Tag: Charlotte

[Video] Faux Comeback #34957934 – Kemba Walker’s Layup Stuns Knicks

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Back to back losses on layups…LAYUPS. God hates us.

As commentator Mike Breen said in the seconds following Kemba Walker’s game-winning, easy layup drive, “The pain continues.” Coming from 20 points down mid third-quarter, the Knicks, lead by Carmelo Anthony’s game-high 32 points, staged an impassioned comeback that can down to one defensive stop with 4 seconds left. And as we’ve seen countless times over last two seasons, a speedy guard easily got into the pain the Knicks had their hearts broken.

For most the game, the Knicks appeared disjointed on defense. They couldn’t defend perimeter threes and guys like Lance Stephenson slashed to the basket at will. Melo had 15 first half points, but he still looked deflated from Thursday’s game where he shot a vile 21% from the field.

Then a light switch went off in the third quarter. Melo’s jumper started following along with And 1’s in the paint. Tim Hardaway Jr and JR Smith started going lights off from three. For most of the fourth, the Knicks hovered with an 8-10 point deficit before Melo’s back to back 3s gave the Knicks a 102-101 lead. NY had the chance to get the lead to 3, but Melo missed a short bassline jumper that set up Walker’s heart-breaking layup.

There were a lot of grumblings as to who was at fault on that drive. Should Prigioni have been more aggressive in taking the foul to give to get more time off the clock? Should Melo have jumped out quicker to stifle Kemba’s drive? Should Stoudemire have read Walker’s move quicker to get a better chance at altering the shot?

For me, teams win and lose together. Had the Knicks played with the 4th quarter intensity that had them outscore Charlotte 33-18 for the ENTIRE contest, the game would not have been decided in this manner.

[Video] #Melo20K – Melo Hits 20,000 Point Mark in Knicks Home Win Over Hornets

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Carmelo Anthony joined elite company last night by scoring his 20,000th career point as the Knicks held off a game Charlotte Hornets squad at Madison Square Garden. It was another game where the Knicks had to execute down the stretch, something that was near impossible last season. But this squad is already showing the poise and grit that will be needed later in the season and hopefully beyond in the playoffs.

 

HOT SHOOTING: The Knicks shot over 50% for most of the game and applied some lock-down defense early on. Samuel Dalembert gave Al Jefferson fits for most of the first half, holding the All-Star to 1/5 shooting until a late burst in the final minutes of the second. There were isolation plays for Melo, but mostly the offense stayed the course with the triangle, allowing everyone  to a get a crack at open shots. This ensured that everyone stayed within the flow of the offense, patricularly our guards who need to keep their shooting touch. Amar’e Stoudemire also had a lively night as well, contributing 17 points and 10 rebounds (!!!).

A POTENTIAL BLOWOUT TURNS INTO A PLAYOFF-LIKE GRINDOUT: A 9-0 run in the second quarter put the Knicks up 15, and many thought the team might cruise to an early victory. The Hornets had other ideas and promptly went on an 20-7 run, making NY have to settle for a 52-50 halftime lead. From that point on, neither  team would go up more than three points.

LANCE STEPHENSON: As usual, Lance put on a show at the Garden and flirted with a triple-double (14 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists). JR and Shumpert struggled to keep him out the paint on drives and off the boards. His dynamic play-making, including a driving layup in the closing seconds of the third to make it 80-79 Charlotte, was key in keeping the Hornets afloat.

KEY DEFENSIVE STOPS: With each team making timely 4th quarter buckets, the game had to be decided by defensive stops. The Knicks ended up with three crucial ones in the final minutes: Prigioni with an inbounds deflection off a Charlotte guard for a turnover, Melo with a similar strip past the three-point line, and Shumpert picking Stephenson’s pocket during a drive (the latter with less than a minute remaining).

Still, Charlotte had their chance at a game-winner. With the score 95-93 NY, Kemba Walker drove and got a clean look at the basket via a pump fake. The shot rimmed out, and Melo went 1-2 at the line to ice the game with just .8 remaining.

IMPROVEMENTS: The defensive energy was there, but our guards still need to improve with cutting off dribble penetration. Also, the team shot an abysmal 58% from the free throw line (10/17), making this game tighter than it needed to be.

 

Congrats again to Melo, who finished with 28 points (12/22, 54%).

MELO’S MILESTONES

[Video] History at MSG: Melo Sets Franchise Record with 62 Points in Bobcats Blowout

I can’t accept all this losing – CARMELO ANTHONY

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Simply amazing. Less than 24 hours ago, I was witnessed to one of the greatest moments I’ve seen in my years as a Knicks fan with Carmelo Anthony torching the Bobcats for 62 points. Melo didn’t just establish a career-high, but he also broke Bernard King’s record for not only the highest scoring game in Madison Square Garden and franchise history.

Everyone has a different story of when they realized this game was going to be special. Some caught on as early as the first quarter when Melo dropped 20 points. For otherslike myself, it was when he punctuated a 37 point half with a pin-point halfcourt shot.

The other Knicks took Melo’s lead and did what we haven’t seen consistently all season; they picked up the slack in other areas. The defense was strong in with the guards keeping their men in front of them and not relying on switching. The Knicks executed several fast breaks . They didn’t rely on jumpers and attacked the paint (most notably JR Smith). Coach Woodson also played based on performance, letting young Jeremy Tyler (8 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks) get more valuable minutes (22) over Tyson Chandler, who was having another so-so game (2 points, 6 rebounds).

Back to Melo. Let’s go behind these numbers. In 39 minutes, he shot 23/35 from the field overall (66%) and 6/10 from downtown (60%). He made all 10 free throws, lead the game with 13 rebounds, and committed zero turnovers. And for those detractors who want to snicker at the fact he had zero assists, that just lets me know you didn’t watch the game, as he had several “hockey assists” passing out OF double teams in the post that lead to open shots.

Apparently, this performance was inspired by a Muhammad Ali speech that was played for the team before the game. Melo’s entire demeanor was different as he didn’t crack a smile until going to the bench after that 62nd point.

Now it’s time to let Melo’s game speak for itself. Watch the highlights and be astounded. We can only hope this becomes the spark that gets the team inspired to finish the year strong. If you want to trade this man or see him leave, you must be insane.

ALL OF MELO’S 62 POINTS

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HIGHLIGHTS

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LEBRON JAMES CONGRATULATES MELO ON INSTAGRAM

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HappyKnicks

Knicks Extend Winning Streak to Seven, Defeat Bobcats 111-102

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It was fitting that the Knicks celebrate Walt “Clyde” Frazier’s 68th birthday with a win tonight. Hell, we can’t have our Knicks legend wearing that cow-print suit for nothing. You may recall that Bobcats gave the Knicks a tough go of it in December when a JR Smith buzzer-beater was needed to hold them off. JR opted to dominate the entire game this time around, and the team had an easy go of it despite replicating their lazy second half play from the last game against the Grizzlies.

ANOTHER FIRST HALF BEATDOWN: The Knicks came out on fire again riding the playmaking of Iman Shumpert, whose five assists were marked by three-pointers from Carmelo Anthony and Raymond Felton. The team hit five treys in the first quarter and the weak defense of the Bobcats had JR Smith looking like a late 90s Larry Johnson in the post. Charlotte was inept on offense as well, coughing up six turnovers. The New York scoring was varied and lethal, with the team shooting over 70% with under three minutes remaining. Melo had another fast start with 13 points, Shump had 8, Felton contributed 7 and JR 9.

With the Knicks rotating well on defense and keeping the paint locked up, the Bobcats were reduced to long jumpers. Steve Novak and Felton hit more threes to push the lead up to 63-35, and JR’s focus on getting high-percentage shots in the paint enabled the Knicks to equal their season-high in halftime points at 69. On the Bobcats end, the Knicks held them to 47 points to hold a 22-point halftime lead.

SECOND HALF LAZINESS: Seriously, in order for the Knicks to stay focused after getting these big leads, the arena is going to have to start turning off the scoreboards. Just like the Grizzlies game a few nights ago, the Knicks came out flat in the third. Some of the shots just rimmed out, but defensively the big difference was Bobcats guards like Gerald Henderson were able to get to the rim for foul calls. At one point the Knicks missed eight straight shots, but they tightened up in the last few minutes to hold a 88-69 lead going into the fourth.

The Bobcats had a 33 point fourth quarter on the back of hot three-point shooting, Henderson getting a lot of superstar-like calls, and Coach Woodson waiting too long to put his best perimeter defender (Shumpert) back in. The Knicks got into the penalty around the six minute mark and that helped the Bobcats get as close as seven. However, this was the Bobcats and you never felt the lead was in danger of being stolen. Apparently, by their play the Knicks didn’t either, as the offense went into iso mode for Melo over the last few minutes. A JR drive to the hoop pushed the lead to 104-95 with under two minutes left, and a steal by him on the very next possession closed the book on the competitive portion of the game.

JR’s AWESOME RUN CONTINUES: For the sixth straight game, JR Smith shot over 50% from the field. He scored 30-plus points off the bench for the third straight game, becoming the first Knick to do so and the first player since Ricky Pierce did it back in 1990. It’s like the light bulb went off and JR’s finally realized how to maximize his skill set. Tonight his stat line was 37 points on 12/18 shooting (2/2 from downtown) and 11/12 from the free throw line.

We’ll need this same JR and a more efficient Melo on Sunday when we face the Celtics, who’ll be out for blood at the Garden after that drubbing they took in Boston earlier this week.

[Poll] Charlotte or Phoenix – Which JR Smith Game Winner Was Better?

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JR Smith has activated his “clutch gene” this year courtesy of two dramatic game-winners over the Charlotte Bobcats and Phoenix Suns within the last month. Both shots were made under pressure from tight defense, but which jumper was the better shot? Personally, I give the Charlotte one more style points because of JR’s smug pose afterward while being mobbed by his team mates. But when you look at the difficulty of the Phoenix shot coupled with just a second left and the need for Jason Kidd to deliver a perfect pass, I’m going with JR’s dagger to the Suns. What really made both shots great was the Knicks fans being deep on the road and making the reactions look like Madison Square Garden.

No Overtime Needed — JR Smith Stuns Bobcats With Thrilling Game Winner

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All is forgiven, JR! Our man JR Smith has been in a bad slump over the last 5-6 shooting-wise. A favorite of Coach Woodson, he’s been given the green light to work through it and keep shooting. His teammates kept their confidence in him last night against the Bobcats — he was continually given the ball for shots despite bricking many open jumpers. But that faith paid heavily in the final minute, as Smith delivered key defensive stops on the Bobcats quick, pesky guards and hit a difficult stepback jumper to defeat Charlotte 100-98.

It was a fun game, but one that raised your blood pressure a few notches.

Bobcats Guards Had NY In Disarray: This is the first game of the season where you can say the age of the team was exploited. Charlotte’s younger guards were blowing past us at will for most of the game. Kemba Walker had 25 points and 11 rebounds (!) on 7-10 shooting. Ben Gordon, who always seems to light up the Knicks no matter who he’s playing for, dropped 17 points off the bench and 3-5 from downtown. Gerald Henderson got off too, contributing 18 points on 7-14 shooting.

Lived by the 3 But Almost Died: The Knicks attempted an astounding 41 three-pointers. You would have thought Mike D’Atoni was still here by the way we kept shooting despite only making 13 for an underwhelming 31%. However, it was the timing of several of those 3s in the fourth that kept us in it.

Older Legs But Smarter Brains: The athleticism of the Bobcats kept the game close, but it was the veteran smarts of NY that closed the show. Over the final 3 minutes, the Knicks forced a shot clock violation and nabbed three steals. These scoreless possessions mounted the pressure on Charlotte and gave the Knicks more confidence, even with an injury preventing Melo from playing the final 2 minutes.

Take It Easy, Melo: A few games back when Melo dove into the MSG stands Charles Oakley style for a loose ball, we loved it. Now, we’d be relieved if Anthony never did that again for the rest of the year. His fourth quarter dive resulted in a laceration on his left middle finger that required 5 stitches. Although he’ll more than likely play tonight against the Heat, Melo needs to be healthy this entire season if NY has any hope to make noise in the playoffs. Pick your spots, Melo.

Chandler Still Beasting: After a mixed bag to start the season (especially on defense) Tyson Chandler has really gotten into a groove over the last six games. Last night he had 9 rebounds in just the first quarter and finished with 18 points, 17 rebounds, 1 block and a steal.

Team Effort: Coach Woodson called this a team effort and I couldn’t agree more. Although Melo carried us through halftime with 20 points, he got ice-cold and missed his first 10 shots on the second half and only had 3 points. Raymond Felton was huge in fourth with his decision-making, finding Chandler and making defensive stops. He contributed 17 points, 9 assists and 0 turnovers. In his first game back, Jason Kidd had 7 points but made his biggest contribution on the defensive end, getting three blocks and 2 steals.

Always Great to Stick It to Jordan: As a player, MJ terrorized the Knicks damn near every season. It’s nice to get a measure of revenge, no matter how small. His face says it all.

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Onto our conference rival the Miami Heat tonight. Along with the Knicks, they are the only other team with an undefeated record at home. It’ll be tough, but also so sweet if we can add their first blemish while maintaining our standing as having the best record in the Eastern Conference.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQVq9Osb2y4&feature=youtube_gdata_player]