Tag: Carmelo Anthony

[Video] Nowitzki Shocks Knicks With Buzzer-Beater

It’s a damn shame. – MIKE WOODSON

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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

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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.

[Video] Get This Man Some Help! Melo’s 42 Ends Knicks 3-Game Skid, Beat Pelicans 98-91

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We actually won a close game! When Raymond Felton (SMH) hit the deck and allowed Tyreke Evans to put the Pelicans ahead (91-90) with roughly 2:00 remaining, the game was ready to become a replay of Tuesday’s defeat to the Grizzlies. Instead, Carmelo Anthony put forth a Herculean effort, punctuated by 42 points (13 points in the fourth), to will the Knicks to much-needed victory. But as usual, it was the game the Knicks made harder than it needed to be.

STARTING LINEUP DISAPPOINTMENTS: Outside of Melo, no one in last night’s starting lineup (Shumpert, Chandler, Felton, Prigioni) managed to score in double figures. Shump was 1-6 (4 points) before leaving the game in the second with a left ACL sprain. Felton was 1-8 (5 points), while Chandler managed 4 points and Prigioni 6. With that type of production, it’s a wonder Melo didn’t gas out again in the fourth as we’ve seen in recent games. Whether you like Melo’s game or not, it’s clear to everyone watching Knicks game that he’s the main reason this beleagured squad still has a chance of making the playoffs.

BENCH GUNNERS: JR Smith (19 points) and Tim Hardaway (16 points) stepped up big time to keep the team afloat. They were essential in getting the Knicks the lead in the second, and pushing it to double digits in the third quarter.

4TH QUARTER COLLAPSE AVERTED: The Pelicans ripped off an 11-0 run to take a 83-81 lead with 7:25 left. From there, the game became a seesaw battle for several plays. Coach Woodson re-inserted Tyson Chandler, who had some key rebounds (11 for the game) but also a few blunders. The worst was turning his back on the ball, which allowed Prigioni’s man to burn him for an easy layup and put the Pelicans back up 89-88 with 3:50.

Luckily for us, Melo went into God mode for the remaining minutes. With the towering Anthony Davis in his face, Melo recovered from a block and knocked down a jumper. On their next possession, Chandler keep a baseline loose ball alive that allowed Melo to hit a layup to make it 94-91. With Davis again all over him, Melo drove for a stop and pop jumper to push the lead to 94-91. To put the nail in the coffin, Melo got a steal and then hit another stop and pop jumper (this time over an inspired Luke Babbitt) to make it 98-91.

It’s a shame Melo has to run himself into the ground every game just to barely pull out wins. Unfortunately, the Knicks have no choice but to ride the man’s talent in hopes of securing a playoff berth.

OTHER INJURIES: Amar’e Stoudemire sat this one out and Kenyon Martin is also nursing nagging injuries.

[Video] Deadly Range – Melo Sets All-Star Game 3pt-Record

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We might need to re-tally that MVP voting. Carmelo Anthony delivered another stellar All-Star game last night in New Orleans, setting a benchmark with a record 8 three-pointers.

Anthoyn started the game with a trey and remained the game’s most consistent shooter, shooting 55% from the field (10/18) and 8/13 from downtown. He finished with 30 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists. The East would win the game 163-155 with Kyrie Irving taking home MVP honors (31 points, 5 rebounds, 14 assists).

In last year’s game, Melo lead the East with 26 points, 12 rebounds and 3 assists in losing effort (143-138).

Melo getting hot from the three when among fellow All-Stars is no new phenomenon. In the 2012 Olympics, Anthony set a U.S. Men’s team record with 37 points (10 three-pointers) against Nigeria in a 156-73 win.

Check out Melo’s All-Star game barrage below.

Ferdette Goes for Career-High as Knicks Fall in OT to Kings

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Jimmer Ferdette? JIMMER FERDETTE?! Have you no pride, Knicks? No sense of honor in what you do? Yes, the Knicks limp into the All-Star break with another defeat, but this might be the most damning of the season, as Jimmer Ferdette of all people came off the bench to drop 24 points (6/8 from three) to lead the Western Conference-worst Sacramento Kings over the Knicks. After last night, there are some people I never want to see on a Knicks sideline again…

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FELTON: Who else did you think I’d start with? Only our star-crossed point guard could turn a game where he dished 12 assists into a nightmare. He had a bad shooting night (3/11), including an open three-pointer with 36 seconds left that could have extended the Knicks lead to 96-91. Rudy Gay followed Felton’s miss with a left elbow jumper to tie and take the game into overtime.

From there our offense went straight to the trash. In addition, Felton committed a crucial turnover that lead to a King fast break dunk and a 98-93 deficit. Later, he’d go 1-2 at the free throw line to make the deficit 102-98, allowing the Kings to have an easier time nursing their lead with just 49 seconds left.

So, let’s sum it up. The point guard position is our biggest hole on the offensive and defensive ends. Felton takes too long to get offensive plays going (if you want to call them that), can’t consistently penetrate, and can’t keep athletic guards in front of him. Oh, don’t let me forget that he’s a streaky shooter (including 67% at the free throw line) and injury prone.

The season is beyond salvageable, but if the Knicks want to at least have a respectable finish, this man has got to go.

WOODY’S ONE-MAN COMEDY SHOW: Is there anyone in the league that can’t outcoach Mike Woodson? For months, you’ve heard commentators defend him, stating that the “pieces don’t fit” and it isn’t his fault. YES IT IS. To keep doing the same thing over and over is the definition of insanity. Felton is a net negative, yet he continues to get heavy minutes. Small ball has been our best weapon this season, yet we go big in crunch time last night and wonder why the defense collapses. ISO MELO has been shown to not effectively work all season, yet that’s what happened with the game on the line in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter.

One of our main candidates to replace Woodson, Jeff Van Gundy, has already made it clear he doesn’t want to take the reins mid-season. I can definitely understand that, but I’d rather see Herb Williams patrolling the bench than endure two months more of coaching blunders from Woody.

THJ HAS MUCH WORK AHEAD OF HIM: Tim Hardway Jr. plays with a lot of confidence and fire. He’s one of the few guys who you can never doubt is bringing 100% effort every night. With that said, his defense can be downright horrific. He was -28 for the game and every time he can in, starting with the Knicks holding a 33-22 lead after the first quarter, the leads evaporated.

Normally, the bad defense can be offset by his hot three-point aim, but this time Hardaway was ice-cold, shooting 3/12 (1/6  from downtown). The fact that Fredette scored 15 points in the seconds quarter alone says it all.

MELO’S DESCENT: As has been pointed out for the last 2 weeks, Melo shooting percentage has been dropping alarmingly every quarter. For the season, he starts out shooting 51% and goes under 40% by the fourth. It’s no surprise to anyone who’s watched the Knicks this year, as he has to work so hard just to keep the team afloat.

Last night, Melo played 48 minutes, including all of the second half. There’s very few players that can remain productive logging that much time on the floor. From the fourth quarter on, he went 1-7, including a blown layup and missing an open three in overtime (0/5 in OT).

It doesn’t matter if you personally don’t like Melo’s game. Hell, I wasn’t a big fan of our beloved Ewing’s game. But it says a lot that Melo is one of the best players in the league and we can’t utilize him better than what we’ve seen, and get a competent team around him to highlight his strengths.

INJURIES: You already know you can’t have a Knicks game without someone getting crippled. Iman Shumpert left the game early with a bruised left hip flexor. There’s no timetable on his return, but he’ll likely be ready to go after the All-Star break. JR stayed out, still nursing the face injury he received courtesy of an errant Kevin Durant knee last Sunday.

BRIGHT SPOTS: Tyson Chandler did a decent job on DeMarcus Cousing and also managed to drop 17 points and grab 11 rebounds. However, his defense on driving guards in the fourth and overtime was lacking. Stoudemire had a good offensive game (20 points on 10/15 shooting)… you already know about his defense.

The Knicks front office has A LOT of work to do over the next week. Word is they’re back to exploring the Kyle Lowry and Shumpert/Kenneth Faried trade ideas. Anything would be better than what we’ve been seeing on the court.

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[Photos] Manny Pacquiao, Meet Carmelo Anthony and Ashanti…

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Photo Credits: Chris Farina/Top Rank

NEW YORK CITY, NY — Despite another tough loss last night to the Portland Trailblazers, Carmelo Anthony and Ashanti were all smiles afterward in greeting former champion Manny Pacquiao at the Garden.

Pacquiao was in town to complete a two-city press tour to begin the hype for his April 12 rematch with Timothy Bradley. Melo is a big boxing fan so he was definitely up for the meeting. Knicks  and boxing fans will recall that Melo was ringside last year to witness Guillermo Rigondeaux’s big win over Nonito Donaire at Radio City Music Hall.

Think Melo would be up to spar a few rounds with the Filipino phenom?

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Carmelo Anthony Named January Eastern Conference Player of the Month

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Yesterday, Carmelo Anthony received recognition as the NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Month for his record-breaking play in January.

Leading the team to its first winning month of the season (10-6), Anthony averaged 28.7 points, 9 rebounds and 3.4 assists. In addition, Anthony shot 45% from the field and 49% from three-point range.

Anthony’s best performance came on January 24 at Madison Square Garden when he scored 62 points against the Bobcats, breaking Bernard King’s previous franchise record.

Melo’s stellar play lead the Knicks to a four-game win streak to close out the month and his seventh All-Star game selection.

Blazers Hold Off Knicks at MSG, 94-90

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We can’t say we didn’t have our chances in this one. Despite the uneven defense and streaky offense, the Knicks were down by just two points (89-87) with 1:30 left following back to back treys from JR Smith and Tim Hardaway Jr. But an inability to get stops resulted in New York dropping their third straight game and now sitting at the 10th spot in the East with no relief in sight.

BENCH OUTPLAYS THE STARTERS: Our bench took full advantage of the Blazers’ weak second unit, dropping a total of 50 poitns with several guys hitting double figures: Stoudemire (15 points), Hardaway (12 points), and JR (18 points). Outside of Melo (26 points) and Prigioni (5 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists), our starters just didn’t get it done. Shumpert was held scoreless while Chandler botched several layups and only managed 2 points in 31 minutes. Raymond Felton wasn’t as horrible as he had been against the Bucks, adding 7 points and 3 assists in 21 minutes.

JR lead a great second quarter surge, utilizing dribble penetration to feed Stoudemire and Jeremy Tyler for several big slams. The defensive intensity picked and was a key reason the Knicks were down just one point (46-47) at halftime despite a late 9-0 Blazers run.

MELO GASSES OUT: Melo had a hot start, dropping 14 points on 6/7 shooting in the first quarter. He was also active on the defensive end, getting a big block on Wesley Matthews that lead to a fast break dunk. And even in the third with the Blazers threatening to pull away, Melo dropped 11 points to keep NY in it. Unfortunately, all that expended energy left him weakened in the fourth when his offense was needed most. He missed all four of his shots while the Blazers executed just enough to squeak by.

For Melo, it must have been an eye-opener to see how a complete team like the Blazers picks up the slack when their star is having a bad night. LaMarcus Aldridge shot just 5/17 from the field (15 points), but his struggles were negated by big contributions from Nicolas Batum (20 points), Wesley Matthews (18 points), and defensively from Robin Lopez (3 blocks). Melo got no such help from his starting crew.

MORE THAN ENOUGH CHANCES: Melo and Hardaway had multiple chances in the fourth to swing the momentum in NY’s favor. Each missed open shots and with every one, you could see the confidence in winning deflate from the team. Aldridge’s fadeaway over Chandler with 35 seconds left took the remaining fight out of the team.

Friday Night Knicks is in effect tomorrow with NY hosting the Denver Nuggets.

[Video] A Defensive Failure: Brandon Knight Stuns Knicks with Game Winner

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It finally happened. After going life and death twice with the NBA-worst Bucks this year (blowing a 20-point game in the first game and needing double overtime to win the second), the Knicks finally hit rock botttom in losing a heart-breaker off a Brandon Knight three-pointer with 1.5 seconds left. The defensive was uneven all game, but the Knicks rode the back of Carmelo Anthony in the fourth to nearly win before our “point guard” Raymond Felton gave up back to back baskets to seal this defeat. And with the schedule coming up being a Western Conference trip against the likes of Portland, Denver and Oklahoma City, the Knicks face a strong possiblity of falling further out of the playoff hunt.

BACKCOURT BLUES: Small ball is supposed to be our specialty, but it sure didn’t look like it between our starting backcourt pf Raymond Felton and Pablo Prigioni, who managed a combined six points on 2/9 shooting.

A DIFFERENCE IN DOUBLE FIGURES: On the scoring front, it was all Melo (36 points, 52% shooting) and JR Smith (30 points). No one else on the team managed to score in double figures. Contrast that with the Bucks, who had five players in double figures, including a team-high 25 points from Brandon Knight.

TRASH FREE THROW SHOOTING AND PERIMETER DEFENSE: The Knicks gave away points at the line, shooting just 62% (15/24) with Tyson Chandler being the biggest culprit, shooting 1-6. After building a 29-22 lead in the second, the game became a come-from-behind race for the Knicks after giving up 32 points in the quarter and letting the Bucks go 5-5 from downtown.

FELTON: The last two Bucks possessions are the biggest indictment of Raymond Felton’s defense. First, he got beat on a backdoor play that made it 98-95 Bucks with 27 seconds remaining. Melo then drained a three-pointer from 25 feet to tie it with 19 seconds left. Knight promptly brought the ball up and knocked down a three-pointer over Felton to make it 101-98 with just 1.5 seconds left. Melo missed a 27-footer to seal the defeat.

Felton is a good guy on a personal level, but a lot of the team problems begin at the point guard position. He can’t penetrate consistently, starts our offensive sets too late, has a streaky jumper, and most damning, can’t stay in front of athletic guards. When it comes to trades, a competent PG should be the #1 priority for New York.

[Video] Sweet Revenge: Knicks Pummel Celtics 114-88

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It’s always a great evening when the Celtics get smashed. The worst defeat the Knicks suffered this season was an embarrassing 41-point defeat to Boston at home, so it was highly appropriate that New York returned the favor with this rout. 

 

MELO SETS THE TONE: The Knicks came out the gate with Carmelo Anthony dropping 2 assists via backdoor cuts from Iman Shumpert. The team quickly followed the ball movement lead to a 12-0 run that had New York up 18-5. JR Smith added two triples and when the first quarter ended, the Knicks had 9 assists on 62% shooting for a 31-15 cushion. The sparks for this great start were Melo (11 points, 2 assists, 2 steals), Tyson Chandler (5 rebounds) and Kenyon Martin (4 points, 1 block).

BENCH FIREPOWER: There was no dropoff when the second unit came in to start the second quarter. In fact, the Knicks bench blew the game open. Lead by Jeremy Tyler delivering his best game of the season (17 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks), New York had 63 points from the reserves, allowing Melo and company to get extended rest in the second and all of the fourth quarter. JR chipped in 17, and Tim Hardaway Jr. added his dribble penetration and deadly 3-point shooting for 16 points.

CHANDLER ON THE RISE: It was a struggle his first few games back, but Chandler is starting to get back into a groove on offense and defense (12 points, 13 rebounds). He was the recipient of several nasty alley-oops, and when Tyson gets those touches his defensive intensity picks up. 

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AUDITION FOR RONDO?: In the off-season, stories began circulating that Melo was pushing for the Knicks to sign Rondo. A few months back, Rondo’s high school coach said Melo was actively trying to recruit him. Rondo is just six games back into his comeback from ACL surgery, so he doesn’t have his legs and looked pretty bad out there (7 points, 5 assists, 4 turnovers). 

However, if Rondo can get back to his old form, he’d be a huge asset for Melo’s game. All ACL injuries aren’t created the same, so I’m sure the Knicks will be monitoring his progress closely to see if he bounces back like Shumpert, or slides  further like we’ve seen with Derrick Rose. I’m banking on the former happening.

THREE AND NO REASON TO STOP: The Knicks are on a three game winning streak and have the Cleveland Cavaliers next on Thursday (January 30). The Cavs are struggling having lost four of their last five, so the Knicks should keep this streak going.

SOUR NOTES: Shumpert left the game early with a right shoulder strain, a re-aggravation of an injury he suffered in the pre-season. K-Mart was also forced to sit after re-aggravating his left ankle sprain. Metta World Peace returned, so we’ll just have to pray he can step up with spot minutes if K-Mart misses any extended time.