N.Y. Knicks: Phil Jackson's Deconstruction Plan Moves Forward

From the desk of:  DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP

This man is no doubt next on Phil Jackson's list

NEW YORK KNICKS: The NBA Lottery - Phil Jackson Decided Ya Gotta Be In It To Win It.

After starting the 2014-15 season a neat 2-1, the Knicks then lost 7 straight.  Shortly thereafter, they endured another 10 game losing streak before finally defeating Boston on December 12th.

To date, that was the last time the New York Knicks won a game.

Since then, the New York Knicks have dropped another 13 games in a row, to include Wednesday night's road loss to the Washington Wizards.

It hasn't really mattered whether Carmelo Anthony has been in or out of the lineup.  The losing has been consistent throughout.  So, if his knee is bothering him, why not shut him down?  Mind you, this is just year one of Carmelo Anthony's 5-year extension, and it's not like Phil Jackson doesn't already have buyer's remorse.

Not incidentally, chants of "fire Fisher" had recently been gaining mild momentum in the stands at MSG.  That's why earlier this week Phil Jackson offered those fans an abrupt correction.

There will be no blaming the coach this year; certainly not Phil Jackson's coach.

Instead, Phil of the Future abruptly pulled the plug on this sickly season (the worst start in franchise history), by trading J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert, and pink slipping Samuel Dalembert.

They join Raymond Felton and Tyson Chandler on the list of players given one way tickets out of town by Phil Jackson.  The same goes for the three non-nondescript bodies acquired in return for Smith and Shumpert.  Phil Jackson made them instantly disappear too.

This also means Amare Stoudemire, who has an expiring contract, is no doubt next on his list.

At this point, we can forget Donnie Walsh, Mike D'Antoni and Mike Woodson.  For a change, we can also leave the owner out of this too, although he is the one most responsible for the situation Jackson inherited.  Phil Jackson is stripping it all down.  He owns this.

This season is all about the ping pong balls now.  With an already promising draft to look forward to, Phil Jackson has also cleared over $30 million of cap space to work with.



Mike

N.Y. Knicks: The Shots Heard 'Round The Garden

From the desk of:  DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP

Losing Streak Hits Seven

NEW YORK KNICKS: Derek Fisher Might Be Retired From Playing, But He's Still Quick On His Feet.

....and then the losing streak reached seven,

but just barely.

For a fleeting moment, Melo's game tying 3-pointer with 2.4 seconds left in the game was the biggest shot of the Knicks season, that is until Trey Burke nailed his own last second, game winning, buzzer beating 2-pointer from the far corner to give Utah a 102-100 victory at a silent Garden.

The Knicks played without the still missing Jose Calderon and Andrea Bargnani, a resting Amare Stoudemire, and Iman Shumpert (who injured his hip in the opening minutes of Friday's game).

Yet, they managed 100 points for the first time this season.

Perhaps that's why Coach Fisher was so giddy afterwards when speaking with the media.  I call it smartly getting away with putting up a strong front after blowing a very winnable game.

The last minute of play was indeed thrilling.  As Coach Fisher put it - that was New York City out there.

He's right; the crowd was electric and Melo was on fire.

And there's the rub....

In truth, Friday's game looked a lot like something from last season, which is a bad thing.  Just ask Tim Hardaway.  It was a regression back to Melo Ball - when an inept team put the ball in his hands and hoped for the best.

The obligatory thrilling finishes might be good for ticket sales, but not much else.

Carmelo Anthony scored 46% of the Knicks points, and pulled down a team high 7 rebounds while his mates predominantly stood around and watched.  That also explains why Melo also made 16 attempts from the stripe while the rest of the team combined on just four free throws.

The Knicks collectively watched Utah shoot 51.4% from the field, and bury 10/22 from beyond the arch, while also allowing them 42 points in the paint.  You can't let a team have it both ways; certainly not the Jazz, man.

Utah additionally blocked eight shot versus just one for the Knicks, whom also got out-rebounded by a 39-31 margin.

Wait, there's more:

Once again, the Knicks suffered from poor ball distribution (regardless who's in the line-up).  The Knicks only had 15 team assists (vs. 25 Jazz) led by Shane Larkin's four, and Pablo Prigioni's three.   The Knicks two point guards at least combined on 20 points in support of Melo.

J.R. Smith, not so much.  He was not the second best Knicks player on the floor the way he should have, especially after Shumpert's departure.  Smith scored 9 points in 21 minutes off the bench, and was defending Trey Burke during the game winning shot.

Coach knows his best player scored 46 points and they still lost.  He knows they recovered from a faulty 1st quarter to build a 72-65 3rd quarter lead, but blew the game with flaky defense particularly in the paint.  He also knows the Jazz never once double-teamed Melo, thus allowing the Knicks to hang around in the first place, and that J.R. Smith failed to step up and make a difference.

So when the media failed to pounce with their post-game opening line of questions, Coach Fisher was able to preach how inspiring the undermanned effort, and the atmosphere at Madison Square Garden were.

Quick thinking Coach.

Of course, we see right through it.

Nothing short of personnel changes will help this team.  That's why Friday night brought back memories.




Mike

N.Y. Knicks: Melo's Shoulder Puts Team In J.R. Smith's Hands

From the desk of:  DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP

SUNDAY

NEW YORK KNICKS

vs.

Miami Heat

FROM

The House That Rony Seikaly Built

Dade County, FLA.

NEW YORK KNICKS: Trailing The Atlanta Hawks By Two In The Loss Column, The HEAT Is On J.R. Smith To Help Team Win Out.

The only reason the Knicks are even knocking on the Hawks door is due to Carmelo Anthony.
With little exception, his supporting cast has been woefully inconsistent, and inefficient this season, with each player providing his own distinct dilemma or deficiency.

Make no mistake, Ray Felton's sub par play at the point has been central to this year's step backwards from being a 50+ win team last season.  Also among the top factors in the Knicks overall disappointing campaign have been Tyson Chandler's lack of presence, and Iman Shumpert's regression.  Isolation ball and a lack of commitment on defense prior to Phil Jackson's s arrival also share partial blame.  Although further down on the list, Coach Woodson's questionable strategies, or lack there of, haven't exactly advanced his cause either.  So, be sure, other reasons exist.

Arguments crediting, and advancing the contributions Jason Kidd, Rasheed Wallace, and Kurt Thomas made last year also ring hollow for me.  The current short comings of the core players are what put the Knicks in this situation, not periphery role players of the past.

That said, if put under oath, I'm sure Coach Woodson would concur, that trumping all reasons, has been the enigmatic play of J.R. Smith, and his alternating work schedule.  When he shows up willing to play, the results on the floor speak for themselves.  When he decides to take night's off, it's been an all too noticeable, and unsightly visual.

What's become painfully obvious during the team's recent surge towards the playoffs, is that, as J.R. Smith goes, so go the Knicks.  That's too bad, because had J.R. Smith invested himself into playing an entire season instead of performing in spurts, the Knicks wouldn't be in their current situation of having to scratch and claw for the 8th seed.

I'm left without a clear reason to explain J.R. Smith's precipitous fall in production from a year ago, other than to say he has money in hand, and failed to play with last year's hunger on any given night.

Melo now has a injured/bruised shoulder at the absolute worst time of the season.  Applying HEAT at this point would provide minimal results.  What's needed over the last five games of the regular season is an old fashioned, home grown remedy.  It's called teamwork, the type Phil Jackson spoke of at his introductory presser.

The Knicks task ahead is daunting, and like it or not, starting Sunday, J.R. Smith turns into the center of the Knicks universe. Melo's cranky shoulder now places Smith in the role of having to take the HEAT, and lead the team through the next five games.  After Miami, the Knicks have single games against Chicago and Brooklyn, and a pair against Atlantic Division leading Toronto.

The thing is, J.R.Smith has the talent necessary to determine whether if the Knicks play beyond April 16th.  But, the real questions are, does he possess the leadership, will he embrace the responsibility, and will he welcome the challenge of having to propel his team to victory over the next handful games of must win basketball?

Will he ultimately seize the moment?




Mike.BTB

N.Y. Knicks: Scuttlebutt Reigns Supreme At MSG

From the desk of:   DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP

NEW YORK KNICKS: Melo!  Melo Changes Everything....  Or Was That, Money Changes Everything?  Whatever.

As we know by now, James Dolan held a private meeting with Carmelo Anthony, to discuss, of all things, the future status of their head coach.  Publicly, Melo says he wants no part of that conversation.  That's unfortunate.  But in a small way, I don't blame him.  More on that later.

First, talk about gratitude, huh?  From day one, Mike Woodson was careful to not make the same mistake Mike D'Antoni did, which was to not give Carmelo Anthony what he wanted, meaning, the ball.  Coach Woodson made it clear upon assuming the Knicks head coaching position, that he would be riding Melo like a mule, for as long and far as the small forward could carry them.  We are now finding out just how far that is.

I do not know how or when it happened.  Those of you who follow my blog know Melo has no friend in me. But at this point, I absolve him of blame for the current Knicks situation, on all counts but one.  Carmelo Anthony did not support his coach with the same unwavering loyalty Mike Woodson invested in him.  So, I guess from a coach's perspective, the present state of the Knicks is indeed a disaster, which was Coach Woodson's choice of word, not mine.  And, I couldn't concur more.

In my opinion, the two are joined at the hip.  If James Dolan fires Coach Woodson, then Carmelo Anthony needs to be traded, post haste.  Carmelo Anthony perhaps needs to be traded anyway.  The current cast of Knickerbockers is a bad mix.  They need to be reconfigured.  It is clear the Knicks can not surround Melo with a better supporting cast.  Therefore, Melo must go, then cross your fingers, and bank on a good return. It's just that simple.

If anything, or anyone, is putting Coach Woodson's job in jeopardy, it is the sub-par play of Raymond Felton at the point.  After that, we can start cherry picking reasons, like the lack of scoring from Tyson Chandler, or the drop in J.R. Smith's overall game since signing his contract, or Iman Shumpert taking steps backwards, or the infirmary of players they call a bench and supporting cast.

Making matters worse, Tyson Chandler, Amare Stoudemire, and Melo, are all guilty of displaying apathy towards their coach this season.  The only player to exhibit open support for his coach has been J.R. Smith - ironically, the one player Coach Woodson has been hardest on.

The Knicks entered Friday night's game against the Denver Nuggets with a 19-30 record, with matters deteriorating fast.  Scuttlebutt around Madison Square Garden says Mike Woodson will be fired by the all-star game.  So how did the team respond this evening?  They trailed Denver 26-20 after the first quarter. Melo scored 13 of the Knicks 20 points.

Exactly!

Coach is not without his own faults.  I'd be hard pressed to explain Mike Woodson's offensive philosophy with any conviction.  The strategy seems part iso, part Melo, and part gonzo.  With few set plays, poorly designed plays coming out of time-outs, and an inability to get his players to play collective defense, consider yourself up to date.

So why the big drop-off from last year when the Knicks won 54 games?  Were Jason Kidd, Kurt Thomas, and Steve Novak, that influential, and integral to the Knicks success last season?

There is no clear answer.  This season however, Carmelo Anthony has been made to shoulder the burden of putting the entire Knicks organization on is back.  The owner, a pseudo-GM, a coach on the hot seat, eleven other second rate players, and a bewildered fan base, all look to Carmelo Anthony for everything.

He's Carmelo Anthony, not Meadowlark Lemon!

At this point, I can no longer begrudge Melo for his lack of professionalism, when earlier in the season, he smiled when saying he looked forward to becoming a free agent.  When you're in-season, and under contract, that's disrespectful to all concerned parties.  In fact, when Dolan initially acquired him, I thought he would be at the center of everything wrong with the Knicks.  What Melo is, is a scorer, and a damn good one.  There is nary a Knick on the floor who compliments his game.  As it turned out, Melo is fine. Everything around him, however, is completely dysfunctional.

If it's about the money for Carmelo, he can make the most by staying with the Knicks.  If he's determined to win a championship, he'd be smart to hop the next train from Penn Station out of the city.  If the Knicks were smart, that puppet they call a GM would trade Carmelo Anthony at the deadline, in the best interests of the team.

*

Knicks won by the way, over Denver by a 117-90 final score.  Melo scored 31 points.  Amare came in big with 17 points.


Mike.BTB

N.Y. Knicks: Team Almost Unraveled In Chandler's Absence

From the desk of:  DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP

NEW YORK KNICKS: Tyson Chandler's Return Came Just In Time To Possibly Save Coach Woodson From Himself.

Tyson Chandler couldn't have returned a game too soon.  Playing without him, and continued play without an effective point guard have weighed heavily on this team, to the point it all almost unraveled in the aftermath of a brutal loss against Washington.  Time-Out Gate, and the inquisition that followed could very well have been the end of Mike Woodson, right then and there.

Who knows what he was thinking, or not thinking at that moment?  It doesn't matter, because the lasting impression will be that Coach was unprepared for the closing moment of their game against the Wizards.  Afterwards, players pointed fingers as if identifying a locker room perp from a line-up.  But I think Coach himself exacerbated the situation, by bringing his former pupil, and current Nets sharpshooter, Joe Johnson into the conversation.  That's a huge no-no, and Woodson has to know that, especially in the realm of Dolan.  Secondly, he took an indirect, direct shot at his guy, his mule, Carmelo Anthony, who was actually first to hurl Coach under the bus by not standing up for him.

If winning cures all, or most all, then losing is a disease that can spread quickly throughout the system, if not diagnosed early and treated properly.  In the Knicks case, Tyson Chandler was just what the doctor ordered.  He played big minutes in his first game back.  The fact the Knicks  rebounded after the Wizards debacle, to defeat Milwaukee, coupled with Tyson's return, is all you need to know.  The Knicks missed him immeasurably.

Chandler will at least start changing the general conversation, and at a minimum, restore order in the paint.  Chandler is however, unlikely to get Woodson off J.R. Smith's and Iman Shumpert's back, or mediate the difference of opinion between Coach and Amare on Twitter.  Furthermore, that stunt Pablo Prigioni pulled against Milwaukee further demonstrates how little everybody's heads are in the game right now.  Getting back to Shump, he one scored one point in 31 minutes against the Bucks.  That's ponderous.

A legitimate point guard could clean up the remaining mess and confusion on the floor.




Mike.BTB

N.Y. Knicks: 'Bockers Hit A (John) Wall; Skid Hits Five

From the desk of:  DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP

 

NEW YORK CITY BASKETBALL

 

ATLANTIC DIVISION:

New York Knicks  3-9; T-Last

Brooklyn Nets        3-9; T-Last

NEW YORK KNICKS: All In All, It's Just Another Brick In The WALL....

KNICKS LOSE 5TH STRAIGHT; DROP INTO LAST PLACE TIE WITH BROOKLYN.

Pre-Game: Melo Versus The World

Saturday Night Final
Knicks      89
Wizards   98

Set another plate at the table, because Misery has company.

Hello neighbor!  The Knicks were pushed up against a Wall in Washington Saturday night, and into a tie for last place of the Atlantic Division with the Brooklyn Nets.  With identical 3-9 records, perhaps both New York City teams can now join to commiserate over their continuing misfortunes and folly during the holidays together.  How nice would that be?

The Knicks losing streak is now up to five games.  Their latest defeat came Saturday night in the Nation's capital, by a 98-89 final score.  A 52-49 lead at half-time, quickly became a seven point deficit after three quarters.  The Knicks were outscored 27-17 in the third, and never recovered - eventually losing by a nine point margin.

Washington's legislator, point guard John Wall laid down the law.  He led all players with 31 points and 7 assists.  He was 10/18 from the field, and 10/11 from the line.  And there in lies your game.  Free throws and each team's ability to get to the line wound up being the deciding factor.

The Knicks and Wizards battled to a near even 74-72 Washington advantage from the field.  The Knicks connected on a few more three's than the Wizards.  The battle of the boards and team assists were relatively even as well.  The Washington Wizards, and Wall in particular, however, considerably outshot the Knicks from the line.  New York only managed 15 shots all game, and connected on six.  Washington took 22 free throws, and connected on 17, for a decidedly 11 point advantage.  The Wizards also outpaced the Knicks on the fast-break by a 16-5 margin.

The Wizards only employed an eight-man rotation.  Coach Woodson had seven players receive at least 20 minutes, and tasked World Peace and Pablo Prigioni with another 29 combined minutes.

Carmelo Anthony topped the Knicks with 41 minutes in defeat, scoring a team high 23 points, and pulling down another team high 12 boards.  J.R. Smith is still rounding into form as the team's second scorer, and dropped 15 points in 30 minutes.  Amare Stoudemire returned to the floor, and scored 12 points in 22 minutes.




Mike.BTB

N.Y. Knicks: Dolan Set The MSG Dominos In Motion

From the desk of:  DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP

 

Chuck Said This Man Is Done

NEW YORK KNICKS: The Lane Is Once Again Open For The General Opposition's Enjoyment.  Tyson Chandler Will Miss Upwards Of Six Weeks With Fractured Fibula.

The dominos have begun to fall.  The Knicks are in the midst of a three game losing streak, the Knicks City Dancers for the moment have lost their gig, the team itself lost the services of Tyson Chandler for at least a month, analyst extraordinaire Charles Barkley said Amare Stoudemire just flat out lost his skills, and today's papers are speculating how long Coach Woodson can old on to his job.

.............. just another day in paradise.  Only the last three items deserve any kind of discussion though.

The Knicks rebounding and interior defense suffered a major blow Tuesday evening when Tyson Chandler suffered a non-displaced fracture of his right fibula.  He could miss upwards of six weeks. Tyson left in the first quarter, and by game's end, the results and future effects his absence would have on the team were glaringly evident.  The Bobcats overwhelmingly outrebounded the Knicks by a 51-38 margin.  Charlotte pulled down 35 defensive rebounds while the Knicks only managed 11 offensive boards.  At the other end, the Bobcats had 16 offensive rebounds versus 22 defensive boards for the Knicks.  Charlotte also scored 34 points in the paint.  And this all came minus the Charlotte Bobcats' big man in the middle, F/C Al Jefferson.

Coach Woodson was following through with his "big" experiment, and seemed committed on letting his guys iron out the wrinkles.  Then, his biggest variable in that equation went down.  That changes everything, and Coach will be forced to go small, much like last season.

I always felt, for as long as Ray Felton had Tyson Chandler on the floor as an option for pick-n-roll, or what not, Carmelo and J.R. Smith would have to respect Felton's ball distribution and get back on defense.  That's out the window now as well.  Ray will still have to play traffic cop between the two, unless the plan is to reduce the offense down to the Melo Show, and let him play over 40 minutes a night like he did against the Bobcats.

With Chandler down, Iman Shumpert's defensive prowess now becomes the Knicks model to follow.  Good luck with that.  And good luck to Coach Woodson.  He's working for an outwardly imbalanced owner now who can potentially short circuit at any moment.  Can Melo save the universe?  Stay tuned.  But I do know this, the dynamic between Carmelo, Woodson and Dolan will become the most explosive ever-developing story of the season.

If Charles Barkley is correct in his assessment, do not count on Amare Stoudemire supplying any help.  Chuck said Amare is done.  Barkely does a lot of hating on the Knicks.  That's an established fact.  But we've all seen Amare's perform this season.  Chuck is not on an island on this one.



Mike.BTB

N.Y. Knicks: Derrick Rose Set To Reintroduce Himself Tonight

From the desk of:  DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP

NEW YORK KNICKS: Tonight's Early Season Clash In Chicago Should Be The First Of Several Contentious Affairs Against The Bulls.

With Game One in the books, Carmelo Anthony is eighty-one games closer to exercising his right to test free agency.  Good for him.  I do not appreciate that kind of talk when there is a season to be played first.  I additionally did not appreciate when Patrick Ewing did the same exact thing back in the mid-90's.  On the one hand, a player would have to either be very comfortable in his situation, or be an idiot not to exercise his rights under collective bargaining.  That's fine.  The problem is, no fan wants to hear their player express that stuff out loud.

That's the way the Knicks 2013-2014 season starts for me - with crap like that.

On the court, the Knicks also already have something to worry about.  Raymond Felton's hamstring paid him a return visit.  He toughed out last night's game however, and clocked in 34 minutes against the Bucks.  He scored eighteen points but only issued three assists.  It was Pablo Prigioni who topped the Knicks with five assists.  But if Felton is feeling tender already, that may spell trouble.  He's the one I feel who will maintain order between Melo and J.R. Smith.

Carmelo Anthony pulled down a team high ten rebounds, and scored a game high nineteen points, to rescue the Knicks from what would have been an embarrassing loss, considering the Knicks led Milwaukee by twenty-five points at one point.

Is Iman Shumpert on the precipice of a break-out season?  Many people think so.  He was 5/13 from the field, and 5/5 from the line for sixteen points.  I'd like for him to continue playing near thirty minutes a night.

Tyson Chandler was the fourth Knick player to score in double-digits, with ten points and five blocked shots in thirty-two minutes.

All five Knicks starters played over thirty minutes.  No wonder though, as the game almost slipped away from them.  The Knicks were up 56-31 at the half, but allowed Milwaukee to explode for 33 points in the third quarter.  The Knicks barely won the battle of the boards by a 34-31 margin.  They shot 50.7% from the floor, while the Bucks finished at 45.9% and took three more shots from the field.  But the Knicks edged out Milwaukee at the stripe, making 15/17 shots for 88.2%, versus 83.3% for the Bucks.

Andrea Bargnani struggled in his season debut, scoring six points in seventeen minutes off the bench.  He was 0/3 from beyond the 3-point line, and committed three turnovers.

Is tonight's game against the Chicago Bulls a foreshadowing of a possible encounter next Spring?  Why not enjoy it that way, considering both teams have their full compliment of players, minus Amare Stoudemire that is, who did not play in last night's opener.  I'll be curious to see him if he plays tonight, how he meshes, and how many minutes Coach Woodson allots him.

Derrick Rose is also attempting to come back from ruinous injuries.  He complained of a sore neck after the Bulls opening game against the Miami Heat, but he will reportedly suit up and play this evening.  He missed the entire 2012-2013 regular season and playoffs.  It looks like the Bulls, Heat, Indiana Pacers, Brooklyn Nets and Knicks will all be battling this season for the top four seeds in the Eastern Conference.  Should be fun.

For now, the time has finally come for Derrick Rose to reintroduce himself to the New York Knicks.  If Rose's neck is stiff, then the Knicks are playing off a quick turn-around from last night at the Garden.

It's all good.



Mike.BTB

N.Y. Knicks: Series Over - Donnie Walsh Leaves Old Team In His Dust

From the desk of:   DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP

NEW YORK KNICKS - Grunwald's Geezers Run Out Of Gas.

MELO SCORES THIRTY-NINE, BUT KNICKERBOCKERS FALL IN SIX

What started out a few years ago with Stephon Marbury being nailed to the bench for a grossly under-manned Knicks team, ended Saturday night in Indiana's field house, as Donnie Walsh's Pacers dismantled the Knicks, eliminating them from this year's playoffs, four games to two.  New York's off-season uncertainty starts....now.


The Indiana Pacers' executive man in charge sat quietly absorbed, triumphantly observing his newest creation defeat the team Jim Dolan hijacked from him.  How does an NBA owner hijack his own team you ask?  When Commissioner Stern orders him to hire Donnie Walsh in order to halt one of the league's marquee franchise's decade long free fall into basketball Tartaros.  For with blind love, devotion and negligence, Jim Dolan allowed Isiah Thomas to put the Knickerbockers organization through hell.


Fast forward to the signing of Amare Stoudemire.  Donnie Walsh did everything that needed getting done in order to gain salary cap relief, regardless of LeBron James' pending free agency.  Personally, I felt securing Stoudemire was the owner's knee jerk reaction for failing to secure James, but more, a desperate last minute signing mandated by Dolan before the market closed.  If the Phoenix Suns were only willing to offer Amare three years, I had, and still have zero reason to believe Donnie Walsh wanted to pay him a day longer or a dollar more, especially under an uninsurable contract.  Only owners do that, not GMs, and certainly not the Donnie Walsh of a reasonable mind.


Fast forward to the Carmelo Anthony trade.  In direct conflict with Dolan's preference for the star system, Donnie Walsh effectively got fired because he tried building a team.  When Melo trade talks between Denver and the Nets picked up , Jim Dolan succumbed to the threat of direct competition from Brooklyn, and swooped in to kidnap Anthony.  Shortly thereafter, Dolan pushed Walsh out the door.


Let's be clear - all things considered, the Knicks do not reach the playoffs in consecutive seasons without Donnie Walsh's prior ground work, or without Carmelo Anthony for that matter.  These days, Donnie walks needing the assistance of a cane, but the man knows how to run an organization.  As it pertains to Saturday night, the Indiana Pacers made it to the Eastern Conference Finals before the Knicks did - two franchises that began at the same starting line after the Patrick Ewing and Reggie Miller days passed them by.  Donnie Walsh had a hand in the Pacers of that era, and will now face the Miami Heat - the team, and an era, the Knicks are still chasing ever since Pat Riley split town via fax.

Game Six Final

Knicks       99

Pacers      106

If the Knicks were guilty of anything, the post-Walsh Knicks stamped their luggage with NBA Finals stickers months ago, not coincidentally, around the same time gas mileage on present GM Glen Grunwald's Geezers started registering true.  During the season's most important minutes, in the team's most important games, Rasheed Wallace, Kurt Thomas, Marcus Camby, Jason Kidd, and Kenyon Martin were all out of leaded gasoline.


The Knicks were surviving Game Six largely on the strength of Melo's usual star performance  and  Iman Shumpert's hot hand.  Was Iman really the plan?  Hardly.  Truth is, no one showed up in support of the team's star.  Ray Felton scored two points - Tyson Chandler had two points - Pablo Prigioni had six points - Kenyon Martin had five points - Camby and Novack did not play.  And lastly, Jason Kidd failed to score a point in any of the six games - not one.


Fact is, the Pacers represented a horrible match-up for the Knicks.  Tyson Chandler was flat out  deleted by Roy Hibbert inside.  Hibbert dropped twenty-one points on Chandler, pulled down twelve rebounds, and blocked five shots, one of which became an instant ESPN classic against Melo.  How much of Roy's performance was due to Chandler's bulging disc problem is still, and may remain  unknown.  Roy Hibbert however, was only the beginning.  Lance Stephenson scored twenty-five, and pulled down another ten rebounds.  For the game, Indiana cleaned up 43-36 on the glass.


The Pacers also scored fifty-two of their 106 points in the paint, while the Knicks only managed twenty.  By relentlessly pounding the Knicks interior, they additionally put themselves in the bonus early.  Indiana pummelled the Knicks from the line, sinking thirty-four of forty-six attempts.  The Knicks only made it to the stripe eighteen times.  Tyson Chandler was one of three Knicks to foul out of the game.  Shumpert and Kenyon Martin joined him.  Carmelo Anthony ended the game with five fouls.


J.R.Smith contributed fifteen points and ten rebounds an otherwise nice game.  Let's be honest though.  Ever since his ill-fated elbow and suspension in round one, his game has effectively disappeared.


When Mike Woodson took over as head coach, he made it very clear that Carmelo Anthony was his star player, clearly in line with the Dolan Doctrine, and that he was going to ride Melo like a mule for all he's worth.  Compared to Mike D'Antoni, that was probably the smart way to go.  For the first three quarters of the game, Melo took care of business, with Shump and Smith providing points as well.  Carmelo finished with a game-high thirty-nine points, pulled down seven rebounds and had two assists.


What of the fourth quarter then - closing time?  Melo tied the game 81-81 with a layup in the last seconds of the third quarter.  So, this game was there for their taking.  But after allowing thirty-four points in the third quarter, Indiana clamped down on defense, limiting the Knicks to just eighteen points in the final twelve minutes.  Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith both only shot two of seven from the field during the quarter.  And in a game in which Iman Shumpert had already scored  nineteen points, and was five of six from beyond the three-point line, he failed to take a single shot in the fourth quarter.  That's hard to understand.  Ponderous!


On the heels of an abrupt ending such as this, there will be those looking to cast blame.  Which ever way you size this up, the local story will read how a bunch of no-names overcame Carmelo Anthony.  Did Melo come up small in crunch time?  Has he reaffirmed his playoff legacy?  Did Mike Woodson mismanage the Knicks this series?  Was the Knick relying too heavily on Glen Grunwald's geriatrics a huge mistake?  Does Ray Felton get a chunk of blame, who, as the primary point guard, failed to orchestrate?  Is there more?


In the immortal word of former Knicks broadcaster Marv Albert - YES!




Mike.BTB

New York Knicks: Defense Clamps Down On Celtics In Game One

From the desk of:   DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP

 

GAME ONE FINAL

Celtics       78

KNICKS   85

 

NEW YORK KNICKS - Melo Defense!  Melo Defense!


The League's scoring champ did what the playoffs demand.  That's why Carmelo gets a bad rap - because the regular season is all about System.  In the playoffs, you need stars to rise up, and supporting players who know, and execute their roles.  When you consider the list of players who under-performed around Carmelo Anthony Saturday afternoon, then you know why the game was a two point affair with just a few minutes left.  Think about it - In twenty-two minutes, Iman Shumpert scored three points.  Tyson Chandler scored no points in twenty minutes.  Ditto with Chris Copeland - thirteen minutes, no points.  And those were the starters.  Jason Kidd played thirty-five minutes (!) with eight points off the bench.  Steve Novack was a non-factor.


Now for the big contributors.  Ray Felton played forty-three minutes and scored thirteen points, which is respectable considering his six assists.  And make no mistake, Kenyon Martin's ten points in twenty-eight minutes were huge, as was the way Kenyon Martin shut down he paint.  And there in lies the game - tenacious defense.  Tenacious team defense put Carmelo Anthony in a position to lead the rest of his mates to an 85-78 game one victory.  Forget Melo's first quarter.  It was good.  Melo's last two minutes stand tallest.  That's when most of the appreciable TV audience tunes in anyway, right?


Show me.  And Melo did.  He scored a game high thirty-eight points - twelve more than Boston's perennial thirteen point scorer, Jeff Green.  Think about that too.  Melo had one assist in the game.  It was huge, a hot pass to Kenyon Martin who converted.  He also had six rebounds, all on the defensive boards.  Lastly, Carmelo Anthony had four steals.


Defense.  It was the kind of defense the Knicks played back in November, if not better.  And Melo was a clear participant.  It needed to be that way, because no one wanted to score.


J.R. SMITH WINS NBA'S SIXTH-MAN AWARD


This season, J.R. Smith has teamed with Carmelo to form one of the more lethal duo's in basketball.  In game one, he scored fifteen points in thirty-two minutes.  With those minutes, he is no bench player.  In any event, I think Knicks fans sense a huge game coming from him shortly.  Carmelo Anthony will need the help.


Would this series be viewed differently if Jajon Rondo hadn't gotten hurt?  Definitely.  Felton and Kidd would be getting treatment on their ankles as we speak.  Until Kevin Garnett shows up, Melo and Smith look like they got this covered.  After game two, it's off to Boston.  That's when the really series starts.




Mike.BTB

N.Y. Knicks: Coach Woodson Rollin' Dice With Melo's Knee?

From the desk of:   DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP



NEW YORK KNICKS - "Stiffness..., Agitated..., I Definitely Felt It Out There." - Carmelo Anthony.


Game One of what will be a grueling five game western road swing was an horrific fail.  But forget for a moment the Knicks twenty-nine point loss to the Golden State Warriors, in which they only shot 27% from the field; a season low; on a night in which they only scored sixty-three points; a season low; and that this was the first game of the post-post-Amare Stoudemire era, for now.  The Nets cut the Knicks a break by losing to Philadelphia earlier in the night.  So for another day, the Knicks 2 1/2 game Atlantic Division lead remains in tact.  But, forget that.


This is about Coach Woodson and Carmelo Anthony.  How hurt is Melo; how much is he letting on; or with-holding from...whoever?  What was clearly evident late Monday night in Oakland, was Carmelo Anthony hobbled around the court like a compromised player.  Otherwise, he was 4/15 from the floor.  But this wasn't just a noticeably bad game by Melo.  This was a bad decision by Coach Woodson.  Carmelo even admitted in pre-game TV talk, his knee was not 100%, but stiff.  This was Melo's first game back after three games off, and despite everything said, pulled down ten rebounds - more punishment on his knee.  I feel Mike Woodson all of a sudden looks like a desperate coach.  Not because he took Melo to task for spotty defense early in the game.  That's good coaching.  He looks desperate because of the way Melo looked and played.  If you remember, Coach questionably kept Melo in a game when Melo asked out - then what happened?  Monday night, Anthony didn't look good at all.  After the game, Coach called blamed Melo's performance on rust.  I just think Coach Woodson better be careful with his man.  I'm merely saying what I'm hearing from both men is contradictory.  It's getting harder to decipher an injury, from rust, from malingering, from imagination, from desperation.


To date, this has been a brilliant season by Knicks recent standards.  But injuries, and the predicted toll age would play, are now all having their expected effects.  You can't help but feel even a slight sense the Knicks are losing control settling in.  Consider this team's fortunes now potentially rest with J.R. Smith who was ejected Monday for a Flagrant-Two, and Kenyon Martin, who is fresh out of his living room.  Don't even give me Chris Copeland - not Monday night.  After that, Tyson Chandler always comes correct.  But will Carmelo Anthony's knee do the same?



Next up - Knicks visit the Mile High city to play the Nuggets, who like to run, run, and run some more.  Melo and the Knicks get a day off first.  We can all be sure, Melo will want to play, and play well, in front of the Denver crowd.  They're familiar.




Mike.BTB

N.Y. Knicks - It's The Star System, Or Bust

From the desk of:   DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP

NEW YORK KNICKS - Amare Stoudemire Out Minimum Six Weeks With Injury.  Faces Second Surgery, This Time On Right Knee.

Time To Follow The Melo Brick Road

The Knicks plan to preserve Amare's knees - the one to limit his minutes by having him come off the bench - the one that was starting to work out nicley of late - failed.  The uninsurable Amare Stoudemire has effectively been lost for the rest of the regular season with a right knee injury.  Six weeks is the actual prognosis.  That potentially puts Amare and the Knicks into the end of April or early May, and the playoffs.  That's a damn shame too.  After everything he's been through here.  Amare has done nothing but say and do the right thing since arriving.  But when taking injuries into account, he could never do enough.  There is also no way I hold the "breaking glass" incident against him - not at this point.  He's been that much of a stand up guy.


There is no time to wallow in self pity however.  It is time to pack up, and follow the Melo Brick Road.  When Carmelo's knee gets better, they're off, they're off, they're off.....  in search of the elusive Atlantic Division title.


You know where I stand - the team concept versus the star system.  From here on out, it's the star system or bust.  The Knicks fortunes now lie exclusively between what Carmelo Anthony thinks he needs to do, and wants to do, in order to help the Knicks win, and what Melo actually needs to do in order to help his coach and team mates make the Knicks a successful team.  Coach Woodson's prophecy is now his reality.  When he assumed the role of head coach, he said he would be riding Carmelo Anthony as far as his small forward takes him and the Knicks.  With Amare officially out, and not being accused of complicating the rotation, Coach Woodson now gets to saddle up and find out just how far that really is.


Before Amare's injury changed everything, the Knicks recent game against the Thunder punctuated the argument, or growing belief, the Knicks are a more cohesive, and thereby a more effective team, when Melo is off the floor.  Their last win over the Jazz minus both Amare and Melo, may have reinforced the notion even further. There are tons of truth in that argument.  But at the same time, the Knicks will not win an NBA title without Carmelo Anthony.  It didn't help Melo's cause that the Knicks dream bench of Rasheed Wallace, Marcus Camby, and Kurt Thomas never quite made it out of the senior center.  And the rest of the assembled body, like Ray Felton's increasingly round one, or Jason Kidd's creaky one, aren't performing as spryly as they were last Fall either.


Something will have to give, or, some one will have to bend.  Because right now, at this very moment, this is J.R. Smith's team.  Somehow, someway, and at some point, Coach Woodson has to make Melo conform again, into the player Anthony was back in November and December, and keep that player in uniform until June, Red Holzman willing.  For if alternative anti-Melo emerges from  behind the wizard's curtain after his own knee injury subsides, the Knicks will be headed towards a tumultuous end, and no one will like the way Carmelo Anthony, first and foremost, will explain everything off.




Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Nets: Flatbush Knots Season Series Against Knicks

From the desks of:

THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH  &  DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY
SHOWDOWN

 

BATTLE of the BOROUGHS - V

Nets and Knicks End Series 2-2

I - Hurricane Sandy

II - BK 96; NY 89 *

III - NY 100; BK 97

IV - NY 100; BK 86

* overtime

GAME FIVE FINAL
Brooklyn     88
Manhattan  85

GAME SUMMARY - Nineteen Turnovers Prevent Nets From Cruising To An Easier Victory.  Without Ray Felton On Floor, Carmelo Anthony Could Not Beat Brooklyn By Himself.


The Brooklyn Nets made things significantly more difficult for themselves by turning the ball over nineteen times.  Otherwise, this afternoon they rode Deron Williams' ball distribution, Kris Humphries' and Brook Lopez' strong rebounding, and Joe Johnson's clutch buckets to victory over the New York Knicks before a festive Martin Luther King Jr. Day crowd inside Madison Square Garden. The Flatbush Hoops owned a 26-24 lead after the first quarter, and took a 47-41 advantage into the break.


Even though Melo dropped his obligatory eighteen first half points, offensively the Knicks remain a team out of sync.  A compare and contrast will bare that out.  After Pablo Prigioni got wiped out on a pick and left the game, Melo was forced to play the fourth quarter as a point/forward.  But that only compounded the Knicks greater problems without Ray Felton on the floor.


First lets talk points.  After Melo's eighteen, Chris Copeland and Jason Kidd were the Knicks next high scorers with five and six points respectively.  Amare Stoudemire did not factor into the game until the second half.  For the Nets, scoring was more balanced.  Joe Johnson scored thirteen points, Brook Lopez eleven, and Kris Humphries dropped nine first half points.  Lets talk assists now.  Melo was also Knicks high man with three first half assists.  Chris Chandler and Ronnie Brewer had one apiece.  Deron Williams had seven first half assists for the Nets alone.  Now lets talk rebounds.  The Nets really excelled on the glass.  They held a 27-16 advantage after two quarters.  Twenty one of the Nets boards came on the defensive end.  And that has nothing to do with Ray Felton being injured.  Tyson Chandler led the Knicks with six first half boards.  Kris Humphries pulled down eight.  Reggie Evans and Brook Lopez pulled down five apiece.  For the Knicks, all that adds up to a six point deficit at the half.  All didn't go perfectly for Brooklyn however.  The Nets turned the ball over eleven times in the first half versus just two times by the Knicks.


Brook Lopez opened the third quarter with a jumper.  Crash Wallace then gave Brooklyn a nine point lead by nailing a three-pointer, and shortly followed with another layup to make it a 54-45 game.  Midway through the third quarter, Tyson Chandler ripped through the lane for a dunk to get the Knicks within three.  Deron Williams responded with a pair of three's.  But with 3:32 left in the quarter, J.R. Smith helped reduce a 60-55 Brooklyn lead to one point with consecutive buckets.  The Knicks completed a 10-0 run with 2:20 left, and owned a 63-60 lead.  With 0:52 on the clock, Joe Johnson hit two free throws to tie the game at sixty three all.  By this time, the Nets had committed fifteen turnovers and were paying a price for repeated miscues and losing the defensive bearing they adhered to in the first half.  A Melo three-pointer, and Amare Stoudemire's closing dunk gave the Knicks a 68-65 lead after three quarters.


To open the fourth quarter, and to the chagrin of Brooklyn fans, Marshon Brooks and Kris Humphries joined forces to execute and score on a fast break.  The Nets scored exactly zero fast break points in the first half, and only two all game.  Keith Bogans helped Flatbush regain their lead with a trey to make it a 70-68 game.  But Amare's dunk at 10:23 tied the game again at seventy all.


Fresh off two more Brooklyn turnovers (#16 and #17), J.R. Smith nailed a three pointer to give the Knicks a 75-72 lead, then headed back the other way while he mimicked spinning his still smokin' six-shooters back into their holsters.


With 8:09 left in the fourth, C.J. Watson came off Brooklyn's bench and tied the game again at 75-75 with a three.  Then Joe Johnson took over.  A three pointer at 7:20 gave Brooklyn a 78-75 lead.  After a J.R. Smith basket, another Joe Johnson three pointer gave Brooklyn an 81-77 lead.  And yet another Joe Johnson jumper gave the Nets an 83-77 lead, and completed an 11-2 Flatbush run.


The Nets continued turning over the ball until they reached number nineteen halfway through the quarter.  Brooklyn was leading 83-77 with 5:30 left in the game.  And then their scoring stopped.  A series of key blocked shots by Brook Lopez and continued tenacious rebounding kept the Nets going until the clock read 0:52 seconds, with the score reading 83-82 Nets.  After a foul, Melo completed two free throws to complete a 7-0 Knicks run, giving Manhattan an 84-83 lead again.


Later with 22.3 seconds left, Joe Johnson popped from outside again.  At the other end, Brook Lopez pulled down another huge rebound off a Melo miss.  After Deron Williams nailed two free throws, the Nets were up by an 87-84 score with 8.3 seconds to go.  P.J.Carlesimo perhaps made the call of the night in deciding to foul Jason Kidd, putting him at the line with 7.5 seconds.  Kidd hit his first shot, then fouled Deron Williams with 5.7 seconds left after the Nets guard drew the rebound and tried heading the other way off the miss.  Deron hit one of two.  After J.R. Smith's last attempt at a three pointer missed, Brooklyn walked off the MSG floor with an 88-85 victory.


Carmelo Anthony led all scorers with twenty nine points.  Next high man on the Knicks was J.R. Smith with sixteen points off the bench.  Amare Stoudemire scored fifteen mostly second half points.  Jason Kidd kicked in eleven, and Tyson Chandler contributed seven points in the Knicks losing effort.


The Knicks shot 40.5% from the floor.  That's not the Knicks main matter as the Nets shot at a 41.9% clip.  Brooklyn wound up beating the Knicks at their own game, outscoring them 36-18 from three point land.  The Nets shot 50%, hitting twelve of twenty four from behind the three-point line.  The Knicks only shot 28.6% from behind the arch, making only six of twenty one shots.


Joe Johnson was the Nets high man with twenty five points.  Deron Williams and Brook Lopez each dropped fourteen.  Off the bench, Kris Humphries kicked in eleven points, and Keith Bogans added eight.  Deron Williams led all players with twelve assists.  As a team, the Knicks totalled fourteen.  Seven assists came from Melo.


Brooklyn dominated the boards.  Brook Lopez (14 points, 11 rebounds) and Kris Humphries (11 points, 13 rebounds) are the Nets double-doubles.  For the game, Brooklyn out-rebounded Manhattan by a wide 52-37 margin.  Both teams were actually sub-par from the free throw line.


The 2012-2013 inaugural battle for the city ends in a tie.  Both teams won a game apiece.  Unless these teams meet again in the playoffs, they will not play each other again this season.  But with regard to the Atlantic Division standings, the Nets and Knicks now have an equal number of wins.  Brooklyn improved to 25-16, while the team from Manhattan sports a 25-14 record.  With Monday's win, Brooklyn moves to within one game of the first place New York Knicks.  The Nets also improved their road record to a 9-9 mark.  This was the Knicks sixth loss at Madison Square Garden.


This game marked the mid-point in Brooklyn's inaugural season.  Forty one games are in the books.  Forty one more games to go.




Mike.BTB

N.Y. Knicks: For Those Who Said Talk To Me In January

From the desk of:   DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP


NEW YORK KNICKS - Many Said Age And Injury Would Start Taking Its Toll In January And February.  The Team Is Certainly Not Without Issues.

Knicks Needs Ray Felton Back On The Floor.

 

...And Honey Nut Cheerios Too.

I can't fault Melo for continuing to go after Kevin Garnett.  What KG does, he does supremely well.  He talks vicious smack.  But we've known that for a long time.  And I get it.  That gets players even more mad.  Especially when the dude starts poppin' off about your wife and honey nut Cheerios in the same sentence.  How rich!  That was unnecessary on KG's part.  But as a highly paid professional athlete, you have to learn to ignore guys like Garnett and the Dennis Rodmans in life and stay within the game.  Riiight.  But yeah, on a more primitive level, a trip to the bus after the game might have been warranted.  That's so 1970's of me.  I know.  So now if you're Melo, you shut up and take your one game suspension like a man.  Too bad however, Melo didn't make the trip to the parking lot truly worth the effort.  You know what I mean.  If you're going to get punished, might as well go all the way.  What happened to the Carmelo Anthony we all knew and loathed in 2006; the punk who threw a cheap punch at Mardy Collins, then ran away?  He should have given KG some of that.


Grab yourself some Hatorade.  There's plenty.


With a 23-11 record, the Knicks are tied with the Heat for most wins in the Eastern Conference. Indeed, the Knicks enjoyed a stellar start to the season, raining three pointers upon opponents and playing surprisingly good defense.  But staunch pragmatists decided to hold off till January before assessing the team.  And well, here we are.  The Knicks are in first place of the Atlantic Division.


Happy New Year.


While earlier in the schedule the Knicks were playing like the team many thought they could be, they are now slowly morphing into the team many feared they might be.  Problem one?  Life has been a struggle without Ray Felton.  That's just my take.  Pablo Prigioni is nice off the bench.  But I don't think the Knicks want him getting extended minutes.  The longer Felton is out, the more minutes Jason Kidd must play.  The more he plays, the sooner he burns out heading into March and April.  That's the traditional thinking.  The Knicks also probably do not want to potentially head into the playoffs with Ronnie Brewer at the two and Kidd at point.  Do they?  I think Felton is more important to this team than he gets credit for.


Regardless of how I started this posting, I have nothing but good things to say about Carmelo Anthony this season.  He, Tyson Chandler and J.R. Smith have been stellar.  The return of Iman Shumpert will add a lot of youthful spring to the Knicks legs too.  These four lend much to be optimistic about.


The same can't be said of Amare Stoudemire.  The doctor is ordering his minutes get cut back.  He will remain a compromised player for the foreseeable future.  Then consider the limited contributions of Rasheed Wallace, Marcus Camby, and Kurt Thomas, and it is easy to deduce the Knicks have major depth and size issues moving forward.


The age factor and injuries many thought could hamper the Knicks the deeper the season went, are indeed starting to hinder the Knicks as the New Year settles in.  The next seven weeks of Winter will reveal much about this team.  For now, I think Knick fans have to be happy with their season so far.  But the real fun, or pain, lies ahead.




Mike.BTB

N.Y. Knicks ~ Total Exposure

From the desk of: DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP




NEW YORK KNICKS:   The Stench Across the Street From Bayside Isn't From Dead Fish Washing Up on the Shores of South Beach.  It's the Knicks.


I told you, the narrative doesn't change with this team.


If I were in the Miami Police Dept., I would have arrested the Knicks for trespassing.  Don't ask me what they were doing there.  I think Game One was the worst forty-eight minutes I watched the Knicks play in the last thirty-five years.  Once Miami gets through with us, we will have gone twelve years without winning a playoff game.  Yeah, they'll dispatch us that quickly.  I expect nothing from this team.  The Knicks do not have any tricks of their sleeves.  And they just got totally exposed.


With a healthier Tyson Chandler (flu) on the floor, playing in his right mind instead of giving LeBron James whiplash, maybe we only lose Saturday by twenty-five points.  But without Iman Shumpert, (what a tough break for the rookie!) expect more of the same thing we saw in Game One - Blowouts.  Because Tyson Chandler is going to be playing defense by himself.


With Shumpert out, that means Landry Fields will be recalled from his exile in a black hole.  It's already been proven, he and Carmelo Anthony have mixed as well as vinegar and oil together.  So good luck with that.


Then there's Amare.  Amare Stoudemire clearly has nothing to offer.   He's a compromised cager.  He  played a majority of the game and was a complete non-factor.  Is there any reason to speculate?  I'm not a big "IF" fan  So, no.  His body has the better of him and ailments like his do not clear up over night.


Jeremy Lin might make it back in time to play in the elimination game.  And even if he played last Saturday, he wouldn't have helped.  I don't believe that.  And I do not believe he can help this team now.  Not with mounting injuries.  If Lin and Chandler were both healthy and playing Saturday, then maybe we only lose by fifteen.


So now that leaves us with Carmelo Anthony.   In Game One's debacle, the Knicks' star was dim. Miami kicked South Beach sand in Melo's face, and big man on campus offered no response.  His eleven points were just wimpy.  But he did have a good game rebounding.  I cede him that.


Hmmm, who's left?  J.R. Smith and Baron Davis?


So like I was saying...., I seriously doubt the Knicks will have a response tonight.  They are a poorly constructed team in the Dolan ideal.


Let's just get on with this.

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION

PLAYOFFS

Quarter-Final Round

TONIGHT

GAME TWO

NEW YORK KNICKS

vs.

Miami Heat

From,

Some Arena They Can't Sell Out

in South Florida

Mike.BTB

N.Y. Knicks ~ Melo Brings Own Sizzle to South Beach; Game One

From the desk of:   DUTCH PANTS CAN'T JUMP

2011-2012

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION

PLAYOFFS

EASTERN CONFERENCE QUARTER FINALS

TODAY

#7 - NEW YORK KNICKS

vs.

# 2 - Miami Heat

From

The Land of Pink Flamingos

Miami, Florida

NEW YORK KNICKS:  Dolan, Melo, and the Knicks City Players Taking Their Gig to South Beach.

When it comes to the Knicks and I, the narrative hasn't changed much.  It's Melo's world.  We just live in it.  I'm not going to be a hypocrite and start extolling the wondrous exploits of Carmelo Anthony now.  I have made it plainly clear in this blog, I'm not his biggest fan.  But I'm willing to work through my skewed view of the forward for the sake of getting on with this.


I'll start this way - In a text message exchange with my cousin, he lamented over not being able to play Chicago in the first round and instead drawing Miami.  And I said for what?  Putting off the inevitable?  I totally get why Knick fans share his sentiment.  I'd otherwise be right there with you.  But as of now, I feel there is no difference between losing in the first or second round, when I am already confident they will not make it to the Eastern Conference finals.


Can we get by the Heat?  Perhaps.  Can we get by the Bulls?  Maybe.  But in the Knicks present state, can they get through both?  I doubt it very much.  The Knicks played competitively against both teams in the regular season.  There is definitely cause for optimism.  I just do no think they will last a series, much less two, against the Conference's elite teams.  And to be even more honest with you, elite is a very loosely used term.


At guard, I'd prefer if Coach Woodson didn't commit to either Bibby or Baron Davis.  I believe an equal dose of both will work better and keep them fresher as the series wears on - because I do think this series can go six games.  Miami owns only a slight advantage here.  While it's still undetermined if Tyson Chandler plays tonight, ideally, he, Amare, and Melo will all be on the floor again.  If the Knicks are to exorcise their disharmony from the point in Jeremy Lin's absence, Mike Bibby and Baron Davis need to figure out how to incorporate Amare and Chandler while still adhering to the mandates of playing in Melo's World.


But then, which Amare Stoudemire are we getting?  Last season's weak-side-shot blocking, and dunking machine?  Or will we be getting the guy who settles on perimeter shooting with no attempts to rebound?  Of course everything hinges on the health status of Amare's back.  No pain will be the Knicks' gain.  Anything less, it will be the Melo System, or bust.


Tyson Chandler is no stranger to the Heat.  They remember him well from last season's championship series.  This year, he's been everything the Knicks wanted since they signed him, and more.  He is the undisputed defensive leader of this team.  No Tyson Chandler on the floor equals no strong will of the Knicks to play defense.  He's the one guy on the Knicks that keeps Melo from utterly dominating the court.  Like gravity does, Chandler exerts a force that keeps the Knicks and Melo's World somewhat in orbit together.  And even though he was third-in after Amare and Melo's arrival, without Tyson Chandler, there are no playoffs.  If his knee doesn't hold up, the Knicks are surely done.


That's a lot of Melo Bashing.  I know.  To paraphrase a previous post of mine:

Melo has been The Man over the last month due to a simple matter of attrition.  The same problems the Knicks had before, will be revisited once Amare comes back, or, tries to come back, and will worsen should the Knicks still be playing by the time Jeremy Lin gets back.  In the mean time, with everyone out of his way, including Mike D'Antoni, Melo is free to rule his world as he sees fit. Because outside of guys like Amare and Chandler, Melo's team mates know exactly where their bread is being buttered now.

That's not to say Melo hasn't been doing everything he can to help his team win lately; to include playing defense.  He has.  He has been every bit the star he is advertised to be.  He most definitely carried this team through April.  But it took the elimination of a few players from the floor in order for the real Melo to take effect.  It also took the elimination of a stubborn coach - stubborn only when it came to Melo that is.  Carmelo is in full effect now and leading the Knicks - his way.  And that's where I have a problem.


My hang-ups aside, that doesn't mean he, Iman Shumpert, and J.R. Smith haven't stumbled upon some cohesiveness and effective play together.  Because they have.  And if Shumpert and Smith play big, well then the Heat will definitely have a problem on their hands.  Those two are the Knicks' x-factors.


I do no think anyone will be leaving Steve Novak all alone anymore.  When he steps on the court, it is for one reason only.  So when he does enter games, Miami will guard him.  Landry Fields still has not returned any one's calls.  Last seen, he was circling around the perimeter of a galactic black hole.  His game has long since been torn apart at the seams.


That's just the way I see things.


Last point - Dwayne Wade and LeBron James can be dealt with.  But do the  Knicks have an answer for Chris Bosh?  Maybe Tyson Chandler changes things in a seven game series.  But Bosh, like Ray Allen in last year's playoffs against the Celtics, have been the real phantom menaces in the Knicks recent encounters with either team.  Playing in the background for most of the game, both of them have been fourth quarter killers against the Knicks.  I'd be paying him serious attention late in games this series.


Let's Go Knicks!





Mike.BTB