[Video] Race to 8th Seed: Knicks Offense Overwhelms Sixers 123-110

I love nights like this. Four guys with 20-plus points. Sharing the ball. Making plays. Having fun out there. Taking the load off me. I love nights like that. – CARMELO ANTHONY

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As bad as the Knicks have been this season, it could be worse. Dont’ believe me? Just take one look at the Sixers, who are not only out of playoff contention, but currently on a 17-game losing streak. The Knicks added to Philly’s misery last night, overcoming a 12-point deficit (29-17) in the first quarter to score a much-needed home win to remain in play (3.5 games back) to catch the Atlanta Hawks for the 8th and final playoff spot.

SLEEPWALKING: The Knicks came out very lazy and allowed the Sixer guards like Michael Carter-Williams and Tony Wroten to get in the paint at will. With Tyson Chandler out due to personal reasons, the Knicks missed his defensive presence and rebounding. In addition, Melo wasn’t his usual self, looking lethargic coming off a cold last game. He didn’t have good lift on his inside game nor on his jumper. Thankfully, the Knicks only had to settle for a 31-26 hole after hitting a few timely threes to close out the first stanza.

DEFENSE PICKS UP: By the second quarter, the Knicks realized their were playing the Sixers and started playing defense. They took a small five-point lead following two Raymond Felton threes, but hurt themselves by going in the penalty six minutes in, allowing Philly to stay close at the line and keep it tied at halftime, 61 all.

THE BEST PLAYER ON THE FLOOR: Amar’e Stoudemire has been beasting and his output was sorely needed yesterday to keep the pressure off Melo. Playing at the 5, Stat was too fast and quick for guys like Thaddeus Young, dropping 23 points (9/10 shooting). Stat’s defense was adequate as well, including a nice block at the rim that lead to a JR Smith three on the other end. A 9-0 run late in the third, after a few minutes of back and forth buckets early on, allowed the Knicks to take the lead for good.

FOUR OVER 20: The Knicks had four different plays score over 20 points: Melo (22), Stat (23), JR (22) and Hardaway Jr. (28). Tim’s output was the most scorching, including 13 points in the fourth that allowed Melo to rest the entire period.

The Knicks head to Boston Wednesday night to take on the Celtics. I wonder if Melo and Rondo will have any “side” conversations.

[Video] Melo the Facilitator: Knicks 104, Jazz 81

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Phil Jackson hasn’t even got here yet and the team is already playing better. In all seriousness, the Knicks vowed to build on their Timberwolves win and did just that in completely dominating the Utah Jazz for a 108-81 blowout victory. There were several key contributions, namely Melo’s season-high 8 assists, that made this game an easy one almost from the opening tip.

CAREER-HIGH START: The Knick burst out the gate with 39 points in the first quarter (season-high) on 70%shooting. As usual, Carmelo Anthony lead the barrage with 18 points, including a nifty four-point play. More impressive than his scoring, Melo made sure to move the ball quickly out of double teams and fed the hot hand (JR Smith). This lead to everyone being more active on defense as the Jazz were held to 22 points.

NO LET UP: The second unit of Prigioni, Hardaway Jr., Tyler, Clark, and Shumpert gave up an 11-4 run to start the second. Luckily, the Knicks had built a decent cushion. Once Melo, Stat and Chandler returned, the domination resumed. Stoudemire showed defensive competency in drawing a charge on Richard Jefferson and blocking Derrick Favors at the rim. Felton was finding Chandler at will for alley oops. And Melo had a constant smirk on his face over the fact Jefferson was trying to guard him. When the halftime buzzer sounded, the Knicks had a 60-41 score lead by Melo’s 22 points and 5 assists.

EXTENDED GARBAGE TIME: The Jazz hung around for the early part of the third but never got it to single digits. Melo continued torching Jefferson, and Chandler ran amuck with dunks and controlled the boards (16 points, 11 rebounds). Outside of Felton, every starter hit double figures. They were allowed to rest all of the fourth with the bench holding the lead and young guys like Aldrich and Tyler getting much-needed burn.

FAVORABLE RESULTS: The Knicks are going to need some help to make the playoffs and they got it from everyone last night. The teams in front of them (Pistons, Cavaliers, Hawks) all lost, and New York can jump in front of the Cavs with a win tonight.

We’re not dead yet, people.

[youtube http://youtu.be/UX5L_ey6n7E]

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[youtube http://youtu.be/z_4CwuxJj1s]

[Video] The Bleeding Stops: Knicks 118, Wolves 106

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After seven games of futility, the Knicks finally played a solid game and took a much-needed wire to wire win over the Timberwolves. Outside of a horrid third quarter which saw the Wolves outscore them 31-22 and pull within 1 point, the Knicks were wholly dominant with the backcourt hitting their shots, Chandler making Kevin Love’s life miserable, and Melo being the usual scoring machine. The entire starting lineup of Melo (33 pts), Stoudemire (18 pts), Chandler (15 pts), JR (14 pts) and Felton (18 points) hit double figures for only the second time this year.

Speaking of Felton, he arguably had his best game of the year, adding 8 assists, 4 steals in completely outplaying Ricky Rubio (11 pts, 8 assists, 6 turnovers).

Knicks fans also got a second look at Kevin Love, who will undoubtedly be a free agent target in 2015. The Wolves big man had 19 points and 8 rebounds, but was a liability on defense, giving up repeated Chandler alley oops and other easy buckets inside. Chandler seemed to relish matching up with Love, even going as far in his halftime interview to say Love doesn’t play any defense.  K-Love would definitely be an asset in New York, but pairing him with Melo might not be the best idea unless there is a strong defensive center added to the mix.

The Knicks have the Utah Jazz tonight in another “must-win” with just 20 games left.

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No Relief in Sight: Knicks Drop 7th Straight in 96-85 Loss to Pistons

I’m running out of comments – CARMELO ANTHONY

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AUBURN HILLS, MI — Is it the offseason yet? For the Knicks, it might as well be since from their play it’s become quite apparent they no longer care. This is what a broken team with no confidence, pride nor sense of duty in what they do looks like. At this point, predicting how a Knicks game will go is quite easy. They’ll jump out to a quick lead (this time 14 points), blow it as soon as they get, and let their defensive woes get them blown off the court in the fourth when they fail to get stops. Oh, and let’s not forget letting someone on the oppoosing side notch a career-high in some category.

BACKCOURT TRASH: Our starting backcourt of JR Smith and Raymond Felton was absolutely woeful with both going scoreless for the entire first half. JR managed 16 points for the game, but that was only due to gunning when the game had already been decided in the fourth. They shot a dismal 6-26 for the game. Iman Shumpert (5 points, 2/7) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (0 points, 0/6) couldn’t provide much of a spark off the bench, either.

ANOTHER GUARD GOES OFF: During this losing streak, we’ve seen the likes of Stephen Curry (triple double) and DJ Augustin have monster games. Last night Will Bynum got in on the fun, scoring all of his 16 points in the fourth quarter. Opposing guards seem to realize by the start of the fourth that our guards can defend and start picking us apart.

LATEST CAREER HIGH: Andre Drummond was a beast last night. Aside from schooling Amar’e Stoudemire in the paint during the third quarter (six straight points on various spin moves), he pulled down a career high 28 rebounds.

STAT N’ MELO: When it came to offense, New York only got consistent production out of these two. Stoudemire scored 22 points and Melo added 28. While their shooting percentages were strong, the ball movement wasn’t consistent, so a good bulk of their points had to come through isolation plays.

WOODY: Raymond Felton continues to get paraded out for heavy minutes despite being a clear detriment on the floor. Felton played 32 minutes, going 1/9 from the floor (4 points). Any competent coach would have benched him a long time ago for Prigioni and Toure Murry, who can’t possibly do any worse.

We’ll see if the Knicks can make the bleeding stop on Wednesday when they head to the Target Center to face the Timberwolves.

No Competition: Heat Destroy Knicks 108-82

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Like there was ever any doubt. The Knicks limped into last night’s showdown in South Beach on a three-game losing streak and left in tatters after getting a 108-82 beatdown. As usual, we got to see what a competent team looks like vs. the mess we’ve been putting on the floor for most of the season. Here’s how the massacre went down.

TEAM GREATNESS: Melo upheld his end going toe to toe with Lebron. Melo scored 29 points (55% shooting) and nabbed 7 rebounds. He kept the Knicks in it after a shaky first quarter, and helped ignite the second and third quarters runs that pulled New York within single digits. In addition, our leader put LeBron on a poster via a two-handed stuff at the rim. Masked Lebron wasn’t shabby either, dropping 31 points (68% shooting) along with 4 rebounds and 4 assists.

So why was the disparity so great on the score despite the two biggest stars competing on even terms? It’s the fact LeBron has an excellent team around him to pick up the slack. When Melo goes out the game, the team goes into freefall. When Bron sits, he has the luxury of his fellow All-Stars in either Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh stepping up. Last night it was Wade, who scored 23 points and helped push the lead to double digits in both halfs. The Heat team defense was also surperb with multiple players guarding Melo for different looks and forcing the rest of the Knicks team to try to make plays.

Melo had 24 points at the half (nearly have of the Knicks points). The starting Heat backcourt of Wade and Chalmers finished with 34 points on 71% shooting. Meanwhile, the Knicks tandem of Rayond Felton and Pablo Prigioni finished with 2 POINTS ON 10% SHOOTING. Add to JR Smith trying to guard LeBron (and losing him multiple times in transition for dunk just seconds after the Knicks scored), and you had a recipe for a bad defeat.

WADE ABUSES THJ: It’s no secret that Hardaway Jr.’s biggest weakness is his defense. Last night, he fell for every Wade pumpfake and move you can think of. To make it worse, we didn’t get his usual offense to offset the schooling, as Tim managed just 6 points on 2-15 shooting.

BLACK HOLE OF DEFENSE: We don’t have many lineup choices, but one that must never be seen again is any that includes Amar’e Stoudemire and Hardaway together. Combined, the two were a horrific -64 in the +/- department with the score quickly running back up to the double digits whenever they shared the floor.

The Knicks have little time to lick their wounds, as they’ll host the Golden State Warriors tonight at MSG.

Knicks Sign Shannon Brown, Earl Clark to 10-Day Contracts

ShannonBrown

The Knicks are expected to sign shooting guard Shannon Brown and forward Earl Clark to 10-day contracts on Thursday (February 27).

Brown is coming off a previous 10-day contract with the San Antonio Spurs, where he averaged 2.3 points in 10 minutes. Clark played 45 games this season for the Cleveland Cavaliers, averaging 5 points and 3 rebounds in 15 minutes.

Per ESON, the Knicks are also in talks with 33-year-old Dahntay Jones.

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While nothing spectacular stood out about Brown during his limited time in San Antonio, he is a competent defender (something the Knicks currently lack in their guards). He can also get to the rim and finish pretty well.

As for Clark, I’m just hoping he can box out effectively. He’s a career 40% shooter (37% this season), so it’s not realistic to expect him to light up the scoreboard. But at 6’10, he should be able to help the second unit in spots.

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Raymond Felton Arrested on Felony Gun Charges

RaymondFelton

Knicks starting point guard Raymond Felton was arrested on Tuesday morning and faces three counts of criminal firearm possession.

Initial reports claimed Felton was arrested for pointing a gun at an unidentified woman. However, a New York police spokesman clarified that Felton is facing second, third and fourth degree criminal charges because the weapon is not registered and not for any threatening actions.

Felton turned himself in to the 20th Precinct on the Upper West Side of Manhattan at 12:50 a.m. The Knicks played earlier in the evening, losing to the Dallas Mavericks 110-108.

At press time, Felton has not released an official statement on the matter.

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There are a lot of crass jokes that can be inserted about this situation (namely the idea that Felton could shoot with any accuracy). With that said, this is definitely not a laughing matter — New York gun laws are among the strictest in the United States and a person’s celebrity won’t save them. We all remember the famous case of Giants receiver Plaxico Burress receiving a 3.5 year sentence despite shooting himself by accident in a New York City nightclub back in 2009.

Any sane Knicks fan wants Felton gone, but most of us would like the man to keep his freedom. If this does result in time away from the team, one positive is that Coach Woodson would literally have no choice but to play Toure Murry.

[Video] Nowitzki Shocks Knicks With Buzzer-Beater

It’s a damn shame. – MIKE WOODSON

Melo_Dirk

You have heard this story before. Knicks start slow only to go on a strong run late in the first or second quarter to make it a game by halftime. They play well on offense, but keep shooting themselves in the foot on defense in the second half, making the game a life and death struggle going into the fourth quarter. The team then fails to get any stops over the waning minutes and simply hope for Carmelo Anthony to bail them out, leading to another heart-breaking loss.

Last night was a Knicks rerun, in Dirk Nowitzki getting a lucky bounce on a buzzer-beating jumper to hand the Knicks their ninth loss in the last 10 games. This is the third game in a row the Knicks have collapsed down the stretch. If you’re looking for a silver lining, it can be that at least the game was tight for the most of the second half, as opposed to the 14-point and 17-point leads New York blew in the previous two games against Orlando and Atlanta.

There was another wasted Melo effort of 44 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and a block. If you told me before the season started that Melo would be posting these type of the numbers and we’d by this far below .500 and effectively out of the playoffs, I’d have laughed. And yet, here we are. Until we get guards who know who to defend the perimeter, we may not win a game for the rest of the season. When the ghost of Vince Carter is lighting you up for SEVEN three-pointer off the bench, there is literally no hope.

PATHETIC! Knicks Blow 17-Point Lead, Fall to Hawks 107-98

Teague_Knicks

Weak. Weak in all facets: defense, mentally, offensive execution… you name it. Not even 24 hours after squandering a 14-point lead against the tanking Magic, the Knicks repeated their disgraceful play in allowing another team to let their guards run amuck and a random player get a career high (Mike Scott, 30 points off the bench) as the Hawks embarrassed them in the fourth quarter. And keep in mind this was with two of the Hawks’ best players, Paul Millsap and Al Horford, out with injuries.

This team is hopeless. Just sit back and watch the train wreck.

STRONG FIRST HALF: Outside of a bad defensive run early in the second quarter, the Knicks played well on both sides of the court. Over the last nine minutes of the half, they went on a 29-6 run to take a 52-39 lead. Overall, they outscored the Hawks 29-15 in the second quarter. Melo had 19 points, Chandler 13 rebounds, and all seemed well for NY. But if you had watched this team recently, you knew no lead was safe, and New York showed their usual true colors over the second half.

A LAZY TEAM GETS SUBPAR RESULTS: After coming out strong going up 56-39, the Knicks started to do what they always do — take their foot off the gas and start going against everything they got them success. The defensive rotations started coming slower, allowing guys like DeMarre Carroll and Mike Scott to swish open threes and drive to the basket. Jeff Teague suddenly realized the Knicks guards are the worst defensive group in the league and started driving to the rim at will.

By the beginning of the fourth, the Hawks had rattled off 3 consecutive treys to take a 77-73 lead. They never looked back.

HARDAWAY JR. – HOW CAN DEFENSE BE SO BAD???: No one was really good defensively tonight, but the player who stood out as the absolute worst was Tim Hardaway Jr. Now, we all love our fearless rookie, but that’s no excuse for the woeful defense he exhibited over and over. He makes Steve Novak look like Scottie Pippen. On fast breaks, his feet moved like a newborn deer. When attempting to guard Jeff Teague, he got blown by at will for layups.

You could tell the schooling was rattling him on the offensive end, as his normal sharp-shooting eroded into a 3/10 night (1/5 from three).

YOU ALREADY KNOW WITH FELTON: Our usual whipping boy started off good with six assists in the first half. But as usual, he was another Knicks guard getting blown by on defense, giving up three-pointers and bricking open shots.

4TH QUARTER FUCKERY: For the rest of the season, every Knicks fourth quarter should be accompanied with Benny Hill theme music. They were outscored 39-25, and Melo had to come back within 3 minutes, making his rest ridiculously short. He tried to will us to another win, but another strong effort (35 points, 52% shooting) was wasted.

KILL IT WITH FIRE: Hey Knicks, want to ensure that Melo sticks around this offseason? The best thing you can tell him is that no one, with the possible exception of Hardaway, will be back. That’s right, I want this whole team gone. Watching them is now making me physically ill. Buy them all out like Metta and Beno.

The Sky Is Falling (Not Really): Knicks to Buy Out Metta World Peace x Beno Udrih

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After last night’s debacle in Orlando, the Knicks will head into Atlanta tonight will two open roster via pending buyouts of doghouse players Metta World Peace and Beno Udrih

World Peace was considered a solid signing in the offseason (2 years, $1.6 million) as was Udrih (1 year, $1.27 million). Instead, both showed erratic play and in Artest’s case, a prolonged knee injury which kept him sidelined for weeks.

Over 29 games, Artest is averaging 13 minutes. This year represents a career-low in points (4.8), rebounding (2.0) and steals (0.8). Udrih started 12 games for the Knicks this year, but became vocal with his complaints about Coach Woodson in January, in addition to requesting a trade. He has played sporadically since then with multiple DNPs. He is averaging 5.6 points and 3.5 assists, down from a career average of 8.9 points and 3.6 assists.

In tweets that have now been deleted, Artest’s brother Daniel blasted the Knicks organization as incompetent.

Mike Woodson is trash as a coach. That’s my opinion. The Knicks are a trash organization. That’s my opinion too. Melo deserves better. Fact!

— Daniel Artest (@DMArtestQB) February 22, 2014

 

Ron wanted to be a knick his entire career and his dream became a nightmare. Knicks need an overhaul. Top to bottom

— Daniel Artest (@DMArtestQB) February 22, 2014

 

How u an owner but ppl control you? He had to be kissing another of the same sex and it’s on tape. #KnicksTape

— Daniel Artest (@DMArtestQB) February 22, 2014

 

I’m not threatening Dolan on twitter tho. Lol. Some fan is locked up for that. Lol. However. I can say he’s the worst owner in sports.

— Daniel Artest (@DMArtestQB) February 22, 2014

 

I knew Knicks was bullshit when @NY_KnicksPR had me in office like. “Daniel. Ur tweets are a distraction.” Please.— Daniel Artest (@DMArtestQB) February 22, 2014

 

Out of respect…. I didn’t listen to @NY_KnicksPR however. “$15k would hush me”— Daniel Artest (@DMArtestQB) February 22, 2014

 

And I know my tweets on nyk was partly the reason too. Ron always be like chill. They watching.— Daniel Artest (@DMArtestQB) February 22, 2014

 

@NY_KnicksPR and the @nyknicks org should worry about winning and ur on floor product instead of what I’m tweeting next.— Daniel Artest (@DMArtestQB) February 22, 2014

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Can’t say I disagree much regarding Daniel’s  points about Woody and Dolan. But, there is one big problem with his assessment…he’s leaving out the fact that his brother has been woeful on both ends of floor. Us Knicks fans learned very early in Ron’s tenure here that the player we were getting wasn’t anything near the man who helped the Lakers win two championships.
As for Udrih, good riddance. I though he’d be the one to solve a lot of our point guard problems, but he spent most of his time running around like a headless chicken on offense, and getting burned on defense (most damning being that game-winning layup he gave up at the Garden).
This abomination of a Knicks team needs to be eradicated and if it has to start with World Peace and Udrih, so be it.