4
	5. Chauncey Billups	7.8		5. Dwyane Wade	2.3
Blocks Per Game		BPG	Field Goal Percentage		FG%
	1. Andrew Bogut	1.9		1. Al Horford	.559
	2. Josh Smith	1.9		2. Pau Gasol	.556
	3. Joakim Noah	1.8		3. Blake Griffin	.549
	4. Tim Duncan	1.8		4. Tony Parker	.545
	5. Dwight Howard	1.7		5. Andrew Bogut	.540
Three Point Percentage		3P%	Minutes Per Game		MPG
	1. Anthony Morrow	.462		1. LeBron James	40.3
	2. Kyle Korver	.441		2. Derrick Rose	40.0
	3. Hedo Turkoglu	.434		3. Chris Paul	39.5
	4. Stephen Curry	.432		4. Kevin Durant	39.0
	5. Steve Nash	.432		5. Russell Westbrook	38.5

Knicks News for the Month of March
♦ The New York Knicks were finally able to clinch a playoff spot for the first time since their season in 2003-04, where they were quickly eliminated by a lethal New Jersey Nets team. Now, the Knicks are a strong seed, finishing the season tied for second in the Eastern Conference, and with a solid amount of confidence heading into the playoffs, and the perfect amount of team chemistry, developed and sustained throughout the entire season. A new era of the Knicks organization has officially arrived, because it's the playoffs when heroes are named and moments are made.

League News for the Month of March
♦ The Toronto Raptors decided that their interim-head coach, Stephon Bosh was not going to fill the job, and in the final week of the season, announced that next season their team would be coached Kurt Rambis, who was previously let go by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
♦ Thankfully, no teams enter the playoffs with any sudden serious injuries to hamper their chances, besides the ones previously reported.

2010-2011 End of the Season Awards
Award	Player	Team	Statistics
Most Valuable Player	LeBron James	MIA	26.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG
Rookie of the Year	John Wall	WAS	17.0 PPG, 7.0 APG
Sixth Man of the Year	J.J. Hickson	CLE	12.4 PPG, 5.4 RPG
Defensive Player of the Year	Gerald Wallace	CHA	17.6 PPG, 2.4 SPG
Most Improved Player	Dorrell Wright	GS	15.3 PPG, 7.7 RPG
Coach of the Year	Eric Spoelstra	MIA	60-22, 3 Years Exp.
All-NBA 1st Team
All-NBA 1st Team	Derrick Rose	CHI	31.1 PPG, 6.8 APG
	Kobe Bryant	LAL	30.3 PPG, 4.8 APG
	LeBron James	MIA	26.0 PPG, 7.0 RPG
	Kevin Durant	OKC	31.0 PPG, 9.3 RPG
	Dwight Howard	ORL	16.4 PPG, 11.5 RPG
All-NBA 2nd Team
All-NBA 2nd Team	Chris Paul	NO	18.4 PPG, 9.9 APG
	Dwyane Wade	MIA	24.6 PPG, 6.0 RPG
	Josh Smith	ATL	18.6 PPG, 9.6 RPG
	Carmelo Anthony	NYK	24.5 PPG, 8.0 RPG
	Andrew Bogut	MIL	14.0 PPG, 10.6 RPG
All-NBA 3rd Team
All-NBA 3rd Team	Russell Westbrook	OKC	23.9 PPG, 8.1 APG
	Manu Ginobli	SA	22.4 PPG, 6.5 RPG
	Gerald Wallace	CHA	17.6 PPG, 10.4 RPG
	Danny Granger	IND	23.2 PPG, 5.1 RPG
	Brook Lopez	NJN	17.4 PPG, 8.4 RPG
All-Defensive 1st Team
All-Defensive 1st Team	Dywane Wade	MIA	2.3 SPG, 1.4 BPG
	Chris Paul	NO	3.0 SPG, 0.0 BPG
	Gerald Wallace	CHA	2.4 SPG, 1.5 BPG
	Josh Smith	ATL	2.0 SPG, 1.9 BPG
	Dwight Howard	ORL	0.8 SPG, 1.7 BPG
All-Defensive 2nd Team
All-Defensive 2nd Team	Wesley Johnson	MIN	1.5 SPG, 1.3 BPG
	Manu Ginobli	SA	2.0 SPG, 0.5 BPG
	LeBron James	MIA	2.4 SPG, 0.9 BPG
	Kevin Durant	OKC	1.5 SPG, 1.1 BPG
	Andrew Bogut	MIL	0.3 SPG, 1.9 BPG
All-Rookie 1st Team
All-Rookie 1st Team	John Wall	WAS	17.0 PPG, 7.0 APG
	Wesley Johnson	MIN	12.8 PPG, 6.1 RPG
	Blake Griffin	LAC	16.3 PPG, 9.7 RPG
	Paul George	IND	12.4 PPG, 5.3 RPG
	Demarcus Cousins	SAC	12.2 PPG, 8.6 RPG
All-Rookie 2nd Team
All-Rookie 2nd Team	Landry Fields	NYK	9.0 PPG, 5.9 RPG
	Ed Davis	TOR	10.3 PPG, 7.0 RPG
	Damion James	NJN	6.9 PPG, 8.2 RPG
	Al-Farouq Aminu	LAC	8.3 PPG, 6.5 RPG
	Ekpe Udoh	GS	6.0 PPG, 6.8 RPG

**flyer1985** · 05-03-2012, 04:35 PM

Re: The New York Knicks Experiment

The Knicks didn't get Carmelo or Billups until the latter half of the season...

**Pats4Life** · 05-03-2012, 08:53 PM

Re: The New York Knicks Experiment

Originally posted by flyer1985

The Knicks didn't get Carmelo or Billups until the latter half of the season...

Its his chise. And with the roster update, you're gonna start with them already on your team. What's the point of trying to trade for them to keep that part realistic?

Anyways, I like the way you're presenting this. Keep it up. Hopefully you can bring a championship to New York!

**SKA** · 05-03-2012, 09:35 PM

Re: The New York Knicks Experiment

Yeah I started with Melo and Billups, that's the way the cookie crumbles.

**nuka** · 05-03-2012, 10:12 PM

Re: The New York Knicks Experiment

Wow. following this for sure.
Well presented and entertaining.

moremoremore!

**SKA** · 05-04-2012, 02:33 AM

Re: The New York Knicks Experiment

Matchup Preview | April 16, 2011

@

Boston Celtics
(48-34, Away)

New York Knicks
(50-32, Home)

Stats Comparison
99.3	Points Per Game	103.0
.439	Field Goal %	.447
.359	3-Point %	.379
.768	Free Throw %	.800
44.5	Rebounds	44.1
7.0	Steals	7.0
4.7	Blocks	4.9
14.1	Turnovers	14.4
95.6	PPG Allowed	95.8

Projected Starters
Rajon Rondo	Point Guard	Chauncey Billups
Ray Allen	Shooting Guard	Landry Fields
Paul Pierce	Small Forward	Carmelo Anthony
Kevin Garnett	Power Forward	Amar'e Stoudemire
Shaquille O'Neal	Center	Ronny Turiaf

Injury Report
		Kelenna Azubukie Twisted Ankle (Day-to-Day)

Game Notes
For the first time since 1990, the New York Knicks are set to battle the Boston Celtics in the Playoffs, once again facing off in the first round. The Boston Celtics epitomized what it meant to build a championship team in the very short term, and were an example for the front office in New York, who putting together their arsenal of Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire, and Chauncey Billups. The Celtics are already proven NBA Champions, and have received an added spark with the trade deadline acquirement of point guard Steve Nash, a future Hall of Famer who has yet to taste the title. His production off the bench will provide a unique challenge for the Knicks, who are under even more pressure to get the job done, especially after tying for second in the Eastern Conference standings. There's never anything wrong is a New York/Boston match-up, as the Garden is sure to start grumbling from the get go.

As playoff basketball finally returned to Madison Square Garden, the crowd was as hype as ever as the Knicks took to the floor and controlled the game from the get go. Following a few missed shots for the Celtics right away, the Knicks were able to jump out and grab the lead, led by point guard Chauncey Billups who scored 11 of his 20 final points in the first quarter. The first time the audience really became hush, however, was when Billups went hard for a layup and came back down on tailbone. The sight wasn't good, seeing the aging point guard lay down for a couple minutes before being taken out of the game. Nonetheless, Billups wanted to get back into the game, and would do so lighting up the board and numbing the pain with points.

Soon after Billups went down, bench guard Corey Brewer had just come into the game, and would have to leave the rest of the game with an injury. It was clear the game was a hard fought battle, as Brewer got in a scuff up with Paul Pierce, which resulted in Brewer hitting the ground hard while also straining his back with a weird twist in midplay. Both players were down, but Brewer got up last, having to be helped into the locker room with a look of grimace on his face. And although the Celtics were down in the first quarter 13-21, it was obvious they didn't want to go down easy.

Despite the tough look upon their faces in the second quarter, the Celtics weren't able to silence the deadly New York offense, allowing both Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire to find their stroke. They also allowed backup point guard Toney Douglas to come off the bench and provide the necessary sort of spark to keep the offensive veins flowing on the court. By the end of the half, it was pretty much a party heading into half time, as the Knicks were up 29-47.

At the half analysts criticized the shooting performance of the Boston Celtics, while they were also adamant that the Knicks were playing a peerless game, but have been hard to beat all season, which is why they had the home court advantage. And the Garden is always quite the advantage for the Knicks, as the crowd was also to shake the jitters out of their players and anger the Celtics players with chants and yells all night long.

As the second half began and the third quarter had come to a close, the game saw its highest scoring quarter as the Celtics would attempt a comeback, putting up 28 points with good halftime adjustments offensively. The Knicks were just too much to handle though, feeding off the crowd as players like Ronny Turiaf got the building hype, finishing the game with 13 points and 8 rebounds, most of those coming in the third quarter. It was performances like these which keep the Knicks in every game they play. As they entered the fourth quarter, the Celtics continued to try to step up their game, but coach Mike Dantoni didn't let his team give up the game, as they were able to control the tempo all game and keep things at a clock draining pace.

Boston Celtics at New York Knicks
Apr 16, 2011	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Boston (48-34)	13	16	28	20	77
New York (50-32)	21	26	24	23	94

New York Knicks
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Chauncey Billups	24	8-17	3-7	1-2	1	5	1	0	3	20
Landry Fields	29	2-7	1-3	2-2	2	0	1	0	0	7
Carmelo Anthony	28	8-16	1-2	4-4	7	1	0	2	1	21
Amar'e Stoudemire	29	7-11	0-1	2-2	10	0	0	1	0	16
Ronny Turiaf	28	4-7	0-0	5-5	8	1	1	3	0	13
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Toney Douglas	13	4-7	0-0	5-5	1	2	0	0	1	8
Corey Brewer	6	2-3	0-0	0-0	0	3	0	1	0	4
Shawne Williams	8	1-1	1-1	0-0	1	0	0	0	0	3
Roger Mason	8	1-3	0-1	0-0	2	0	0	0	2	2
Renaldo Balkman	17	0-3	0-0	0-0	3	1	1	0	0	0
Bill Walker	8	0-1	0-1	0-0	2	0	0	0	0	0
Kelenna Azubukie	8	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
TEAM TOTALS		36-85	3-18	2-4	38	14	7	4	5	77

Boston Celtics
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Rajon Rondo	28	4-13	0-2	0-0	1	5	2	1	2	8
Ray Allen	31	8-18	2-7	0-0	2	4	0	0	1	18
Paul Pierce	31	10-17	1-3	0-0	1	3	2	1	0	21
Kevin Garnett	33	6-14	0-1	0-0	13	0	2	0	1	12
Shaquille O'Neal	31	5-9	0-0	0-0	12	0	1	0	1	10
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Steve Nash	13	3-10	0-2	2-2	1	2	0	0	0	8
Kendrick Perkins	10	0-0	0-0	0-2	4	0	0	0	0	0
Glen Davis	10	0-0	0-0	0-0	3	0	0	0	0	0
Jarvis Hayes	7	0-3	0-2	0-0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Flip Murray	7	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Delonte West	3	0-1	0-1	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Robin Lopez	2	0-0	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	1	0	0
TEAM TOTALS		37-77	6-17	14-15	37	13	4	7	7	94

The Boston Celtics came into the Garden with as much attitude as the Knicks, committing a hard foul on point guard Chauncey Billups as he went hard into the paint. Billups would be diagnosed with a bruised tailbone minutes after he left the floor. The story of the night, however, was his performance soon about suffering the bruise.

Starting center Ronny Turiaf, who has never been known for his offensive firepower, became the man of the hour in New York after he led the team in the third quarter, scoring 11 of his 13 total points on the night. Averaging 2.3 points in 28 minutes per game during the regular season, his performance was one to impress for the night, but necessary for the team to continue on a path towards glory.

The Celtics trade-deadline acquirement Steve Nash has been unhappy with his sixth man role in the clogged Boston roster, and was only able to score 8 points while playing off the bench. While the team improved during the second half of the season, coach Doc Rivers still hasn't been able to click Nash into the offense, and may not be able to for the rest of the playoffs.

In a team full of future Hall of Famers, power forward Kevin Garnett still proved that he had the will and fire within him. Alongside future HOF Shaquille O'Neal, the two were able to dominate the boards, while finishing with a double-double on the night as well. And even though his team finished last, it's losses such as which are capable of bringing the best of Garnett, and the rest of his former championship squad.

**SKA** · 05-04-2012, 03:38 PM

Re: The New York Knicks Experiment

Matchup Preview | April 18, 2011

@

Boston Celtics
(48-34, Away)

New York Knicks
(50-32, Home)

Stats Comparison
99.3	Points Per Game	103.0
.439	Field Goal %	.447
.359	3-Point %	.379
.768	Free Throw %	.800
44.5	Rebounds	44.1
7.0	Steals	7.0
4.7	Blocks	4.9
14.1	Turnovers	14.4
95.6	PPG Allowed	95.8

Projected Starters
Rajon Rondo	Point Guard	Chauncey Billups
Ray Allen	Shooting Guard	Landry Fields
Paul Pierce	Small Forward	Carmelo Anthony
Kevin Garnett	Power Forward	Amar'e Stoudemire
Shaquille O'Neal	Center	Ronny Turiaf

Injury Report
		Corey Brewer Lower Back Strain (OUT 1-2 Weeks)
		Chauncey Billups Bruised Tailbone (Day-to-Day)

After a 77-94 defeat in Madison Square Garden, the Boston Celtics came back in Game 2 with more attitude and probably less respect for the a ruckus New York squad. The Celtics once again started the game coming at the team hard, drawing a few fouls while able to control the flow of the game from the get-go. By the end of the first quarter, the Celtics were up 27 to 19, as Carmelo Anthony was barely getting going while the scoring was well spread out among the roster thanks to assists from both Chauncey Billups and Toney Douglas. The team, however, refused to give up, and began to bite their way back in the second quarter, putting up 23 as compared to the 20 Boston was able to squeeze out.

The second quarter was considerably notable due to the injury suffered to New York's star shooter, Carmelo Anthony. In a mindless incident, Anthony was able to twist his right ankle for the fourth time this season, all while making his way to throw in the ball following a Celtics score. He would limp off the court putting the forward out of action for a good amount of time. Coming back into the third, the Celtics offense still couldn't be stopped, as the Knicks struggled to keep the pace going without their sniper. Players like Landry Fields, who nailed two huge three pointers in a row to light up the Garden, and Toney Douglas, relentlessly attacking the basket, were essential to the Knicks pulling out of the close victory. Ronny Turiaf also pumped out 5 points and 8 rebounds after scoring 13 in their last matchup.

By the time the fourth quarter came along, the team had just been on a 6-1 run, and there was a bit of a buzz within the Garden. Melo's twisted ankle wasn't stopping him from remaining on the floor, and patiently waiting for the perfect situation. One notorious shot came from Douglas slowly taking the ball up the floor, while Melo limped his way to the other side. By the time Melo had arrived, Paul Pierce was playing down low trying to stop the pass to Amar'e Stoudamire, leading to the easy and crowd-pleasing trey-ball from Melo himself. But that wasn't all.

Clearly Melo was the leader throughout the fourth quarter, while Billups was focused on getting his small forward more open catch-and-shoot shots, with no more isos available with the twisted ankle. He would end up finishing with 25 on the night, including one nerve-racking jump shot which went in while Melo went down, hard. The Celtics just couldn't get the job done in the end, as the Knicks' defense really stiffened up, as the team finished with 9 steals and 10 blocks in total. Both Stoudemire and Turiaf were able to dominate the paint, taking down 3 blocks each.

In the end, free throws were made and Boston's shots wouldn't fall, as they would blow a 15-point lead in the second quarter, into an 86-93 loss in New York, putting the former NBA champions down 0-2 to the Knicks. But now, the series makes its way to Boston's Garden, where the crowd can be just as loud, and almost just as nasty. It's going to take a lot more hard work from a three-seeded Knicks team, to take down a solid operating Boston core.

Boston Celtics at New York Knicks
Apr 18, 2011	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Boston (48-34)	27	21	25	13	86
New York (50-32)	19	23	24	27	93

New York Knicks
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Chauncey Billups	28	5-11	1-4	4-4	3	8	0	0	3	16
Landry Fields	30	5-10	2-4	0-1	2	2	1	2	1	12
Carmelo Anthony	32	11-22	2-5	1-1	4	1	2	1	0	25
Amar'e Stoudemire	31	7-9	0-0	2-2	5	3	2	3	0	16
Ronny Turiaf	32	2-8	0-0	1-2	8	2	1	3	1	5
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Renaldo Balkman	14	2-3	0-1	0-0	3	0	1	1	1	4
Toney Douglas	13	4-7	0-0	0-0	1	6	2	0	2	8
Shelden Williams	8	1-1	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	2
Kelenna Azubukie	8	1-2	0-0	0-0	0	2	0	0	0	2
Shawne Williams	6	2-3	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	0	0	4
Roger Mason	3	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Bill Walker	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		39-84	4-14	4-5	40	20	6	3	11	86

Boston Celtics
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Rajon Rondo	29	2-9	0-0	0-0	3	5	2	0	2	4
Ray Allen	32	6-17	2-9	0-0	3	1	0	0	1	14
Paul Pierce	32	12-22	1-4	1-1	1	4	1	0	2	26
Kevin Garnett	31	6-13	0-0	0-0	14	3	1	1	5	12
Shaquille O'Neal	30	6-7	0-0	0-0	7	1	1	2	0	12
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Steve Nash	12	3-5	1-1	0-0	1	2	0	0	0	7
Kendrick Perkinds	9	0-1	0-0	2-2	3	0	0	0	0	2
Glen Davis	9	0-1	0-0	1-2	2	0	0	0	0	1
Delonte West	7	1-3	0-0	0-0	2	1	0	0	1	2
Robin Lopez	6	1-2	0-0	0-0	1	1	0	0	0	2
Jarvis Hayes	5	1-2	0-0	0-0	2	0	1	0	0	2
Flip Murray	5	1-2	0-0	0-0	1	2	0	0	0	2
TEAM TOTALS		40-76	5-14	8-10	27	24	9	10	8	93

Knicks star power forward Amar'e Stoudemire was working hard Sunday night, shooting 7-9 from the floor all night. While the big man certainly hasn't been taking as many shots, he has been shooting at a high percentage in games where it really counts. However, someone could certainly argue an increase in shots for Amar'e would result in a better offensive result for the Knicks, but don't expect media pressure to get in the minds of head coach Mike Dantoni and his coaching crew.

Celtics small forward Paul Pierce has always been known for his peerless approach to the game, but he has been proving all season long that he is the strong arm of this Boston squad. Pierce has led the team in scoring the entire year, while proving his abilities once again in Game 2, even though his team is heading back to Boston down two. Pierce would put up a game-high 26 points in a losing effort.

Backup point guard Toney Douglas has continued to fulfill his role consistently with another 8 point performance in Madison Square Garden. Just as he did in Game 1, Douglas has been providing an offensive spark every time he steps out onto the floor, finishing today with 6 assists as well, putting him responsible for at least 20 points in his 13 minutes of play. That's still high production from a 25-year old sophomore who has seen his PPG drop from 8.9 last season.

Despite his bruised tailbone suffered in Game 1, starting point guard, and veteran leader of this New York lineup, Chauncey Billups, hasn't let the injury seriously affect his play. When approached by the media, he's been confident that the injury wasn't going to let him get in the way of doing what he needed to do on the court in order to lead his team to victory. He has continued to back up his word, putting up a strong performance in Game 1 and a 15 points, 8 assists night in Game 2. Billups' clearly understands his role as an NBA champion veteran, and refuses to let any part of the game make him look weak.

Things haven't been going so bad for small forward Carmelo Anthony, who has faced even more pressure from the media both in New York and nationwide than his teammate Amar'e Stoudemire. Anthony finished Game 2 with 25 points, in quite the impressive performance despite succumbing to a twisted ankle midway through the game. The way in which he hurt his right ankle would receive plenty of criticism the next day, but his performance and team's victory has keep the monkeys off his back for the time being.

**SKA** · 05-04-2012, 05:54 PM

Re: The New York Knicks Experiment

Matchup Preview | April 20, 2011

@

Boston Celtics
(48-34, Away)

New York Knicks
(50-32, Home)

Stats Comparison
99.3	Points Per Game	103.0
.439	Field Goal %	.447
.359	3-Point %	.379
.768	Free Throw %	.800
44.5	Rebounds	44.1
7.0	Steals	7.0
4.7	Blocks	4.9
14.1	Turnovers	14.4
95.6	PPG Allowed	95.8

Projected Starters
Rajon Rondo	Point Guard	Chauncey Billups
Ray Allen	Shooting Guard	Landry Fields
Paul Pierce	Small Forward	Carmelo Anthony
Kevin Garnett	Power Forward	Amar'e Stoudemire
Shaquille O'Neal	Center	Ronny Turiaf

Injury Report
		Corey Brewer Lower Back Strain (OUT 1-2 Weeks)
		Chauncey Billups Bruised Tailbone (Day-to-Day)
		Carmelo Anthony Twisted Ankle (Day-to-Day)

Even though the team was down two games to none, the Boston Celtics headed to the Garden of their own, the TD Garden, where it would be a tough, high-scoring, and high-powered basketball affair. But it was perhaps the most memorable playoff game in the Knicks past ten-year history. But that will be easier and easier to say if the team keeps moving on through the playoffs. New York would enter Boston with a chip on their shoulder, but would receiving a miraculous performance from one point guard named Toney Douglas off the bench, and from starters, but not scorers, shooting guard Landry Fields and center Ronny Turiaf.

Things started off rough from the Knicks, who couldn't slow down the Celtics' offense whatsoever. Boston would start the game off with a decent margin of lead, and would work their way towards stretching it to a 23-32 game at the end of the first quarter. The Celtics' big three were all performing well at home, including shooting guard Ray Allen hadn't been performing at a high level in the first two games. This time he would have 15 points in the first half, but his efforts would wash away as the team wasn't prepared for even harder play from the Knicks in the second quarter. The offense was providing on all cylinders, and one should keep in mind the injury affecting small forward Carmelo Anthony. With a twisted ankle, he would only finish with 11 points on the night, although shooting a fantastic 5-7 from the floor. Instead it was the offensive showing put on by rookie Landry Fields out of Stanford. He had scored a few buckets in the first, in efforts to keep his team in the game, but alongside point guard Toney Douglas, who had also broken off in the second quarter, Fields was able to end the night with a career-high 28 points while shooting 11 for 19 from the field.

While he would attempt the most shots for New York on the night, center Ronny Turiaf, after having an impressive night in Game 1, would come into Game 3 with even more fire, and would also finish with a new career-high, at 24 points while going 12-16 on the night. The three aforementioned performances would result in the three leading the team in scoring, while Douglas had the most impressive night scoring 25 while dishing out the all important 15 assists. The remarkable double-double in Douglas' third playoff game ever, especially on the road, gave him the national headlines for the next couple days.

But alongside his performance would be the team's overall performance on the night, pulling back in the game in the second quarter, and then closing out the entire game with spectacular and flowing offense. Dantoni's system really shines when Douglas is on the floor and able to control the game at a much faster pace than the injured starter Chauncey Billups, who allowed Douglas to take over, scoring only 4 points. And as he led the team in the third and into the fourth, the Knicks had put up 30 points in both quarters, not allowing the Celtics to comeback at any point for a memorable 112-104 win at the TD Garden, putting the Knicks up 3-0 on the Celtics.

New York Knicks at Boston Celtics
Apr 20, 2011	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
New York (50-32)	23	29	30	30	112
Boston (48-34)	32	16	28	28	104

New York Knicks
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Chauncey Billups	15	2-2	0-0	0-0	2	5	0	1	3	4
Landry Fields	30	11-19	3-8	3-3	2	1	1	0	1	28
Carmelo Anthony	30	5-7	0-0	1-2	2	1	1	1	0	11
Amar'e Stoudemire	36	10-12	0-0	0-1	11	2	0	2	1	20
Ronny Turiaf	31	12-16	0-1	0-0	4	2	1	1	1	24
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Toney Douglas	26	12-15	0-0	1-4	1	15	1	0	3	25
Shawne Williams	11	0-0	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	1	1	0
Shelden Williams	8	0-0	0-0	0-0	4	1	0	0	0	0
Kelenna Azubukie	7	0-1	0-1	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Roger Mason	6	0-0	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	0	0	0
Renaldo Balkman	5	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Bill Walker	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		52-72	3-10	5-10	28	27	4	6	10	112

Boston Celtics
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Rajon Rondo	28	4-7	0-1	1-2	1	3	1	0	0	3
Ray Allen	30	8-11	3-4	5-6	0	3	3	0	0	24
Paul Pierce	32	10-22	0-3	11-12	2	2	0	0	0	31
Kevin Garnett	31	9-14	0-0	0-0	5	1	1	1	0	18
Shaquille O'Neal	32	4-4	0-0	0-0	5	2	2	1	0	8
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Steve Nash	15	1-2	0-0	0-0	1	3	1	0	0	3
Kendrick Perkins	9	1-3	0-0	1-1	5	0	1	0	2	3
Glen Davis	8	3-6	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	0	0	6
Flip Murray	6	0-3	0-2	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Delonte West	6	0-2	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Jarvis Hayes	5	0-1	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	0	0	0
Robin Lopez	5	1-1	0-0	0-0	2	0	0	0	0	2
TEAM TOTALS		41-76	4-12	18-21	22	20	10	2	4	104

Starting center Ronny Turiaf would play quite possibly the best game of his career against the Celtics at TD Garden. His highlight play would come off a fast break assist from backup point guard Toney Douglas, who dished it off for the Turiaf showdown dunk. By this point, the Knicks were clearly in control of the game.

Once again small forward and future Hall of Famer Paul Pierce tried to put the team on his back, showing up with an impressive 31 point performance as the game plan prepared by coach Doc Rivers focused around assessing both Pierce and his buddy power forward Kevin Garnett plenty of shot opportunities in nearly one-on-one situations. Pierce's tough play was felt throughout as he was able to get to the free throw line six times, shooting 11-12 from the line.

The previously mentioned Garnett is one of the toughest combatants to lay down the rifle on the court, and he would produce with force shooting 9 for 14 from the floor with 18 points and one earth-rumbling dunk on top of Knicks center Ronny Turiaf. Unfortunately, the Celtics were weaker on the boards, as Garnett, O'Neal, and Perkins finished with only 5 rebounds each. Garnett entered the game with a 13.5 RPG for the series.

Huge performances in the playoffs can sometimes turn around a career, but at 28-years old, Turiaf is playing almost a veteran role in the locker room. Always one with a comedic taste about life, Turiaf is still a pest for most teams on the floor, but in Game 3, Turiaf was the biggest bad bug for quite some time.

The biggest scoring performance for the New York Knicks came from shooting guard Landry Fields who finished with 28 points, a career-high in an amazing performance for the Boston fans. They were silenced time after time as Fields was able to hit three-pointers and big layups, while also consuming the fast break like it was no one's business. The most impressive fact concerning the young rookie? He's a rookie.

Backup point guard Toney Douglas got the aye-okay from head coach Mike Dantoni to take over the game. Starting point guard Chauncey Billups would sit on the bench for most of the second half while Dantoni decided to let Douglas do his thing and run train on the Celtics defense. Douglas would finish with an ever impressive 25 point-15 assist double-double, after averaging only 5.1 PPG on the season.

Starting the game even though he would suffer another twist of his right ankle last game in New York, small forward Carmelo Anthony would do all he was asked of, hitting a few shots on the night while allowing the Knicks less-starstruck players to perform in the spotlight, as Anthony finished with only 11 points on the night while shooting 5 for 7 from the floor.

**Pats4Life** · 05-04-2012, 06:13 PM

Re: The New York Knicks Experiment

You taking it to my Celtics. :/

And what the hell are they doing with Steve Nash? And how did they get Nash when they still have all their main players? Damn.

**SKA** · 05-04-2012, 06:46 PM

Re: The New York Knicks Experiment

Matchup Preview | April 22, 2011

@

Boston Celtics
(48-34, Away)

New York Knicks
(50-32, Home)

Stats Comparison
99.3	Points Per Game	103.0
.439	Field Goal %	.447
.359	3-Point %	.379
.768	Free Throw %	.800
44.5	Rebounds	44.1
7.0	Steals	7.0
4.7	Blocks	4.9
14.1	Turnovers	14.4
95.6	PPG Allowed	95.8

Projected Starters
Rajon Rondo	Point Guard	Chauncey Billups
Ray Allen	Shooting Guard	Landry Fields
Paul Pierce	Small Forward	Carmelo Anthony
Kevin Garnett	Power Forward	Amar'e Stoudemire
Shaquille O'Neal	Center	Ronny Turiaf

Injury Report
		Corey Brewer Lower Back Spasms (1-2 Weeks)
		Chauncey Billups Bruised Tailbone (Day-to-Day)
		Carmelo Anthony Twisted Ankle (Day-to-Day)

The Boston Celtics were given one final opportunity to start a long-trailing comeback against the New York Knicks, who were now up three games to none. Even though no team had even come back from a series down 3-0 in NBA playoffs history, if there was any team with the determination, skill, and experience to do so, it was this Boston Celtics squad. Strangely, however, the team came out flat when it came to shooting, starting the game off 1 for 6 from the field, while the Knicks were up 11-2 at the start. The Celtics were able to surmount a comeback at the end of the quarter though, putting the game at 23-21 entering the second.

Point guard Toney Douglas continue to play a heavy-hand in the results, finishing this game with 18 point, providing once again an offensive fire-power sprinting off the bench. Although Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo has been known for his excellent and stone-cold defense, Douglas has been able to run right past the defender with relative ease all through the playoffs, and continue to lay the hammer down when attack the basket, while pulling back for a few impressive jumpshots. His assists would provide plenty of points for both big men Amar'e Stoudemire and Ronny Turiaf. While Turiaf didn't proceed to put up 24 points as in the game before, he would score 12 with 8 while Stoudemire had 17 with 5 bounds and a more impressive 5 blocks.

The second quarter was a breakout by the Knicks, who kept a high-octane offensive flow going, scoring 27 while holding the Celtics to only 19. The halftime adjustments made by the Celtics wouldn't prove to have much effect, as the Knicks would put up 24 in the third while Boston were only able to tack on 18. By this point, it was a tough time for the Celtics, who, while mustering 32 points in the fourth, the Celtics were essentially beating them through the fourth by 20 to 14 points, until New York's bench gave up a few in the fourth. This would lead to a 103-90 result in Boston's Garden, where half the fans were cleared out by the time the final buzzer went off. The Knicks celebrated as Mike Dantoni and Doc Rivers shook hands.

At this point, the New York Knicks were in the next round, awaiting the results between a series engulfing the second-seeded Atlanta Hawks and seventh-seeded Indiana Pacers. But for the first time in nearly ten years, the New York Knicks were able to move past the first round, defeating the Celtics for the first time since 1990 in a completely opposite result of history.

New York Knicks at Boston Celtics
Apr 22, 2011	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
New York (50-32)	23	29	30	30	112
Boston (48-34)	32	16	28	28	104

New York Knicks
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Chauncey Billups	20	6-8	1-2	0-0	0	7	4	0	1	13
Landry Fields	25	5-8	1-2	2-2	3	2	2	0	0	13
Carmelo Anthony	29	9-17	1-4	1-3	4	1	1	2	1	20
Amar'e Stoudemire	30	8-10	0-0	1-1	5	0	1	5	2	17
Ronny Turiaf	34	5-11	0-0	2-2	8	1	0	1	3	12
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Toney Douglas	20	7-13	0-0	4-4	3	7	0	0	2	18
Renaldo Balkman	13	2-3	0-0	0-0	1	0	1	0	0	4
Corey Brewer	12	0-1	0-1	0-0	4	3	0	0	0	0
Shawne Williams	11	1-2	0-0	1-3	2	0	0	0	0	3
Kelenna Azubukie	11	1-4	1-2	0-0	0	1	0	0	2	3
Roger Mason	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Bill Walker	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		52-72	3-10	5-10	28	27	4	6	10	112

Boston Celtics
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Rajon Rondo	27	6-10	1-1	0-0	1	10	2	0	1	13
Ray Allen	32	8-18	1-6	0-0	1	3	2	0	1	17
Paul Pierce	32	12-24	1-4	0-0	0	2	1	0	0	25
Kevin Garnett	32	8-14	0-0	0-0	13	2	1	1	2	16
Shaquille O'Neal	29	3-3	0-0	0-0	9	1	1	2	0	6
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Steve Nash	14	0-3	0-1	0-0	1	3	0	0	6	0
Glen Davis	9	1-1	0-0	0-0	2	1	0	0	0	1
Kendrick Perkins	9	0-1	0-0	0-0	1	0	0	1	0	0
Robin Lopez	8	0-1	0-0	0-0	2	0	1	1	0	0
Jarvis Hayes	5	3-3	1-1	0-0	2	0	0	0	0	7
Flip Murray	5	1-4	0-1	0-0	0	2	0	0	0	2
Delonte West	5	1-3	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	2
TEAM TOTALS		41-76	4-12	18-21	22	20	10	2	4	104

Celtics small forward Paul Pierce led his team in scoring for a fourth and final time during his team's short run into New York. Game 4 saw Pierce with 25 points but a poor 1-6 from the three point arc. Now Pierce must sit out another summer of the rest of the playoffs as his team contemplates on how to get Boston back into the legitimate title hunt.

Pierce would finish his time in the playoffs in third place in the first round in terms of point per game, averaging 25.8 through four straight losses. However, his Celtics team as a whole would finish with the lowest PPG in the playoffs at 89.2, ten points lower than their regular season average, a testimony to the defense pressure applied by Knicks coach Mike Dantoni in his new system.

Boston's sixth man, Steve Nash, would end up having his worst game of the series and perhaps his entire playoff career. Nash would come off the bench scoring no points and giving away a total of 6 turnovers to a New York defense which fed off of those fast break points. Serious questions remain about the future of Steve Nash as a member of the Boston Celtics.

Boston's charismatic emotional leader, Kevin Garnett, couldn't believe what he was feeling after Boston's fourth straight loss to New York resulting in their sweep in round one. As a future Hall of Famer, former NBA champion with essentially the same team, and one of the all-time emotional players on the court, Garnett was furious following his team's loss, both in his post-game press conference and in the locker room. It's safe to say it's gonna be a long summer for Garnett as he thinks through about how to get to the top level one more time.

Knicks backup point guard Toney Douglas would come through with another big performance, scoring 18 points in the Knicks final game against the Celtics. He would also dish out 7 assists on the night, as Douglas finishes round one with the highest player efficiency rating in the playoffs thus far at 34.9 PER. He also leads the league with a 16.7 PPR, which measures turnovers as more costly than assists helpful, calculating assists divided by turnovers.

Once again the three pointers just weren't falling for Celtics shooting guard Ray Allen. He would finish just 1-4 from behind the arc, although finishing with 17 points, with a few dunks thrown in off the fast break. However, his efforts once again were not enough, as he and his team struggled their entire series against the New York Knicks.

The New York Knicks Experiment

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The New York Knicks Experiment

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