Marc and Jay talk about the past weeks games, the all of a sudden good bench, Noah’s struggles, the team meeting, and much more
porzingis
New York Knicks vs Charlotte Hornets – 11/25/16 – Game Recap
New York Knicks vs Charlotte Hornets
Game 15: November 25, 2016
Knicks 113, Hornets 111 OT
Written by Eric Weinstein – @ericcweinsteinn
flagrant2blog.blogspot.com/
A block party at MSG.
The Knicks won an overtime thriller at the Garden on Friday night in the first leg of a home and home with the Charlotte Hornets, 113-111. Carmelo Anthony iced the game with a turnaround jumper with 3.1 seconds to go, and had an impressive stat line to say the least. 35 points, a season high 14 rebounds, and 5 assists for the Knicks star forward. Kristaps Porzingis, who was in foul trouble for most of the game, ended up with 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 impressive blocks. Derrick Rose 16 points and 5 assists, and blocked Kemba Walker in the final seconds of overtime for the win. Walker had 17 points and 3 assists, and Nicolas Batum led the team with 18 points.
Takeaways from this game:
Interior Defense:
Even though there are still a lot easy baskets in the lane, the interior defense in the second half was much improved. The highlight plays were obvious, with KP and Melo coming up with impressive blocked shots, as well as Rose with the game clincher. Blocked shots could be a strength for this team, with good shot blockers like KP, Joakim Noah, and Kyle O’Quinn all good-to-great interior defenders. The blocks lead to easy opportunities in transition and mismatches on the other end.
Clutch Gene:
What I feel is the biggest takeaway from this game is that the Knicks can go a number of different ways at the end of close games. The Knicks have the big three of Anthony, Porzingis, and Rose, who can all step up and take the final shot of a game. Rose and Anthony took turns in the fourth quarter and overtime, and KP hit a huge three pointer with about 40 seconds to go in OT. Iso-Melo may have ended this one, but it’s not the only option like it has been in the past. A refreshing change.
Joakim Noah:
It’s beginning to be a problem that the Knicks spent all this money on a center who doesn’t play in the fourth quarter or overtime. 72 million dollars for 18 minutes? And to not even do much in those 18 minutes? 6 points and 8 rebounds are good numbers if you’re a role player, not if you’re expected to produce at a near max contract level like Noah is. This is a problem that is only going to get worse. Guys like KO and Willy Hernangomez are out-producing Noah on both ends, and they make far less money. The Knicks just need more from him, plain and simple.
The Knicks have to quickly regroup after this emotional come from behind win at MSG, because they play the same team in Charlotte tomorrow night. They look to get their fourth win in a row, and start to accumulate some wins on the road. Home court has been protected, and it’s time to conquer some other arenas. 8-7.
New York Knicks vs Portland Trailblazers – 11/22/16 – Game Recap
New York Knicks vs Portland Trailblazers
Game 14: November 22, 2016
Knicks 107, Trailblazers 103
Written by Eric Weinstein – @ericcweinsteinn
flagrant2blog.blogspot.com/
Well that was pretty damn fun.
In a highly competitive game against Portland, the New York Knicks came out victorious, 107-103 in a thriller at the Garden. This was the most enjoyable game of the season in my opinion, with Kristaps Porzingis leading the way with 31 points, which is his second 30+ point game of the season. Derrick Rose looked like his old self with 18 points and a bunch of highlight plays.
Brandon Jennings had his third 10+ assist game off the bench, and we finally had the Mindaugus Kuzminskas breakout game! Kuz had a modest 10 points in 21 minutes, but hit a clutch 3 pointer late in the fourth quarter. Damian Lillard led Portland with 22 points, and CJ McCollum had 16 points on 17 shots.
Takeaways from this game:
The Knicks can actually be fun.
Yes, you read that correctly. This was the best game so far this year, without a doubt. Kristaps proved that he should be the focal point of the offense, again. The plays he makes are absolutely astounding, but we all know that. 31 points and 9 rebounds for the 7’3 Latvian that just looked so easy for him. KP was rolling, the ball was moving, and the defense picked up throughout the game. The team was clicking on all cylinders tonight on both ends of the floor. It took a little while for them to figure out how to defend the Blazers, but the Knicks held them to 45 points in the second half, which is a good number.
Home game Brandon Jennings is different than away game Brandon Jennings:
This dude loves the Garden. Every home game the Knicks play, you can just see the joy that Brandon Jennings plays with, and the passion comes out in his game. The only issue with that is that I have to be afraid that he might pick up a technical foul every time down the court, but if he’s going to dish out 11 assists every home game, I’m cool with that. With Derrick Rose in foul trouble, Jennings stepped in perfectly, with highlight reel passes to Justin Holiday and Kuzminskas, and his continued solid play. The Knicks haven’t had a solid point guard in years, so it’s really weird that they have two now.
Down the stretch brilliance:
Carmelo Anthony had an off night tonight, there’s no other way to say it. In the past few seasons, if Melo didn’t have it going in the fourth quarter, they would lose most of the time.
This year, they have a 7’3 unicorn and a former MVP going to battle with him, and both of those guys stepped up. Rose and KP were big time in the fourth quarter and took over the game. Rose was getting the paint at will, and KP was hitting shot after shot. This team has the chance to be special if they keep playing like this, even with Carmelo having a rough night.
The Knicks protected home court once again and increased their home win streak to five games. Two straight playoff teams have been defeated at the garden this week, and another solid team is coming to town on Friday. The Charlotte Hornets may not have as much firepower as the blazers do, but Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum can both fill it up, and Walker may finally make an all-star team this year with his excellent play this season. If the Knicks want to continue this home win streak, they’re going to need to move the ball and play defense like they did in the second half of tonight’s game. Let’s hope for another entertaining win, and let’s watch the orange and blue eclipse the .500 mark. 7-7.
Episode 357: An Almost Perfect Week
Marc and Jay talk about the 4 games the Knicks played this week, the rise and fall of certain players, the bench, defense, phil jackson, and much more
New York Knicks at Washington Wizards – 11/17/16 – Game Recap
New York Knicks at Washington Wizards
Game 12: November 17, 2016
Wizards 119, Knicks 112
Written by Eric Weinstein – @ericcweinsteinn
flagrant2blog.blogspot.com/
#TrapGame
The Knicks traveled to Washington to take on the Wizards on the second game of a back to back, and showed a lot of fatigue. They came out sluggish in the first half, got creamed in the third quarter, made it interesting in the fourth quarter, but ultimately fell to the Wizards, 119-112. John Wall once again tantalized the Knicks, to use a Clyde-ism, with 23 points and 11 assists to lead the Wizards. Derrick Rose had his best scoring game as a Knick with 27 points, and Brandon Jennings had an excellent game off the bench with 17 points and 10 assists.
Kristaps Porzingis and Carmelo Anthony both struggled from the field after great games last night, as they shot a combined 14-33 for 35 points.
Takeaways from this game:
Point guard play:
The lone bright spot from this game was the great minutes from Derrick Rose and Brandon Jennings. Both of these guys were scoring at will in the second half, with Rose going off in the third, and Jennings in the fourth. Jennings continues to move the ball effortlessly as he eclipsed the 10 assist mark once again. Rose was getting into the paint with ease and hit a few three pointers, a shot he has struggled with so far this season. Jennings also caught fire from three in the fourth quarter when he hit three in a row from downtown to make the game at least somewhat interesting, but it was too little, too late for the Knicks. What else is new?
Lack of three point defense:
Not much to say here other than the fact that it was horrible. The Knicks let the Wizards, who are one of the worst three point shooting teams in the NBA, shoot 15-25 from three point land, good for 60% from the field. There is no way a team can expect to win when they let their opponent shoot that well from three. The Knicks weren’t fighting to get over screens, which led to countless open threes for Washington. Good to see Kurt Rambis has made some adjustments on defense! (Not).
Otto Porter Knick effect alert:
21 points, 8 rebounds. One of his best games of the season.
All the good feelings from the win against the Pistons pretty much went away by the third quarter of this game. The Knicks didn’t show any life in the first 40 minutes and it showed on the scoreboard. They always seem to make it interesting, but this was one they should’ve had easily. The Wizards are a struggling team coming off a bad loss in Philadelphia last night, so it wasn’t like they were coming in well rested either. These are the games the Knicks will look at in April if they are fighting for a playoff spot and see that it was one they had to have. A playoff team HAS to take advantage of games like this, especially with the tough games the Knicks have coming up next week. With Atlanta, Portland, and Charlotte all coming to the Garden the next three games, the Knicks are going to need to bounce back quickly to avoid falling into a deeper hole to start the season. 5-7.
Episode 356: Knicks Trump Nets
Marc and Jay talk about the last 3 games, the Euro bench, rotations, trade rumors, team defense, and more
New York Knicks Vs Toronto Raptors – 11/12/16 – Game Recap
New York Knicks Vs Toronto Raptors
Game 9: November 12, 2016
Raptors 118, Knicks 107
Written by Eric Weinstein – @ericcweinsteinn
flagrant2blog.blogspot.com/
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
New York Knicks at Boston Celtics
Game 8: November 11, 2016
Celtics 115, Knicks 87
Written by Eric Weinstein – @ericcweinsteinn
flagrant2blog.blogspot.com/
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!
Episode 355: Not the Best Week
Marc and Jay talk about the last 4 Knicks games, the bench, the defense, things we’d like to see worked on, listener questions and more
Episode 354: First Win of the Season
Marc and Jay talk about the first two games of the season, their takes on the roster so far, bench lineups they’d like to see, fantasy basketball, and listener questions.
The New York Knicks Podcast 