Friday, November 23, 2012
Pre-Game News and Notes
New York Knicks vs. Houston Rockets
The Knicks head into Houston after a
tough defeat at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks Wednesday night looking to
bounce back and win the last game of their road trip. The Knicks have not lost two consecutive
games with Mike Woodson has head coach and they will look to continue that
streak against the Rockets. The biggest
headline for Knicks fans will be Jeremy Lin, but to win this game there are
more pressing needs to take care of; here are a few to look at throughout the
game.
-Stop James Harden
Knick fans will focus on Lin, but he has
struggled mightily this season, shooting 33.3 percent from the field and 22.9
from 3 point land, averaging only 10 point per game to go along with 4.4
rebounds and 6.3 assists. The bigger threat is the biggest catch the Rockets
have had in recent memory in James Harden.
Harden has become the vocal point of the
offense and franchise player for the first time since being traded from Oklahoma
City. Harden is averaging 24.5 points
per game thus far this season, relishing in his role as the go-to player.
The Knicks would be smart to focus their
defensive efforts on Harden, as he is the only real scoring threat the Rockets
have. He handles the ball a lot and is
put in isolation situations, but is prone to turning the ball over, so the
Knicks should double him whenever they have a chance. He is a good playmaker, but turns the ball
over 4.2 times per game.
If the Knicks can limit Harden, it would
make getting a victory tonight that much easier. The Rockets are ranked only 17th
in offensive efficiency and if you take Harden away they most likely would not
break the top 25.
-Win the Turnover Battle
As just stated, Harden turns the ball over
quite frequently, one of the reasons the Rockets are last in the NBA in
turnovers per game with 17.3.
The Knicks are on the opposite spectrum
of the turnover list, as the Knicks turn the ball over the least amount of
times in the NBA per game, with 10.7. The
Knicks actually set a franchise record for turnover differential, +58, through
ten games in a season.
Turnovers hurt the Knicks Wednesday against
the Mavericks, so getting back to what they had been doing and putting a
premium on ball security. This is a good
opportunity to take advantage of; as the Knicks thrive on teams turning the
ball over and the Rockets do that better than any team in the NBA.
-Rebounding
The Knicks rebounding woes have been
well documented thus far this season and could very well continue tonight.
The Rockets are fifth in the NBA in
rebounding, which means the Knicks have a big problem on their hands
tonight. It will take gang rebounding
and an asserted effort on the boards to keep the numbers close.
If I were Mike Woodson, I would have to
use Marcus Camby and Kurt Thomas tonight.
They bring a defensive mentality and rebounding to the court, something
the Knicks sorely lack right now.
Rasheed Wallace has done a great job thus far off the bench, but the
problem is with Anthony logging all his minutes at the 4, the Knicks are at a
disadvantage rebounding.
I do not mind Anthony starting the game
at the 4, as it has gotten the Knicks off to hot starts nightly; the problem is
as the game goes on and the rebounding differential starts to grow. Woodson has to adjust and get those
rebounding numbers closer to even or in the Knicks favor; it would go a long
way and make a great start to the season that much more sustainable.
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