No Melo, No Problem

Thursday, December 6^th, 2012

Post Game Recap

Final Score: New York Knicks: 112 Miami Heat: 92

No Melo, No Problem as Knicks Blow out Heat

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No Melo, no problem for the Knicks tonight in Miami as they blew out the Heat 112-92.  It is the second time this season the Knicks beat the Heat by 20 points.  The win by the Knicks gives the Heat their first home loss this season and biggest loss at Miami since Lebron James and Chris Bosh joined Dwayne Wade in South Beach; leaving the Knicks as the last team in the NBA without a home loss.

Just like the first time around, the Knicks beat the Heat by putting on a show from the three point line, knocking down 18 of their 44 attempts.  This is the second time they made 18+ three pointers in a game, with the other time being the first defeat of the Heat; this time around they did it without the help of Carmelo Anthony, who was sitting out with a laceration on his left middle finger that required five stitches.

In his place, Raymond Felton picked up the slack as the go-to scorer.  Felton played by far his best game of the season given the circumstances.  Knowing Anthony would sit, Felton took it upon himself to carry the Knicks and responded with a monster game.

Felton did everything tonight, running the pick-and-roll to perfection with Tyson Chandler and even taking over some of Anthony’s isolation sets; on one occasion Felton cooked Udonis Haslem with a crossover reminiscent of Allen Iverson, taking it to the rack for a layup. 

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Felton attacked the basket with fearless abandon and precision tonight, always making the right move to counter whatever the Heat were doing on offense.  Felton actually shot the ball better from deep, going six of 10 from the three point line and four of 10 inside of it.  He finished the game with a season high 27 points in addition to seven assists, four rebounds and two steals.  The Knicks needed him to step up tonight in Anthony’s absence and he did that and more.

Chandler continued his great play tonight, finishing around the basket and controlling the paint on both sides of the court.  Chandler’s stats are not as eye popping as some of his recent performances with 13 points and nine rebounds tonight, but his presence alone made a difference.  The Heat shooting 42.1 percent from the field shows just how tough the defense was tonight, led by Chandler in the middle.

The Knicks defense was on point tonight and was the driving force behind the building of the big lead.  The perimeter rotations were crisp and came out strong in the second half, limiting the Heat to only one basket the first six minutes of the third quarter.  Without that effort on the defensive end, the Knicks would have gotten hammered tonight.  They allowed only 39 points in the second half and 12 in the fourth quarter.

With Anthony injured, the Knicks were in need of people stepping up and that is exactly what they got; under the bright lights of a nationally televised game the whole team shined in picking up the slack left by Anthony’s absence. 

The bench played outstanding, as they outscored the Heat’s bench 57-19.  Steve Novak led the way on the bench, with 18 points.  Rasheed Wallace chipped in 12 of his own and the same good defensive effort he has been giving all season to go along with seven rebounds.  J.R. Smith struggled with his shot again, going four of 15, but he made timely baskets and made contributions in other parts of the game, grabbing six rebounds, handing out four assists and getting one steal. 

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Pablo Prigioni did his thing as the backup point guard, chipping in seven points of his own and grabbing a career high six rebounds.  James White was forced into duty because of injuries and responded as well as Mike Woodson could have hoped for, not missing a shot en route to scoring seven points. 

The Knicks came into the game with supreme focus and an understanding of what they had to do to get the victory without their star player.  Not only were they on point with the defense, they put in a concerted effort to protect the ball, turning the ball over a season-low tying seven times. 

Next up for the Knicks is a visit to Chicago to end a three game road trip Saturday night, the third game in a stretch of four games in five nights for the Knicks. 

What to Watch For: New York Knicks vs. Miami Heat December 6th

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Pre Game News and Notes

New York Knicks vs. Miami Heat

After a thrilling victory Wednesday night in Charlotte, the Knicks are right back at it with the second game of a back-to-back in Miami against Lebron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh and the Heat.  The Heat, like the Knicks, are undefeated at home this season making for a great matchup between two of the top teams currently in the NBA.  Hopefully the matchup everyone wants to see in Carmelo Anthony vs. Lebron James comes to fruition.  Here are some things to watch for tonight:

-Injuries Galore

The Knicks come into the game with the biggest question mark of all; will Carmelo Anthony suit up? Anthony suffered a laceration on his left middle finger Wednesday night diving into the bench and received six stitches on the wound.  If Anthony is unable to go the Knicks better bring their A game on defense because points will be hard to come by without their leading man.

The Heat are not without injuries, as their lineup will have drastic changes if Mario Chalmers (torn finger tendon) and Norris Cole (strained groin) both do not suit up.  Lebron James will most likely handle point guard duties full time if neither guard can suit up, as both are game time decisions.

The Heat may also be without Udonis Haslem (hip pointer), leaving an already lacking Heat team dangerously thin up front.

Depending on which players actually make it to game time able to play, the schemes and game plans could change drastically.  Whichever coach can adjust and adapt to the conditions best will put their team in the better position to come out on top.

-Make the Most of Advantages

The Knicks best lineups thus far this season have been their small-ball lineups in which they employ more players on the court to stretch the floor.  The Heat generally play smaller, but with the injuries to their point guards they could get even smaller upfront if James has to run the offense himself. 

As the Knicks have succeeded with the smaller lineups, it may be beneficial tonight to go big at some point.  Tyson Chandler has been dominating in recent games and should continue his hot streak tonight as he will be matched up with Chris Bosh most of the night.  Rasheed Wallace should find his way to the paint more often as well and resist from floating out to the three point line.  The Heat do not have the size to contend with both Chandler and Wallace if they are on the court together.

-Pick and Roll Game

If Anthony is unable to suit up, the pick-and-roll game becomes that much more important for the Knicks.  Raymond Felton has been playing masterfully since his debacle against the Nets, not turning the ball over in two consecutive games since his time with the Bobcats. 

Felton and Chandler have been on fire recently, running the pick-and-roll to perfection.  Felton remains under control, knocking down jumpers or taking it to the rim himself or throwing lobs to Chandler, who always finishes, evident of his 72.1 percent shooting on the season.

The pick-and-roll game is also run well by Pablo Prigioni, who is adapting well to the NBA game after playing overseas his whole career previously.  Prigioni works it will with Wallace and Chris Copeland, who we could see a lot of on the court tonight if Anthony doesn’t suit up and with Marcus Camby dealing with plantar fasciitis.

-Come with Intensity

Tonight is a nationally televised game so you know the Heat and their fans will come into the game fired up and ready to go; it is imperative the Knicks match that intensity and fire right from the start.

The Heat have undoubtedly had this game circled on their calendars since the Knicks gave them a whooping on opening night at the Garden.  They will come out ready to play and with revenge on their minds to show the world that they are still the beasts of the east and what happened opening night was a fluke.

Anthony would be huge, as he has exploded in the starts of games, but if he is unable to go someone will need to pick up the slack.  I would look for J.R. Smith to pick up the slack if Anthony sits.  He has struggled with his shot recently, even with knocking down the game winner Wednesday night, but has a never back down mentality and always gives his all. 

Tonight will be a great game for basketball fans even with no team affiliation in the game.  The Knicks and Heat both have something to prove tonight and will put on a show for the audience. 

What to Watch For: New York Knicks vs. Charlotte Bobcats

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

What to Watch For

New York Knicks vs. Charlotte Bobcats

The Knicks are riding a three game win streak as they enter Charlotte to take on the Bobcats Wednesday night.  This is the first game of a three game road trip so winning tonight would set a positive tone for the remainder of the trip.  These Bobcats are much improved from last season and cannot be overlooked, as they already tied their win amount from last season in the first month of the season.  Here are some things to look for tonight in the game:

-Players Returning From Injury

The Knicks will be getting a boost tonight, as Raymond Felton is expected to play even after bruising his hand Sunday afternoon and Jason Kidd is expected to return after missing the last four games with back spasms.

Felton will wear added padding on his left hand to protect his thumb and wrist; it might affect his ability to catch the ball a little he said but his catch-and-shoot ability should not be affected. 

Kidd will be taking the court for the first time in 10 days and how he responds will be something to look at.  How good will his conditioning be and how many minutes can he give the Knicks tonight?  They have an important game against the heat Thursday night in which they will need Kidd more than against the Bobcats.

Point guard play as been a driving force behind the Knicks strong 12-4 start, as the Knicks turn the ball over the least in the NBA.  Having capable point guards on the court at all times is very beneficial, as the Knicks have struggled at times with Kidd off the court.

-Avoid a Let Down

The Knicks have to avoid a letdown against what is assumed to be an inferior opponent.  The Knicks have a huge game against the Heat Thursday night but they cannot look past their opponent tonight.

The Knicks have plenty of reason to get up for this game, as they watched the Heat lose to the worst team in the NBA, the Washington Wizards, Wednesday night. 

The Knicks have lost three of their last four road games but if they put forth the necessary effort they should get back on track tonight.  The Knicks rank first in offensive efficiency and 10^th in defensive efficiency compared to 27^th and 22^nd for the Bobcats respectively. 

The rebounding rates are also similar between the teams, so this is a night the Knicks should look to take advantage of, getting ahead early and resting their main pieces for the showdown with the Heat Thursday.

-Slow Down Kemba Walker

Much like the Knicks with Carmelo Anthony, the Bobcats go on offense as Kemba Walker goes.  In wins, Walker has been dynamic scoring 20.7 points per game this season compared to 13.4 points per game in losses.

His shooting percentages are also different from wins and losses, as he shoots 43.0 percent in wins and 37.2 percent in losses.

If the Knicks can slow down Walker, it will drastically affect the Bobcats offense and should lead to an easy victory.  

Nets Can't Handle the Heat in Miami

sun-sentinel.com

Nets vs. Heat Post Game Recap 12/1

The Nets were unable to handle the Heat in South Beach without Lopez, as their winning streak has been snapped at five games with the 102-89 loss on Saturday night.

After a very good first half for the Nets it was the polar opposite in the second half, as with their fifth game in seven days the Nets looked tired and were hammered after halftime being outscored 52-30.

The Miami Heat’s two superstars LeBron James and Dwayne Wade came to play against the Nets with both of them having great games. Wade was the leading scoring in the game putting up 34 points on 14 for 20 shooting with seven assists. James had one of his classic overall good games scoring 21 points on eight for 15 shooting with nine rebounds and six assists.

The Nets were led on offense by Andray Blatche getting his second straight start for the injured Lopez, as Blatche had yet another strong game scoring a team-high 20 points on eight for 12 shooting with eight rebounds.

Deron Williams shooting woes continue to hamper his play, as Williams only scored 11 points on a bad three for 11 shooting, but did notch his seven double-double of the season which leads the team because Williams did a good job setting up teams earning him 12 assists.

Joe Johnson had yet another poor game against the Heat like earlier in the season, as Johnson who has been playing well didn’t do that on Saturday only scoring 12 points on five for 14 shooting, as in two games against the Heat Johnson is only nine for 28.

Gerald Wallace had another pretty good on the offensive end despite not shooting the ball from three-point land well only going one for six, Wallace was able to score 13 points on five for 11 shooting with nine rebounds.

The Nets will have another tough task on Tuesday night, as they will have to play last years Western Conference Champions the Oklahoma City Thunder and their superstar Kevin Durant, with it still being unclear weather or not Brook Lopez will be playing.

Nets Beat Magic to Extend Winning Streak

sbnation.com

Nets vs. Magic Post Game Recap 11/30

The Nets were able to go down to Florida and keep their winning streak alive making it five straight wins by beating the Magic 98-86, as the Nets finish off a great month of November going 11-4.

The Nets were led by another stellar game from Joe Johnson who has played much better in four of his last five games. Johnson scored a game-high 22 points on 10 for 16 shooting, and added five assists.

With Brook Lopez sitting out with his foot injury Gerald Wallace really picked up the scoring slack for the Nets. Wallace caught fire from the field scoring 20 points on seven for nine shooting including five for six from beyond the arc.

Andray Blatche seemed to slide into the starting rotation at center for Lopez with no problem, as Blatche continued his good play this time with the starting five by scoring 14 points on six for 14 shooting, and also grabbed nine rebounds.

Deron Williams with his banged up wrist didn’t look for his shot to much in the game only shooting the ball nine times, but did only have to play 30 minutes much less than normal, and hopefully the wrist will heal soon for Deron.

The bench unit without Blatche didn’t do much scoring, but Reggie Evans once again had a great rebounding game off the bench grabbing 10 rebounds making it his fifth straight game with double-digit rebounds.

The Nets will be in for a big test on Saturday against the defending world champion Miami Heat team, as the Nets will be without Brook Lopez and their winning streak maybe in serious jeopardy.