Tag: Knicks

Triumphant Homecoming: Rose and Noah Lead Team Effort Win in Chicago

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CHICAGO — It was an emotional return for Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, but the former Bulls channeled it into efficient teamwork and ball control to score a much-needed Knicks win at the United Center. Coming off two sub-par losses to Detroit and Houston, New York saw every starter hit double figures and gave fans their first true glimpse of this team’s potential.

RED-HOT START: The Knicks came out with strong ball movement and sharp-shooting from Courtney Lee, who went 5/5 (10 points) in the first as the Knicks jumped out to a 16-point lead. Bulls were powered by Dwyane Wade’s (35 points, 10 rebounds) abnormally hot three-point shooting and offensive rebounding from Taj Gibson. Still, the Knicks held a 32-23 lead after 12 minutes for their best quarter of basketball since the Memphis game.

A SCARE AND RIGHTING THE SHIP: The Knicks’s bench unit couldn’t manage to score even with KP in the lineup. Wade continued hitting threes and Jimmy Butler got to the line, allowing Chicago to take the lead in the final minutes. Although New York was outscored 34-24, a breathtaking half-court lay-up drive from Rose with 4.7 seconds left narrowed the deficit to 56-57 at the half.

PORZINGIS FEASTS: It says something about this game that KP had 27 points and still seemed low-key. He was doing it all over court from threes to running the floor for dunks. The ball moved well and allowed him to exploit mismatches. He got into foul trouble and left the game with around 7 minutes left, but his damage had been done. As Coach Hornacek stated, good things happen when the team gets him involved early. This was an excellent bounce back from the previous game where he had no field goals.

ROSE AND NOAH CLOSE THE SHOW: The Knicks held an 87-84 lead going into the fourth against a Bulls team that refused to go away. KP’s hot shooting sparked a 10-0 run, but his foul departure allowed the Bulls back in it due to Melo’s presence stagnating the ball movement. Three straight bad possessions caused an 8-0 Bulls run that closed the Knicks lead to 98-91.

From there, Rose and Noah caused havoc. Their two-man game got Noah several lay-ups. Rose would nail a tough and-1 lay-up with the shot clock expiring to push the lead to 111-102. And on the next play, a drive and kick for a Melo three would ice the game.

Rose would finish with 15 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds. Noah was equally strong in outplaying Robin Lopez with 16 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals.

STARTERS STRONG, BUT BENCH STILL WORRISOME: The starting five put in work. Aside from those already mentioned, Melo added 25 points and Lee 17. But our bench could only manage 17 points. Horacek will have to continue being creative with the lineups to prevent scoring droughts.

The Knicks are back home on Sunday to face the Jazz.

https://youtu.be/DuNQc46V-60

[Video] Wasted Opportunities: Pistons 102, Knicks 89

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D-E-F-E-N-S-E. What does that spell, ladies and gentleman? If you’re a Knicks player, you couldn’t spell nor understand the concept as the Pistons torched them from three-point land and dropped the Knicks to 0-2 on the road. Considering this was the first of a three games in four nights stretch, this defeat is extremely disappointing against the “easiest” team paper.

OPEN SHOTS: At one point last in the first half, the Pistons were shooting 59% from the field. Marcus Morris seemed on pace for a career night with 16 points on 7/9 shooting, and repeatedly made Melo look slow and old on the defensive end. Melo was efficient on the scoring end with 14 points, but the lack of defense made it essentially trading baskets with Pistons going up at one point by 13 due to the second unit not being able to score.

FRONTCOURT DOMINANCE SANS DRUMMOND: Coming into last night, the main concern was containing Andre Drummond, who on a good night can have a 20-20 game. In that regard, Joakim Noah (2 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists) did a fantastic job holding him to 9 points (Drummond did manage 13 rebounds). The problem was due to Noah not being able to slack off Drummond, Tobias Harris and Morris (22 points) went off. The former had 25 points on 8/12 shooting, which is a big indictment on how bad Porzingis and Lance Thomas guarded him. Harris had way too many easy looks at the rim. Overall, the Pistons outscored the Knicks 50-32 in the paint.

https://youtu.be/edOq0GuYlh4

RANDOM BIG NIGHT: If you’re looking for an x-factor, it was Pistons guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. He nailed four treys and delivered 19 points. Once again, the Knicks failing to close out adequately on shooters was a huge issue.

CLOSING WITH A WHIMPER: Despite how bad we looked for three quarters, the Knicks were right there in the fourth down 89-92 with nearly six minutes left. From there we had two bad iso situations with Rose and Melo, and would not have a field goal the rest of the game.

BAD LINEUPS: Because we’re playing Houston tonight, I understand Hornacek was trying lineups that would preserve our starters. The problem was the guys he selected for big minutes, like Lance Thomas (1-6 in 26 minutes), couldn’t produce. Since our bench is weak when it comes to offense and playmaking, every lineup out there needs to have at least one starter that can score (Melo, Rose or KP). Thomas wasn’t pulled until 3:22 left in the fourth.

We’ll see if home court gets us re-energized for the Rockets.

https://youtu.be/dKF17kSz5BE

 

 

[Video] Watch Derrick Rose Cross Up Mike Conley

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The Knicks celebrated their 70th home season opener with a hard-fought 111-104 victory tonight over the Memphis Grizzlies. Derrick Rose finished with 13 points and provided several  dazzling highlights with his drives to the hoop. Unquestionably, the best play featured Rose crossing up Mike Conley. Remember the talk earlier this year about whether we should have made a big money offer for Conley? Haaaaa

https://youtu.be/_MIyGRkr_XQ

[Video] Shimmy Shimmy Ya: Brandon Jennings Has a Little Fun in Brooklyn

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Knicks point guard Brandon Jennings has brought some well-needed energy to the Knicks this year. Tonight as New York wrapped its preseason with a win over the Nets, Jennings had a little fun at Brooklyn’s expense as seen with the below post-jumper celebration.

Considering Jennings’ recent shooting woes (27% from the field going into tonight’s game), I’d do a little dance after EVERY basket.

Derrick Rose Cleared in Civil Rape Case

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An eight member Los Angeles jury has ruled that Knicks point guard Derrick Rose and two friends, Randall Hampton and Ryan Allen, are not liable in a civil case alleging a 2013 gang rape of Rose’s ex-girlfriend.

The jury deliberated Wednesday morning. The accuser, whose identity has been kept confidential, filed the suit last summer. She alleged that Rose and his two friends gang-raped her after she passed out from drugs and alcohol in her Los Angeles home. She sought $21 million in damages.

Rose has maintained his innocence, calling the sexual encounters the three men had with the woman as consensual. The week-long trial turned contentious the last few days with Rose’s attorneys calling for a mistrial over allegations the accuser’s legal team withheld relevant texts the accuser sent to Rose on the night of the incident.

On Tuesday, the Rose’s defense team characterized the accuser as a woman driven by revenge and money. The accuser’s team countered by calling their client a “classic” victim of gang rape.

Rose has missed three pre-season games due to the trial, including tonight’s contest in Boston against the Celtics. He is scheduled to rejoin the team by Friday.

At press time, the Los Angeles police department is still conducting a criminal investigation .

This was pretty much a foregone conclusion for anyone that’s followed the trial. The accuser’s credibility was picked apart over the discovered text messages to Rose, and the testimony of her old roommate that claimed the accuser was out for money.

I would stop short of calling this a “win” since D-Rose’s sexual escapades are now public record. But it’s a damn sure a relief for Knicks fans hoping to have a fully healthy and focused squad to start the season.

[Video] Carmelo Anthony Becomes Team USA’s All-Time Leading Scorer in Win Over Australia

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Carmelo Anthony etched his name in Olympic history by becoming international basketball’s all-time leading scorer  for a 98-88 win over Australia yesterday. Team USA was down at halftime but rallied behind Anthony’s 26 points (14 in the fourth quarter) and a scorching 9-15 from three-point range.

Anthony passed LeBron James with 293 points and is poised to become the only player to win three Olympic gold medals. Save some of that fire for the upcoming season, Melo.

https://youtu.be/oLj0tXfJXYM

[Live Stream] Amar’e Stoudemire’s Knicks Press Conference on NBA Retirement and Future Plans

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Watch the live stream of Amar’e Stoudemire’s NYC press conference on his NBA retirement signing as a New York Knick and rumored plan to play for Israel as a member of the Hapoel Jerusalem.

[Video] He’s Baaaack: Knicks Reup Sasha Vujacic on 1-Year Deal

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We can all finally exhale. The key to the Knicks franchise is back with today’s announcement that Sasha Vujacic has agreed to a one-year deal at the veteran’s minimum!

Okay, stop rolling your eyes and sucking your teeth. The reason Sasha drew so much hate early last season was due to being forced into a role bound for failure. Even at his best, it was a stretch to have him as your starting shooting guard. Because of Arron Afflalo’s hamstring injury, the Knicks had little choice. Paired with Jose Calderon, the duo was horrific on both ends of the floor and were arguably the worst starting backcourt in the league.

Following the All-Star Break, we got a better idea of Vujacic’s usefulness. In spot minutes he proved effective as an annoying, pesky defender and spot-up three-point shooting (45% over the season’s second half). Then rookie Kristaps Porzingis cited him as a valuable mentor. And with the addition of more Euros (Hernangomez, Kuzmiskas), Vujacic might be what the doctor ordered by bridging the cultural gap with the rest of the squad.

Is Sasha a legit SG backup for Courtney Lee? Absolutely not — but for additional bench depth, this is acceptable. And who knows, maybe Sasha will turn into a crowd favorite if he becomes the “human cigar” inserted during blowouts. For now, let’s feast on some of Sasha’s memorable moments from last season.

https://youtu.be/mBkZXu-uais

[Video] Meet the Newest Knick Mindaugas Kuzminskas

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Who??? Don’t feel bad — I’m willing to bet 99% of Knicks fans had no idea who this Lithuanian small forward was before the Knicks announced their deal earlier this week. Although the financial details have yet to be disclosed, the Knicks brass apparently really wanted Kuzminskas and went as far as securing a high-figure buyout from his Turkish team.

So how can he help this team? At 6’9, he adds depth at small forward and appears to have a game predicated on getting to the basket. In recent years, the Knicks have been relegated to a jump-shooting team due to poor athleticism. Kuzminskas looks to be a guy that finishes well on breaks and offers a bench spark.

The highlights left me with one main concern — does this guy have a jumper? The clips were heavy on dunks and layups, but I’m happy to report Kuzminskas has offensive versatility to his game. According to Synergy Sports Tech, Kuzminskas had a FG% on 74% in transition, 58% on spot-up jumpers, and 53% in the post last season.

If his game translates well to the NBA, don’t be surprised to see him turn into a quick Garden favorite.

3-and-D! Knicks Sign Courtney Lee to 4 Year, $48 Million Deal

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The starting lineup is complete. Eight year guard Courtney Lee has signed four year, $48 million contract with the New York Knicks.

Word broke earlier this weekend about the Knicks’ offer. A confidential source told ESPN that Lee mulled the offer before speaking with the team’s othrt new signee — Joakim Noah.

[It] would not have happened without Joakim Noah. Courtney understands what playing for the New York Knicks means. He wanted to play in New York and Joakim Noah was instrumental recruiting him. Would not have happened without Joakim. Courtney couldn’t be more excited.

Lee started last season with the Memphsi Grizzlies before being traded to the Charlotte Hornets. He played in 79 games (started 65), averaging 9.5 points (45% FG, 38% 3P%), 3 rebounds and 2 assists.

This could be our sleeper free agent signing of the summer. With D-Rose’s penetration ability and the double teams that will come Melo and (to a lesser extent) Porzingis’ way, Lee will be get a lot of open looks from three-point range. Another plus is Lee’s playoff experience (including a Finals trip with Orlando in 2009) means he’s not one to shy away from the big shot.

But even more important than Lee’s offense is his ability to shut down opposing players. Too often in recent years, the Knicks have gotten killed on the perimeter due to our slow guards. Lee, as recently as this year’s playoffs, showed how underrated and important his defense can be in the fourth quarter.

And Lee is not injury prone! If our starting five stays healthy, I like our chances to make noise in 2017. Now let’s hop Phil can work some magic filling out this bench.