What to Watch For: Washington Wizards vs. New York Knicks November 30th

Friday, November 30^th, 2012

Pre-Game News and Notes

Washington Wizards vs. New York Knicks

Wednesday night the Knicks had an impressive victory over the Central Division leading Bucks even without veteran guard Jason Kidd.  Kidd will again be sitting out Friday night because of back spasms, meaning the Knicks will go with the same starting lineup in Raymond Felton, Ronnie Brewer, Carmelo Anthony, Kurt Thomas and Tyson Chandler.  Here are some things to keep an eye on for the game tonight:

-Avoid a Letdown

The Wizards come into tonight’s game sporting the worst record in the NBA at 1-12 and 0-6 on the road.  The Knicks need to avoid complacency against them, coming out strong and setting the tone from the opening tip.

One way for this to happen is Anthony continuing his hot start in the first quarter.  Anthony leads the NBA in first quarter scoring around 11 points per and he usually dominates the Wizards, scoring 27.1 points per game against them in his career, his third highest mark against any team. 

Anthony is in the midst of one of the hottest stretches of his career and definitely hottest since coming to New York and it should continue against the Wizards; they are an average team at best when they have their best player in John Wall, but with him sidelined the Wizards are one of the worst teams in the NBA.

-Battle on the Boards

The Wizards are not a good team, but one thing they do well is rebound.  They are 10^th in the NBA at rebounding with 43.2 per game led by Emeka Okafor with 6.1 per game.  The return of Nene gives the Wizards another big body capable of grabbing rebounds as well.

It will come down to Tyson Chandler battling those big bodies once again with Anthony hopefully chipping in again.  Chandler and Anthony have been battling on the boards the last two games, giving the Knicks their two best rebounding games of the season.

They should have some more help tonight, as head coach Mike Woodson has hinted at the possibility of seeing Rasheed Wallace and Marcus Camby on the court together, giving the Knicks two big men on the court more than capable of rebounding.

-Bench Play

The Knicks are far superior to the Wizards on the bench and they will have to make that known when given the chance.  Giving the starters some rest will only be possible if the second unit plays well; if they come out like they did Wednesday in Milwaukee that will be no problem.

Pablo Prigioni had his best game as a Knick Wednesday, leading the second unit with Kidd being hurt and doing it masterfully.  He had a career high 28 minutes played and put them to good use, tying a career high 11 points and handing out a career high seven assists.  If asked, there is no doubt Prigioni would be able to run this offense smoothly.

Steve Novak also lit up Milwaukee, playing his best game of the season.  He set career and season highs across the board, playing a career high 40 minutes while posting season highs in points, rebounds, steals and three pointers made.

J.R. Smith and Wallace struggled scoring the ball for the second consecutive game but were picked up by Prigioni and Wallace.  It is good to see the Knicks have different players pick up the slack every night, as when they all get on the same page opposing teams will have a lot to deal with. 

Keep in mind the Knicks are still without two important players in Amar’e Stoudemire and Iman Shumpert; their return will only make an already deep team that much more difficult for teams to handle.

What to Watch For: New York Knicks vs. Milwaukee Bucks November 28

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Pre-Game News and Notes

New York Knicks vs. Milwaukee Bucks

The Knicks will look to bounce back against the Central Division leading Milwaukee Bucks Wednesday night after a tough overtime loss at the hands of the Brooklyn Nets Monday night.  This will be no cake walk for the Knicks, as they have struggled with the Bucks in recent seasons and they finally have some offensive firepower to go along with a suffocating defense.  

The Knicks will be without Jason Kidd for the second game, who did not make the trip because of back spasms and is said to be day-to-day by head coach Mike Woodson. Here are some things to watch for tonight:

-Ball Movement

The Knicks struggled mightily Monday without Kidd in the lineup, placing an immense amount of responsibility on the shoulders of Raymond Felton to run the offense.  Felton responded with his worst performance of the season, shooting three of 19 with only five assists.

The lack of another facilitator also saw Carmelo Anthony revert back to his old ways of hero-ball and a ton of isolation.  This made things easier on the Nets, as they just threw everything they had at Anthony knowing he was the only thing the Knicks had going for them.  That needs to change against a Bucks team that has more ammunition than the Nets did to throw at Anthony. 

The Knicks assisted on only 14 of 33 makes against the Nets, a number that has to improve as that indicates that the Knicks were not moving the ball enough and relied too heavily on tough shots going one-on-one.

-Get Back to Basics

The most basic play in basketball is the pick-and-roll; a simple play that every team uses extensively yet is one of the hardest things to defend.  The Knicks need to utilize this more tonight than they did against the Nets; meaning Felton has to put together a solid effort against a tough backcourt in Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis.

With Jennings and Ellis in the backcourt, the Bucks have a very quick and swift perimeter, helping them in allowing the least amount of three point attempts per game at 16.7.  Running the pick-and-roll will open up the lanes and create easy scoring opportunities for the Knicks.  If they can open up the middle some, it will make the Bucks’ wing defenders help off their man equaling open jump shots.

-Slow Down the Backcourt

Without Kidd, the Knicks will most likely go with a more traditional lineup with Kurt Thomas starting at the 4 and Anthony sliding back to the 3.  This means Felton and Ronnie Brewer, if he starts after dislocating his finger Monday night, will get the first shot at slowing down the dynamic combination of Jennings and Ellis.

Jennings historically has lit up the Knicks, averaging 20.3 points per game against them in his career, his highest against any Eastern Conference team.  The Knicks passed on Jennings in the 2008 NBA Draft in favor of Jordan Hill. 

Brewer or whoever starts at the 2 will be manned with the responsibility of slowing Ellis down and keeping him out of the paint.  If the Knicks can force Ellis into jump shots, it will go a long way in stopping him as his efficiency and shooting percentage drops the further away he gets from the basket.

-Bench Play

The Knicks bench struggled mightily Monday night against the Knicks, giving almost no help whatsoever to the starting lineup in the way of scoring.  The bench mustered only 13 points Monday, their lowest output of the season by 15.  J.R. Smith scored a season low five points and Rasheed Wallace shot an ugly two of 11 from the field. 

The Knicks bench will need to step up tonight with Kidd and possibly Brewer out of the lineup.  The Bucks have depth for days at virtually every position with some shuffling done, so the Knicks will have to be prepared for many different matchups and schemes from the Bucks. 

One person the Knicks will have to keep an eye on is Mike Dunleavy, who torched the Knicks last season for 25, 26 and 19 points in the last three meetings the teams had last season.

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. 

Knicks Blow Out Magic Despite Slow Start

Tuesday, November 13^th, 2012

Post Game Recap

Final Score: New York Knicks: 99 Orlando Magic 89

Knicks Start Slow, Still Blow out Magic

The Magic did not allow the Knicks to just walk into the Amway Center without earning a victory, as the Magic put up a spirited effort but still fell short as the Knicks came away with their fifth win in a row to start the season and once again by double digits.  The five straight wins by double digits to start the season is a franchise record for the Knicks.  The Knicks started the game slow but were able to get it together in the second half, especially the fourth quarter, to put the Magic away.

The long lay-off could have played a role in the Knicks slow start, as it took the Knicks a little longer than usual to get going against the Magic tonight. 

The defense for the Knicks was a concern in the first half, as they allowed the Magic to shoot 50 percent from the field.  This played a part in the Knicks being down for the first time all season in the first quarter, as it took three quarters for the Knicks to really get going and put away the Magic like expected. 

When the game mattered most, in the fourth quarter, the Knicks took control; the Magic scored only 13 points in the final frame and the Knicks ended the game on a 20-9 run.

It was an interesting night for Carmelo Anthony, who reverted back to his old ways for long portions of the game.  Anthony was berated and ripped into multiple times by head coach Mike Woodson for lapses on the defensive end, as Anthony was not hedging screens and overall just showing minimal effort on defense. 

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Woodson was also unhappy that Anthony was not attacking the rim like he is capable of, taking only 2 foul shots as a result of being fouled; the other foul shot was off a defensive three seconds technical. 

Even with those lapses, the Knicks would not have won this game without Anthony and his 25 points scored.  For as little focus he had on defense, he was in the zone on the offensive end.  Anthony finished the game 11 for 22 and also grabbed a team high eight rebounds. 

J.R. Smith was money once again for the Knicks, putting in a strong effort in the 3^rd quarter replacing the injured Ronnie Brewer.  In the third quarter alone, Smith went five for five, resulting in 12 points.  Smith is showing exactly why Woodson likes him coming off the bench; he is instant offense for a second unit lacking a dynamic player without him.

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Smith was the best player on the court for the Knicks Tuesday night, as he stuffed the stat sheet and put in a full night’s work on the defensive end of the court as well.  Smith finished with 21 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.  Even more impressive was that Smith only had one turnover in the game, continuing to show improved ball handling skills and maturity.

Rasheed Wallace has been a surprise for the Knicks through the early part of the season as he has become the first big man to come off the bench; but with increased playing time his effectiveness has dropped. 

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Wallace has been a fan favorite every game thus far this season, but Tuesday night he helped the opposition more than the Knicks.  Instead of using his huge 6’11” frame to dominate the paint, Wallace floated towards the perimeter way too often, going 0 for five from the three point line.  Wallace was two for two inside the arc, as he has missed his last 12 three point attempts.

The Knicks will face their biggest test of the season thus far, as they start a road back-to-back Thursday night in San Antonio and finishes in Memphis Friday night.  This two game stretch will give a good look into the Knicks to see if they truly are as good as their 5-0 start suggests or if it was a fluke.  This is where the depth of the Knicks should come in handy, as older players might not be able to handle back-to-back games as easily as they once did.