NEW YORK CITY — The Brooklyn Nets blew a 16-point second half lead, but were saved by the Brook Lopez putback with 2 seconds left to hand the New York Knicks their eighth consecutive loss.
The Nets rode the output of Lopez (18 points, 7 rebounds, 5 blocks) and Deron Williams, the latter having one of his best games of the season with 26 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists.
The Knicks struggled for most of the game but ignited a 17-7 run to start the fourth. Rookie Cleanthony Early (14 points) was a focal point and eventually tied the game on a 3-pointer with 1:07 left. Unfortunately, Early would miss a game-winning three on the final play. Andrea Bargnani also had a solid game on the offensive end with 22 points.
The Nets win gives them their first 4-0 season sweep of the Knicks since moving to Brooklyn. New York travels to Washington D.C. on Friday to face the Wizards.
Last night, losing was unacceptable. With Knick favorite Anthony Mason passing away not even 24 hours beforehand, the Knicks dedicated the game to him and showed effort that would’ve made Big Mase proud in igniting a late 10-0 fourth quarter run to hold off the Toronto Raptors.
Langston Galloway was the hero for the second consecutive night by hitting a late three-pointer. Against the Pistons, the shot took the Knicks into overtime where they eventually outlasted them in double OT. With the Raptors, Galloway got the ball with 5 seconds left on the shot clock and put New York up 103-98 with 13 seconds left. That game-icing bucket was only Galloway’s second field goal of the night.
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The game had been a tight affair most of the night with neither team being up more than a few points. The Knicks tried pulling away in the third but couldn’t contain Lou Williams from going off and dropping 12 points in the quarter. In the fourth, the Knicks’ ball movement and energy surged them to 10 straight points for a 90-79 lead with under five minutes left. The Knicks then got sloppy, allowing the Raptors to hit a few threes and free throws to pull within 2 to set up Galloway’s heroics.
The Knicks will be back in action on Tuesday March 3 against the Kings.
Former Knicks forward Anthony Mason, who came to epitomize the hard-nosed defense of the early to mid 90s New York teams, has died at 48 due to complications from congestive heart failure.
The New York Knicks and Mason’s son, Anthony Mason Jr., confirmed the news this morning. Mason had been hospitalized since early February after undergoing multiple heart surgeries.
“Overnight, New York City and the world lost a legend, a friend, a brother… but more than anything our father, Anthony Mason,” said Mason Jr. “As you all would expect our father, Big Mase, put up an incredible fight, dealing with a severe heart issue. I’m wishing this was something else I was writing, but Pops we’ve got to let you know we love you and know you’ll always be with us.”
At 6’7 with a massive and muscular build, Anthony Mason was one of the NBA’s more intimidating players due to his physical defense. He spent five years with the Pat Riley-coached Knicks, winning the 1994 Sixth Man of the Year award and being instrumental in the team reaching the NBA Finals that year. He was traded in 1996 to the Charlotte Hornets and later spent time with the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat.
At press time, funeral arrangement have not been announced.
Carmelo Anthony will announce the end of his season later today to undergo left knee surgery, per NBA sources.
Anthony has played most of the season with recurring left knee soreness, forcing the Knicks to reduce his minutes and allow sit-outs on back to back games. Before last Sunday’s All-Star game, Anthony told the media that he’d likely forego the rest of the season for surgery.
Anthony’s knee ailment was revealed as requiring left knee patella tendon debridement and repair. Per Knicks president Phil Jackson, Anthony will be sidelined 4-6 months.
What we’re finding out from the medical is on court, it could be four to six months. We can’t put it at a timetable until after the surgery. But that’s what they’re saying. They say it can be anywhere between four to six months for Carmelo to be back on the floor.
But we’re really confident he’ll heal well and he’ll be fine
The Knicks limped into All-Star weekend on a five game losing streak and currently sport the worst record in the league at 10-43.
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I’ve seen some people online trying to spin this into another reason to criticize Melo for being selfish and not looking out for the team. In reality, this is a move to ensure the team’s future.
Even if Melo started playing the best basketball of his life, this Knicks team has no chance of making the playoffs. Further play only risks creating an even more serious knee injury and putting the future production of our franchise player in peril. Letting the team continue on this path sans Melo keeps the Knicks in play for a top draft pick and also opens another roster spot for our young D-League talent to gain experience.
With all that said, the disaster that has been the 2015 season is humbling. JR, Shump, Melo and Stat are all off the floor in a matter of months.
After 24 hours of speculation, the New York Knicks confirmed the waiver of veteran forward Amar’e Stoudemire this afternoon.
Stoudemire, who signed as a star free agent in 2010 for $100 million, was integral in helping the Knicks return to the playoffs after seven years of futility. Carmelo Anthony came mid-season and many expected the pair to be a dominant 1-2 punch in the coming years. Unfortunately, debilitating and recurring injuries to both knees kept Stoudemire sidelined for prolonged stretches.
Those injuries would force him to accept minute restrictions and a bench role. After averaging 25 points his first year in New York, Stoudemire’s production has fallen to 12 points the last two seasons.
“I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to contribute positively on the court and in the community,” Stoudemire said in a prepared statement. “Although I leave the Knicks with a heavy heart, I wish the organization the best of luck. Once a Knick always a Knick,”
Stoudemire also took to his Instagram to send out a farewell “poem” to fans.
NY NY what a beautiful city A place where you can hang out with Anna, JayZ & Diddy
Its a place absent of excuses and patience If your smart, you can meet leaders of every nation
NY NY big city of dreams Everything in NY isnt always what it seems
In the land where the jungle is concrete The money flows Dow Jones and Wall Street
Home of #STATcity and the #Knickstape Orginator, Shalom to all my fans, Salute to all my haters.
Peace and Love Amar’e Carsares Stoudemire Sr.
At press time, Stoudemire is seeking to join a championship contender with teams such as the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks showing interest.
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This was the best move for all involved. With the team going nowhere this season and Amar’e’s health disqualifying him from getting another significant contract here, parting ways ASAP made perfect sense. This opens up the roster for the Knicks to call up one of their D-League prospects to get valuable NBA game experience, such as Thanasis Antetokounmpo.
Signing Stoudemire to $100 million was a huge gamble. Ultimately, it was disappointment due to Stat’s body not being able to hold up as a first option, and the fiscal constraints that contract put on acquiring new talent.
If you could go back in time, would you still sign Stat?
The Knicks notched their third straight home victory last night with an impressive win over the Thunder. Although playing without Kevin Durant (sprained left foot big toe), New York had to contend with Russell Westbrook, who torched the Knicks earlier this year. This time around, Westbrook went for 40 points (13-30 shooting), but couldn’t overcome the Knicks three-pronged attack of Carmelo Anthony (31 points, 10 rebounds), Langston Galloway (18 points) and Lance Thomas (17 points).
The game was tightly contested the entire way and came down for the fourth quarter, where New York’s season has been mired by heart-breaking collapses. Tim Hardaway Jr. (14 points) was pivotal in keeping the Knicks in front with three 3-pointers in the period. New York had an 11-point lead with under three minutes to go, but saw that sliced to five in the final minute due to porous defense. Lance Thomas, on his second 10-day contract, hit a short turnaround jumper to ice the game with 45 seconds left.
Two unheralded contributors last night were Jason Smith (11 points, 11 rebounds) and Lou Amundson (5 points, 10 rebounds).
The Knicks are back in action tonight on the road against Indiana.
Make that 10 straight losses. The Knicks suited up just nine players tonight against the Pistons and spent most of the game in an offensive and defensive fog, going down by as many as 30 points before settling on a 97-81 defeat. Game like this don’t yield many positives. However, the game’s last few minutes allowed for a few moments of cheering.
EARLY PROVIDES A SPARK: Rookie Cleathony Early suited up for the first time since mid-November after going down with a knee injury. Nothing about his numbers tonight will jump out at you — 5 points, 1 rebounds and a steal in 14 minutes of play. But the rook showed strong effort. His most notable moment was a coast-to-coast drive that resulted in a three-point play opportunity. His ethusiasm picked up the energy of the rest of the team and got JR nailing a few threes to bring the lead back under 20.
With only a two minutes left, the fans knew the Knicks wouldn’t be overcoming a 16-18 point deficit. But the fact the team actually gave a damn resulted in loud cheers that would make you believe we were watching a tight playoff game.
Early hasn’t been tainted yet by the constant losing. Fisher should keep him in rotation and maybe his youthful enthusiasm will get contagious.
ANGRY BOOS: Before the late run, most of the night was filled with irate boos from the Garden faithful. The Pistons started pulling away in the second via an 11-0 run that put them up 40-27. With their best players out (Melo, Hardaway Jr, Stoudemire etc.), that Knicks were relegated to contested jumpshots and were shooting well under 40% They were outscored 33-18 in the second and down 58-37 at halftime.
The hammering continued in the third with Brandon Jennings sinking repeated threes. The fans were booing at every intermission and each time it seemed to sap the team’s focus and confidence. The lowest point came with Jennings hitting a three at the end of the third that put the deficit at 82-52.
RANDOM NOTES: JR Smith lead the team with 22 points, going 8/20 from the field (mostly due to chucking threes in the final minutes). Cole Aldrich had a solid outing against Andre Drummond with 11 points, 14 rebounds and 3 blocks. Drummond had a low scoring night (7 points), but was a beast on the boards with 20 rebounds.
Andrea Bragnani was playing just his second game this season when he re-aggravated his right calf and left after a minute. No word on how much time he’s expected to miss.
The Knicks’ challenges mount as the team will play tough teams over the next week in the Grizzlies, Rockets, and Wizards.
Tonight wasn’t so bad, but I’m not sure what tomorrow will bring. – CARMELO ANTHONY
Melo’s above quote was about his sore left knee, but easily could have been attributed to the team’s performance in last night’s 99-78 defeat to the Clippers. Melo had 19 points (7/18 shooting) and was the only Knick to hit double figures. No one shot well, as evidenced by the team shooting 38% overall and 23% from downtown. The Clippers had six players hit double figures. DeAndre Jordan ran amuck in the paint to the tune of 14 points and 12 rebounds.
New York’s inept perimeter defense provided a feast for JJ Redick, who scored 20 points. The game essentially went out of reach in the third when the Clippers turned a 10-point lead into 23 courtesy of a 13-0 run.
Andrea Bargnani made his return and scored 9 points (4/11) in 19 minutes of play. JR Smith also returned and had 7 points (3/10) in 17 minutes off the bench.
When the 2014-2015 season ends, the month of December will be remembered by Knicks fans as when we realized this team was hopeless. You think I’m exaggerating? Let’s review some of the frightening stats of NY futility.
– For December, the Knicks lost 15 games, setting a new franchise record for the most losses in one month.
– Third worst in defensive efficiency, eclipsed only by the Timberwolves and Lakers.
– Fourth worst in rebounding efficiency (second worst in defensive rebounding).
– Second worst in pace (the number of possessions per 48 minutes)
The team is currently on a nine game losing streak and holds a 5-29 record (second worst in the NBA). At one point, the Knicks lost 19 of 20 games.
Make sure you start watching college games, because there’s no way this team doesn’t end up with a Top 3 pick.
Back to back losses on layups…LAYUPS. God hates us.
As commentator Mike Breen said in the seconds following Kemba Walker’s game-winning, easy layup drive, “The pain continues.” Coming from 20 points down mid third-quarter, the Knicks, lead by Carmelo Anthony’s game-high 32 points, staged an impassioned comeback that can down to one defensive stop with 4 seconds left. And as we’ve seen countless times over last two seasons, a speedy guard easily got into the pain the Knicks had their hearts broken.
For most the game, the Knicks appeared disjointed on defense. They couldn’t defend perimeter threes and guys like Lance Stephenson slashed to the basket at will. Melo had 15 first half points, but he still looked deflated from Thursday’s game where he shot a vile 21% from the field.
Then a light switch went off in the third quarter. Melo’s jumper started following along with And 1’s in the paint. Tim Hardaway Jr and JR Smith started going lights off from three. For most of the fourth, the Knicks hovered with an 8-10 point deficit before Melo’s back to back 3s gave the Knicks a 102-101 lead. NY had the chance to get the lead to 3, but Melo missed a short bassline jumper that set up Walker’s heart-breaking layup.
There were a lot of grumblings as to who was at fault on that drive. Should Prigioni have been more aggressive in taking the foul to give to get more time off the clock? Should Melo have jumped out quicker to stifle Kemba’s drive? Should Stoudemire have read Walker’s move quicker to get a better chance at altering the shot?
For me, teams win and lose together. Had the Knicks played with the 4th quarter intensity that had them outscore Charlotte 33-18 for the ENTIRE contest, the game would not have been decided in this manner.
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