recap

New York Knicks vs. Denver Nuggets – 2/10/17 – Game Recap

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New York Knicks vs. Denver Nuggets
February 10, 2017
Nuggets 131, Knicks 123

Written by Eric Weinstein – @ericcweinsteinn

The real way to punish Charles Oakley was to make him watch this game.

The New York Knicks, for lack of a better term, suck. Plain and simple. A team that scores 120+ points wins 9 out of 10 times. This time was the one of the ten. The Denver Nuggets, who aren’t exactly the cream of the crop of the Western Conference, came into Madison Square Garden and steamrolled the Knicks. The Knick defense, if you can even call it defense, continues to be horrible, as they made a mediocre Nuggets team look like the ShowTime Lakers. It’s time to accept what this team is: a bottom feeder.

This one is going to be short and sweet, because I hate the fact that I continue to repeat myself. Carmelo Anthony had another great scoring night and led the team with 31 points, but like, who cares? He continues to put up great numbers on offense, and the defense makes it so unimportant. Everyone wanted to see Kristaps Porzingis play center, and they got their wish, and it showed that he isn’t ready to play center in the NBA. Derrick Rose and Brandon Jennings were the starting guards tonight, and offensively it worked, but these guys need to get better on defense to be just awful. There’s a theme tonight ladies and gentleman, the defense is the reason this team will continue to lose, and lose badly.

Shout out to Jimmy Dolan and Phil Jackson for ruining the New York Knicks. We deserve better than this. By the way, the point guard from Washington, Markelle Fultz, is incredible. Look him up and pray for the first pick in the draft.

New York Knicks at Brooklyn Nets – 2/1/17 – Game Recap

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New York Knicks at Brooklyn Nets
Game 51: February 1, 2017
Knicks 95, Nets 90

Written by Eric Weinstein – @ericcweinsteinn

Man, I really can’t stomach this anymore.

We’ve all seen a lot of bad Knicks basketball over the last decade and a half, but the New York Knicks Podcast was going to need to find a new recap writer if they dropped this one to the Brooklyn Nets. Had the result been different, I would’ve quit on the season and stopped watching, cold turkey. By the way, I am writing this after a Knicks road win.

So after the Knicks didn’t show up against the Wizards on Tuesday, they stroll into the Barclays Center and immediately fall behind to the dumpster fire known as the Brooklyn Nets. Aside from Brook Lopez and Bojan Bogdanovich, I’ve barely heard of any of these guys. Well, there’s Quincy Acy, the apparent savior of the Brooklyn Nets and former tank-tastic Knick. Everyone looked slow and sluggish, and Kristaps Porzingis was quickly in foul trouble, of course. Carmelo Anthony was struggling, Derrick Rose missed another game with a sprained ankle, and Joakim Noah continues to be a non-factor. Who was going to save the day?

If you say that you guessed Sasha Vujacic would save the Knicks, you’re a liar.

I’ve been incredibly critical of Vujacic since he came to the Knicks a season and a half ago, but he proved to be the spark the Knicks needed. Let’s not get carried away, he only had twelve points on 4-10 shooting, but he came in and brought energy off the bench with his three point shooting. On the two shots that connected from downtown, he was fouled on both and converted on the four point play. Shoutout to Sasha for being ready to come into the game, even though he hasn’t seen a lot of action all season. #SashSanity.

The biggest story from this game was that Coach Hornacek sat Carmelo Anthony, Joakim Noah, and Courtney Lee in the fourth quarter and brought back the Euro-Knicks lineup he used earlier in the season, with Brandon Jennings, Justin Holiday, Porzingis, Vujacic, and Willy Hernangomez. WHG in particular had another strong game, finishing with 16 points and 16 rebounds, as well as a couple of assists. There is no reason that Willy should not be the starting center in the next game, as he continues to outplay the 72 million dollar man again and again. His rebounding and scoring has been excellent, but he has been much better on defense than advertised. He’s continued to hold his own against NBA big men, and deserves a chance to start for this team. Willy and Sasha saved the Knicks up until the fourth quarter, where KP took over.

Kristaps finished the game with 19 points, and 12 of them were in the fourth quarter.

The play of the Euro-Knicks led them to a much needed victory in the borough of  Brook.

Saturday may be a different story, with the King returning to Madison Square Garden.

LeBron James, Kyire Irving, and Kevin Love come to New York for the Saturday night primetime game on ABC. I don’t know about you, but I’m not feeling so great about this one, since the Knicks could barely beat Brooklyn on Wednesday. Let’s hope for a miracle. 22-29.

New York Knicks vs. Washington Wizards – 1/31/17 – Game Recap

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New York Knicks vs. Washington Wizards
Game 50: January 31 st , 2017
Wizards 117, Knicks 101

Written by Eric Weinstein – @ericcweinsteinn

If the Knicks play like they don’t care, why should we care?

That headline may be a little harsh considering the Knicks were without Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick Rose tonight, but that doesn’t mean the rest of the team should be excused for a complete lack of effort on the defensive end. Brandon Jennings and Willy Hernangomez were inserted into the starting lineup to replace the two missing Knicks, and both of those guys played well on the offensive side of the ball. Jennings finished with 21 points and Hernangomez had 15 points and 14 rebounds. Carmelo Anthony continued his hot streak of scoring and led the Knicks with 26 points on 10-17 shooting,\ and also pulled down five rebounds. Offense isn’t the problem on this team, but I think we all know that by now.

I couldn’t count how many times Jennings let John Wall get into the paint in this game. In his defense, Wall is one of the best point guards in the NBA, but at least try and make it a little bit difficult for him to get to the basket. The big man duo of Hernangomez and Kyle O’Quinn can only bail out their teammates so much when they just continue to let the opposing guards get right into the lane, which leads to a lay-up or a wide open three.

Kelly Oubre, Markeiff Morris, and Otto Porter are all guys on the former Washington Bullets who can consistently make three pointers, and they all need to have a defender on them. If their man has to sag off of them because Rose and Jennings can’t keep their man out of the paint, then guys like the one’s I just listed are going to have a field day behind the arc.

15 minutes. 0 points. 4 rebounds. 1 assist. Phil Jackson gave this man 72 million dollars for numbers like this. Would you give that money to someone who puts up these numbers? If you answered yes, I don’t think basketball is for you. Joakim Noah continues to be just awful for the Knicks, and I don’t see it getting any better. Hernangomez needs to stay in the starting lineup when Kristaps Porzingis returns, because it is enough wth this dude. Horrible.

I stopped watching early in the fourth quarter. I just can’t stomach watching this team continue to be disinterested on the defensive end. If this team thinks they can get out of this slump, the defense has to improve. It’s that simple. Guys like Hernangomez, O’Quinn, Justin Holiday (who had a tough game), and Courtney Lee all play so hard when they come into the game, and I don’t understand why it isn’t contagious. To be fair to the rest of the Knicks, those guys aren’t perfect, but the effort is there every night. If someone one year ago today told me I would be praising the effort of Kyle O’Quinn, I would have laughed at them, but he has been one of the few bright spots of the Knicks this season. Maybe the Knicks dangle him for draft picks at the trade deadline? Who knows, but for now, I want to see him or WHG in the starting lineup every game.

The Knicks come right back and play a struggling Brooklyn Nets team at the Barclays Center Wednesday night, and that one has to end with a Knicks victory. You absolutely cannot lose to the Nets, who were a robust 1-15 in the month of January. I’m borderline done with the Knicks this season, and if they lose to Brooklyn, I’ll be fully  done. 21-29.

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.

New York Knicks vs Atlanta Hawks – 1/16/17 – Game Recap

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New York Knicks vs Atlanta Hawks
Game 40: January 16, 2017
Hawks 108, Knicks 107

Written by Eric Weinstein – @ericcweinsteinn

Can your heart break if it is already broken?

The annual MLK Day Matinee at Madison Square Garden saw the New York Knicks take on the Atlanta Hawks. The Knicks, who showed little effort against Toronto in the previous game, came out fighting against the Hawks. The biggest story from this one was the insertion of Ron Baker and Mindaugus Kuzminskas into the starting lineup, and both of those two delivered. Baker scored 12 points, all three pointers, and Kuz had 14 points. Carmelo Anthony delivered 30 points on an efficient 10/16 shooting, but missed a key put-back at the end of the game. Dennis Schroder scored 28 points for the Hawks, and former Knick Tim Hardaway Jr scored 20 points.

A real positive from this game was that the Knicks actually showed up to play this afternoon, but morale victories aren’t going to make this sting any less. Carmelo, one game after his comments about the rumors of him waiving his no-trade clause, showed up with a #VintageMeloGame and was scoring from all over the court. Three pointers, drives, pull ups, were all working for him today. Offense continues to not be the issue for the New York Knicks.

It’s the porous defense, most notably from the guards, that is killing the Knicks.

On multiple possessions, Derrick Rose and Brandon Jennings were letting Dennis Schroder get right into the paint and score at will. Schroder is a solid guard who can score, but he should have to work to get his points. It shouldn’t look like a layup line for him. On the other hand, the Knicks forwards were frustrating Paul Millsap for the entire game, as he scored 17 points on 18 shots. He had 6 assists, but he was constantly taking tough shots, as well as missing a few easy ones.

As for the final play of the game, it doesn’t matter whether Derrick Rose was fouled or not, that isn’t why they lost the game. The Knicks missed 8 free throws throughout the game, and shot 8-26 behind the three point line, which is good for 30%. Also, 18 turnovers for 18 points given up by the Knick offense today, which is too high of a number.

I don’t even want to mention this, but it needs to be said. Kris Humphries had 14 points and 3 three pointers tonight. Yeah, the dude who Kim Kardashian married for like 18 minutes was killing the Knicks in the third quarter. If that isn’t rock bottom, I don’t know what is. Perimeter defense needs to be the subject of every single practice from now until the end of the season, otherwise this thing will never get turned around.

The Knicks take on the Celtics Wednesday night at the Garden on the first game of a back to back, and the third game in four nights. Remember what I said about defense on the perimeter? Well, it’s really going to be a focus when Isaiah Thomas walks onto the Garden floor, because we all know that dude can fill it up.

Keep your heads up everyone, it’s almost time for pitchers and catchers to report. 17-23.

New York Knicks at Philadelphia 76ers – 1/12/17 – Game Recap

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New York Knicks at Philadelphia 76ers
Game 39: January 11th , 2017
76ers 98, Knicks 97

Written by Eric Weinstein – @ericcweinsteinn

Karma, you know what they say about it.

The Knicks, losers in 8 of their last 9 games, took a ride down to the city of brotherly love and took on the 76ers. Led by, “The Process” Joel Embiid, the Knicks lost another heartbreaker 98-97 on a turn-around jumper by TJ McConnell (who?) at the buzzer. This team has officially hit rock bottom, everybody. Derrick Rose returned to the starting lineup (more on that later) and had a strong game with 25 points. Carmelo Anthony scored 28, and Kyle O’Quinn was a monster on the glass with 15 rebounds to go along with his 10 points. Embiid led the sixers with 21 points.

Takeaways from this game

Karma:

There is no reason Derrick Rose should have played in this game, and it doesn’t matter how well he played. I read an article from the Daily News, and Frank Isola called the Knicks handling of Rose, “bad karma.”; Derrick Rose bailed on his team, and was fined. That’s all. That is absolutely ridiculous. Continue reading →

New York Knicks vs. New Orleans Pelicans – 1/9/17 – Game Non-Recap

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New York Knicks vs. New Orleans Pelicans
Game 39: January 9, 2017
Pelicans 110, Knicks 96

Written by Eric Weinstein – @ericcweinsteinn

Where do I start with this one?

After getting their butt’s handed to them in Indiana, the Knicks showed the same type of effort against the Pelicans tonight at the Garden, dropping this one 110-96. The score shouldn’t have even been that close at the end of regulation, since New York went down by as much as 30 points during this game. The biggest story in this one was that nobody had any idea where the starting point guard was for the entire game. Derrick Rose was literally missing. After the game, it was found out that he flew home to Chicago, only without getting permission from team officials. I, for one, hope that everything is okay with Rose and there aren’t any real issues going on. His replacement in the starting lineup, Brandon Jennings, led the Knicks with 20 points to go with his 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Carmelo Anthony scored 18 points, and also came away with his league leading 3rd ejection of the year. Kyle O’Quinn was also ejected, and also brought nothing to my Draft Kings lineup. Anthony Davis was his usual monster self, finishing this game with 40 points and 18 rebounds.

Takeaways from this game

I refuse to repeat myself:

Do we have enough evidence yet? This team, as currently constructed, does not have a chance to compete in the Eastern Conference. It’s a bad mix of guys on the court, as their games don’t really do anything to compliment each other. To start the year, the guys were moving the ball and at least competing a little bit on defense. That hasn’t been the case of the past 2-3 weeks, as the Knicks just show they don’t give a crap about what happens on the defensive side of the ball. The Knicks have fallen from the 3rd spot in the East, to 10th in just a matter of weeks, and it’s sad to watch, which leads me to…

Blow it up:

Trade Rose, see what you can get for O’Quinn, and try to start from there. Like I said, this tem isn’t really going anywhere, so why strive to get swept by Cleveland in the first round? Enter the lottery, and maybe the ping-pong balls will fall in the right direction for once for the New York Knicks. There is no shame in admitting that this isn’t the year for this team, and it might be worse to enter Sacramento Kings territory and think that the team actually has a chance to compete. We see it game in and game out, this team has some good pieces, but not enough to get past teams like Cleveland, Toronto, and Boston. Kristaps Porzingis is the future, right? Why not do what you can to get some young players to build around with him? It just makes sense, this team isn’t winning any type of postseason series as currently constructed. Sorry Carmelo, that’s just how it is.

Next game is Wednesday against the 76ers, who have won 3 of their last 4 games. If the Knicks don’t defeat Philly next game, I’ll have officially started the countdown until baseball season. The optimism I had a few weeks ago is starting to fade, but let’s go Knicks? 17-21.

New York Knicks at Indiana Pacers – 1/7/17 – Game Recap

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New York Knicks at Indiana Pacers
Game 39: January 7, 2017
Pacers 123, Knicks 109

Written by Eric Weinstein – @ericcweinsteinn

If the Knicks don’t give up 120+ did they even play?

On the second night of a back to back, the Knicks spent the night in Indiana to take on the Pacers. New York has yet to win on a back to back, and that trend continued as the Knicks were defeated by the Pacers, 123-109. The Knicks were getting outplayed from the start in this one, and once again fell behind by double-digits early in the first half. Unlike last time in Milwaukee, the Knicks couldn’t muster up enough to complete the comeback. New York tried to make a game of it in the fourth quarter, but the deficit was just too steep. Brandon Jennings, after a rough game against the Bucks, led the way with Carmelo Anthony for 17 points apiece. Kristaps Porzingis finished with 16 points and 4 rebounds. The Knicks fourth quarter lineup of Jennings, Ron Baker, Mindaugus Kuzminskas, KP, and Willy Hernangomez was incredibly effective, with the other four starters watching from the bench. For the Pacers, Paul George and Jeff Teague each contributed with 19 points. Thad Young contributed 16 points for the Pacers.

Takeaways from this game:

Continue reading →

New York Knicks at Milwaukee Bucks – 1/6/17 – Game Recap

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New York Knicks at Milwaukee Bucks
Game 38: January 6, 2017
Knicks 116, Bucks 111

Written by Eric Weinstein – @ericcweinsteinn

Finally, a win.

The Knicks finally ended the six game losing streak tonight against the Milwaukee Bucks After a heartbreaking loss on Wednesday thanks to Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Knicks returned the favor and took down the Bucks, 116-111. Kristaps Porzingis returned after a three game absence to score 26 points for New York. Carmelo Anthony led the way with maybe his best all-around game of the season with 26 points, 10 assists, and 6 rebounds. 17 assists in the past two games for Carmelo, which is the highest assists count over two games he has had in his career.

Most notably, we had a Ron Baker crunch time minutes extravaganza with him finishing 6 points and 4 assists, all in the fourth quarter. Bravo Ron, Bravo. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker both led the Bucks with 25 points each, and Greg Monroe had 19 points off the bench.

Takeaways from this game: Continue reading →

New York Knicks vs Milwaukee Bucks – 1/4/17 – Game Recap

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New York Knicks vs Milwaukee Bucks
Game 37: January 4, 2017
Bucks 105, Knicks 104

Written by Eric Weinstein – @ericcweinsteinn

This one hurt me right in my heart. Also, my soul hurts a little bit too.

The Knicks took on Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks at MSG tonight, and took a real punch to the gut, courtesy of the Greek Freak. Giannis hit a fadeaway jumper as time expired to end this one, 105-104. There are so many things I could say about this game that could be the reason why the Knicks lost their sixth (crying face) in a row, but that turnaround from Giannis really just hit like a dagger to the heart. Carmelo Anthony was superb tonight for the Knicks and led the way with 30 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists. Mindaugus Kuzminskas scored a season high 15 points off the bench, and Derrick Rose also scored 15 points, but committed a costly turnover which led to the game winning bucket. Antetokounmpo left MSG with 27 points, 13 rebounds, and the tears of all the fans watching this game. Kristaps Porzingis sat out his third straight game with the Achilles injury.

Takeaways from this game

No killer instinct at all:

If you read the last recap against the Magic, (which you should, it’s good, but I’m admittedly biased) I said that Continue reading →