Nets Return Home and Beat Clippers

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Nets vs. Clippers Post Game Recap 11/23

The Nets were able to return home after a disappointing West Coast trip, and beat the Los Angeles Clippers who have been playing very good basketball 86-76, as the Nets certainly like playing in the Barclays Center improving to (5-1).

The second half was all Brooklyn, as they outscored the Clippers 46 to 29, and even won the third quarter battle something that they have been struggling to do.

The 2012 Olympic gold medal teammates Deron Williams, and Chris Paul met again, and even though Chris Paul outplayed the banged up Williams the Nets were still able to get the win. Williams scored only 11 points on a bad three for 10 shooting, but did add eight assists, and appeared to hurt his wrist in the game as well to add to his nagging injuries thus far. Chris Paul did play better than Williams but not by a large margin, as Paul scored 14 points on five of 11 shooting, and added nine assists with five rebounds.

Joe Johnson came to play on Friday night shaking off his struggles in the early part of the season for a nice game scoring 19 points on eight for 12 shooting, as when Johnson plays well the Nets are going to be an extremely tough team to beat.

Brook Lopez had another big game offensively showing that when healthy he is definitely a top five offensive center in the NBA, as he put up a nice game against one of the better defensive centers in the league in DeAndre Jordan. Lopez scored a game-high 26 points on 13 for 24 while adding three blocks, and five rebounds.

Reggie Evans had a nice game off the bench against the Clippers the team he played for last year, as Evans had 12 rebounds and six points in just 22 minutes.

The Nets will look to keep their great home play going on Sunday, as they will face the Portland Trail Blazers, and their star rookie point guard Damian Lillard.

Knicks Blown Out By Rockets to End Road Trip

Friday, November 23, 2012

Post Game Recap

Final Score: New York Knicks: 103 Houston Rockets 131

Knicks Blown Out by Rockets to End Road Trip

The Knicks came into the game saying all the right things about their match-up with Jeremy Lin, but it was Lin who came out on top as the Rockets blew out the Knicks 131-103.  The Knicks left their defense in the locker room at half time of the game at Dallas, as the Knicks have given up 196 points in the last six quarters and 122.5 points per game in the last two.  The Knicks were unable to stop anyone tonight, including Lin. 

Lin had a strong game, scoring 13 points while grabbing seven rebounds and handing out three assists.  That is child’s play compared to what some of his teammates unleashed against what looked like an unprepared Knicks squad.

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James Harden came in as one of the top five scorers in the NBA, averaging over 24 points per game; he blew that away tonight.  Harden scored 33 points, including a perfect 16 of 16 from the foul line, dishing nine assists, bringing in four rebounds and getting two steals.

The Knicks had no answer for Harden tonight, as he danced into the lane at will and did whatever he wanted against the Knicks.  He took advantage of having the slower Jason Kidd on him for most of the night, slashing to the rim and attacking the paint; this put the Knicks in a tough position as their rotations were slow tonight and no one trusted each other on the court.

The Knicks expected a strong showing from Harden, as he has really taken to his new role as go-to player after being the third option in Oklahoma City.  What the rest of the Rockets starting lineup did no one could have predicted.

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Chandler Parsons, a second year player who was drafted in the second round last year, set his career high in the first half alone when he scored 26 points alone, 18 of which came in a perfect shooting first quarter.  He finished with a career high 31 points in addition to five rebounds, four assists and four steals. 

The second surprise came from Omer Asik, who is considered a top defensive center in the NBA and strong on the boards but not revered as a strong offensive option; tonight Asik scored around the rim and looks every bit worth the $25 million dollars the Rockets gave him.

Asik had a game high 14 rebounds to go along with 18 points, as he showed a deft touch around the rim making multiple reverse lay-ups and finishing off second opportunities. 

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The Knicks defense was non-existent tonight, as they allowed the Rockets to shoot 51.7 percent from the field and a blistering 56 percent from the three point line. The Knicks also got destroyed on the boards, as the Rockets outrebounded them 49-30, a number that is embarrassingly bad.

This raises the question of where Marcus Camby is.  Once again, Camby was unable to get off the bench even though Rasheed Wallace was out with a sore foot.  Camby was brought in to New York to be the backup to Tyson Chandler and bring a defensive presence on the court in addition to his outstanding rebounding skills.

Head coach Mike Woodson says Camby is still rounding into playing shape, but that excuse is getting stale fast.  The Knicks are in desperate need of rebounding help and are refusing to use what was the top rebounder in the NBA last season by percentages. 

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In addition to the poor rebounding, the Knicks didn’t take of the ball well either.  The Knicks turned the ball over another 15 times tonight, leading to 23 Rockets points.  The main culprit in this was once again Carmelo Anthony, who had seven turnovers alone and is reverting back to his old tendencies; a recipe that ends in disaster for the Knicks.

In one instance, Anthony argued with a referee while going up the court, completely ignoring what was going on around him in the game and allowing the Rockets to get an easy fast break dunk as Anthony was more concerned with yelling at the ref than playing defense.  This led to yet another technical foul for Anthony, as losing his cool rubbed off on his teammates and the Knicks imploded again in the third quarter. 

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Other than those problems, Anthony had an outstanding game, scoring 37 points while grabbing four rebounds and dropping two assists.  Anthony hit a career high seven three pointers in the game, as the Knicks shot well in the game but were unable to get enough stops to make the game close. 

Raymond Felton had a strong game for the Knicks as well, as he scored 17 points and had eight assists.  He got hit with the turnover big in addition to Anthony though; as he turned the ball over four times himself. 

Next up for the Knicks is a matinee Sunday against the Detroit Pistons.  The Knicks cannot look past the Pistons, as Lawrence Frank will have his team ready to go and they have a big front court; another team that will make it hard on the Knicks on the boards.

What to Watch For: New York Knicks vs. Houston Rockets November 23

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 17^th 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. 

Nets Lose Final Game on West Coast Trip

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Nets vs. Warriors Post Game Recap 11/21

The Nets finished up their three game west coast trip losing to the Golden State Warriors 102-93, as the Nets finished the west coast trip only winning one out of the three games.

The Nets got off to a hot start shooting 73 percent in the first quarter, and a 30-18 lead heading into the second quarter, but went cold after that. The third quarter once again was a killer for the Nets, as they continue to be the worst third quarter team in the NBA by getting outscored 33-20.

Offensively the Nets were lead by their young center Brook Lopez who shot the ball very well from the field, as he scored a team high 22 points on 10 for 16 shooting, but Lopez didn’t contribute much on the boards only grabbing three.

The backcourt match-up of Deron Williams and Joe Johnson vs. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson went in the favor of the young Golden State back court in a big way.

Deron Williams who is battling an elbow injury only scored nine points, and shot four for 12 from the field, and couldn’t stop the Warriors point guard Curry who scored a game-high 25 points on seven for 13 shooting.

The Johnson vs. Thompson match-up was just as bad for the Nets, as the point guard match-up was. Johnson continued his poor play thus far this season, as he scored 13 points on five for 13 shooting, and let the young Thompson score 23 points on 10 for 19 shooting.

Gerald Wallace and Jerry Stackhouse both sat out this game to rest for the upcoming home-stand, as without Wallace the Nets are a noticeably worse team on the defensive end of the court.

On the second game of the back to back Avery Johnson used eight guys off the bench, and got good minutes from Andray Blatche who scored 11 points with seven rebounds, and four assists. MarShon Brooks also played good off the bench scoring nine points on four for eight shooting, and added two steals.

The Nets will be heading back home to the Barclays Center where they have played good this season, as they will be facing the Clippers which means the Chris Paul Deron Williams match-up will be in the spotlight.

Furious Knicks Comeback Falls Short, Lose to Mavericks

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Post Game Recap

Final Score: New York Knicks: 111 Dallas Mavericks: 114

Furious Comeback Falls Short for Knicks

The Knicks fell tonight to the Dallas Mavericks 114-111, as they just did not have enough in the tank in the end to pull off the comeback.  Dallas built a 12 point lead in the fourth quarter, yet the Knicks never laid down and had a chance to win right up to the final buzzer.

The biggest problem in the game for the Knicks was on the defensive end of the court, as they surrendered 65 second half points.  The Knicks had no answer for the Mavericks perimeter players tonight, as Darren Collison, O.J. Mayo and Vince Carter all had great games.

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Collison scored 19 on seven of 11 shooting, adding seven assists.  Mayo continued his hot shooting start to the season, knocking down 10 of 17 shots for 27 points and two assists.  Carter was the Knicks killer tonight, as he knocked down five of 10 three point attempts and nine of 17 shots overall for 25 points.

Jae Crowder also stuffed the stat sheet for the Mavericks, as he scored 12 points and grabbed four to go along with one assist and a steal.  Crowder knocked down some big shots for the Mavericks, killing the Knicks momentum whenever they would start building some.

Overall, the Mavericks shot 49.4 percent from the field overall and 44.8 from the three point line.

The Knicks also had problems taking care of the ball for portions of the game in Dallas, turning the ball over 14 times in the game.  Carmelo Anthony turned the ball over seven times alone, and Raymond Felton had four turnovers of his own.

Felton was strong otherwise in the game, scoring 18 points and dishing 11 assists, continuing his outstanding start to the season and proving all his doubters wrong thus far.

Anthony was the recipient of two very questionable calls down the stretch of the game.  The first was on a circus lay-up that Anthony did a 180-turn in the air, banking it in; but it was waived off as the refs called an charging foul against Anthony when Carter slide underneath him. 

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The second call Anthony drove to the basket and was hit in the face with a Chris Kaman elbow after blowing by Shawn Marion.  What happens after the ball is out of a players hand is supposed to be irrelevant, but jump shooters get those types of calls all the time.  Anthony does not receive the start treatment from refs that many other All-Star caliber players do.

Anthony finished the game with 23 points, six rebounds and four assists but missed the game winning shot with 6 seconds left, fouling out afterwards.  Anthony’s stat line didn’t end up looking to bad, but he struggled in the first half shooting only one of six for four points in the first half. 

In their returns to Dallas, Jason Kidd and Tyson Chandler had arguably their best games of the season.  Kidd looked like vintage Kidd, putting on a show for the Dallas fans.  Kidd finished the game with 17 points, five assists, six rebounds and five steals.  Again, Kidd had no turnovers and the Knicks played best with him on the court, as the Knicks were a +12 with him on the court.

Chandler showed up for the Knicks tonight and dominated when he was on the court.  Chandler finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds and showed why he won Defensive Player of the Year last season.  Chandler finished with one block and one steal, all the while having multiple plays that will not show up in a box score; there were a number of times Chandler changed the shots of Mavericks’ players and made it difficult on anyone who drove the paint. 

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Mike Woodson was out coached tonight plan and simple, but he held himself accountable like he does with his players post game.  Woodson admitted that his strategy of an eight-man rotation in the game tonight did not work, as the energy just was not the same on the defensive end of the court with the cut down rotation.  It was a questionable decision by Woodson, as the Knicks were coming off the second night of a back-to-back and normally play nine or 10 players double-digit minutes.

It was also surprising to not see Marcus Camby of Kurt Thomas come off the bench tonight, as the Knicks struggled on the boards once again.  Camby, even in his older age, is a dominant rebounder; he led the NBA in rebounding percentage last season.  Thomas offers veteran leadership and a no back-down mentality and would have helped slow down the Mavericks onslaught tonight. 

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Next up for the Knicks is a visit to Houston to take on Jeremy Lin and the Rockets.  Lin will not be the only person the Knicks need to keep an eye on, as James Harden has taken to his new role as lead dog and ran with it in Houston. 

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.

Nets Winning Streak Snapped by Lakers

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Nets vs. Lakers Post Game Recap 11/20

The Nets were unable to hold a fourth quarter lead in the Staples Center against the Lakers, as the Nets five game winning streak came to an end losing to the Lakers and their new coach Mike D’Antoni 95-90.

In the anticipated match-up of centers Dwight Howard and Brook Lopez the Nets center did very well against the person he highly rumored to be traded for in the off-season. Lopez finished the game against the best defensive center in basketball scoring 23 points on 11 for 18 shooting, and grabbed seven rebounds.

Deron Williams had a double-double scoring 22 points, and dishing out 10 assists, but Williams did not shoot the ball well going 6 for 18 on Tuesday night.

The other part of Brooklyn’s star backcourt Joe Johnson like Williams didn’t shoot the ball well from the field continuing the trend of the season so far for Johnson, as Johnson scored 14 points on 6 for 16 shooting, but did dish out six assists. Johnson was outplayed badly by Kobe Bryant, as the Black Mamba had 25 points on 8 for 15 shooting.

Nets small forward Gerald Wallace made his presence felt on the defensive end of the court, as Wallace was able to get five steals, and three blocks both season highs for Wallace thus far.

The second half for the Nets was not good, as they shot 1 for 13 from beyond the arc, and only scored 33 points in the second half making it very hard to win games when u score under 40 points in a half.

The Brooklyn Nets will look to bounce back in the second game of the back to back, as they will be facing the Golden State Warriors in the final game of their west coast trip on Wednesday.

Kuroda Resigns with Yankees

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Yankees were able to resign Hiroki Kuroda for one more year, as probably the Yankees best starter last year will be returning for the 2013 season with the Yankees. Kuroda signed a one year 15 million dollar deal to stay in the Bronx despite reports that he was thinking about returning to Japan to finish his career.

Kuroda finished the 2012 season going 16-11 with a 3.32 ERA in 219 innings, and with injuries to Andy Pettitte and C.C. Sabathia Kuroda was the Yankees ace for a good part of the season. Kuroda also pitched very well in the postseason despite not getting a win due to no run support, as he had a 2.81 ERA in two starts.

With Kuroda coming back it is the first piece coming back to what should be a very good starting rotation in 2013, as the return of Andy Pettitte is also figured to happen soon. The rotation figures to be Sabathia, Kuroda, Pettitte, Phil Hughes, and either Ivan Nova or David Phelps as the fifth starter. Michael Pineda is also expected to be back in June, and if healthy should be a good pitcher for the Yankees.

The Yankees rotation should figure to be one of the best rotations in all of baseball with Kuroda coming back, as the Yankees will look to bounce back after a disappointing 2012 ALCS.

Knicks Start Road Trip Throttling Hornets

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Post Game Recap

Final Score: New York Knicks: 102 New Orleans Hornets: 80

Knicks Start Road Trip Throttling Hornets

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With the win tonight, this Knicks team became the fourth team in franchise history to start with an 8-1 record.  Tonight was the start to a stretch of five games in seven nights and it could not have started better for the Knicks. Tonight was also the third 20+ point victory for the Knicks on the season.

Tonight the starters were also able to get extended rest, something that is very important as the Knicks have a quick turnaround with a game in Dallas against the Mavericks Wednesday night.

Tonight, the Knicks got rolling right from the start behind a smoking start from Carmelo Anthony.  Anthony set the tone early for the Knicks, outscoring the Hornets by himself with 19 first quarter points; the Hornets scored only 17.  Anthony finished the half with 23 points, dominating a depleted Hornets squad.

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Anthony added six rebounds and got his teammates involved, handing out four assists in a game that he was able to take it easy for the most part, playing only 28 minutes in the game.  Anthony also only had one turnover on the night.

Raymond Felton continued his hot start, knocking down five three pointers in the game en route to 15 points.  He dished six assists and only had one turnover, running the offense to perfection.  Felton is starting to become a very reliable threat from deep for the Knicks and that will make life easier for Anthony to patrol the middle.

The ball movement for the Knicks was good again, as they had 19 assists on 37 made shots.  They also did a good job on the boards, as the Knicks had a season high 49 rebounds and outrebounded the Hornets by 13.

The ball security has also been at a premium this season, as tonight was the sixth time this season the Knicks had 10 or less turnovers in the game in nine games.  All of last season, the Knicks only did that five times.

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Again, the Knicks defense was stifling as well.  After a lackluster second quarter in which the bench played big minutes, the defense was outstanding.  The Knicks held the Hornets to 17 points in the first quarter and 16 in both the third and fourth quarters. 

The bench recovered in the second half, but one glaring blemish is the play of Steve Novak.  Novak set a bad career high tonight, missing eight of the 10 three pointers he attempted, dropping his season shooting percentage to 37.8 percent. 

Novak has brought nothing else to the game when he steps on the court either, as he put up zeros across the board tonight in every other statistic.  Novak might start to have his minutes cut if he does not step up his play, as he is a liability on the defensive end and offers very little help outside of outside shooting.

The Knicks continue their road trip with a visit to Dallas to play against the Mavericks Wednesday night.  It is the second night of a back-to-back, but with no one playing over 30 minutes tonight the team should be fresh and ready to go.  

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.