Recaps

New York Knicks Vs Toronto Raptors – 11/12/16 – Game Recap

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New York Knicks Vs Toronto Raptors
Game 9: November 12, 2016
Raptors 118, Knicks 107

Written by Eric Weinstein – @ericcweinsteinn

Can SOMEBODY play some defense?

On the second night of a back to back, the Knicks lost another tough game, as they dropped this one to the Toronto Raptors, 118-107. Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks with 31 points, but that wasn’t enough to defeat the Raptors. DeMar DeRozan, the NBA’s leading scorer, paced Toronto with 33 points.

Takeaways from this game:

This team cannot defend, which should be news to nobody:

I don’t know if I could count how many easy baskets the Raptors scored tonight. Whether it was Kyle Lowry and Norman Powell getting to the rim, or open threes for the Raptors shooters, it was they were warming up. And when the Knicks decided to try and play solid D, they ended up bailing them out with a foul, (See, “Courtney Lee“ who had a tough time guarding DeRozan in the third quarter). The Raptors took 38 free throw attempts, making 33, and shot 47 percent from the field. Watching Raptors players drive past Joakim Noah (who did have a really nice game with 18 rebounds) was so frustrating, and the fouling by basically everyone on the roster was maddening. Clyde always says, “Play defense with you feet, and not your hands.” Maybe they should’ve hired him as the defensive coach.

DeMar DeRozan is a problem:

This dude can fill it up. DeRozan had 33 points tonight, which is actually one point below his average for the season, but the way he scores is so fun to watch. DeRozan barely takes any shots from behind the arc, and is so smooth with his drives to the rim and mid-range jumpers. A true throwback, and fun to watch. It would be more fun if he didn’t play for a team in the same division, but what can you do.

KP’s Dunk:

Not a lot to say about this, only that it was so dope. Love this man.

Other notes:

The story of this game was defense. The Knicks scored 107 points, which is more than enough to win in the NBA. Derrick Rose, Carmelo Anthony, and Kristaps Porzingis all looked great on the offensive end of the floor, but the team defense is atrocious, and you don’t need me to tell you that. Until that improves, the Knicks are going to lose a lot of games like this. The bright spot in this game is that they really competed against a team that most people would say is better than them, and hung around the whole game. It was about as intense and entertaining as a November game could get. The Knicks get the injury riddled Dallas Mavericks on Monday night at the Garden, led by Harrison Barnes. Let’s hope they learn how to defend before that one. 3-6.

New York Knicks at Boston Celtics – 11/11/16 – Game Recap

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New York Knicks at Boston Celtics
Game 8: November 11, 2016
Celtics 115, Knicks 87

Written by Eric Weinstein – @ericcweinsteinn

Yeah, that was awful.

After a solid win to get everyone feeling good about this team, the Knicks looked terrible in Boston on Friday night. They got blown out of the gym, 115-87. New York let poor officiating take them out of the game and result in multiple technical fouls, including Carmelo Anthony getting ejected from the game in the second quarter. They never found a groove after Melo’s unceremonious exit, and it was garbage time early in the fourth quarter.

Takeaways from this game:

More Willy, more fun:

There weren’t too many bright spots in this game, but a definite plus was the play of Willy Hernangomez off the bench. In his second straight game with extended minutes, Hernangomez finished with 8 points, 12 rebounds, a block, and 3 assists. His defense was iffy, but he looks more comfortable out there, and in time, will learn how to play defense in the NBA.

A new Knick killer:

Paul Pierce isn’t be a Celtic anymore, so the role of Knicks killer has been filled in by Isaiah Thomas. Thomas had 29 points on 9/17 shooting, and was perfect from the line, 8/8. This guy is amazing, and I love to watch him play against the other 28 teams in the NBA, just not tonight.

Also, the whole, “Marcus Smart plays physical” is code for, “Marcus Smart gets no fouls called on him.” I mean, he was beating the crap out of whoever he was guarding, which leads to…

Refs were trash:

I’m one of those guys who NEVER blames a game on officials because my Dad has been officiating basketball for about 8 years, but this was horrible. Tony Brothers and his crew were just awful tonight, as every call seemed to go the Celtics way. That’s not why the Knicks lost by 28, but the calls took the Knicks out of the game, literally in Carmelo’s case. Even Breen and Clyde were complaining.

Other Notes:

Courtney Lee, Derrick Rose, Kristaps Porzingis and Brandon Jennings all had off nights tonight, and when that happens it’s going to be a tough one. The Knicks need two of those four guys to have good games every night if they want to have a chance to win, especially when Melo is unavailable. Also, does Sasha need to shoot from 30 feet EVERY time he catches the ball? That’s me nitpicking, but I digress.

Knicks need to have a short memory, as they take on DeMar, “All of a sudden I’m Michael Jordan” DeRozan and the Toronto Raptors tomorrow night in Canada at 7:30. Hey, at least Carmelo will be well rested!

New York Knicks vs Brooklyn Nets – 11/9/16 – Game Recap

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New York Knicks vs Brooklyn Nets
Game 7: November 9, 2016
Knicks 110, Nets 96

Written by Eric Weinstein – @ericcweinsteinn

The EuroKnicks came to play!

After all the talk of too much triangle and Kurt Rambis taking over as the defensive coach, the Knicks came and played a solid basketball game, as they defeated the Nets at the MSG, 110-96.

Takeaways from this game:

Defense:

Even though it was against the rebuilding with no draft picks Nets, this was the best game the Knicks played on the defensive side of the ball. After giving up 55 points in the first half, they tightened up the defense and gave up only 41 points in the second half. A huge improvement from the past few games. This is also the first time the Knicks hadn’t given up 100 points in the game. Baby steps, as the defense still needs to improve if they expect to compete with the better teams in the NBA.

The Bench:

Could the Knicks perhaps have (gasp), a playable bench? Well, Willy Hernangomez, Mindaugus Kuzminskas, and Brandon Jennings were excellent off the bench in the second half. Jennings had his best game as a Knick, with a season high 11 assists. The biggest positive of the game was Hernangomez though, as he definitely locked up the backup center spot for at least another game (sorry KO). 14 points on 6-7 shooting with 6 rebounds in 15 minutes? Sounds great to me. Can’t expect this every night, but the defense and ball movement was awesome to watch. The lineup with Jennings, Vujacic, Kuz, KP, and Hernangomez was a lot of fun as well.

KP on the P&R:

Finally, we get to Porzingis.

I still don’t know why it took the Knicks this long to realize that Porzingis in the pick and roll is their best offense. After too much triangle, KP started playing pick and roll with Jennings and immediately hit consecutive threes, and had an and one dunk after a sweet pass from Jennings.

Why the Knicks don’t run that every time down the court is beyond me. He finished with 21 points on 7-15 shooting, 8 boards, and 2 blocks.

Oh yeah, and Carmelo Anthony, Derrick Rose, and Courtney Lee had a combined 49 points.

Solid outing from those three, even though Melo only really had it going in the third quarter.

This was a solid game to build on, with a tough matchup in Boston this Friday, as they look to get back to .500 with a win there. 3-4.