Tag: Madison Square Garden

James Dolan Bans Oakley from MSG: “We need to keep the Garden safe.”

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Knicks owner James Dolan has confirmed that Charles Oakley is indefinitely banned from Madison Square Garden.

Dolan appeared on Michael Kay’s show to explain his side, implying that Oakley was abusive and was possibly intoxicated. Oakley has maintained that he did nothing wrong and was surrounded by officials within 4 minutes of taking his seat.

“It’s very clear to us that Charles Oakley came to the Garden with an agenda,” said Dolan. “From the moment he stepped into the Garden he began with this behavior, this abusive behavior. Disrespectful behavior… Charles should have never made it to his seat.”

Aside from the ban, the most significant fallout has been Dolan’s firing of Frank Benedetto, MSG’s Senior VP of Security. The Knicks also sent out another video of the incident with 15 eyewitness accounts that allegedly support Dolan’s assertions.

Watch excerpts from Dolan’s interview below.

I know one thing — there better be huge Oakley chants all throughout tonight’s game. I’m sure in Dolan’s mind he’s saving the Knicks’ reputation by going on the radio and disparaging Oak as a out of control, alcoholic monster. All it’s doing is making the franchise look more dysfunctional and ironically in line with the public disrespect Phil Jackson has been laying on Melo in recent weeks.

The Knicks PR statement should have said an unfortunate incident and we’re working with our staff and Oakley to ensure it never happens again. Instead, this interview will prolong the media circus for weeks to come (possibly the rest of the season).

What a time to be a Knicks fan…

[Video] Charles Oakley Arrested and Charged for Fight During Knicks-Clippers Game

 

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Charles Oakley had a dubious homecoming tonight. A  shoving match with officials resulted in the Knicks legend being ejected from Madison Square Garden and arrested by the New York Police Department.

Details are sketchy, but Oak apparently got into some sort of dispute with Knicks owner James Dolan. Attempts to calm him were rebuffed as Oakley shoved and shouted at several Garden officials.

After Oakley was lead away and cuffed, Knicks president Phil Jackson reportedly attempted to calm Oakley one last time in the Garden tunnel.

The Knicks PR department released a brief statement that referenced Oakley’s behavior as “abusive.”

At press time, Oakley has been charged with three counts of assault and criminal trespassing. He is denying that he said anything to Dolan and was surrounded by security for no reason.

Dolan and Oakley have had a contentious relationship since the latter’s retirement. Oakley has been public in his criticism of Dolan’s leadership, prompting the Knicks owner to exclude Oakley from all events that have honored former players in recent years.

As if this season couldn’t get any more bizarre. Despite the circumstances, this is still more fight than the Knicks have shown lately. We’ll hear Oakley’s side soon enough.

 

Melo’s 31 Points Lifts Knicks Past Hawks 104-94

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Photo Credit: USA Today

Sunday’s game had the chance to be a defensive disaster when news hit that Joakim Noah was out. Dwight Howard did run rampant, but Carmelo Anthony’s 31 points and sound team defense gave the Knicks an impressive 104-94 win over the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden.

NOT WAVERING: The Knicks were locked in on defensive rotations. Outside of a few open treys, the Hawks had to work for every basket and only managed 40% from the field. Billy Hernangomez (7 points, 8 rebounds) and Kyle O’Quinn (8 points, 8 rebounds) harassed Dwight Howard (18 points, 18 rebounds, 6/12 FT) and made him work at the free throw line. And Derrick Rose (14 points, 7 assists) dominated his matchup with Dennis Schroder (0/8, 1 point).

MELO LEADS THE CHARGE: Melo’s offense set the tone, but it was team effort to get this one. Four of the starters hit double figures, including Porzingis with another double double (19 points, 11 rebounds). Courtney Lee chipped in 14 points and was excellent slashing to the rim and using his three-point shooting to stifle several Atlanta runs in the second half.

FOUR STRAIGHT AT HOME: The Knicks have done a fantastic job protecting home court by notching their four straight at Madison Square Garden. The challenge in channeling the focus on the road where too many times we’ve seen a lethargic ball club.

Next up is another home stand against the struggling Trailblazers, who are 1-4 over their last five games but come in off a 129-109 beatdown of the Brooklyn Nets.

 

[Video] Porzingis Drops Career-High 35 Points in Close Win Over Pistons

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We are privileged to watch the growth of a future superstar. Kristaps Porzingis delivered a career-high 35 points to lead the Knicks to a close 105-102 win over the Pistons at Madison Square Garden. Despite a focused game, the scrappy Pistons made sure the Knicks worked for this win until the final buzzer.

FEED THE BEAST: Melo said before the season that he’s never played with a weapon like Derrick Rose. That applies even more so to Porzingis, who feasted to a 25 point first half and truly showed how versatile (and scary) his game is. He worked unblockable fadeaways in the post, ran the floor for contested layups on fast breaks, and burned Detroit for three three-pointers. He shot 13/22 from the field and managed to get to the line seven times.

I said earlier in the week that Porzingis can take the reins at the #1 option in 2-3 years. But if he keeps up this pace, we might have a changing of the guard by next year.

MELO’S NOT TOO SHABBY: All the attention on KP should not negate another efficient game from Carmelo Anthony: 22 points (13/22), 5 rebounds and 3 assists. For this team to work, both guys need to continue being the one-two punch on scoring.

IMPROVED DEFENSE: We’re still a work in progress, but the last two games have shown some marked improvements. The Knicks are playing defense with their legs and stayed in front of their assignments. The Pistons were held to 12 free throw attempts compared to 19 for the Knicks. Joakim Noah’s (7 points, 15 rebounds, 3 blocks) defense, particularly in the first half on Andre Drummond, proved very effective. Drummond was contained to 15 points and 9 rebounds.

The glaring problem remains the three-point defense, which allowed Detroit to claw their way back in the fourth and nearly force overtime on the final play. Once that area gets under control, we’ll see a lot more easier wins.

SOLID BENCH PERFORMANCES: Justin Holiday (9 points, 5 rebounds) continued his solid play on both ends of the floor. Brandon Jennings was hot-dogging out there too much (got called for a carry), but his 7 assists keep the offense flowing in his 17 minutes. Kyle O’Quinn got the nod over Hernangomez and made the most of his 15 minutes. He tallied 6 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks (including one on Drummond) and 2 assists. Outside of KP, O’Quinn just might be our best post defender.

The Knicks complete their back to back tomorrow night in D.C. against the Wizards.

[Video] Ron Baker, Meet Bill Stiller

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Last night, rookie Ron Baker had an impromptu meeting with actor Bill Stiller during garbage time of the Knicks’ 93-77 victory of the Mavs. Baker crashed into Stiller while chasing a loose ball and stuck around for a quick dap after the play ended. Hey Ben, do the kid a solid and get him a small role in your next movie.

[Video] A Lineup That Works: KP Thrives At the 5, Knicks Crush Mavs 93-77

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Photo Credit: USA Today

NEW YORK — Coach Hornacek finally found a lineup that works. After a putrid first half where the Knicks managed only 36 points, Hornacek bench Joakim Noah and inserted Kristaps Porzingis at center, helping to ignite 30-12 third quarter that powered the Knicks to a much-needed 93-77 victory at Madison Square Garden. Will this lineup work every night? No, but it showed the unlimited potential of Porzingis when he doesn’t have to chase stretch 4s.

1st HALF SLEEPWALKING: With Dirk Nowitki and Deron Williams both out, you figured this would be an easy night for the Knicks. Instead they labored mightily on both ends. Harrison Barnes ran amuck for 16 first half points as Porzingis struggled to keep up with him off screens. Derrick Rose had to be benched with two fouls in the first. The Knicks trailed 23-15 after the opening quarter, shooting just 4/13 from the field. Melo was completely flat and shot 1-6 from the field.

The second unit, sporting Porzingis as the main offensive option, slowly got the Knicks back in it. KP had a sweet crossover and pullup jumper to get the Knicks within three (28-25). Nonetheless, the ball was sticking too much, and New York could only manage 5 assists and trailed 39-36 at the half.

EUREKA!: Hornacek hit pay dirt by sliding KP to center and inserting Justin Holiday in the starting lineup at power forward. Porzingis’ length and agility allowed him draw three fouls in the third on Andrew Bogut and force him to the bench with four fouls. And Holiday was able to not only keep up with Barnes, but get his own offense working via mid-range jumpers, cutting to the basket, and three pointers (16 points).

Everyone benefited from the floor spread. Melo looked like a new person out there, dropping a blistering 17 points in the third to push the Knicks to a double-digit lead going into the fourth.

OFFENSE AND DEFENSE: New York continued pouring it on the fourth. Melo and KP had their own scoring duel trading three-pointers. Porzingis also got busy in the post abusing smaller defenders and even paid homage to Dirk with a one-legged, turnaround bank shot. Melo and KP both finished with 24 points. Porzingis also added 11 rebounds.

More impressive than the offense was the defense. For the first time this season, the Knicks held an opponent under 80 points. There was no free throw disparity tonight — the Knicks made 16/18 free throws while holding the Mavs to 8/11 from the line.

Yes, we beat up on a depleted Mavs squad. But the Knicks had a continuity we haven’t seen since the Bulls win. They’ll need the same effort when we look for revenge on Wednesday against the Pistons.

Foul Happy Knicks Screw Themselves Against Jazz

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It was all good in the first quarter. Kristaps Porzingis (28 points) was cooking with his shot (4/5) and had 11 points. Carmelo Anthony (28 points) was picking spots and also had a scorching 4/5 start, leading to the duo accounting for 24 of the Knicks’s first 26 points, and a 30-20 first quarter lead.

Then the BS started. The game literally came to a grinding halt in the second quarter. The Knicks could not stop fouling. The Jazz knocked down 15 free throws in the quarter and were only down 54-49 despite shooting 38% from the field and the Knicks 51%. Exacerbating the problem was Porzingis got in foul trouble and had his rhythm broke. He wouldn’t score again until midway through the third quarter.

The Knicks had a scrappy third quarter as the Jazz found their offense. Utah briefly took a 62-60 lead, but a quick Courtney Lee (10 points) three put New York back in front. The Knicks clung to a 80-78 lead headed into the fourth.

The starters fought tooth and nail to hold the lead and had to sit to start the fourth.This proved disastrous as the bench unit couldn’t score and the Jazz promptly reeled off a 9-0 run to start the quarter and go up 87-80.

Then our defensive woes came back to bite us. A couple of strong Derrick Rose (18 points) drives would get the Knicks to within five (100-95), but we couldn’t hold defensively. Either Rodney Hood, who had 10 points in the fourth, would hit a timely three, or the Jazz would find an open mid-range jumper after breaking down our switching defense. The Jazz would have a 36-point fourth quarter and hand New York their second straight defeat at Madison Square Garden.

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100 points or more given up in every game this season. This defense is so bad, it makes me long for the days of Mike Woodson and Mike D’Antoni. Seriously, is it that hard to not play defense with your hands? Sure, Hornacek deserves some of the blame, but outside of KP this is a team composed of experienced players. They need to take some pride in fighting over screens and not being so dependent on a switch to bail them out (and in turn create more mismatches). Even the switching under Woodson wasn’t this bad.

Our defense was a godsend for the returning Gordon Hayward, who put up 28 points with HALF of them coming from the free throw line!

We have three days until we face the Nets on Wednesday. Our practices better consist of pick and roll defense drills and fighting over screens.

[Video] Derrick Rose Tells Bulls “Thank You” for Trade, Wants to Finish Career in NY

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Derrick Rose met the New York media for the first time today and officially began his tenure as a New York Knick. True to his personality, Rose was very candid about his thoughts on the trade and want he plans to accomplish going forward.

“I hope I can play the rest of my career here, but I understand this is a business,” said Rose, who’s in the last year of his contract. “We’ll see how this one year goes, but I’m putting my all into this. I’ve been working my butt off.”

Undoubtedly, the comment that will get the most airtime is Rose’s thoughts on why the Bulls traded him.

You can watch the full media day below.

 

Knicks Beat Okafor-Less Sixers 99-87

 

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This was one team we couldn’t lose to. With Jahlil Okafor serving the first of a two-game suspension for a street brawl in Boston, the Knicks were able to win this one “comfortably” despite a lazy fourth quarter that saw them post only 18 points.

Without Okafor, the Sixers relied on perimeter shooting. But three-point defense is one of New York’s strong points, and Philly only made nine on the night. On the offensive side, Kristaps Porzingis lead the way with 17 points and 10 rebounds for his ninth double double of the season. Arron Affalo chipped in 13 points while Carmelo Anthony, obviously hampered in his first game back from strep throat, had 12 points on 5/16 shooting.

The Knicks will battle the Friday Night Curse tonight with they meet the Brooklyn Nets.

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[Video] No Melo, No Closer: Knicks Blow 14-Point 4th Quarter Lead in OT Loss to Rockets

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Seth Wenig/AP

I was too pissed off to write about this game last night. After three quarters of competent basketball, the Knicks players and coaching staff reverted back to their worst traits and received the most crushing loss of the season in an overtime loss to the Rockets.

What makes this loss so heartbreaking and infuriating? Let’s look at a few facts.

  1. The Knicks shot 58% from the field.
  2. Without Melo (out with an illness), the two next best scorers stepped up big time — Arron Affalo had 31 points (13/19) 7 rebounds and 4 assists while Kristaps Porzingis chipped in 20 points, 13 rebounds and 2 blocks.
  3. New York was up by 14 points with less than 10 minutes left in the game.

AND WE STILL LOST!!! A closer look at the numbers reveals why.

  1. New York started playing defense with their hands in the fourth quarter and allowed Houston to live at the line. Overall, the Rockets got a staggering 36 trips to the charity stripe. Where some of those fouls suspect? Absolutely. But too often the Knicks put themselves in bad positions where the ref’s flaky dispositions become a factor.
  2. Horrible turnovers. This marked the fourth and OT with Calderon, normally reliable with the ball, having five of them. Galloway and Seraphin also had costly brain farts that allowed Houston to snatch the lead.
  3. Coach Fisher seemed to have a handle on the rotations until it counted. Kevin Serpahin had a great game off the bench (14 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks), but his turnovers (5) helped kill the team in crunch time. 32 minutes was probably too much and Robin Lopez’s defense would have been the better tradeoff.

A lot of fans have been complaining about the uncalled moving screen Dwight Howard put on Arron Affalo, which allowed Trevor Ariza to hit a dagger three-pointer. My issue is the Knicks should have never been in that position by allowing Houston to go on a 12-0 run to help push that game into OT.

On Wednesday, we play the Sixers, who at press time are still winless. We can’t possibly loss to them, right?

Right?!