What to Watch For: New York Knicks vs. Dallas Mavericks

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Pre-Game News and Notes

New York Knicks vs. Dallas Mavericks

The Knicks continue their stretch of five games in seven days with a stop in Dallas against the Mavericks.  The Knicks will look to start 9-1 for only the fourth time in franchise history, with the last two occurrences ending with NBA titles in 1969-1970 and 1972-1973.  A win tonight would also give the Knicks a season sweep of the Mavericks, something that hasn’t been done since 1999-2000, also the last time the Knicks won a playoff series.  Here are some things to watch tonight:

Will Melo Keep it Going?

Carmelo Anthony is coming off an impressive scoring night against the Hornets, as he scored 29 points in 28 minutes, adding six rebounds and four assists in the process.  It was only the second time in his career that he scored that many points in that amount of time, with the other time coming December 22^nd, 2007.

Anthony is the fifth Knick to put up his season averages of at least 24 points and seven rebounds through the first nine games of the season.  There is no reason this should stop tonight, as Anthony already has poured it on Dallas this season.

On November 9^th, Anthony went for a season high 31 points, seven rebounds and two blocks all the while battling foul trouble.  The Mavericks will still be without Dirk Nowitzki, but Shawn Marion should be back in the lineup after missing five games with a knee injury.

Jason Kidd Returns To Dallas

The reaction that Jason Kidd receives will be something to keep an eye on tonight.  Kidd, who won a title with the Mavericks in 2011, alongside Tyson Chandler, left the team this off-season to sign with the Knicks, leaving some people very upset with his decision. 

Kidd backed out last minute on re-signing with the Mavericks and accepted a similar deal with the Knicks, a move that left Mavericks owner Marc Cuban quite upset. 

Thankfully for the Knicks and everyone with any type of stake in them Kidd came.  He has been a big part in the 8-1 start, bringing ball movement and veteran presence to the team that hasn’t been seen if what seems like forever.  The Knicks are currently turning the ball over the least amount of any team in the NBA with 10.3 per game.

Control the Glass

The Knicks and Mavericks are two of the worst rebounding teams in the NBA; something has to give tonight in this matchup.  The Knicks out-rebounded a Hornets team without Anthony Davis Tuesday night, 48-35, so hopefully they can build upon that.

The rebounding department has been one glaring negative for the Knicks thus far this season, but they have won despite the deficiencies.  With Rasheed Wallace and Marcus Camby still rounding into playing shape and Iman Shumpert and Amar’e Stoudemire getting closer to returning, that rebounding number should improve as the season goes on.

If the Knicks win the rebounding battle tonight, it would go a long way in limiting the Mavericks possessions and keeping the ball out of O.J. Mayo’s hands.  Mayo torched the Knicks in the first meeting this season, knocking down five three pointers in the first half alone and is coming off a strong night against the Warriors, scoring 27.

What to Watch For: New York Knicks vs. New Orleans Hornets November 20

Tuesday, November 20^th, 2012

Pre-Game News and Notes

New York Knicks vs. New Orleans Hornets

The Knicks start a three game road trip with a match-up against number one overall pick Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Hornets.  The Knicks are on top of the Eastern Conference right now and again own the best winning percentage in the NBA with the Grizzlies losing Monday night.  The Knicks had a nice bounce back victory Sunday afternoon, as they have yet to lose two games in a row with Mike Woodson as head coach. Here are some things to watch for tonight

-Carmelo Anthony vs. Anthony Davis

Carmelo Anthony has made a living on the offensive end thus far this season against bigger opponents that cannot keep up with him on the perimeter.  Tonight could be the biggest challenge Anthony faces thus far this season in number one overall pick Anthony Davis.

Davis was drafted already being an elite defensive prospect because of the impact he was capable of making on that end of the floor.  His length and athleticism could cause a problem for Anthony, who has struggled at times around the basket because of the punishment the bigger players are delivering.

When the roles are switched, with Anthony on defense, hopefully he will not have to guard Davis.  Davis is skinny, but the continuous beating against bigger opponents will eventually wear down Anthony. 

It will be an interesting matchup, as Davis is not an imposing man but definitely causes problem on the defensive end because of his gift of blocking shots.

-Keep Up the Pressure

The Hornets have one of the lesser offenses in the NBA, scoring only 93.1 points per game and ranking 23rd in the NBA.  Without shooting guard Eric Gordon in the lineup with knee problems, the Hornets lack a go-to scorer to fill up the basket.  This is definitely bolds well for the Knicks, who are currently surrendering the least amount of points per game in the NBA at 90.

-Three Point Shooting

The Knicks three point shooting has cooled off some from the first week of the season, but they have some players that are still lighting up the scoreboard from deep. 

J.R. Smith, Jason Kidd and Ronnie Brewer are all shooting well above their career averages from deep, going for 60, 52 and 42.1 percent respectively.

The Knicks will have to continue their hot shooting and limit the 3 point opportunities for the Hornets, specifically Ryan Anderson.  Last season, Anderson destroyed the Knicks, knocking down seven three pointers en route to a 30 point game. 

This season, Anderson is shooting 38.9 percent from three point land and knocking down three a game, making him the leading Hornets scorer at 16.4 points per game.  If the Knicks can limit his opportunities, it would make life much easier.