What a difference a competent shooting guard makes. We’ve saw a flash of it during the Nets win earlier this season, and Iman Shumpert reminded us last night why most fans were so high on him going into this season as he dropped a career-high 27 points to lead the Knicks to their best win of the season over the Spurs.
1-2 PUNCH: The Knicks had an excellent inside-outside game going with Carmelo Anthony’s return and Shumpert’s fiery outside shooting. Melo chipped in 27 points on 50% shooting and nabbed 12 rebounds. When he drew double teams, he and the rest of the teammates looked for Shump behind the three-point line for open treys. This allowed Iman to not have to worry about putting the ball on the floor and keep the Spurs defense spaced out.
THE SPURS’ BEST WEAPON: Although New York kept Tim Duncan (9 points, 7 rebounds) and Tony Parker (12 points, 7 assists) contained, the game was close due to Marco Belinelli playing possessed and dropping 32 points (6 threes, 12-16 shooting overall). It wasn’t until the final two offensive plays, where he badly bricked two threes, that he finally came back down to earth.
SHOOTING WELL: The Knicks maintained a strong shooting percentage the entire game, hitting 51% of their shots, including a hot 9-17 (53%) from downtown.
MURRY OR UDRIH?: Beno Udrih go to play the crucial final minutes of the fourth and almost blew the game with a near turnover. His defense was also a struggle. Murry is still learning out there, but I haven’t forgotten how Udrih blew that Wizards game by not being able to keep his man in front of him. I hope to see Murry’s minutes get around the 20 minute mark until Felton and Prigioni’s return.
NO TIME TO REST ON LAURELS: The Knicks are now 11-21 and 4 1/2 games behind the division-leading Toronto Raptors. The upcoming schedule features the Rockets (tonight), Dallas, Detroit and Miami through next Thursday. The team will need to bring the same effort we saw yesterday to get through this stretch with a winning record.
Even with Carmelo Anthony out nursing a bum ankle, there was some hope going into these back to back Raptor games that the Knicks could find a spark and possibly go into the New Year just one game out of first place in the Atlantic Division. What New York and their fans got was a painful reminder of just how bad this Knicks team is. Despite playing hard down the stretch, New York displayed the worst of their defensive woes with needless switching and bad rebounding, allowing the Raptors to weather a late rally and storm back themselves to close out the Knicks.
KILLED ON THE BOARDS: The Knicks losing the rebounding battle is no surprise (45-37), but giving up 13 offensive rebounds is a death blow. The Raptors got so many second chance opportunities in the fourth. The Knicks were put into defensive scrambles that lead to open drives and three-pointers. Most disappointing here was Tyson Chandler, who managed just 2 rebounds in 27 minutes of play.
RAN AROUND THE COURT: The gave up three big runs over the course of the game that made winning this game unlikely. With the score tight early in the second quarter, the Knicks went into a zone defense and succumbed to a 12-0 run to go down 52-41. Overall, they were outscored 31-22 in the quarter and down 57-44 at halftime. In the third, the Knicks were on the wrong side of a 15-2 run and were behind by as much as 23 points before chipping away to take a 85-71 deficit into the fourth.
HAVE ALL THE 3-POINTERS YOU WANT, TORONTO!: The Raptors shot a deadly 47% from downtown (15/32), with Terrence Ross hitting a career-high seven treys. The perimeter was wide open and every guard, and even a forward or two, seemed to get in on the fun. The Knicks couldn’t rotate in time, and the constant, flat-out idiotic switching created repeated mismatches in Toronto’s favor.
THE PLAY THAT SEALED IT: Amar’e Stoudemire’s post-scoring, along with some good passing from Toure Murry, were the main factors in allowing the Knicks to trim the lead to six, 101-95. Demar Derozan had the ball and got away with pushing off Murry, who toppled to the floor. When Derozan tried to fly past, Murry reached out and swiped him, which Derozan sold well by toppling over. The hit was ruled a flagrant, leading to a five-point swing with both free throws made and a three-pointer swished on the extra possession, puting the Knicks in an 11-point hole (106-95) they never crawled out of.
JR THE PG: Raymond Felton and Pablo Prigioni being out continues to hurt badly. There were a few plays down the stretch that went nowhere due to JR having to be a playmaker and set up the offense.
THE POSITIVES BECOME NEGATED: Stoudemire (23 points, 9 rebounds) and Chandler (16 points) had solid scoring games, but the lack of defense neutralized that. The team couldn’t get stops or rebounds when it mattered. Woodson opted to sit Andrea Bargnani (12 points) in the fourth. Like last night’s game, Bargnani started strong in first and became a non-factor in the ensuing quarters.
NON-TRADE COMES BACK TO BITE US: While I think the Knicks made a good move not giving up so many players and a first round pick for Kyle Lowry, he sure did lit up New York tonight. He nearly had a triple double, going for 32 points, 8 rebounds and 11 assists. The man out-rebounded everyone on the Knicks except Stoudemire. Speaking of guards…
NY BACKCOURT: JR Smith was 1-8 until late in the game, still managing to put up a respectable stat line of 13 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. However, with the Melo out the team was in dire need of scoring and playmaking, two things he couldn’t shoulder. Woodson went with Murry over Beno Udrih, who had already notched 4 turnovers before the fourth. Murry made some bad passes himself, but he at least showed some semblance of defense.
Iman Shumpert played like he wanted to be left in Toronto with Landry Fields and Steve Novak. He constantly gambled (and lost) on steals, leading to his man beating him backdoor for layups.
FRUSTATION LEVELS HIGH: Shumpert was seen barking back at Woodson in the waning minutes. Chandler also shoved Jonas Valanciunas under the basket. After the game, Chandler had to restrained by Herb Williams for some unknown reason.
FROM TERRIBLE BACK TO BAD: Is there any hope going into 2014? Well, at least when Melo finally comes back, the team will still be bad and flawed, but just a little less terrible than they are right now.
BOSTON, MA — Considering it was “Friday Night Knicks” AND Friday the 13th, another ridiculous and painful loss should have been expected. After a masterful third quarter filled with excellent ball movement with our frontcourt of Melo (26 points), Bargnani (22 points) and Stoudemire (18 points) carrying the scoring load behind nice pick n’ rolls and sweet passes from the likes of Pablo Prigioni, it all went to hell in the fourth with ice-cold shooting, broken plays, and a fatigued Melo trying to bail the team out with seconds remaining on the shot clock (he couldn’t). As you can deduce from the title, the bulk of this defeat falls on our backcourt and the coaching rotations of Coach Woodson.
BACKCOURT INEPTITUDE: Let’s get started with the reason the game was lost. Our guards shot a combined 3-20. Prigioni was 1-6 (although he did contribute 8 assists), Iman Shumpert 1-8 (including several airballs), and JR Smith went 0-1 despite playing 26 minutes and the entire fourth quarter (he sheepishly said afterward he was trying to get his teammates involved). There’s no way a team can win getting that little from their guard rotations.
The main issue that stood out is when the defense tightens, none of our guards can break down their man and get to the rim. This leads to a lot of passing on the perimeter that fails to set up the plays and leaves Melo, the only player that can consistently take his man one on one, being left to try to make something happen (many times 20 feet away from the basket). Secondly, our backcourt can’t keep anyone in front of them, putting a lot of pressure on a frontcourt that isn’t the most savvy defensively with Chandler still out.
4TH QUARTER CHOKE: The Knicks had a 73-68 going into the quarter but had to go at it without Kenyon Martin , who left the game limping with an abdominal strain. That hurt on the defensive end because K-Mart was having a strong game altering lay-ups and snatching down rebounds (8 points, 7 rebounds). Our defensive rotations got sloppy and the Celtics went on a 13-2 run to tie it at 81. A Melo drive for a three-point play would give NY their last lead to 84-81. Open back to back threes from Courtney Lee (18 points) and Avery Bradley (13 points) put the Celtics up for good 86-84. New York had their opportunities — Bargnani had a few open mid-range jumpers that bricked, and Melo’s pass out of a double team for an open JR Smith three could have put the Knicks back in front. The team could only manage 13 points in the quarter and were outscored 22-13.
STAT POSITIVITY: Amar’e Stoudemire continued his excellent offensive play, shooting 7-9 (18 points) and nabbing 5 rebounds. Once again, he seemed to be phased out for much of the 4th despite hitting a bailout jumper to put the Knicks up 81-78. We’ll all continue to be skeptical in wondering if his knees hold up, but so far he’s looking spry and strong in the post. As a precaution, he’ll likely sit today’s game against the Atlanta Hawks.
MORE HOPE ON THE HORIZON: From comments yesterday, it appears that Tyson Chandler will return this coming week. That won’t fix everything, but at least the interior defense and rebounding will get a boost.
The Knicks are back at the Garden tonight to face the Hawks at 7:30 p.m. ET.
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.
When you’re playing this bad, you find ways to lose, as the Knicks did last night at the Garden in dropping their seventh straight at home and ninth overall. The last time New York lost nine straight was back when Larry Brown was coaching the team. Ironically, I don’t think any of those sorry Knicks teams were ever as bad defensively as what we’ve seen on this losing streak.
BEST FIRST QUARTER IN AGES: The Knicks came out with strong defense from a surprising place. Andrea Bargnani, of all people, was prowling the paint and swatting shots to the tune of three blocks. His jumper was working which helped space the floor and get others involved, leading to Melo only attempting his first shot six minutes in. Felton was nailing shots and dropped a sweet alley-oop to Melo. The Knicks were able to hold the Pelicans to 24% shooting for a 20-16 lead, and got another break with New Orleans’ best player, Anthony Davis, leaving the game with a hand fracture.
EARLY SIGNS OF A COLLAPSE: Although the Knicks held a 49-44 lead at halftime, the second quarter displayed signs of the horror to come in the second half. Tyreke Evans came off the bench and pretty much waltzed into the paint at will for layups, scoring 10 points in just 14 minutes. The perimeter defense was worse, as another bench player in Ryan Anderson got repeated (and I do mean repeated — 7/11 from behind the arc) open three-point shots to keep the game close.
The offense was stalled as the Knicks overall were looking to just shoot jumpers and not attack the rim with Davis absent. The Knicks didn’t get their first free throws until midway in the second and it was Bargnani’s foul drawing that allowed NY to hold their lead.
ANOTHER 30-PLUS QUARTER: We know by now that the mark of an extremely poor defensive effort is when the Knicks give up 30 or more in a quarter. They did so in the third behind putrid interior defense. Kenyon Martin was the culprit several times here as he failed to rotate. Bargnani’s main weakness is help defense, so despite his scoring he allowed multiple uncontested layups as well. The frustration hit peak levels when Melo foolishly switched off Anderson on the perimeter. Bargnani didn’t come out to cover, leading to Shumpert dashing recklessly to prevent an open three-pointer (which happened anyway). Shump crashed into a Pelican big setting a pick, leading to a foul and four-point play opportunity.
Shump was livid after Melo criticized him for the play. He tried to plead his case in the huddle as Melo (and Coach Woodson) tuned him out.
Frankly, the play shows the lack of teamwork and awareness the Knicks play with. All parties could have done better. Melo should have never left Anderson, Bargnani could have flashed out to prevent the three, and Shumpert shouldn’t have barreled through the pick for a needless foul.
4TH QUARTER STRUGGLE: The Knicks started the final 12 minutes down 2 points (76-74), but were able to at one point gain a six-point lead off the hot three-point shooting of Tim Hardaway Jr., who drained back to back treys to put NY up 88-82.
At that point, the game should have been over with the Knicks maintaining decent defense and pulling away. But if you can’t play smart defense, it doesn’t matter how hard you play — the lead will soon be erased. In a matter of about 30 seconds, a Ryan Anderson three and a three-point play by Evans on a fast break erased the Knicks’ cushion.
The final six minutes were disastrous on both ends. The Knicks committed six turnovers and missed 12 of their final 13 shots. While the Pelican guards were feasting in the paint and on the perimeter, Shumpert remained benched in favor of JR Smith, who couldn’t get a stop if his life depended on it. JR himself admitted as much after the game:
They were pretty much scoring at will, especially my guy. I don’t know what the hell I was doing on defense.
Shumpert was so upset (and deservedly so) that he declined to talk to the media after the game.
THJ’S CAREER NIGHT: Although his defense was suspect along with everyone else, Tim Hardaway Jr. was the shooting spark that nearly won this game for NY. He had a career-best 21 points off the bench on 6-10 shooting (5-8 from downtown) in 25 minutes. We can only hope Woody continues to play the kid more and experiment with a Shump-Hardaway lineup until JR gets his mojo back.
MORE PABLO: Ray Felton had a strong first half (10 pts. on 4/5 shooting, 5 assists) but fell of a cliff in the final 24 mintues (2 pts, 0/5 shooting). He had a bad turnover down the stretch and possibly suffered a hip injury. Prigioni getting 10 minutes last night in lieu of Felton’s struggling made no sense.
FROM THE BOTTOM TO THE TOP: Let’s be clear — the Knicks are in shambles right now. There’s no leadership, no accountability and no identity. And yet, the team is still just three games out of first place on the Atlantic Division. The Knicks have a “favorable” schedule of equally sub .500 teams over the next four games (Nets, Magic, Celtics and Cavs). If the team can manage a 3-1 or 2-2 stand, it’s something solid to build as Tyson Chandler returns in the next 1-2 weeks (with hopefully Jeremy Tyler by the end of the month).
In the meantime, try not to slit your wrists, fellow Knicks fans.
I didn’t get it done, that’s it. My teammates did a great job of getting us in that position, putting us in that position, giving me the chance of tying the game or going for the win. I didn’t come through. I’ll take that. – CARMELO ANTHONY
DENVER, CO — The Nugget supplied multiple opportunities down the stretch to steal a rare win in Denver, but the Knicks just couldn’t get over the hump as a airball Carmelo Anthony jumper with seconds remaining closed the door on a New York comeback and gave them their eighth straight defeat.
The Knicks kept it close throughout and at times flashed decent defense, which are some of the few positives to take when you’re on a losing streak this long.
30 ONLY ONCE: The Knicks gave up 30 points in the first, a clear sign the defense was supbar. Guys like JJ Hickson got easy putbacks and the weak perimeter defense allowed the Nuggets to sink three from behind the arc. However, the Knicks adjusted well in the second quarter and aside from Nate Robinson (16 points), kept the Nuggets in check with just 21 points in the second, 24 in the third and 22 in the fourth.
MORE TIME FOR THJ?: Tim Hardaway Jr. played 15 minutes and had 8 points (3-5 shooting), 3 rebounds and 2 blocks. The blocks were very impressive as they came early in the fourth quarter in the paint, turning back 7-footer Timothy Mosgoz and 6’9 forward Darnell Arthur. Considering that JR Smith is still trying to find his shooting touch (5-13, 1-7 from downtown), making Hardaway a consistent staple of the rotation at 15-20 minutes a night seems like a no-brainer. It would be nice to have shooting guards who can actually SHOOT. And with THJ shooting 50% over the last 10 games, he’s the best choice.
CALLS FOR MELO: After Coach Woodson was fined for criticizing the referees for not calling fouls on Melo, we’ve seen an improvement in how he’s treated. He had 11 points in free throws this game. Unfortunately, a big focus is going to be on the last play with Randy Foye, who clearly caught Melo on the arm which disrupted his fadeaway shot. A similar foul went in Melo’s favor in the first quarter.
3-POINT FAILINGS: It’s not impossible for this team to win without good three-point shooting, but it’s definitely very difficult. The team shot just 6-22 for 27%, with the biggest culprit being JR’s 1-7 stat line. Again, the addition for Hardaway Jr in regular rotations will be a huge lift in this regard.
MELO’S CRUCIAL MISTAKES: The Knicks were right within striking range down just 2, 85-83, with just under two minutes remaining. A Melo post isolation led to a off-balance circus shot, and then on the next possession Melo shuffled his feet for a travel. The Nuggets extended the lead with free throws and a three by Randy Foye to 94-85, but the Knicks battled back to make it a 96-93 deficit after an open Felton three. A Shumpert layup off a loose ball scramble and Ty LAwson splitting free throws had the Knicks down 97-95 with the ball in Melo’s hands with 19 seconds left, leading to the miss on the fadeaway.
SHUMPERT VS. FARIED: This game will probably quiet some of the talk of those who were disappointed the proposed trade of Iman Shumpert for Kenneth Faried didn’t go through. Shumpert had his best game in weeks, scoring 11 points on 50% shooting, and 7 rebounds. Faried notched 4 points and 6 rebounds before having to leave the game in the third with a leg bruise. The Knicks have loads of problems, one of them being rebounding, but what the Knicks need more than anything is two-way players, not specialists. Faried cannot score on his own except through clean-up plays, and we already have a few bigs in that area (Martin, Chandler). I wouldn’t be mad at all to have a young, high energy guy like him on the team, but I’d rather hold onto Shump as well. Too bad the Nuggets won’t take Stoudemire.
MELO AND BARGS: The two combined for 49 points and so far I’d say this experiment is working out (at least offensively). I’d like to see their minutes reduced as Melo clocked 40 minutes and Bargs 39, but until are “sharpshooters” (JR, Iman etc) actually start consistently hitting shots, this is the only course of action.
The next stop for the Knicks is Sunday back at the Garden against the Pelicans.
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.
We can’t keep losing these games. – AMAR’E STOUDEMIRE
Tell me if you’ve heard this scenario before. The Knicks play solid in the first and second quarter. They pass the ball, look for the open man, and play active and smart on defense. They begin to unravel in the third quarter and finally fall apart in the fourth quarter as lack of defensive stops discourages them.
Of course you’ve heard this before since it’s been the Knicks’ M.O on their now on five-game losing streak. The Washington Wizards, a playoff team but no powerhouse, had an easy time of it once they figured out the Knicks currently have no heart or identity on offense or defense.
STILL WAITING FOR THAT FULL GAME: 12 games in, the Knicks have yet to put together a full 48 minutes of competent basketball. The first half last night saw Wizards point guard John Wall run amuck in the first quarter and early part of the second by scoring 17 points. His output was offset by a re-energized Amar’e Stoudemire, who was thriving in the post-up and pick n’ rolls (5-5, 12 points). Carmelo Anthony stayed under control in the first half as well with his shot selection, helping the Knicks to 52-49 halftime lead.
As usual, things fell apart in the third quarter. The offense sputtered into isolation plays for JR Smith (6-14, 12 points) and Melo, leading to long missed jumpers and the Wizards pouncing on the Knicks’ weak transition defense. The Wizards outscored the Knicks 27-17 to take a 76-69 lead into the fourth. While the Knicks, specificaly Melo, JR and Pablo Prigioni hit some timely threes in the fourth to remain close, they could never get any stops. Guards like Bradley Beal (18 points) and the aforementioned Wall (31 points) abused them with pick n’ rolls and penetration to score at will and prevent a Knicks comeback. The team appeared to sense their defense couldn’t hold firm. Mentally, you began to see them start slacking by the middle of the quarter. The biggest culprit was Melo, who several times failed to rotate and allowed the Wizards to sink open threes.
MELO’S GOOD AND BAD: Anthony notched another double double (23 points, 12 rebounds) and shot 47% from the field, so on the surface you’d think he’s one of the last people you’d criticize. But in this game he deserves a fair share of the blame, as he didn’t provide full effort on defense in the crucial fourth quarter. I’m sure he’s exasperated by the big weight he’s had to carry so early in the season, but the team will always take its lead from him. When Melo starts to check out, the team follows. He’s shown flashes of good passing and that’s the only way the team will regain its confidence. Two assists for him won’t suffice and neither will repeated isolation plays in crunch time. Melo was great with the “hockey assists” in a few games already this year and needs to continue that to keep Bargnani’s offense involved late in the game.
BACKCOURT WOES: Raymond Felton sat for his third straight game with back issues, leading to another start for Beno Udrih. Coming off his stellar effort against the Pacers, some fans were speculating that Udrih might be the starting answer for Felton. This game brought those views back to reality, as Udrih also struggled mightily to keep the young Wizards guards in front of him. And offensively, he wasn’t much better, mustering just 2 points and 5 assists.
Iman Shumpert was mostly invisible as well, delivering 6 points, 3 steals and 1 rebound in 27 minutes.
THE ROADTRIP OF WOODY’S FUTURE: The Knicks now face a three-game road trip starting tomorrow night in Portland before moving on to Los Angeles (Clippers) and Denver. Should the Knicks not win a game, which is very possible if the team continues playing like this, then it’s hard to imagine Mike Woodson making through the end of the week. The Knicks will at that point have a 3-12 record while being on a 8-game losing streak.
If the team comes out with no urgency in Portland, it sends a clear message about the team’s pride (or lack thereof).
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.
It’s starting to look like that ESPN prediction of a 37-45 record was on the generous side. The Knicks put together a decent first half, imploded defensively and offensively in the third, and then had to play catchup in the fourth. They couldn’t get the stops they needed and most alarmingly, our leader Carmelo Anthony was a petulant, unfocused player who had his teammates tuned out and the refs non-calls in his head.
NEW LINEUP: With Felton sitting out with back spasms, Coach Woodson elected to go with Iman Shumpert and Beno Udrih in the backcourt. The frontcourt was manned by Melo, Andrea Bargnani and Kenyon Martin, who NY hoped would bring some toughness and interior defense.
The first quarter was solid with Bargnani getting off to a quick start (7 points in the quarter) by driving to the rim. The interior defense was still a problem, but it didn’t become damning until the second half.
Udrih went scoreless and managed five assists while Shumpert chipped in 11 points. Even with Felton out, the perimeter defense was still abysmal as noted by Rodney Stuckey going for 21 points off the bench and getting into the paint at will.
Melo had a horrid first half where he shot 3-12. He complained about the lack of calls, missed several free throws, and overall played with tunnel vision. This is one the games were you could clearly see he wasn’t trusting his teammates and rushing bad shots. The whining earned him a tech in the third and he didn’t settle down until the fourth. He missed a three with the Knicks down 82-87 which basically sealed the game.
INEXCUSABLE DEFENSE: Sometimes a picture is worth more than any game analysis. For a synopsis of how bad the defense is and why the Knicks have been playing from behind in nearly every game, click on the image below and watch Amar’e Stoudemire. Also note Melo’s reaction on the bench.
This is the reason the team went down by as much as 15 early in the fourth (63-78) and ran out of time despite clawing their way back into it with two minutes remaining.
MORE PAIN TO FOLLOW: It’s not going to get better, as tonight the Knicks have to face the Indiana Pacers, who sport the best record in the league. I see no other scenario but a blowout that rivals what the Spurs did to NY last week.
![[Video] Welcome Back, Shump! — Knicks 105, Spurs 101](https://nykloyalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/shumpert.png?w=393&h=510&crop=1)
![[Videos] Backcourt, Where Art Ye? — Celtics 90, Knicks 86](https://nykloyalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/bradley_knicks.png?w=714&h=477&crop=1)
![[Video] Knicks End Losing Streak By Destroying Nets 113-83](https://nykloyalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/stat_johnson_block.png?w=356&h=510&crop=1)
![[Video] Allergic to Defense: Wizards Eat Up Knicks in 4th](https://nykloyalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/stoudemire.jpg?w=422&h=510&crop=1)
![[Video] A Touch Foul Away: Pacers Wear Down Knicks in OT](https://nykloyalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/mikewoodson.png?w=497&h=510&crop=1)
NEW YORK KNICKS LOYALIST 