The 2011 New York Knicks: The Rebirth

[NYJets]

Re: The 2011 New York Knicks: The Rebirth

Glad to get a win. Amare, ugh, 9 turnovers, but nice to have a guy we can feed the ball down the stretch. 10 blocked shots is good to see.

[bigeastbumrush]

Re: The 2011 New York Knicks: The Rebirth

So that's what it's like having a go-to guy at the end of games on your team.

Feels good.

1 down.

[ehh]

Re: The 2011 New York Knicks: The Rebirth

Yeah Will was huge on both ends of the floor. Great night offensively obviously but he took Bargnani totally out of the game in the 2nd half after he went off in the first half.

My thoughts....

POTG: Chandler, an easy one. His stroke was on, played great D and provided a huge spark off the bench. Only negative was the same old for Wilson, a few too many jumpers.

Positives: Chandler, Felton, TD, Turiaf, Fields

Negatives: Walker, Mozgov, Gallo, Mason Jr

Meh: Amare

• Felton looked great, way better than at any point in the preseason. He was aggresive and finished well in traffic and made good decisions all night long. 15, 6 & 6 - I will definitely take that.
• TD was sharp in the first half but poor in the 2nd half.
• Fields was really surprising, I didn't think he had as good of a preseason as others felt. Smart play all night, didn't force anything and did a little of everything.
• Turiaf did what he's supposed to do. All the dirty work and play with energy. Ideal game for him.
• Muscoff (as D'Antoni calls him) was a non-factor w. the fouls. Bill Walker will be out of the rotation very soon, terrible decision making out there. Roger Mason Jr is bad enough on D that even in D'Antoni's eyes he won't see much burn.
• Gallo's preseason funk carried over. His shot is off and he isn't playing with much intensity. Grabbed six boards at least.
• Last but not least, Amare's debut was up and down. He forced a lot which is obvious based on the nine TO's. But it's great to have a guy again who can carry us down the stretch and step up even after having a bad game. Without that spurt in the 4th from Amare we don't win the game.

The 3rd quarter was pretty gross, the same old D'Antoni stretch where we stop moving, stop playing team ball and just shoot jump shots. That junk has GOT to go if we want to be a playoff team. So all in all, not great to barely beat the worst team in the East. But it's a W and I'll take it.

[NDAlum]

Re: The 2011 New York Knicks: The Rebirth

Felton is going to thrive in this offense. UNC trains PGs just for this type of up and down game.

[CMH]

Re: The 2011 New York Knicks: The Rebirth

Felton is going to thrive in this offense. UNC trains PGs just for this type of up and down game.

You weren't kidding. Welcome!

[Bornindamecca]

Re: The 2011 New York Knicks: The Rebirth

I hope this offense cleans up. We should really be killing off of pick and rolls. Hate the possessions where we just walk it up and shoot. Hate 3s that don't come off of interior play.

Felton is looking great though. He might be a bit of a steal. This is a great system for him.

Amar'e had a tough game, but in the fourth he beasted us to victory. That's the clear difference between this team and last year's team. Just like a star, he can have an off night, but still be a key contributor. When he's on, we'll always be in a good position to win. Hopefully this will continue to be fine tuned as D'Antoni and the players figure this all out.

[bigeastbumrush]

Re: The 2011 New York Knicks: The Rebirth

So D'Antoni's an offensive guru? Really?

He calls 3 point plays for Amare at the end of games?

Ridiculous.

I saw him call for a play last night called "Elbow". It was the PG brings the ball down court and gives the ball to Amare...suprisingly ...at the elbow.

That's it!!

No movement, no nothing. Give the ball to Amare and clear the F out.

And we wonder why Amare has so many damn turnovers this year.

I don't remember all these clear out for Amare in Phoenix. I remember some but not every time down court. They had so many variations of Pick & Rolls, Pops, etc.

WHERE ARE THEY?

Or did Nash design them?

Gallo was clearly reading all the headlines in the summer...breakthrough season, he's Dirk, he's on the same level as Melo...etc., etc.

Thank goodness Chandler has woken up and is coming together.

We've 'hung' with playoff teams but we could've won both games. Didn't deserve to but we were close.

Close ain't getting you into the playoffs though.

[CMH]

Re: The 2011 New York Knicks: The Rebirth

Not sure they didn't deserve to be in those game. The Knicks have taken the next step in becoming a good team. They aren't there yet, but instead of being a bad team, they are in games. They still won't beat these teams on a consistent basis.

Amar'e said it best after they beat Toronto: "You want to beat the teams you’re supposed to beat.”

He didn't say the same about Boston. Merely said they want to compete with them and that they are an important step in learning how to be one of the top teams.

He gets it. This isn't a bad 1-2. Really, if the schedule is a bit different, the Knicks could be 3-0. They just played two of the better teams in the league.

As for D'Antoni's offense? Who knows what that mess is I'm watching. There is, like you said, no movement. I'm not sure what plays they call besides clear out for Amar'e. No one is running screens, no one is rotating. The picks they run are like pick-up basketball picks - just happening because they seem like the right idea at the moment. No one rolls out, pops out. Nothing.

And I can tell that they aren't taught a darn thing about it because on the defensive end, they have no clue how to defend an offensive team rotating the basketball. I still don't understand their defensive philosophy. It seems that their idea of defense is for the nearest defender to collapse in anyone posting up. It doesn't matter who it is: If the man is posting up, the nearest defender will help.

Why? I saw them doubling some questionable guys outside of the paint or blocks. And that leaves guys open for spot-up jump shots. But the Knicks never got these shots because they don't rotate the ball and their opponents don't stupidly double every time an offensive player posts up.

There's a lot of bad coaching. I'm not liking D'Antoni at all. His players are saving him, but they can't win unless they execute and they can't execute when there are no plays to execute.

[bigeastbumrush]

Re: The 2011 New York Knicks: The Rebirth

Not sure they didn't deserve to be in those game. The Knicks have taken the next step in becoming a good team. They aren't there yet, but instead of being a bad team, they are in games. They still won't beat these teams on a consistent basis.

Amar'e said it best after they beat Toronto: "You want to beat the teams you’re supposed to beat.”

Sorry but I don't see it. And I don't see, yet, how it's any different than last year.

Last year we were close through grit and effort (Harrington jacking up shots, Gallo getting it together 2nd half of the season, etc.).

And we still lost.

Just because we have a go-to-guy in Amare doesn't mean this team has taken a step IMO.

It means we have a legit guy who can possibly get to the line at the end of a game or hit a big shot to keep us close.

When the Knicks took the lead in the 4th against Portland, AT HOME, a good, playoff team closes them out. You don't get an offensive foul right under your own basket like Turiaf did. You don't blow FTs like Felton did. When you're up, those baskets go your way.

It's that 'killer instinct' that real playoff contenders have.

We don't have it.

We have enough to hang around and keep it close. But we don't have 'it'.

[CMH]

Re: The 2011 New York Knicks: The Rebirth

They won't have it. They haven't taken that step. But this team is better than last years. That's all I'm saying.

[Jeffx]

Re: The 2011 New York Knicks: The Rebirth

There's a lot of bad coaching. I'm not liking D'Antoni at all. His players are saving him, but they can't win unless they execute and they can't execute when there are no plays to execute.

Knicks are going nowhere with this fraud as coach. Like you said, where's the teaching?

[ehh]

Re: The 2011 New York Knicks: The Rebirth

I was cracking up at the first episode of the Mike D'Antoni Show when he said defense was going to be a top priority this year.

[bigeastbumrush]

Re: The 2011 New York Knicks: The Rebirth

I was cracking up at the first episode of the Mike D'Antoni Show when he said defense was going to be a top priority this year.

Yes. He stood there and told them with a straight face that they could be the best defensive team in the league.

Eddy Curry was sitting right in front of him.

[Jeffx]

Re: The 2011 New York Knicks: The Rebirth

How many more years does D'Anfoni have on his contract?

[fsquid]

Re: The 2011 New York Knicks: The Rebirth

Is it too much to find a center that makes people scared to come down the lane? Do they even exist? we need one of those guys, but I might still be living in the 90s.