I couldn’t write about this game on Saturday because I was too pissed off. If there was ever a game that was an indictment on how bad our defense is, it would be this loss to the Raptors last Saturday.
If you would have told me going in that Carmelo Anthony would have 31 points with Derrick Rose and Kristaps Porzingis adding 21 points apiece, I would have supreme confidence the Knicks would enjoy a blowout win.
Alas, you don’t get easy wins when you statistically have the worst defense in the league. The Knicks couldn’t defend the pick and roll in crunch time, allowing Kyle Lowry several clear drives to the rim to ice the game in the final minutes. Maybe it wouldn’t have gotten to that point if the Knicks could play defense without fouling — the Raptors got 38 free throw attempts to the Knicks’ 16. New York also allowed 20 points in transition.
The verdict is clear nine games into the season. If the Knicks can ever salvage themselves to play adequate defense, they make the playoffs with a decent seeding. If not, we’ll have another extremely disappointing year in the books.
BOSTON — Nobody told the Knicks tonight’s game was 8 on 5. A second quarter ejection, 6 tehcnical fouls and uneven officiating throughout the game helped demoralize the Knicks as they dropped a disappointing game to the Celtics.
WEATHERING THE STORM: The Celtics came in determined to snap their three-game losing streak. Led by Isaiah Thomas (29 points, 23 in the first half), the Celtics were hot from long-range and held a 31-27 lead after the first. Carmelo Anthony kept New York in it with his offense, scoring 12 points in 12 minutes. And during his early second quarter rest, Hernangomez (8 points, 12 rebounds) played well as the first big off the bench. Particularly effective was the Knicks nabbing 14 offensive rebounds in the first half.
Then, disaster struck…
THE EJECTION: The game was heating up in the second when Melo was call for dubious loose ball foul. Melo complained vehemently and earned his first tech. He walked away but made sure referee Tony Brothers was within earshot to hear his displeasure. Whatever Melo said was enough to earn his second technical.
The ejection couldn’t have come at a worst time since the Knicks had slashed the deficit to six. Boston promptly went on a 9-0 run and later extended the run to 17-3.
The Knicks were lucky to only be down 61-51 at halftime.
NO MELO, NO CHANCE: Knick fans remember that last year’s team couldn’t muster a win without Melo. Tonight was no different. Porzingis (5-15, 14 points) was frustrated by the physical play of Marcus Smart and never truly got in rhythm. Derrick Rose (3-10, 11 points, 7 turnovers) had a few decent drives in the first half, but ultimately his turnovers and erratic shooting eliminated any comeback hopes.
Compounding the problems was the lopsided foul calling and bad shooting. The Celtics got 43 free throws to Knicks’s 17. New York only managed 39% from the field and 25 turnovers. With those numbers, you can forget winning on the road.
MISSED OPPORTUNITY: The Celtics were without Jae Crowder and Al Horford. With the red-hot Raptors on the schedule tomorrow, the Knicks are in danger of being three games under .500 by Sunday.
WHY DO THE REFS HATE US?: Do we have a bad reputation around the league? The sheer amount of foul calls (and techs) on us is now becoming very alarming. The Knicks aren’t allowed the same physicality as other teams. I’m speculating, but I think we have a reputation as complainers among the officials (hence no calls).
Nonetheless, the Knicks have to learn to channel their anger. Good teams don’t let the officials decide their fate.
JENNINGS JOINS MELO: Brandon Jennings had another poor game (1-7, 6 points) and did his best to get tossed in the fourth. The refs obliged him.
The only silver lining is no one lodged big minutes. The squad should be fresh for tomorrow’s important game in Toronto.
What a difference a halftime makes. Coming off the disappointing loss to the Jazz on Sunday, and a tough stretch of games coming against division rivals Boston and Toronto, tonight’s game against the Nets was the proverbial “must-win.” With a 2-4 record, the Knicks couldn’t afford to dig themselves an early hole in the win-loss column. Despite the slow start, a 3rd quarter scoring barrage from Carmelo Anthony (22 points) coupled with excellent passing from Brandon Jennings (11 assists) and offense from Kristaps Porzingis (21 points) powered New York to a 110-96 victory at Madison Square Garden.
TRASH EARLY DEFENSE: We don’t carry the dubious distinction of having the worst defense in the league for nothing. The Nets came out smoking from behind the arc with 5 three pointers in the first and backup Justin Hamilton burning us for 15 points. The Knicks shot an abysmal 28% with Melo’s 0/4 start being the main culprit. Down 29-19 after 12 minutes, the Knicks’s bench was also outscored 16-7.
SLOWLY RIGHTING THE SHIP: The second quarter was sloppy (5 Knick turnovers by the 7:52 mark), but sheer effort pulled New York within striking distance. The ball started moving due to Joakim Noah’s passing, and Melo found his offense by via two three pointers that slashed the deficit to three, 53-50. Although the Nets held the lead at halftime, the Knicks kept the fouling and free throw opportunities in check (7 personal fouls, 9 Net free throws).
MELO’S 14 STRAIGHT: Early on, the third quarter was a mixed bag. Derrick Rose (14 points) scored 6 points to narrow the deficit to 59-58, but then the Knicks had one of their bouts of ineptitude and failed to score for the next three minutes. Brooklyn went on a 8-0 run to extend their lead to 67-58.
Then Melo woke up. His did most of his damage on mid-range jumpers, scoring 14 straight points to get New York a 70-69 lead headed into the fourth.
THE EURO LINEUP: The early fourth quarter lineup is where Coach Hornacek has had issues. But tonight, he staggered the starter minutes to allow Porzingis to run with Jennings, Vujacic, Hernangomez and Kuzmiskas. Sasha kicked off the fourth with a three pointer and would be a +23 despite a two bonehead turnovers. Jennings shot poorly (1-6), but was the arguably the catalyst for this victory with his passing. He found Porzingis twice for open three-pointers and as a trailer on a dunk turned three point play. That capped a 20-7 run that put New York up 92-78 and essentially iced the game.
PROMISING DEVELOPMENTS: Porzingis’ 21 points marked the first time in his career where he’s had three consecutive 20-point games. The scary thing is he still hasn’t developed a go-to move in isolation, so he’s dependent on screens and moving off-ball for his opportunities. If he keeps moving at this pace, those moves will gradually come and he’ll be ready to become the first option on offense within 2-3 years.
Willy Hernangomez had his best game as Knick — 14 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks. He excelled with the second unit manned by Jennings and not surprisingly showed great chemistry with old teammate Porzingis. Hernangomez’s skill with the pick and roll gives him immense upside over Kyle O’Quinn when it comes to playing time decisions.
Today’s win marked the first game this season where the Knicks held an opponent under 100 points. Yes, one of Nets’ key pieces in Jeremy Lin wasn’t playing, but business was handled against a team short on talent. After a first half which saw them shoot 55%, the Nets could only manage 41 points in the second half and had a stretch of missing 14 straight shots.
The Knicks are back in action this Friday against the Celtics.
It was all good in the first quarter. Kristaps Porzingis (28 points) was cooking with his shot (4/5) and had 11 points. Carmelo Anthony (28 points) was picking spots and also had a scorching 4/5 start, leading to the duo accounting for 24 of the Knicks’s first 26 points, and a 30-20 first quarter lead.
Then the BS started. The game literally came to a grinding halt in the second quarter. The Knicks could not stop fouling. The Jazz knocked down 15 free throws in the quarter and were only down 54-49 despite shooting 38% from the field and the Knicks 51%. Exacerbating the problem was Porzingis got in foul trouble and had his rhythm broke. He wouldn’t score again until midway through the third quarter.
The Knicks had a scrappy third quarter as the Jazz found their offense. Utah briefly took a 62-60 lead, but a quick Courtney Lee (10 points) three put New York back in front. The Knicks clung to a 80-78 lead headed into the fourth.
The starters fought tooth and nail to hold the lead and had to sit to start the fourth.This proved disastrous as the bench unit couldn’t score and the Jazz promptly reeled off a 9-0 run to start the quarter and go up 87-80.
Then our defensive woes came back to bite us. A couple of strong Derrick Rose (18 points) drives would get the Knicks to within five (100-95), but we couldn’t hold defensively. Either Rodney Hood, who had 10 points in the fourth, would hit a timely three, or the Jazz would find an open mid-range jumper after breaking down our switching defense. The Jazz would have a 36-point fourth quarter and hand New York their second straight defeat at Madison Square Garden.
100 points or more given up in every game this season. This defense is so bad, it makes me long for the days of Mike Woodson and Mike D’Antoni. Seriously, is it that hard to not play defense with your hands? Sure, Hornacek deserves some of the blame, but outside of KP this is a team composed of experienced players. They need to take some pride in fighting over screens and not being so dependent on a switch to bail them out (and in turn create more mismatches). Even the switching under Woodson wasn’t this bad.
Our defense was a godsend for the returning Gordon Hayward, who put up 28 points with HALF of them coming from the free throw line!
We have three days until we face the Nets on Wednesday. Our practices better consist of pick and roll defense drills and fighting over screens.
CHICAGO — It was an emotional return for Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, but the former Bulls channeled it into efficient teamwork and ball control to score a much-needed Knicks win at the United Center. Coming off two sub-par losses to Detroit and Houston, New York saw every starter hit double figures and gave fans their first true glimpse of this team’s potential.
RED-HOT START: The Knicks came out with strong ball movement and sharp-shooting from Courtney Lee, who went 5/5 (10 points) in the first as the Knicks jumped out to a 16-point lead. Bulls were powered by Dwyane Wade’s (35 points, 10 rebounds) abnormally hot three-point shooting and offensive rebounding from Taj Gibson. Still, the Knicks held a 32-23 lead after 12 minutes for their best quarter of basketball since the Memphis game.
A SCARE AND RIGHTING THE SHIP: The Knicks’s bench unit couldn’t manage to score even with KP in the lineup. Wade continued hitting threes and Jimmy Butler got to the line, allowing Chicago to take the lead in the final minutes. Although New York was outscored 34-24, a breathtaking half-court lay-up drive from Rose with 4.7 seconds left narrowed the deficit to 56-57 at the half.
PORZINGIS FEASTS: It says something about this game that KP had 27 points and still seemed low-key. He was doing it all over court from threes to running the floor for dunks. The ball moved well and allowed him to exploit mismatches. He got into foul trouble and left the game with around 7 minutes left, but his damage had been done. As Coach Hornacek stated, good things happen when the team gets him involved early. This was an excellent bounce back from the previous game where he had no field goals.
ROSE AND NOAH CLOSE THE SHOW: The Knicks held an 87-84 lead going into the fourth against a Bulls team that refused to go away. KP’s hot shooting sparked a 10-0 run, but his foul departure allowed the Bulls back in it due to Melo’s presence stagnating the ball movement. Three straight bad possessions caused an 8-0 Bulls run that closed the Knicks lead to 98-91.
From there, Rose and Noah caused havoc. Their two-man game got Noah several lay-ups. Rose would nail a tough and-1 lay-up with the shot clock expiring to push the lead to 111-102. And on the next play, a drive and kick for a Melo three would ice the game.
Rose would finish with 15 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds. Noah was equally strong in outplaying Robin Lopez with 16 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals.
STARTERS STRONG, BUT BENCH STILL WORRISOME: The starting five put in work. Aside from those already mentioned, Melo added 25 points and Lee 17. But our bench could only manage 17 points. Horacek will have to continue being creative with the lineups to prevent scoring droughts.
The Knicks are back home on Sunday to face the Jazz.
After 12 years, Carmelo Anthony’s Olympic journey has come to an end. Team USA scored a lopsided 96-66 victory over Serbia, making Anthony the first U.S. player to win three gold medals. The Knicks player also put his stamp in U.S. Olympic history by becoming the all-time leader in points and rebounding.
“I know this is the end. This is it for me, this is it for me. I committed to something….” Anthony told NBC Sports before trailing off to gather his thoughts. “I committed to this in (2004). I’ve seen the worst and I’ve seen the best and I stuck with it, we stuck with it. And I’m here today, three gold medals later.”
Recent weeks have seen the spotlight on Melo’s off the court social activism, including his comments on police brutality and prison reform. He used his post-game interview to allude to the importance social and political unity.
“Despite everything that’s going on right now in our country, we got to be united,” Anthony stressed. “America will be great again, I believe that. We got a lot of work to do, but one step at a time. I’m glad we represented it in the fashion that we did.”
Melo has come a long way from the cornrows days in Denver. While most people have been stressing health, I think mentality is equally important for Melo, D-Rose and Noah this upcoming season. The emotional high of this win as the team’s senior player should give Melo the extra confidence needed to lead the Knicks to a successful season.
Anthony, who’s still competing for Team USA in Rio, was furious with Smith and made his feelings known on Instagram. Sometime over the last two days, the two spoke over the phone and Anthony made it clear his comments were misinterepeted. In addition, Anthony took Smith to task for lashing out in public before speaking with him personally.
You can see Smith’s full apology below. Hey Stephen A, you don’t want to make an enemy out of Melo.
Carmelo Anthony etched his name in Olympic history by becoming international basketball’s all-time leading scorer for a 98-88 win over Australia yesterday. Team USA was down at halftime but rallied behind Anthony’s 26 points (14 in the fourth quarter) and a scorching 9-15 from three-point range.
Anthony passed LeBron James with 293 points and is poised to become the only player to win three Olympic gold medals. Save some of that fire for the upcoming season, Melo.
Carmelo Anthony is expanding his partnership with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle brand with the release of a limited edition comic book. You can find participating stores at http://www.comicshoplocator.com. Melo and the turtles previously linked up for an exclusive Macy’s clothing line.
Any chance one of the Turtles can run point guard for us next season?
The Knicks blew a 16-point second half lead but relied on late heroics from Carmelo Anthoy and Jose Calderon to pull out a 90-87 win at Staples Center.
The game came down to a broken play with the scored knotted at 87. After nearly two violations (inbounds and backcourt) and Melo not getting free, Calderon was left to make something happen.
He did by getting free behind the arc for his only three-pointer of the night.
The Knicks looked like they were going to pack it in when the Lakers went up by five with less than four minutes remaining. But Melo lifted them with seven straight points (12 in fourth) to get the Knicks back in it. Kobe Bryant, who was nursing a sore right shoulder, made three key jumpers in the final minutes to set up the thrilling finish.
The Knicks will need all the confidence they can from this game as next up are the defending champion Golden State Warriors.
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