highlights – Page 9 – NEW YORK KNICKS LOYALIST

[Video] Knicks Stifle 2nd Half Collapse, Beat Depleted Bulls 83-78

The Knicks held off would have been an epic collapse in blowing a 23-point second half lead courtesy of a 33-10 run, but held on to defeat a Bulls team missing key starters and preventing another disgraceful home loss. There were some excellent positives in the first half, but the way the game ended had most Knicks fans shaking their heads. Nonetheless, a win is a win, and the Knicks need to take games like this if there’s any hope of this squad repeating as Atlantic Division champs.

MOVING THE BALL, FORCING TURNOVERS: Being that the Knicks went down by 20 in the first quarter of their last two games, it was considered a positive to see the team down by just two (17-15) despite shooting just 26%. With Raymond Felton out with a pulled left hamstring, Pablo Prigioni got the starting call. The quarter was ugly to watch in terms of offensive execution for New York, but there were flashes a good defense on both sides — the Bulls protected the rim with several blocks, and the Knicks forced multiples turnovers to keep it close.

FEED STAT: Playing the second night of a back to back, there was concern among the Knicks staff of what Amar’e Stoudemire could offer. That was quickly silenced with Stat showing his nifty Hakeem Olajuwon post moves and long-lost outside jumper for 10 points in 12 minutes of first half play. His work ignited a 19-0 run that included Beno Udrih giving valuable minutes at point guard, and Tim Hardaway lighting it up from the perimeter. The Bulls, with Mike Dunleavy cooling off from a hot first quarter, didn’t get their first field goal of the second quarter until five minutes were remaining.

Stat’s energy was also contagious. Kenyon Martin had an awesome three-block sequence around the rim that made the Bulls think twice about taking their shots inside. The ball movement and varied offense improved the Knicks shooting to 45% at the half, and they outscored Chicago 31-15 over the final 12 mintues to take 46-32 lead. Melo and Stat were a combined 10-16 from the field for 25 points.

THE TURNING POINT: All was still well early in the third. It wasn’t until a completely idiotic play from Stoudemire that things went south. He missed a pass that went into the backcourt. Instead of picking it immediately for the Over and Back turnover, Stat inexplicably just hovered around it like he was protecting a football punt. Dunleavy promptly picked it up and scored a lay-up.

Suddenly, the Knicks collectively lost their entire IQ. They started turning the ball over on what seemed like every play, and the Bulls attacked the rim for an 8-0 run to pull within 14 (68-54) at the end of the third.

FOURTH QUARTER COMEDY: The Knicks downward spiral continued with the team forgetting everything that got them the lead. The offense became predictable with the ball being constantly dumped into Melo for isolations, sometimes beginning around the three-point line. Melo wasn’t happy with these plays, but Prigioni couldn’t get any plays going and spent too much of the clock dribbling around the perimeter. With Stat on the floor, it made little sense that no plays were run for him.

While the Knicks were blowing layups and bricking jumpers, the Bulls were getting to the rim by breaking down the defense and getting a tip-in from Joakim Noah (which tied it at 74). The Bulls were on a massive 33-10 run, and it took a mid-range Stoudemire jumper to stop the bleeding and get the Knicks back up by 76-74.

NO “CLOSER” BENEFITS THE KNICKS: With the Bulls missing Luol Deng and Jimmy Butler on top of Derrick Rose, there was no one on the floor that could get their own shot consistently to put Chicago over the top. Their plays also degraded into random isolations and shot clock violations, allowing the Knicks to push the lead to five after Melo got to the line twice. In the end, the Knicks were able to hold on.

WOODSON LIVES ANOTHER DAY: If the Knicks would’ve lost this game, everyone would have been calling for Woody’s head (more than they already are now). It’s not all on him — the team has to get stronger mentally. But there’s no excuse why after scoring 10 points in the first half, Stat only ended up with 14 points for the game. Woody has to keep him involved throughout the game if he’s hot. We do not have many scoring options at the moment.

INJURIES: Iman Shumpert left the game in the third with a bruise to his left knee. Considering he was scoreless up until that point, it wasn’t a huge loss. Raymond Felton may have to miss significant due to a left pulled hamstring and didn’t play.

ANOTHER STREAK SNAPPED: The Knicks had lost the previous six games to the Bulls going back two seasons ago. Mentally, it had to be good to get a win considering it’s possible these teams could meet in the first round as fourth and fifth seeds.

The Knicks return to action on Saturday against the Celtics.

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[Video] Knicks End Losing Streak By Destroying Nets 113-83

It feels so good to be back in the win column. After a nine-game losing streak, the New York Knicks were due for a good game, and it came at the expense of their equally struggling little brothers in Brooklyn, whom the Knicks lit up for 16 three-pointers (59%) in route to a 30 point thrashing at the Barclays Center. New York put together their first complete game of the season and unquestionably the best performance as a team we’ve seen all year. Is this a taste of things to come or just a benefit of playing the lowly Nets?

FIRST HALF CHARGE: The Knicks came out on fire, drilling 12 of their first 14 shots and shooting at 78% for much of the quarter. The defense was strong as well, with Andrea Bargnani pestering Brook Lopez with two blocked shots. Garnett got a nice dunk only to be one-upped on the next play by Bargs driving past him and slamming home a one-handed stuff. Melo played the background (no shot attempts over the first 5 minutes) while others like Raymond Felton (3/3, 8 points) kept the floor spaced with their offense.

The Knicks lead 30-23 after one, and continued their momentum with the second unit (Prigioni, Hardaway Jr., Stoudemire, JR and K-Mart) holding serve with the guards covering much of the scoring slack despite Stat struggling at times with KG offense. Melo and company returned at the 7:31 mark and quickly pushed the lead up to 10 (42-32) courtesy of a sweet Melo pass to an open Shumpert for a trey. A 22-6 edge in rebounding allowed Brooklyn to the trim the deficit to 50-43 at halftime. However, the Knicks were shooting 58% with the balanced scoring, giving you the feeling the Nets were just delaying an inevitable blowout.

3RD QUARTER PILLAGING FROM MELO AND SHUMP: The 18-5 run that closed the book on this game was ignited by the hot three-point shooting of Iman Shumpert. After weeks of trade talk and his standing with Coach Woodson, it was great to see the assertive, sharp-shooting, and highly confident Shump we’d d been expecting all season. His five three-pointers were a career-high, along with his 17 points being a season-high. Outside of a verbal squabble with Andrey Blantche that earned them double technicals, and being a litte too aggressive early with his defense, Shump was pretty much flawless last night.

Melo (19 points on 8/12 shooting, 10 rebounds, 6 assists) had the prototype game of how he should play when the team’s outside shots are falling. He made sure everyone got involved early on (namely Bargnani), made quick decisions out of double teams, and abused Alan Anderson on the block and on the boards. By not having to carry the offensive load in the first half, Melo had more than enough energy to put the finishing touches on the end of an awesome third quarter with several jumpers and passes to a rolling Stoudemire for quick scores. By the time the smoke cleared, the Nets found themselves in a 84-59 hole with the entire fourth serving as extended garbage time.

NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MAN TRASH TALK: Andrea Bargnani had what I’d like to call a “good ejection” in the fourth after getting a second technical for getting into it with Kevin Garnett. Earlier, both had received double technicals for getting tangled up after a rebound. Bargnani didn’t back down and got ejected for talking trash to KG after draining a three in his face. It’s much easier to deal with KG’s mouth when your mopping the floor with him and his team.

MOVE THAT BALL: New York had 24 assists to Brookly’s 11. It should come as no surprise that the Knicks shot 57% for the game while the Nets could only muster 39% on repeated isolation and broken plays.

The Knicks will be back at it tonight to prove they’re on the road to turning it around as they face the Orlando Magic. The Knicks have lost seven-straight at home, so that’s another losing streak the squad should be motivated to snap.

At Least Melo Still Cares: Blazers 102, Knicks 91

PORTLAND, OR. — The Knicks’ three-game West Coast swing started with their sixth straight defeat as the Trailblazers, behind hot, efficient play from guards Damian Lillard and Wesley Matthews, burned the Knicks for a combined 40 points. Outside of Carmelo Antony having another double double (34 points, 15 rebounds) and Kenyon Martin of all people being the high man in assists (6), there wasn’t much to applaud on the Knicks’ end.

FLAT 1ST HALF: The Knicks went down by as much as 22 points in the first half courtesy of bad help defense in the post (primarily Andrea Bargnani), and no offense outside of Melo. Portland went on a 12-0 run to go up 22-12 with 5 minutes left in the first quarter and NY wouldn’t get it to single digits again until midway through the 4th quarter. A 17-4 run in the second quarter got the Blazers their biggest lead, 44-22, before settling on a 56-39 halftime lead.

A SOLID THIRD QUARTER FOR A CHANGE: The Knicks slowly began chipping away late in the third behind inspired play from Melo. Instead of doing damage on the scoring front, he got three consecutive assists, two of them 3s from Udrih and Bargnani, that kept the Knicks within a 13-10 point striking range headed into the fourth.

THE BACK-BREAKER: A Bargnani three trimmed the lead to seven (81-74) early in the fourth, but then the momentum collapsed in less than a minute. Metta World Peace touched the ball after the shot, leading to a technical on a second delay of game. A broken fast break on the Knicks’ next play lead to Blazers exploiting the team’s bad transition defense for an easy Batum dunk, and then a Shumpert missed three lead to Wesley Matthews sinking one on the other end to put the deficit at 88-74.

The Knicks’ effort was never the same after that outside of Melo, who managed to get to 98-91 off a jumper with 1:47 remaining. Lillard promptly hit two shots, a mid-range jumper and floater in the paint, to ice the game.

SHOOTING GUARD HOLE: This is where the Knicks were hurt the most on offense. Iman Shumpert is playing like a man with broken confidence and it’s evident in his stats last night (0 points, 1 steal, 2 TOs). JR Smith wasn’t much better off the bench, managing just 6 points on 2-8 shooting and 5 fouls.

PG PLAY: Beno Udrih improved from last game, going for 13 points and 5 assists. Still, our guards overall have to improve defensively and offensively for the team to prevent big deficits going forward. Pablo Prigioni didn’t have it this game — the veteran contributed 0 points and just 1 assist in 17 minutes.

STOUDEMIRE: Amar’e had his usual defensive woes (giving up a four-point play opportunity in the first half), specifically trying to guard LaMarcus Aldridge (18 points, 14 rebounds). However, he was active and showed life on offense, dropping 10 points off jumpers, post moves and rolling to the basket.

I’ve worked my butt off to get in tip-top shape and to be able to compete at the highest level. To work that hard and to be losing like we are, it’s not a great feeling. – CARMELO ANTHONY

The criticism is starting to quiet about Melo. While his defense will never be standout, his shot selection is improving, and his rebounding has been the best of his career while trying to pick up the slack for Tyson Chandler. The man needs help badly and unless JR, Iman and Bargnani match his effort, this losing streak will not end anytime soon.

[Video] A Touch Foul Away: Pacers Wear Down Knicks in OT

I thought we had the game won. And in overtime, I don’t know, they just walked away with it. – CARMELO ANTHONY

I wouldn’t be surprised if Iman Shumpert hasn’t gotten any sleep yet. Ahead 89-86 with just 9 seconds left in the game, the Knicks needed one stop to snap a three-game losing streak, and more importantly show themselves that they have the ability to hang with the league’s best teams. Instead what happened was Shumpert committing an absent-mined, slight touch on Paul George’s elbow as he shot a three, allowing him to sink three free throws to push the game into overtime and hand the Knicks a heart-breaking sixth straight home defeat.

As usual, there were positives, but they’re hardly consoling in light of the end result. Nonetheless, let’s take a look at what the Knicks can take out of this game.

UDRIH MAKES HIS CASE: With Raymond Felton again out, Beno Udrih got the starting call and delivered a season-high 18 points, snatched 8 rebounds, and dished out 4 assists. He spaced out the floor with his three-point shooting (3-4 from behind the arc), and hit several circus shots (one late in the 4th to give NY a 87-85 lead) on broken plays. Hopefully his performance prompts Coach Woodson to keep him in the rotation when Felton returns.

JR SMITH COMING AROUND: Outside a late 4th quarter three-point attempt too early in the shot clock, JR had a strong game. He contributed 21 of New York’s 26 bench points and added 5 rebounds. 10 three-point attempts is excessive, but that’s JR and he hit several key ones to keep us in the game.

KNICKS HOLD THEIR OWN WITHOUT MELO AND BARGNANI: The Knicks have had numerous third quarter collapses this season. When Melo and Bargnani had to sit with fouls, there was danger of it happening again. JR Smith picked up the scoring slack and Metta World Peace added good defense to keep Indiana at shooting 32% and take a 64-58 lead into the fourth.

REBOUNDING EDGE: The Knicks should use this game as a blueprint of what they can accomplish on the boards with effort and intensity. Despite the big and bruising Pacer front line, the Knicks held a 52-49 rebounding edge behind 18 rebounds from Carmelo Anthony. Everyone in starting lineup made a concerted effort there including Bargnani, who snatched down 9.

THE DEFLATING MOMENT: Shumpert’s touch foul on George’s three-pointer was absolutely crushing for the team’s psyche. All their energy and confidence disappeared and the Pacers pounced behind George’s hot mid-range shooting and outscored the Knicks 14-7 in the extra period.

Shumpert has already struggled with confidence due to the trade rumors and this will do him no favors. Woodson even chipped in some pointed criticism, calling Shumpert’s foul “lazy.”

MELO LEAVES IT ALL ON THE FLOOR: Melo didn’t have a good shooting night (10-28), but he played his heart out in every aspect of the game. He fought hard for rebounds (9 of his 18 were offensive boards) and even got a key block on George in the closing minute of regulation. It’s hard to even complain about the repeated isolation plays in overtime because he appeared to be the only New York player still fighting for the win.

The Knicks will get three days of rest and return Saturday (November 23) to face the Wizards in DC.

Robbed of a 4pt Play? Melo’s 45 Not Enough to Stop Rockets

The Knicks played hard and got big efforts from Carmelo Anthony (45 points) and Andrea Bargnani (24 points), but ultimately their spotty post paint defense and several mental blunders down the stretch sealed their fate as Houston made it seven straight over New York with a 109-106 victory last night at the Garden. While the defense for both teams was akin to NBA Jam, it was the Rockets that showed a little more poise (and ref benefits) in the fourth quarter to squeeze this one out. On to my thoughts.

PAINT AND ARC WIDE OPEN: From the first few minutes, you could tell the team defense was going to be a huge issue in this one. Although the Rockets missed their first six three-point attempts, they were wide open shots and you knew eventually they’d start falling. Francisco Garcia hit an open one at the end of the first that put the Rockets up 28-23. And throughout the quarter, the Rockets took advantage of the Knicks’s weak transition defense to score easy layups.

The Rockets then started the second quarter on a 10-2 run predicated on the fact the Knicks were doubling Dwight Howard and not moving fast enough to close out on shooters. Chandler Parsons got in on the Knicks’s swiss cheese defense and in one stretch scored 11 straight points (including a wide open slam due to Bargnani’s slow help defense).

The third was featured another big Rockets run (10-0 midway through), and Knicks were clawing from behind again early in the fourth due to a 8-0 run while Melo sat. The Knicks indeed kept it close, but it’s extremely hard to win against playoffs teams when this many big runs are allowed over the course of a game. Jeremy Lin (21 points) got several open dunks late due to miscommunication and Harden’s constant driving earned him 36 points.

BARGNANI THE 2-WAY PLAYER: Bargnani built on his excellent Atlanta game Wednesday by not only scoring 24 points, but pulling Howard out of the paint and locking him up on the defensive end. Howard took the rebounding battle (15 to Bargnani’s 4), but he only shot 1-5 from the field and Bargnani provided a great lift for the defense by showing he could cover Howard by himself, allowing the three-point abuse to be stifled. Bargnani also succeeded in drawing several offensive fouls and blocking Howard’s shots.

You can see his confidence growing every game and his teammates are looking for him. That made it all the more frustrating that Bargnani didn’t get any shots during the last five minutes of the fourth quarter. The offense fell into Melo isolations which allowed Houston’s defense to get set. Yes, Melo is our best player and should be involved in all plays, but use of him as a decoy on certain plays makes the team much less predictable and dangerous.

MELO BIG EFFORT RUINED BY THE REFS?: Despite the bonehead play of intentionally fouling Howard under the 2-minute mark, Melo had a very good game with 45 points (56% from the field), 10 rebounds and four assists. He really should have about 55 points, as the refs showed clear preferential treatment to James Harden in giving him a phantom foul on a three-point attempt while Melo would get clearly hacked in the post to swallowed whistles.

The most controversial play was when the Knicks were down 104-107 with under 10 seconds left on the clock. They had forced a shot clock violation on Lin on the last play, and Melo got the ball and was fouled in the process of shooting a heave three that actually went down. The ref immediately waved it off and stated the foul came earlier. Judge for yourself.

From the below statement, Melo seems to have accepted he’s never going to get the benefit of the doubt on calls that even lesser players like Harden seem to get.

You see the way some guys get their calls, me, I got to get cut, you’ve got to see blood for me to get a call down there.

FELTON’S SLIDE CONTINUES: Raymond Felton is still having issues in every facet. He’s shooting 37% for the year and last night went 3-8 (8 points) and committed 5 turnovers. He can’t keep any guards in front of him and with Chandler missing and Bargnani still lost on help defense, the Knicks are getting exploited there to the max. It’s still early in the year and I haven’t forgotten how important he was to the team last year, but his improvement is vital to the team being able to tread water until Tyson Chandler returns.

HOPEFUL DEVELOPMENTS: If you look strictly at the numbers, things appear dire. The Knicks are 3-6 and have dropped their last 4 home games. But going behind the numbers, we’re seeing Melo’s shooting percentage rising and Bargnani emerging as a legit, dangerous and consistent scoring threat. It’s been a gradual and at times painful process to watch, but you can see spurts of the improvement and big potential.

Next up for NY are the Hawks again on Saturday night.

[Video] Wolves Use Fast Start to Power Past Knicks 109-100

The less said about this game the better. The Knicks took the lazy Sunday afternoon motif to heart and came out yesterday sans defense and any offense fluidity, giving up an inexcusable 40 points in the first 12 minutes and going down by as many as 23 points in the first half. The Wolves lead a balanced inside-outside attack helmed by Ricky Rubio’s ball movement (10 assists), Kevin Martin’s shooting (30 points, 5-5 from downtown), and the formidable frontcourt of Kevin Love (34 points, 15 rebounds) and Nikola Pekovic (11 points, 12 rebounds).

Meanwhile, the Knicks struggled mightily on both ends of the court. The shooting was wretched (Melo 8-21 for 22 points, Hardaway Jr. 3-12, 6 points). and the Wolves were able to repeatedly beat the Knicks down the floor for transition layups off long passes. Iman Shumpert was mentally out of sorts due to picking up early fouls and had way too many lapses with his help and perimeter defense.

The Knicks made a go of it in the second half and got as close as two points with 4:49 remaining. Then the offense sputtered to only one field goal over the remainder of the game and the Wolves executed on their end to keep a comeback out of reach.

The Knicks get the chance to redeem themselves tomorrow before their fans when they face the Bobcats.

B-More Homecoming: Knicks Top Wizards in Melo’s Return

In his first game before his hometown fans in Baltimore, Carmelo Anthony dropped 22 points to lead the Knicks to a 98-89 preseason win over the Washington Wizards.

Despite the ongoing issues with rebounding and defense, there managed to be several bright spots on the roster. Forward Ike Diogu continued his good play with 10 points and 8 rebounds in 23 minutes. Toure Murray was another standout with his tight perimeter defense keeping John Wall contained. He also chipped in 14 points and 2 steals, prompting Melo to say afterward that Murray had a “bright future” in this league.

Andrea Bargnani (13 points) also showed signs of what hopefully leads to a comeback season. In the first half, he was aggressive getting to the rim and exhibited solid post-defense (3 blocks). While his rebounding was abysmal (just 2 boards), it wasn’t a huge detriment against this Wizards team.

INJURY SCARE: In the first quarter, Iman Shumpert sprained his right elbow after colliding with a driving Bradley Beal. He could have returned later in the game, but was wisely left out as a precaution.

BACKCOURT BLITZ: Beno Udrih is getting more comfortable every game. He had a few nice drives into the lane, one of which resulted in a three-point play. He finished with 12 points on 5-9 shooting. Tim Hardaway Jr. was another offensive spark with 14 points.

DOGHOUSE: You know that old saying about it’s not about the size of the dog, but the size of the fight in the dog? It’s the perfect saying to describe how the battle is playing out over our final roster spots. It’s no secret that we need a legit center to back up Tyson Chandler, but thus far guys like Cole Aldrich have looked clueless out there. Meanwhile, Diogu is all grit and determination, grabbing boards and finishing around the rim. Yeah, he’s only 6’8, but rebounding isn’t just about size — it’s positioning and awareness of the ball. Diogu has shown that while others like Josh Powell and the aforementioned Aldrich have not. It looks like Coach Woodson sees that as well, so I expect he’ll make the team over his bigger and younger counterparts.

The Knicks will be back in action on Monday (October 21) against the Raptors.

1st HALF HIGHLIGHTS

[Video] New York Knicks: The Top 100 Plays of the 2012-2013 Season

The 2012-2013 season is at an end for the New York Knicks. But that doesn’t mean you can’t relive all the great moments from the last seven months that returned the Knicks to prominence. From our team captains (Melo, Chandler, Stat) to our tough role players, you’ll see plays you vividly remember (like J-Kidd’s four-play against Brooklyn), to others just as spectacular, but forgotten over the course of the year (like Novak and JR smashing on the Spurs). Even if you’re still down about the second round playoff exit, these highlights will undoubtedly bring a smile to your face.

Much respect goes to www.obglobal.net for taking that time to put together this awesome collection. Go there to register and talk Knicks all throughout the off-season.

100-90

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgJJyZBQ8O8&feature=youtube_gdata_player]

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89-80

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

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79-70

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjpJBu4ehMc&feature=youtube_gdata_player]

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69-60

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeoIZLVBHw8&feature=youtube_gdata_player]

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59-50

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ05TISUQeU&feature=youtube_gdata_player]

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49-40

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rrzwe4t5Vs&feature=youtube_gdata_player]

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39-30

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF9VOo-8aI8&feature=youtube_gdata_player]

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29-20

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTUgIrC4IPA&feature=youtube_gdata_player]

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19-11

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PDsStMa7Qg&feature=youtube_gdata_player]

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TOP 10

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ6eqyREC9w&feature=youtube_gdata_player]

Turned Back at the Rim: Pacers Eliminate Knicks In Six

It still hurts two days later. As you all have noted, this site was quiet on a recap of the Knicks-Pacers elimination game yesterday. I was still wrapping my head around the disappointment of the game. Yes, the Knicks went down swinging (well, some of us did). But considering the level of talent assembled for our “win now” motto, the strong feeling of what could have been remains with most Knicks fans. I wasn’t one of those people who thought this squad was going to win the championship this year, but I did see a team that could make the Eastern Conference finals and give a considerable challenge to the Miami Heat. So what went wrong?

SURVIVING THE FIRST HALF: The Knicks offense was again in struggle mode for the first 24 minutes (35% shooting). JR Smith shot 1/6 and Raymond went 0/5. Luckily for NY, Melo was on and kept his team within striking distance (12 points in the first, 20 at the half on 8/16 shooting).

The other reason the Knicks were on the wrong side of a 55-47 score was the rebounding and fouling. The Pacers were getting all the hustle plays and crashing the boards (at one point a 18-5 edge). Indy was very focused while other players, most notably Tyson Chandler and JR Smith, were cyring to the refs, earning Tyson a tech late. The Knicks found themselves in the foul penalty around the 8-minute and had an astounding 16 fouls in the second quarter.

MELO AND SHUMP’S DRAMATIC 3RD QUARTER: The Pacers got the lead to 13 and the feeling was this game was about to be blown open at any moment.

Iman Shumpert had other plans.

Shump detonated for three consecutive threes to bring the Knciks within one (69-70). JR came alive for his own trey, and Shump hit yet another one to tie the game at 79.

Melo was on fire himself, at one point being 4-4 in the quarter and ending up with 15 points in those 12 minutes. A driving layup in the final 30 seconds briefly gave the Knicks a 81-79 lead. When the quarter ended, the score was tied at 81 and the stage was sent for a drama-filled finish.

THE BLOCK: Might as well get right to it. The below play from Roy Hibbert was the defining moment of the game (even more than his great rebounding and 20-plus points). Melo went up as hard as possible and got summarily rejected. From there, he became reluctant to keep that same aggressiveness inside and it led to three consecutive turnovers on his part (one of which resulted in a costly three-point play courtesy of Lance Stephenson over JR Smith for a 95-92 Pacers lead).

The Pacers used the momentum from Hibbert’s play for a 9-0 run that pretty much sealed the deal.

DISAPPEARING ACTS: Melo had 39 points in this game so even with some glaring mistakes, I can live with his effort. Shumpert as well. The rest of the team is where I have issues.

Tyson Chandler (2 points, 6 rebounds) has been abysmal this entire series and after spouting his mouth off in the media about the team’s play, he goes out and makes Roy Hibbert look like Hakeem Olajuwon for the second time. I watched in the disgust as he fumbled point-blank putbacks and failed to box out.

Felton disappointed me the most in going 0/7 from the field and managing just two points. His offense, and more importantly his playmaking, was sorely missed.

JR ended up with 15 points, but on 4/15 shooting. Some in the media have chosen to focus on Melo’s 2/7 shooting effort in the fourth, but not noting the several drives for open kickouts he got to Smith. JR couldn’t hit from the three when it mattered, and the rest is history.

Amar’e Stoudemire only got 5 mintues (none in the fourth) and managed 2 points for the game. Sure, we needed scoring, but Stat’s subpar defense and rebounding would have made the Hibbert feasting even worse.

TIME FOR CHANGE?: I’ve heard everything from fire Woodson to blowing up the roster of everyone except Melo and Shumpert. We definitely need to make some serious adjustments in regard to offensive creativity, strengthening our rebounding, and team defense IQ.

One thing I refuse to do is call this season a failure. Never at any time this season did we have our team completely healthy, yet we still managed our first 50-plus win season in well over a decade. With everyone at their best, this is easily a 60-win team.

Now if we can see a healthy Knicks team for next year is the question. More on that, and Stat’s comments on his team contributions, later today.

Panic Time – Knicks Remain Hapless On Offense (And Defense), Now in 3-1 Hole to Pacers

Carmelo Anthony said before last night’s “must-win” game four that the Knicks would learn a lot about their character. Based on that quote, we’d have to conclude that the Knicks are a bad shooting, whiny,, unfocused and flawed group. Now that is a tad harsh, but Knicks fans the world over are calling for the blood of a bunch of teams members from Coach Woodson on down. After a second abysmal effort, this time resulting in a 93-82 defeat, the Knicks find themselves in a daunting 3-1 deficit headed back to Madison Square Garden on Thursday.

I won’t sit here and claim to have all the answers, but the glaring concerns I witnessed last night need to be corrected if this team has any shot of extending the series.

CAN ANYONE SCORE???: There were omens from the outset that the Knicks were in trouble. Iman Shumpert, trying to help lift the scoring load off Carmelo Anthony, went 1-5 in the first quarter. No one else was in sync and the team was shooting 9% at the seven-minute mark. Our offensive ineptitude negated the six turnovers Indy committed in the opening 12 minutes, allowing them to have a nice 23-16 lead courtesy of a 9-2 run to end the quarter. And while Roy Hibbert wasn’t killing it on offense, he managed to still be a force with 5 rebounds (4 offensive).

STOP DOUBLING THE POST: Remember how thrilling the Knicks look when they’re hitting three-pointers? The role has been reversed over the last two games since Coach Woodson has insisted that the Indiana bigs (West, Hibbert) get double-teamed every time they get the ball in the post. They simply pass the ball out, where it’s moved around the perimeter to an open man. For this game, it was George Hill and Lance Stephenson eating off this stupid strategy. Too often we saw the deja vu image of a Knicks guard scrambling to the perimeter too late and the Pacers extending their lead via another open trey.

The Pacer threes, combined with their 30-18 edge in rebounding, allowed them to push their lead to 48-34 at halftime.

Do you think any adjustments were made? Of course not — more doubling in the second half, and more momentum-crushing open threes kept the Knicks subdued for the rest of the game.

WHEN OUR FATE WAS SEALED: Despite how bad we looked, the Knicks were able to get within eight early in the fourth behind some much-needed three-point shooting from Chris Copeland. That potential run went to hell when Woody inexplicably benched him to insert Jason Kidd, who literally hasn’t scored a single point in the last month.

So what happened? How about Kidd leaves Lance Stephenson open for a three that pushes the lead back to 11. And on the Pacers next possession, Stephenson makes the driving layup to put the lead at 74-61. You could tell the team’s spirit was broken and the game was essentially over at that point.

OFFENSE WOES CONTINUE: JR Smith continued the worst shooting slump of his career, going 1-8 in the first half and 7/22 for the game. Melo had 24 points but on 9/23 shooting and got held scoreless in the fourth before fouling out. Raymond Felton contributed 14 points and did his best to look for his shot.

The team as a whole shot 35% and look demoralized for most of this game. Our three-point shooting, which is essential for this team, was a wretched 8/28 for 28%.

CAN WE TURN IT AROUND: The Knicks certainly have the right mix of veterans to come back, but I don’t think they have confidence that they can beat the Pacers. As has been the story all year, the team deflates when faced with tough, physical defenses. With Melo and JR being the only ones who can consistently create their own shots, the Pacers can opt to zero in on them with double teams when they enter the paint, and remain confident they can be contained with man to man defense anywhere else. The other Knicks rarely cut to basket or move off screens, making our offense very predictable when the three-point shot is taken away.

Woody’s stubborn rotations, coupled with bad court leadership from our team captains, has brought us to the brink of elimination. To at least go down fighting, Pablo Prigioni needs to get Kidd’s minutes. Chris Copeland and Steve Novak are defensive liabilities, but at this point our scoring drough is more dire. Play them to space the floor. Dust off Camby and see how he does guarding Hibbert. At the very least, he knows how to box out and block a shot.

Judgement day is tomorrow, guys. Now it’s really a must-win.

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