Overreaction Theater: Knicks vs. Heat

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OH MY GOD THE KNICKS ARE THE BEST TEAM IN THE LEAGUE!

Not really, but it sure looked like it last night as the Knicks defeated the evil Miami Heat 104-84 at the Garden. Not only was this game great to watch from the offensive (19-36 on threes!) and defensive (the Heat shot under 50% and had 21 turnovers) ends, but it showed fans something we hadn’t seen in some time. The Knicks closed a game. Up 15 in the second quarter, I was convinced the Knicks would lose by about eight. That sentiment stayed with me until about half-way through the third. Regardless of the result, we learned a few things from this game that provide reason for analysis after the first game of the season. Let’s take a look at a few of them.

Remember the Guards?
Remember when I said that the guards were the keys to this team? Well that was certainly the case last night. Raymond Felton looked like the quickest guard in the league (and finished with 14 points, nine assists, and three steals) while Jason Kidd’s smarts on the perimeter led to steals, unselfish play, and more than a few open three-pointers (Kidd finished with three assists, two steals, and three three-pointers). Pablo Prigioni looked timid on offense and lost on defense, but he’s not going to play much this year. Ronnie Brewer also came out and played very hard defense, harassing LeBron James for most of the night. Above all else, though, Felton and Kidd were outstanding last night. Continue reading →

HOLY CRAP KNICKS WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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I know it was only the first of 82 games but I am freakin ecstatic that Knicks won tonight. No disrespect to the Nets – there will be plenty of time to disrespect the Nets later in the year – but beating Miami was so much cooler than beating the Nets would have been to start the season. The Knicks were not flawless tonight but they played aggressive, were tough on D and hit about a thousand three pointers. Everyone predicted tonight would be a blowout but no one thought it would be one for the Knicks and I guess that is why you play the game.  Here are my thoughts on tonight:

  • This is why it is nice to have actual point guards. The triple headed monster of Felton-Kidd-Prigi looked real good tonight.
  • Dwayne Wade said tonight’s game should not have been played and apparently in honor of that statement Miami took the night off.
  • Carmelo was awesome then not awesome and then awesome again. I feel like Carmelo is going to drive me crazy all season but I loved the fact that he had energy and actually tried on defense.
  • JR Smith was not awesome. At some points it seemed like he was having a contest with Carmelo to see who could take a more ill-advised shot.
  • I don’t know about you but I sure missed Amare’s lack of defense and lane clogging on offense.  Continue reading →

Knicks vs. Heat 11/2/12 – Game Thread

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Finally, games that count!  Win or lose I’m so excited to watch an actual meaningful game.  Thoughts, predictions, rants, comments, etc go here.

Western Conference Preview

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Western Conference Preview

Oklahoma City Thunder – I do not like the Harden trade for this season. The Thunder might be better in the long run, but when you are so close to a title, why mess with it? Kevin Martin can flat out score, but he couldn’t guard me. That’s going to be a problem in the playoffs. His scoring will get them a lot of wins in the regular season though.

Los Angeles Lakers – It always works out for the Lakers. They were able to turn Bynum into Dwight Howard AND add Steve Nash. A Nash, Bryant, Peace, Gasol, Howard starting lineup is as good as it gets. Their bench is pretty terrible, but once the playoffs start and the starters play extended minutes, it won’t matter as much. The window for this unit to win is fairly small since 4 out of 5 of the starters are nearing the end of their careers, but they are on the short list of contenders this year.

San Antonio Spurs – The Spurs are one of the two teams in the conference (league?) that are two deep at every position. That means less minutes for Duncan and Ginobili which in theory will preserve them for the playoffs. This team should take a look at the standings near the end of the season and “adjust” their lineup to try and avoid a 1st round matchup against the Grizzlies. Continue reading →

New York Knicks Season Preview: Groundhog Day Edition

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Ah, another season for the New York Knicks. My time as a Knicks fan has been long and at times, arduous, and this season will probably be much of the same. Due toDespite its best efforts, management has turned this team into a slightly more competent version of what the ‘Bockers trotted out for years under *gasp* Isaiah Thomas. Under ‘Zeke, New York had a team that was full of weird and bad contracts for overpriced subs (Shandon Anderson, Othella Harrington, and Nazr Mohammed) and a disappointing, enigmatic “superstar” (Stephon Marbury) that wasn’t as terrible as some might remember (they never finished with a bottom-five record in the league). Now, the Knicks’ roster is full of overpaid subs (Marcus Camby, Jason Kidd, and yes, Steve Novak) and a disappointing, enigmatic “superstar” (Amare Stoudemire). You ever seen the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray? I feel like my Knicks fandom is a living parallel. Now, granted, this team has two other top-25 players in Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler, but it feels like we’ve been here before. I’m already waiting out the STAT contract like I’ve waited out Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph before him, and I feel like this team is just as mismanaged as its been in the past. Despite all this, without further ado, here’s my preview for 2012-2013 New York Knicks season.

What Are the Keys to the Season? Continue reading →

Episode 151: Games that Matter

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Seth Rosenthal from PostingandToasting.com join us on todays show.  Possible rotations now that Amare is out longer than expected, players that will make the biggest leap/regression, game 1 and 2 predictions, reactions to the James Harden trade and more.  Download Episode 151

Eastern Conference Preview

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Miami Heat – The defending champs replaced Ronny Turiaf and Eddy Curry with Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis and Josh Harrellson. The rich got richer this offseason. All Ray Allen, arguably the best 3 point shooter of all time, has to do is hit wide open 3′s off of LeBron and Wade double-teams. Unless Wade breaks down (I won’t even say LeBron as I’m not sure he’s human) the Eastern Conference playoffs start with a finals rematch against Boston.

Jeff Green is back

Boston Celtics – Boston replaced Ray Allen with Courtney Lee and Jason Terry. They got rid of a bunch of players who weren’t contributing much (Marquis Daniels, Ryan Holins, Jermaine O’Neal and Greg Stiemsma)and replaced them with Leandro Barbosa, Jason Collins, Jared Sullinger and Darko Milicic. Jeff Green is also healthy this season which will enable Boston to rest Paul Pierce more than last year. They are still going to be a great defensive team, but now have scoring options at every position. When Avery Bradley comes back, this team is super deep and clearly the #1 threat to dethrone Miami in the east. Continue reading →

Chris Copeland Is a Knick

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Welcome to the team Chris. Hope you survive the experience.

Chris Copeland is officially a Knick.  Lets face it with Amare out until who knows when, Camby still out, Rasheed never in and Chandler banged up it would have been insane for Chris not to make the roster.  With Kurt Thomas and Tyson Chandler as our only bigs who will allegedly be healthy for game one it looks like we’ll get to see what Chris can do in games that matter early in the season.  Hopefully this feel-good story continues once the season starts.

Episode 150: Brewer in, Amare out

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Jesse from thecultjar.com joins us today.  We talk about preseason, Amare’s most recent injury and what that means for the lineup, debating who out of the 16 players ranked ahead of Melo we would trade Melo for, Dwight Howard found something new to whine about and much more.  Download Episode 150

Amare Stoudemire out 2-3 Weeks

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We won’t be seeing this for a while

OK we all knew he wasn’t going to play 82 games, but after missing 3 out of 4 preseason games Amare is now out for 2-3 weeks with a ruptured popliteal cyst behind his left knee.  Yes it’s the knee he had micro-fracture surgery on.  It’s not serious, but he won’t be ready for the beginning of the season.

So will Woodson do what everyone hopes and move Melo to the 4 until Amare comes back or will we see Kurt Thomas and Chris Copeland man the 4?  And how many more injuries before this officially becomes the worst contract in the NBA?