Monday, November 26, 2012

What to Watch For: New York Knicks vs. Brooklyn Nets November 26


Monday, November 26, 2012
Pre-Game News and Notes
New York Knicks vs. Brooklyn Nets

After blowing out the Pistons Sunday afternoon, the matchup that everyone has been waiting for in the tri-state area has finally arrived.  The Knicks and Nets will face off for the first time tonight, making up the opening night game that was canceled because of the storms earlier in the month.  This matchup will be determined by which team plays more defense, as both teams have offensive fire power.  Here are some things to watch for:

-Control the Paint

The Nets sport one of the best offensive big men in the NBA in Brook Lopez, who is averaging a team high 19.0 points per game.  Andray Blatche comes off the bench and offers some punch as well, scoring 9.0 points per game.

The Nets also sport two guards in Deron Williams and Joe Johnson that are above-average at getting into the lane and attacking the rim.  Emphasis will be on Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd and J.R. Smith to slow these guys down.

Kris Humphries is also super active in the middle, which can cause a problem for the undersized Carmelo Anthony.  Look for Mike Woodson to learn from his mistakes in Houston and give some more run to Marcus Camby and Kurt Thomas.  The bulk of the big man minutes will be given to Tyson Chandler and Rasheed Wallace, but pairing them together with another big would be beneficial against a team like the Nets.

-Bench Play

The Nets bench, which was a question mark coming into the season, has been a spark plug thus far this season led by Blatche, MarShon Brooks and C.J. Watson.  The second quarter, when the Nets subs play the most, the Nets sport a +5.0 scoring differential, compared to a -0.9 for the Knicks, their only negative quarter.

The Knicks defense needs to be consistent from the starting lineup to the second unit.  The second unit has seen lapses at times on the defensive end and struggle scoring at times, two things that cannot happen against a team playing as well as the Nets.

The Knicks bench is no slouch, led by J.R. Smith and Steve Novak.  Smith offers a legit scoring threat while Novak has deadly long range shooting.  If Novak can bring his shooting from Sunday afternoon to this game, the Knicks have a deadly weapon for their offense and a huge momentum changer; every time Novak touches the ball and releases a shot, the crowd goes into a buzz.

-Will Defense Show Up?

The Knicks have struggled on the defensive side of the ball the last three games against lower tiered teams and if that happens tonight the Knicks will be hard pressed for a win.  The Knicks have surrendered over 100 points in their last three games and cannot afford to do it a fourth straight time if they want the victory tonight. 

The Knicks have to get their rotations right, as the combination of poor defense against the three point shot and a team that shoots a healthy amount of three pointers is a deadly combination.  The Knicks give up the second highest percentage of three point shooting; at 39.9 percent while the Nets shoot 20.3 three pointers per game and 32.5 percent on the season.

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