kristaps porzingis

New York Knicks vs Indiana Pacers – 3/14/17 – Game Recap

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New York Knicks vs Indiana Pacers
March 14, 2017
Knicks 87, Pacers 81

Written by Eric Weinstein – @ericcweinsteinn

The Indiana Pacers aren’t fans of snow, apparently.

The blizzard in New York City couldn’t keep the basketball out of MSG tonight as the Indiana Pacers came to town to wrap up the season series against the Knickerbockers. In a season without many bright spots, the Knicks put on an excellent performance in their building, to give the fans something to cheer about. Kristaps Porzingis was the biggest story tonight, as he left the game with a leg thigh contusion, because this season can’t have a high, without delivering a low immediately afterwards.

After the exit of the unicorn, it was Carmelo Anthony and Willy Hernangomez who put the Knicks on their back in the fourth to lead the Knicks to a win, 87-81. Anthony and Hernangomez were scoring, defending, and rebounding at an incredible rate, as both men pulled down double-digit rebounds for their respective double-doubles. Carmelo scored 22 to lead the Knicks, and Hernangomez scored 13 points and grabbed 16 boards. Derrick Rose also scored 16 points and continued to knock down mid-range jumpers.

The biggest story from this game? Defense. The Knicks played excellent defense tonight, and you read that correctly. The Knicks ACTUALLY played tough defense against a decent opponent. Credit to these guys to playing hard all game long and showing fight in another lost season. The Knicks could have easily played down and crawled to the finish, but they hung tough to give the paying customers what they traveled through the snow to see.

Now, I know what you’re thinking, how could the guy who has been one of the biggest advocates of the tank be okay with a win against a playoff team? I’ll tell you why, it’s because even though it goes against what I really think the Knicks should be doing, I love this team too damn much to not be happy about a win. During the 17 win season, the Knicks won a few games at the end of the season that knocked their draft position back a few spots, but I don’t see a win like this mattering too much. Everyone has to accept the fact that New York will land somewhere between the 6-10 pick range, and that should be just fine for everyone. This team isn’t bad enough to get to the top-5 mark with such little time left in the season.

Knicks are back in action against the tank-a-licious Brooklyn Nets in another riveting battle for New York City. Get your popcorn ready, this one will be brutal. 27-41.

New York Knicks at Detroit Pistons – 3/11/17 – Game Recap

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New York Knicks at Detroit Pistons
March 11, 2017
Pistons 112, Knicks 92

Written by Eric Weinstein – @ericcweinsteinn

Same game, different day.

In what will be the final time the Knicks face the Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills, the Knicks once again failed to show up on the road. New York came out flat and allowed the Pistons to jump out to an early lead, one that was too much to overcome. New York showed fight and cut the deficit over the next three quarters, but were blown out at the end of the fourth.

Kristaps Porzingis led New York with 18 points to go along with 6 rebounds and 4 assists. He set up Willy Hernangomez on a number of nice bounce passes while set up in the post, passes that become possible through the triangle offense. Carmelo Anthony was invisible for another game, only scoring 13 points on 4-9 shooting, to go along with 4 assists. Chasson Randle made great use of more extended minutes to score 12 points, pull down 3 rebounds, and dish out 3 assists. The Knicks may have found something with this kid and he needs to see the floor more as the season comes to a close. Long Island product Tobias Harris led Detroit with 28 points, and Andre Drummond scored 24 points and grabbed 15 rebounds.

It’s just more of the same with the New York Knicks as we keep rolling along here, with the team not being committed on defense, as well as having difficulty with an often stagnant offense.

When Carmelo has nights like tonight, where he doesn’t seem to even be interested in the game, really, it’s going to be tough for the Knicks offense to get going. When the top gun struggles, the team will struggle.

I turned the game off midway through the fourth quarter. It’s just too painful.

After today, the Knicks are currently six games back of Milwaukee with Charlotte, Miami, and Chicago ahead of them. Barring a miracle, this team is not making the playoffs, and that’s easy to see. It makes sense for the Knicks to go into this last stretch of the season seeing what they have in some of the guys who don’t play much. Guys like Randle, Ron Baker, Mindaugus Kuzminskas, Marshall Plumlee, among others, should all be playing more than they are. The Knicks know what they have with guys like Derrick Rose and Courtney Lee, so why not see if these other guys have a future with the team? It’s an easy answer, one that the Knicks don’t seem to understand.

Another back to back situation on Sunday, as the Knicks fly home, but will need to hop on the subway to Brooklyn for a Sunday evening affair with the Brooklyn Nets. This game should be renamed the tankapalooza, considering the participants. Chin up everyone, it’ll all be over soon.

26-40.

Recap: New York Knicks vs Golden State Warriors

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New York Knicks vs Golden State Warriors

March 5, 2017

Warriors 112, Knicks 105

 by Eric Weinstein

We almost saw the impossible.

A sellout crowd at Madison Square Garden welcomed in the Golden State Warriors on a cold Sunday afternoon in the City. Most Knick fans, including myself, figured this game would be over quickly, but that wasn’t the case at all. The Knicks rose to the challenge and played some of their best basketball in a long time, albeit in a losing effort. I’m not one for the, “moral victory” but the Knicks should be proud of their effort on both ends of the floor. Granted, they gave up 112 points, but this is the most explosive offensive team in the NBA, so that could’ve been a lot worse. Kristaps Porzingis snapped out of his seemingly endless slump in a big way, going for 24 points and 15 rebounds, along with a couple of blocked shots. Derrick Rose was in vintage form as well, scoring 28 points and getting whatever he wanted on the offensive end. I’m ignoring his defense of course, but Rose was a blur offensively. Those two weren’t enough to stop the two time defending Western Conference Champs, however, as Steph Curry and Klay Thompson proved to be too much. The Splash Brothers (hate that name) combined for 60 points and continued to be the best backcourt in the NBA. Continue reading →

New York Knicks at Cleveland Cavaliers

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New York Knicks at Cleveland Cavaliers

February 23, 2017

Cavaliers 119, Knicks 104

“We’re back, and we’re the same as ever!” – The Knicks

So after a very New York Knicks trade deadline, where the Knicks made no moves to better the team right now, or better the team for the future, Carmelo Anthony led his team into the Quicken Loans Arena to battle LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and the Cleveland Cavaliers. It went exactly as you would think.

The Knicks got squashed tonight, and the score doesn’t do this beat down justice. Continue reading →

New York Knicks vs. Los Angeles Lakers – 2/6/17 – Game Recap

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New York Knicks vs. Los Angeles Lakers
February 6, 2017
Lakers 121, Knicks 107

I’m finished.

So after dealing with this one big crap of a Knicks season, it didn’t seem possible for the team to look any worse. They couldn’t possibly look any worse than they have, right?

Wrong.

The Knicks players, coaching staff, and front office should all be ashamed of themselves for the garbage that was on the floor against the Lakers, who by the way, had lost twelve straight on the road before Monday night. Twelve. There are so many things wrong with this team that I don’t even know where to start. Defense, rebounding, basically anything that has to do with effort, this team is bad at. They continue to look disinterested and unmotivated, and they’ve officially become unwatchable.

Carmelo Anthony needs to waive his no trade clause yesterday, because he’s going to go nowhere with this team. He scored 26 points in this one to lead the Knicks, with nobody else really bringing anything all that special to the table. Oh, and Derrick Rose was back, and he definitely looked like a guy who hadn’t played in over a week. He stunk up the joint. Also, Kristaps Porzingis needs to sit if he’s hurt, because all he is doing is giving himself a bigger chance of getting seriously injured. His shot is off, he couldn’t defend a fourth grader, he just doesn’t look like himself. There’s a conversation that needs to be had with him, and it needs to be done sooner rather than later. I know he wants to play, why wouldn’t he, but he’s only hurting the team with his current play. We all know he is better than what he is showing.

If the problem with this team is effort, than that starts with the coach. This is the first time all year I have thought Jeff Hornacek has looked overwhelmed, and I think he really doesn’t know what to do anymore. This team has a lot of moves to make at the trade deadline, and the trading block should have guys like Melo and Rose at the forefront.

Nobody but Porzingis and Willy Hernangomez should be untouchable. THINGS NEED TO CHANGE. NOW.

Sorry for the rant. If you want actual analysis on the game, here it is. The Knicks STUNK.

New York Knicks vs Charlotte Hornets – 1/27/17 – Game Recap

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New York Knicks vs Charlotte Hornets
Game 48: January 27, 2017
Knicks 110, Hornets 107

Written by Eric Weinstein – @ericcweinsteinn

Trade that.

As we all know, the Knicks have been on a rough stretch as of late. Coming into tonight’s game, the Knicks had dropped 14 of their last 18 games, and the finger pointing began. Heartbreaking loss after heartbreaking loss put the Knicks way back in the standings, and Carmelo Anthony has been put on the trading block. Tonight, was different. After the offense went stagnant in the fourth for a stretch, Courtney Lee happened, and the Knicks took over the game. The Hornets could not withstand this burst of offense late, and the Knicks held on to win the game, 110-107.

This was one of the best wins of the season for the Knicks, and is another one of those games where they will give me false hope. Kristaps Porzingis snapped out of his shooting funk, scoring 18 points on 8-11 shooting, even though he was in foul trouble most of the game. Carmelo finished with 18 points on a rough shooting night, but he drilled a jumper to seal the deal at the end of the fourth.

It’s been a really rough month for the Knicks and their fans, and with everything seemingly going down the toilet, the Knicks pulled out a fun win. Stopping all-star guard Kemba Walker, Nicolas Batum, and the Hornets is a tough task, but the Knick defense stepped up in a big way in the fourth quarter. The insertion of Kyle O’Quinn was huge for the team as well, as his brand of defense was exactly what the Knicks needed. Key blocks at the end of the game, along with some big rebounds were what paced the Knick defense. No Noah in sight, I don’t even think he played in the second half, but I could be wrong.

The one negative in this game was the Derrick Rose injury. The back spasms early in the season were the only blemish on the Rose injury record for the year, and tonight another injury reared its ugly head. Even though his defense has been awful, Rose has brought a spark to the offense when he gets into the lane, and he’s been much better than Brandon Jennings this year.

Granted, Jennings was great filling in for Rose tonight, but if the Knicks want to turn this around with the current roster they have, Rose needs to be healthy.

New York goes down to Georgia and they’re looking for a game to steal, and they’ll take on the Atlanta Hawks. The last time the Knicks and Hawks played at the Garden, it was the Hawks who came away with a tough win. The Knicks will need the same contributions from Courtney Lee and Brandon Jennings if they want to leave Atlanta with a win. Here’s hoping they build on this one. Don’t look now, but the Knicks are only two games out of the eighth seed. 21-27.

New York Knicks vs Washington Wizards – 1/20/17 – Game Recap

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New York Knicks vs Washington Wizards
Game 44: January 20, 2017

Written by Eric Weinstein – @ericcweinsteinn

The Knicks hate me. That’s what I’ve decided.

After a great bounce back win in Boston last night, the Knicks came right back and took on John Wall and the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden. After fighting back to take the lead late in the fourth, the fake comeback struck again, and the Knicks lost to the wizards, 113-110. Carmelo Anthony set a Knicks record with 25 points in the 2nd quarter, and finished with 34 points and 10 rebounds. Kristaps Porzingis returned from his Achilles injury and scored 15 points off the bench. Derrick Rose added 20 points. John Wall led the way for Washington, with 29 points and 13 assists.

New York was riding high after one of their best wins of the season in Boston on Wednesday night, and the effort was there once again tonight against Washington. The only thing missing from this team is the ability to close out these games, and, you know, that whole, “defense” thing. The Knicks took the lead on a Derrick Rose layup late in the fourth, but they just couldn’t hold on defensively on the final few possessions.

Everything was clicking tonight for the Knicks offensively, and that continues to be the strength of this team. Only problem is, this team would have trouble guarding my 2016 summer league team that made it to the final four of the playoffs. HOW do you give up 100 points in 3 quarters? That is unacceptable effort from an NBA team.

I understand that the Wizards have one of the most talented guards in the NBA on their team, but somebody has to step up and take on the challenges of guarding him, whether it’s Courtney Lee, Derrick Rose, or whoever.. There’s no reason he should’ve carved up the Knick defense like he did. Inexcusable.

Now let’s go back to the last play of the game. I didn’t notice this from my seat, but did everyone see that the Washington assistant was literally on the court next to Courtney Lee when he got the ball? Not that it matters, but what is the NBA going to do about that? That changed the whole last play of the game, and it could very well be the reason Lee pump faked before dribbling inside the arc.

The Knicks just invent new ways to lose a ballgame every night. Saturday is against Phoenix. I’ll be at that one too. They better win. 19-25.

Porzingis Wallpaper

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Our friend Chris made these awesome Porzingis wallpapers to cheer us all up.  Enjoy!

zinger-unicorn zinger-nykp-orange zinger-nykp-blue

Episode 362: Some Positivity

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Marc and Jay talk about the last few games, Phil’s breakup, George Carl’s comments, trade deadline, the ever improving bench

Download Episode 362

Listen to Episode 362 on ITunes

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or check out the rest of the Almighty Baller Podcast Network at AlmightyBaller.com.

IT’S TIME FOR HORNACEK TO STEP IT UP

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IT’S TIME FOR HORNACEK TO STEP IT UP

 Written by Guillem – @GoodOldLiam

Don’t get me wrong. I like what Hornacek has done so far.

Did I expect more? Not really. I liked what he did in Phoenix. How he had a creative offense, a fun team to watch. How he did the A/B teams, showing he will get the best out of the full roster. And I like his character.

He’s just done what I expected; I expected very good things from him.

Now he needs to find ways to improve the performance of the team. Not just wins. Offense and defense.

Right now we are 14th in offense and 25th in defense. With a net rating of -2.9, we are the 20th best team. However, in terms of winning %, we are 12th.

What does that mean? Continue reading →