SB Nation - Danilo Gallinari

Bulls 98, Knicks 89

Seth — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 04:39:41 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

At a certain point, it's time to change up your game. Sticking with what works works, until what works stops working, you feel me? When the three-pointers keep bricking, it might be time to stop attempting them. When your 6-man rotation is getting tired, it might be time to find minutes for men 7-12. When your team stops attacking the basket and rebounding, it might be time to play your guard that attacks the basket and your big men who can board. Sorry for being snide, but the Knicks' faults in tonight's loss to the Bulls were deafeningly obvious. The Knicks shot too many threes and played too few players (and the wrong ones), and it doesn't take an expert to see that.

Notes, after the jump.

- New York started unreasonably hot from downtown. Al Harrington and Chris Duhon were gunning from the outset, and we were looking at a 17-point lead in a matter of minutes. If you thought an edifice built out of Harrington and Duhon threes was going to stand tall, you haven't watched Knicks basketball. That lead evaporated faster than you can say "Checking into the game for the Knicks, number 34, Eddy Curry".

- And that was the first major hiccup of the night. Curry checked in alongside Danilo Gallinari with 2 minutes left in the first, and things went downhill from there. Eddy called for touches impressively, but swallowed the ball as soon as it came his way. He would take too long to make his move, invite the Bulls' double, turn into the double, and then either mishandle the ball or throw up a blind hook shot. I like the idea of allowing bringing in Curry and Gallo as a tandem so one can free up shots for the other, but it won't work until Eddy's confident and oriented enough to pass competently.

- Speaking of Gallo, he and the Knicks completely neglected the two-point shot this evening, and paid the price. Even after the first quarter heat had dissipated, the Knicks kept shooting early and often. Ballhandlers kept missing cutters, so the cutters stopped cutting, then everything went to shit. Though nearly every Knick had a hand, Gallinari was the most disappointing of the perpetrators. Some late-game buckets helped his overall numbers, but Danilo's 6-17 from the field on 6-16 from three was inexcusable. Gallo's far too versatile to limit himself like that, particularly when he can't get his legs under those jumpers. Particularly on the multiple occasions he was marked by an undersized Bull, it would have behooved Danilo to drive and pull-up from the midrange or back his way down for some close buckets. We all know he can do it. Word has it the Bulls' announcers were talking smack about our prized youngster, and they had every right to do so this evening.

- As for the team's three-point shooting as a whole, there isn't much to say past the numbers themselves. They shot 16-47 (.340) from three and 31-86 (.360) total. Those 47 three-point takes broke the Knick record for attempts. They were one short of the NBA record. The 29 attempts in the first half were an NBA record. It was as laughable on television as it is on paper.

- Regarding the missing of cutters, some of the best stretches in those wins over Phoenix and Atlanta came when Wilson Chandler and Al Harrington got hit for open looks off of backdoor cuts. Tonight, like I said, the passes didn't arrive, so the cutters eventually saved their energy. After 11 first quarter assists, the Knicks finished with 21 on the game.

- Taj Gibson should have goggles.

- At one point in the third quarter, Chris Duhon hit a three-pointer, then stared down the Chicago bench with maybe the grimiest, most perverted look I've ever seen on a human being's face, all while leaving David Lee hanging on a high-five. He went 1-5 for the rest of the game. This sequence, to me, sums up Chris Duhon's entire existence.

- I was happy to see Toney Douglas get some minutes, but Ghostface failed to impress in his time against Kirk Hinrich and Derrick Rose. Toney's a defender by trade, but he's outside his mind if he thinks playing close on Hinrich 35 feet from the basket is going to end well. Toney's got the agility to stay in front of people, but he compromises that by face-guarding everybody all the time. Gotta pick your spots.

- Somebody needs to keep a list of the NBA names to which Clyde adds and extra "r" or two. Tonight's victim was Joakim "No-er" ("Knower"?).

- It was nice to see Wilson Chandler back down Kirk Hinrich a few times in the second half. That doesn't come close to compensating for his 1-6 from downtown, though.

- David Lee got his chin cut open in the fourth quarter, undoubtedly because Joakim Noah hasn't clipped his nails since July, and got just about the ghettoest tape job I've ever seen. It looked like his jaw fell off and somebody tried to stick it back on with bandaids.

- I got a little sassy in the intro paragraph about the rotation, so I guess I should explain. The Knicks look tired tonight, and Mike D'Antoni gave significant minutes to only 6 guys. Even with Jared Jeffries and David Lee in foul trouble, he stuck with the same 6 dog-tired players. Energy and activity were lacking. If you're hampered by injuries, this is excusable. If you've got Nate Robinson, Jordan Hill, and Marcus Landry- all of whom fit the description of "energetic" and "active"- riding the pine, you look silly. I know D'Antoni sticks to his guns, but he's got to see the signs. Everybody else watching the game saw the obvious. Nate gets the picture and the youngsters deserve more of a shot, and tonight was the night to break the trend. You stick with what works until it stops working.

- 5-18 on the night for Al Harrington. Somebody ought to start up some trade rumors again.

Again, tonight's loss was maddeningly simple. The Knicks are flying back to New York now and playing the Clippers tomorrow night. If D'Antoni sticks to his six and those six keep this up, we'll be in for another long night.

Gameday Preview Charlotte Bobcats vs. New York Knicks

David Arnott — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:46:05 -0000

Pump Up Music: Cowboy Mouth -- "Jenny Says"

The Big Picture: The New York Knicks come to the Cable Box tonight looking to continue a hot streak during which they've beaten Phoenix, Portland, and Atlanta. Though they're on a road trip, they ought to be well rested, since they last played on Friday at New Orleans.

The Knicks are in a position similar to the Bobcats for this season, in the sense that the playoffs are within sight and they're probably going to edge right up to those seven and eight seeds by game 82, but that's where the similarity ends. They play a super-fast pace, whereas the Cats tend to slow it down. Their coach loves the three point shot, and our coach grudgingly accepts it. But most important, as an organization, they're not playing for this season, whereas the Cats are going for everything they can get in 2009-10.

They've been winning despite benching Nate Robinson, who I'm pretty sure isn't a problem due to his performance. He's fifth on the team in True Shooting Percentage and fourth in eFG%, and he dishes assists nearly as often as Chris Duhon (their secret -- or not-so-secret -- black hole), so it's not like he's destroying their offense. Rather, the Knicks have had an ongoing attitude issue that Mike D'Antoni has struggled to address. If you're not playing for this season, then what are these guys playing for? If the hope is that these guys' competitive natures would take over and pull them through the full season without any other motivation, that seems rather shortsighted.

It would probably do both teams a world of good if they could trade a pinch of ethos here for a pinch of ethos there.

Key to Victory: Danilo Gallinari will probably come off the bench for New York, and he may play fewer than 30 minutes, but he represents the biggest matchup problem for Charlotte. A 6-9 forward, he leads the team in three point attempts and has made 45% of them. In our standard lineup, Gerald Wallace would usually guard him, but that would take him away from the basket to a degree most small forwards don't, and I'm worried the Knicks can find a rebounding advantage if they force Crash onto The Rooster.

Secondarily, David Lee is an excellent rebounder and I expect him to give Tyson Chandler fits. When Tyson gets the ball on offense, he simply doesn't have the offensive arsenal to exploit his size advantage, and Lee is probably a little quicker. When Lee is on offense, he can shoot from outside the key well enough that it has to be respected, finish with either hand, and he will rarely be outworked on the boards. We may well see Larry Brown limit Tyson to 20 minutes for effectiveness reasons, not foul trouble, and go with Diaw at center for long stretches.

Knicks Set to Play Overseas

Seth — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:25:06 -0000

There were rumors this past year of a preseason Knicks trip to Milan, Italy: the city where Danilo Gallinari and Mike D'Anton honed their games. The unsure status of both Gallo's sore back and the economy, though, made the league think twice. The farthest the Knicks traveled this preseason was to the wild outback of Albany for an exhibition against the Nets. This coming fall should be a different story. From Berman's latest blog post:

The Knicks were informed last week they are tentatively headed to Paris and Milan in October to play two or three preseason games, according to an NBA official.

The Knicks would head to Europe on Oct. 1 and stay until Oct. 5. They are expected to play AC Milan and an NBA team. It is the first time the Knicks have gone overseas under the current NBA Europe format.

Excellent stuff, though I'm still holding out hope that training camp will return to Saratoga Springs this September. Either way, we can look forward to a week of global attention, games at odd hours, and the possibility that children in Europe might learn to do what Toney Douglas do.

Game 22 Preview: Blazers vs. Knicks

Dave — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 08:32:05 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Kmonicek - AP

You know what they need in order to win this game? The Perfect Cheer.

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Game Time: 4:30 P.M. Pacific TV: Comcast

The Blazers face a semi-rejuvenated New York Knicks team as they enter the Garden tonight. The Knicks have won three of their last four games including impressive victories over the Hawks and Suns, two of the best teams in their respective conferences. They've been spearheaded by the return of forward Al Harrington who, while never physically absent this season, seemed to have mentally checked out, perhaps in protest to coming off the bench in favor of young Danilo Gallinari. Gallinari was out for one game and Harrington took to the starting role with gusto. He played 40 minutes in each of the last two games, lead the team in scoring, shot well over 50%, hit threes, rebounded, and generally make an all-around nuisance of himself. Gallinari is now back, packing his distance shooting along, but he's not regained the starting role. In addition to those two, forward/center (center on the Knicks) David Lee has also had a fine year averaging 18 and 10 and providing a nightly scoring threat.

None of that changes the fact that the Knicks, even with the winning streak, sit at 6-15. They've got problems in multiple areas. The first thing you think of when you envision a Mike D'Antoni system is point guards and wings streaking down the floor looking for quick opportunities at the rim or from three. Chris Duhon and Larry Hughes are not those guards. Duhon is shooting 32% from the field on the year, Hughes 39%, and neither one can hit a three. Neither can small forward Wilson Chandler. You've a far better shot seeing New York's center and power forwards take a shot from the perimeter than their guards or small forwards (unless you move Harrington to SF). This leads to a lot of teams running back against the Knicks and packing the lane, daring them to shoot as quickly or slowly as they please. The Knicks have little functional bench to speak of and almost no bigs worth a second look besides the ones we've mentioned. They suit up 12 players and depend heavily on 4, maybe 5 on a good night.

The Knicks also have systemic problems. One glaring issue is fast-break points, where they rank 28^th out of 30 teams on the year. That's not fatal if your roster is built to grind it out in the halfcourt and you're not coached by a fast-offense guru. But the reality for the Knicks is that they don't win until they start approaching 110 points in a game. It's awfully hard to do that when you're netting fewer than 10 on the break.

That 110 number brings up another problem: defense. The Knicks are allowing 109 per game, a bunch of them coming in the paint. They don't have shot-blockers at all. Smart opponents don't waste time shooting jumpers. They push inside knowing that they're either going to get an easy look or a foul. New York is running a 5+ attempt deficit at the foul line per night. Their perimeter defenders are marginally better...sometimes. But they're still getting killed by the fact that most of their best offensive players lack defensive chops and vice-versa. This is one of the reasons Nate Robinson hasn't been playing.

Topping it off, the Knicks are getting killed on the boards on a nightly basis. They have some decent individual rebounders (Lee in particular) but the corporate effort just isn't there. They're among the worst offensive rebounding teams in the league and in the lower third defensively. Now maybe you're saying, "Mike D'Antoni...rebounding...his guys never have emphasized it." But remember this offense is not running like a typical D'Antoni system. They're slow, at least compared to the Phoenix days, depending more on possessions than the blitz. If you're going to run almost -7 on the boards every night you had better have some kind of souped up offense under the hood. That would be a "no" on most nights here.

Despite all of that, New York is a dangerous opponent for Portland tonight and not just because of the 3 in 4 momentum. Portland has been strong in interior defense. The Knicks shoot jumpers and loft shots over your forwards instead of scoring at the rim...a process the Blazers have yet to stop consistently this year. Robinson has been in D'Antoni's doghouse but if he's unleashed he's a matchup nightmare for the team. Ditto Al Harrington. They are able to probe specific weaknesses that the Blazers have trouble compensating for. If the Knicks do get on a roll and get near that magic 110 number the Blazers are highly unlikely to match. Nor do the Blazers have the option of brutalizing them inside with Oden anymore. Joel Przybilla is a fine option but realistically anybody could grab rebounds and protect the cup against this team. Someone to muscle through them and score at the rim would be helpful. That's not Joel...at least not on his own. If Joel is scoring tonight it means a bunch of things are going well for the Blazers. But Joel's not going to be able to turn a game around at the offensive end like Greg could have.

Pivotal Points to the Game

1. Energy is the key in this game: first, last, and always. Without energy the Knicks get easy breakaway buckets that push their offense. Without energy you take stupid shots when you could have quality ones. Give the Knicks a reason to break down on either end and they will. One or two guys might go off but they won't be scoring 40 apiece and you win. Let guys like Duhon and Hughes have strong games along with their frontcourt and you're in for a long night. Just keep the pressure on.

2. On the defensive end realize that their forwards aren't traditional and focus your defense accordingly. It's perfectly OK to double team outside of just the post tonight. Ideally you want to hawk their forwards anytime they get near the painted area, not just when they're near the rim. Get the ball out of the hands of Harrington and Lee and into the hands of that starting backcourt, shooting long balls.

3. On the offensive end you just have to make them make decisions. They're decent at getting back so you'll need to run your halfcourt offense but that shouldn't equate to dribbling and jumpers all night. Penetrate and kick. Screen and pop. Make them play coordinated defense and they'll probably not do it.

4. A big game from Martell Webster wouldn't hurt, eh?

Final Thoughts and Links

Effort. I want to see effort tonight no matter what. Give me that and I'll be pleased.

One of the best blogs in the universe for, like, forever has been PostingandToasting. Check it out for the Knicks vibe.

You can enter tonight's Jersey Contest form here. Remember, just enter "0" for the Oden question and send your well-wishes to Greg as you do so.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

Knicks 106, Nets 97

Seth — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 04:11:22 -0000

More photos » by Mary Altaffer - AP

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Like many Knicks games this season, tonight's win over the Nets was a tale of two halves. Thankfully, the opponent was helpless enough to render New York's own mood swings less than fatal. In the first half, we saw the familiar Knicks. They actually scored pretty effectively, but gave the Nets absolutely anything they wanted on the other end. The first two quarters today comprised the Nets' best half of the season. They league's worst team scored 61 points in the opening periods, keyed by Devin Harris, who drove to the rim and pulled-up from midrange pretty much unimpeded. In the second half? 36. The Knicks tightened up their defense and (aided slightly by the Nets' natural instincts to implode) turned a losing effort into a decisive win.

Notes, after the jump...

- Danilo Gallinari was back in uniform tonight (with a shooter's sleeve!), but Mike D'Antoni opted to ride the hot hand and keep Al Harrington in the starting lineup, which paid off nicely. From the outset, Al recognized the speed advantage he had over Josh Boone and exploited it mercilessly. Harrington's spin move is deadly, and he utilized it early and often to blow past Boone and finish at the rim. On the game, Al limited himself to only three threes, and did most of his work around the basket. He didn't just score either, finishing with a superb 24 points (10-18), 14 boards, and 5 assists in 40 minutes. Al's a hell of a player, and if he was always this motivated, nobody would be in favor of trading him.

- Just to emphasize that the quality of Harrington's dominant performance was a welcome departure from the usual, Clyde reacted to a gorgeous pass thrown Al to David Lee with "where did that come from!?".

- David Lee couldn't do much to stop Brook Lopez on offense (as Clyde said, "size matters"), but give credit to both Lee and Harrington for superb box-outs throughout the game. Lopez was muscled out of a number of rebounds, and finished with only 6 of his own. Lee and Harrington had 9 and 14 boards respectively, and worked hard for them.

- Lee also had his offense going, and kept Lopez honest by nailing his mid-range jumpers. That opened up the paint for Lee and others, as big Brookie had to step out to contest the J. That's an under-rated weapon, and it was a pleasure to see Dave score confidently from outside.

- Chris Duhon started attacking the rim, but just couldn't get a roll. He ended up 2-12, but I will say that he was, for the most part, missing the kinds of shots we'd like to see him take. There were more quick drives to the rim and less out-of-rhythm threes. That counts for something, I think. Not a great game, though.

- Danilo Gallinari made a relatively brief appearance today, probably owing to both his still-injured forearm and the recent resurgence of Al Harrington. Gallo was able to make an impact in his 21 minutes, though, with 3 three-pointers and 4 rebounds to his name.

- The Knicks were at their very worst in the second quarter, and it was a little disarming. One would like to think that the main advantage the Knicks have over a team like the Nets is their second unit, but Kiki Vandeweghe's bench thrived against the second-string Knicks. Rafer Alston (3-11) didn't shoot well, but had an easy team finding teammates like Keyon Dooling (4-7) for open shots. The pace quickened in the second, which you would think of as Knick-friendly, but New Jersey actually opened up a double-digit lead for part of the quarter.

- Chris Douglas-Roberts is very talented, very cool, and makes Joey look very wise. I love Gallo and wouldn't change a thing about that draft, but...damn.

- I'm disappointed in Clyde for not rhyming "Dooling" with something.

- This game was especially well mic'd, and we got to hear a lot of the on-court banter, including Al Harrington, after taking a hard fast break foul from Devin Harris, grumbling "I'm never gonna try and dunk again" while being peeled off the floor.

- Mike D'Antoni wielded his zone defense a few times, including in that second quarter in order to stifle the Nets' run. It worked pretty nicely for stretches, as Jared Jeffries or Wilson Chandler was able to roam the middle and help out on Brook Lopez to limit his touches and force other Nets to create offense.

- Al Trautwig casually snuck in a pretty ominous line during the halftime show: "The Knicks are what Chris Duhon is". Yikes.

- The young Garden audience (it was a noon start) spent much of the second half huffing and puffing at Mike D'Antoni's doghouse, begging for Nate Robinson. Chants of "we want Nate!" rained down even as the Knicks pulled away for the win, which leads me to conclude that the majority of New York-area youth don't do what Toney Douglas do just yet. This disappoints me. Weren't you little brats listening?

- In the third quarter, it was Larry Hughes of all people that keyed the run that eventually became the win. Hughes scored 12 in the period, including a personal stretch of 8 straight, and the Nets could never recover. Can't blame them. I've only just recovered.

- The guy who initiates that "I SAY D, YOU SAY FENSE!" chant sounds a lot like Xzibit to me. Since I haven't been to a game in a while, I'm gonna go ahead and assume that the Garden hype guy actually is Xzibit, since that's not at all out of the question, given his other work.

The Knicks have now won three of their last four, and look to add to their recent success tomorrow night against the Blazers. I have to be in class for pretty much the duration of the game (I know, right?), so I'll be in the market for a guest-recapper if anybody's interested. Let me know.

Knicks 114, Hawks 107

Seth — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 04:06:47 -0000

More photos » by Gregory Smith - AP

I would've liked to include a picture of Chris Duhon, but all photos taken of him scoring tonight are apparently being analyzed by the AP to guarantee authenticity. (AP Photo/Gregory Smith)

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That was confusing. After a three months of berating Chris Duhon and a full night of fawning over Al Harrington trade rumors, those very two Knicks co-piloted a convincing win tonight in Atlanta. Harrington dominated the first half with 25 points through the opening quarters, while Duhon was steady throughout, dropping a cool 25 and 10 in jaw-dropping, head-scratching, brain-melting fashion.

Details on those fellas and much more after the jump...

- Danilo Gallinari sat tonight because of a sore forearm. You might remember Matt Barnes decking Gallo into the Magic bench on Wednesday. Well, that apparently didn't feel too good on Danilo's shooting arm. The word is that there's no serious damage and Danilo should be back soon. In related news, I didn't commit infanticide this evening.

- The Knicks started this game down 11-0, at which point many people probably turned off their televisions. I, in fact, had yet to turn on my own. I arrived mid-way through the first, when the Knicks had nearly erased the deficit. That being the case, I feel no responsibility to go back and watch those first few minutes and rehash them for you, and I'm very happy about that.

- After all that, the Knicks actually finished the first quarter leading the Hawks 35-34. Once the Knicks started hitting, it became an old-fashioned shootout. The killer combo of Al Harrington and Chris Duhon had 28 of the Knicks 35 points in the first quarter. They each hit 3 three-pointers. I couldn't make this up.

- Harrington, overall, did his part to answer a lot of the criticism that's fallen upon him since the Tyrus Thomas rumors blew up. Al didn't suddenly become unselfish or anything, but he did manage to drain a lot of the shots we tend to scold him for taking. Al finished with 27 points on 11-17 shooting, including 4-8 from three on the night, and was nothing short of brilliant in the first half. If there's anything to buoy our demands that he be dealt, it was his stark drop-off in the second half, in which he was 1-4 by my count. Sticking with the here and now, though, Al Harrington was key in the New York victory tonight, and we thank him for that.

- Chris Duhon was something else entirely. First, let me remind everybody that Du has caught two months of grief not because he's a bad player, but because he consistently failed to flex his muscles and assert his bounty of point guard talent when it counted. At least that's how I've felt. Anyone who saw his stretch of brilliance early last season or his passionate play in training camp this September knows Chris possesses the skills to be an effective lead guard. For perhaps the first time this season, he showed that. Duhon not only ran the pick-and-roll brilliantly, he looked for his own shot both from the outside and, most importantly, at the rim. When David Lee's roll to the basket was shut off, Du would take off and glide to the rim for acrobatic lay-ins. It was a sight to be seen, and something we've been waiting on for months. Hats off to Chris Duhon, and here's hoping his newfound mojo is here to stay.

- Josh Smith got pretty frustrated with Al Harrington's savior-like play in the first half, and eventually blew his top. Smith's already got a chronic case of Meanface, but he took it to another level after a non-call and eventually got tossed by Bob Delaney. That didn't help matters for a Hawks team that just couldn't get it done on offense.

- Oh, can we all agree to call Josh Smith "The Flying Pug"? I'd really like that nickname to stick. My attempt to anoint Marvin Williams "Milk" (since he was a bad choice over Chris Paul and Deron Williams) didn't really pan out. I need at least one of my Hawks monikers to amount to something.

- That "Two Generations of Cool" thing with Frank Sinatra and Jay-Z concerts is on MSG tonight, and Walt Frazier and Kenny Albert had the following conversation in that vein:

Kenny: "Clyde, did you ever see Frank Sinatra in concert?"

Clyde: "Once, I did."

Kenny: "And how was it?"

Clyde: "Asdfasdfasdfasdf"

- The Knick defense and shot selection was superior to their previous game against Atlanta and, well, about 15 other games this season, but the Hawks also deserve recognition for failing to make shots from absolutely everywhere on the floor. They shot 4-23 as a team from downtown and I'm pretty sure I saw someone miss a tip-in from inside the basket. Sometimes the rim's got a lid.

- I don't think I'd want to play pick-up ball with David Lee. At least not in a game where you call your own fouls.

- Just to emphasize how well Duhon played tonight, I should mention that he personally generated two of Clyde's favorite rhymes. Du was both "swishing and dishing" and "driving and thriving" this evening, whereas he'd spent the first 19 games totally rhyme-free. If anything, he was "chucking and sucking" or something.

- Also, Clyde used the phrase "scoring extravaganza" twice tonight, which is exactly two more times than that phrase has been used by any other announcer in the history of color commentary.

- Shit, Clyde was on fire tonight. "Ain't that Pachulia"? That's goddamn brilliant.

- There was a fun little stretch in the third quarter during which Al Horford and Al Harrington kept going one-on-one with each other to determine who was the superior "Al H.". If I could pick one adjective to describe the showdown, it would be "mouthguard".

- We shouldn't forget Wilson Chandler in the midst of all this Harrington and Duhon hooplah. Wil put in hard work against Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams, and finished with 18 points on 8-17 shooting. He kept himself to 1-3 from downtown, and instead did a nice job attacking the rim. He even caught an alley-oop at one point, which made me feel a little like the announcers in Semi-Pro. I hadn't seen an oop in a long time.

- A monstrous 17 and 18 for David Lee. Top-notch, David.

- Larry Hughes had 10 in the fourth quarter. Marvelously done, Lawrence.

- Other than Hughes, D'Antoni kept his bench rotation typically short. Tonight, it was just Marcus Landry, who did nothing of note in 6 minutes, and Toney Douglas, who played some excellent off-the-ball D, shot 3-5 for 6 points, and pretty much did what Toney Douglas do.

In summary, I can't say I saw that coming, but I'm plenty happy with the results. Next game's Sunday against the Nets, who thankfully recorded their first win of the season tonight against the Bobcats. Consider that a bullet dodged. Everybody have a splendid night and I'll talk to y'all tomorrow.

Magic 118, Knicks 104

Seth — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 05:25:45 -0000

More photos » by Phelan M. Ebenhack - AP

This game was ugly. Can't blame either of these guys for crying. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

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Well, that wave of competence didn't ride long, did it? In fact, the Knicks picked up just about where they left off on Sunday against the Magic. After keeping things relatively competitive in the first half, New York once again allowed the Orlando gunners to shoot the game out of reach. After a brilliant performance last night, tonight was more of the usual. The defense was consistently a step slow, the shot selection was poor, and the team-wide verve from Tuesday had completely faded. Much of that can be credited to the Magic, who moved the ball briskly on offense, defended superbly on and off the ball, and generally made the Suns look like a gaggle of chumps by comparison.

Some notes, after the jump...

- Tonight's big story was the full-on explosion of something that smoldered and sparked last night. Nate Robinson did not play. Not a single minute. Alan Hahn just tweeted D'Antoni's explanation of the benching, and it's equal parts vague and threatening:

"It’s just something we’re trying to build a winning group and you have to go with that."

"We want to win and if he’s conducive to winning then he’ll obviously be back in the lineup. If not, then not."

Coach has been peeved by Robinson's flimsy defense and occasional displays of immaturity, and this is clearly his way of sending a message. Particularly following Nate's torrid fourth quarter on Sunday, that's a strong message to send. And you know what? As much as Nate's presence is missed, I'm on board. It's refreshing to see someone really challenge the little dude- who's now in his fifth year, mind you- to focus and play to his potential. If benching is D'Antoni's best answer, then so be it. I ask only that he be even-handed. If Nate has to ride the pine for stretches, then Al Harrington should probably take a seat as well, and Chris Duhon should be hit over the head with a chair. Each of those guys has been equally disappointing in the talent-to-output ratio.

- Harrington, Robinson, and Jared Jeffries were seen dancing and singing along to "We Will Rock You" during the pre-game festivities. Toney Douglas did not look impressed. Listening to Queen is apparently not what Toney Douglas do. You're all on notice. More on TD later.

- The earliest indicator that Orlando wasn't going to fold defensively like Phoenix did was the way they covered baseline cuts to the basket. Larry Hughes got his early assists against Phoenix because he repeatedly hit Knick forwards in stride off of backdoor cuts. Dwight Howard et al., though, did a superb job of identifying and reacting to any off-the-ball movement, and Hughes repeatedly had to swallow his pass when Howard flashed in front of the cutter. This made for some rather unsightly outside shots.

- On the other end, Howard simply couldn't be stopped by any combination of miniature Knicks. Guys doubled, but they couldn't really use the baseline properly or close him off from passes except for a few instances. Whatever. It's not like we have to worry about that matchup in the postseason.

- Danilo Gallinari, for his part, did not return to his comfortable corner hideout, but he did post a prolific but sub-optimal shooting night. Gallo buried a three within 15 seconds of tipoff, and didn't stop shooting after that. As the game progressed, though, Danilo's shots grew more and more forced, and he ended up with an unsightly (but not awful) 5-14 line. I was happy to see the kid get that many shots up, and ecstatic that he attempted 10 free throws, but he's gotta strike a balance between coasting and chucking. It feels weird to say that after lamenting Danilo's lack of shots in previous games, but I really expect the best from him.

Meanwhile, Gallinari's simply got to adapt better on defense. We know Danilo is athletic enough to defend capably (see Tuesday's game), but he doesn't always have his head on straight. Case in point: If Mickael Pietrus has just hit three straight three-pointers, CLOSE OUT. Let him beat you off the dribble. Bite on his pump fakes. Just make him do something different. I guess that comes with familiarity and coaching, but like I said, I expect the best from Danilo Gallinari. Not a terrible game for The Cock, but there's room to improve.

- Al Harrington is dedicated to keeping the memories of past Knicks alive. Not only does he pull the chair like Malik Rose used to, he's resurrected Quentin Richardson's tendency to scream "HEY" whenever he feels contact.

- 8 first quarter turnovers is probably not an ideal statistic if you're trying to win a basketball game, especially when you shoot as poorly as the Knicks do. Can't waste possessions.

- In Nate's absence, Toney Douglas was the first guard off the bench. In the second quarter, and also in garbage time later on, Toney DWTDD like he's been known to. Toney scored a quick 17 points on 7-11 shooting in 20 minutes. I'm still not blown away by his passing, but the rook's range and intermediate game (such a pretty floater!) make me drool just a little. I continue to be impressed by his D as well, though someone needs to tell him to use his forearms, not his hands.

- Remember that time David Lee told me he intended to keep his mouth shut amongst the replacement refs? Well, we've got regular refs now, but Dave ain't exactly minding his manners. Lee bitches constantly, and it got to the point that D'Antoni scolded him for dawdling up the court because he was chewing out an official. I don't especially care...just saying. I don't like getting LIED TO, David.

- While we're talking about him, I was happy to see Lee drag Dwight Howard out of his domain by making catches near the perimeter, but I found myself wishing he'd take Howard off the dribble instead of attempting jumpers.

- It's weird how much Jared Jeffries's jumper form has regressed since he was wetting J's in preseason. It's like the warm weather loosened up some ligaments in his wrist that have since reverted to a state that causes his shots to spin in three different directions simultaneously.

- At the risk of sounding psychotic, I'd really like to cook and eat Dwight Howard's shoulders, and then do the same with Brandon Bass's to compare taste and texture. I'd bet Anthony Johnson would make a fine cut of meat as well. Word has it they hand-feed him beer and massage him daily to marble the fat.

- Rashard Lewis is probably kinda gamy. I'm sorry. I'll stop.

- Wilson Chandler might not be rising as high as he was last season, but his second jump is pretty quick for a guy who recently had ankle surgery. For a guy that takes a lot of tough shots near the rim, the ability to get his own rebound and stick it back is prized. 24 (10-18) and 5 for Wil, by the way, though it seemed like all of that came in garbage time.

- This movie Brothers looks really rough. Similar story to Pearl Harbor, but probably a lot less funny when you're high.

- Mickael Pietrus shimmies? Nobody informed me that Mickael Pietrus shimmies. Do other people in Guadeloupe shimmy? Did a Guadeloupean invent the shimmy? I always thought the shimmy was strictly American. If that's a foreign import, than what else have we got? Monster trucks?

- Speaking of Pietrus, MSG accidentally displayed his game stats alongside a photo of Donté Greene, which is their subtle way of reminding us that all sorts of fringe starters have looked like All-Stars against the Knicks this season.

- Chris Tucker was at Amway Arena tonight. King Kong ain't got shit on him, if you catch my drift.

- I was really psyched for extended garbage time, but Toney and Wil were the only two to really have an impact. Marcus Landry missed a bunch (1-5), and Jordan Hill was a little less trigger-happy than last night. He hit one of two jumpers and got the wind knocked out of him by Brandon Bass's ass a few times.

- Darko Milicic was bench-bound again tonight, which would qualify as a DNP-BMDISETDHITTSOAK. Enjoy. (Incidentally, your winner from last night is FreeBradshaw. Well done, sir.)

Anyway, after last night's sudden and overwhelming majesty, tonight was a hasty retreat to mediocre Knicks basketball. I wouldn't expect otherwise. Next game's Friday in Atlanta. We'll talk before then.

Daily Links 12/2

FLCeltsFan — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:05:18 -0000

Herald Ray Allen-led Celtics shoot straight
Tech issues for Rasheed Wallace
Doc Rivers has big workload in clock management
Allen Iverson signs with 76ers
Shaq conveys concern for Tiger Woods, rips rumors
Look at that man who used to be Allen Iverson
Larry Brown says 76ers should offer Allen Iverson a guaranteed contract
Globe Larry Brown unhappy with proposed Iverson deal
Greetings from Charlotte
Updates from Celtics-Bobcats
Analysis of Celtics-Bobcats
Celtics 108, Bobcats 90
Celtics’ Wallace still having technical difficulties
Allen on target as Celtics thump lethargic Bobcats

CelticsBlog     What Can I Say? (5 In A Row)
Aggressive Play Key to Putting Down Cats
Loy's Place    Comments from the Other Side - Bobcats 12/1
Random Thoughts on a Celtics Beatdown
WEEI     Ray Allen Postgame Guest on WEEI
The Three-Pointer: Is Perkins An All-Star?
Doc Rivers on WEEI
Charlotte Observer    Bobcats frustrates Brown in loss
ESPN    Danilo Gallinari leads New York Knicks past Phoenix Suns with six 3-pointers
C's up to sixth in power rankings
Rondo off to the races?
Postgame thoughts: Celtics vs. Bobcats - Celtics Blog
MetroWest Daily      Celtics 108, Bobcats 90: Allen, C's clobber Bobcats
NBA.com     Ford Keys to the Game: Celtics at Bobcats
Celtics 17     Boston Celts-Charlotte ‘Cats Live Chat (Hosted by Gino’s Jungle)
Red's Army      Your KG Face of the Day
Iverson... back to where it all started
There's a Beast running wild in Charlotte
Your Morning Dump... featuring Sheed's technical difficulties
Celtics Hub     Some food for thought…
A Clinic: C’s 108, Bobcats 90
North Station Sports     Celtics Trounce Bobcats, Rest Up For Spurs
Today's Headlines-- 12/3/09
Celtics Town    Stephen Jackson is one unpredictable hombre
Celtics beat Bobcats in laugher, 108-90
Stephen Jackson is one unpredictable hombre
The Morning Walkthrough: Celtics put on clinic at both ends
Kendrick Perkins dominates Charlotte front line in easy 108-90 victory
Hardwood Houdini     Rajon Rondo Faster Than Your Average NFL Running Back?
Celtics Stay Clear of the Bobcats Bite- Win 5th Straight
Where’s All That "Celtics Look Old" Talk Now?
Lex Nihil Novi     Bird's Triple-Double Leads C's over Spurs 83-84
Clyde "The Glide" Riding the Pine in Portland 83-84
14-4: Celtics 108, Cats 90
Would You Trade Kobe Bryant?
CelticsLife     The Golden Child- Why must the NBA have two sets of rules?
Celts dominate Bobcats from start, improve to 14-4
Celtics/Bobcats Post Game Videos
Celtics 108, Bobcats 90 Highlights
Gino's Jungle     The Return of Celtics Basketball
Welcome to the Jungle - Matt Rury
The Luckiest Season Ticket Holder Ever
Team Green's Truth Rankings
Inside Hoops   Sixers, Allen Iverson agree to deal
My San Antonio    Showing holiday cheer to some Spurs foes
4 Sport Boston    Busy Little C’s
Depressed Fan    Going Nowhere, Fast
Hoopsworld     Perkins: Outside The Big Three
Examiner    NBA recap Thanksgiving edition: Celtics, Rockets thankful for UK's Rondo and Hayes
Paul Pierce makes his case for MVP
Green Street    Fast break: Celtics-Bobcats
NY Daily News    Ex-New Jersey Net Jason Kidd rips former club, can send them to infamy with Dallas Mavericks
Hardwood Paroxysm    Lion Face/Lemon Face: 12.2.09
Chronicle     ‘Z’ expected to break games-played record tonight
Romey 1989    Five Difficulties In Orlando Magic’s Championship
CSNNE     Celtics easily tame Bobcats
Live from Charlotte!
17 Banners     Top-10: Best of the Decade
NBA.com    Some early returns on offseason moves
Bleacher Report    Twitter: J.R. Giddens Tarnishing a Reputation That's Already Smeared
Rajon Rondo Faster Than Your Average NFL Running Back?
Waiting for Next Year    Are The Cavaliers Really Struggling?
Front Office Fans    Chris Johnson vs. Rajon Rondo: Where and When?
News Observer    Observations: Garnett irks Mohammed
Hoop Angle    Before & After: Coming Up Big Test -
NESN    Celtics Forging New Identity as NBA's Road Warriors
Live Blog: Celtics at Bobcats
Celtics Guard Rajon Rondo Wants a Crack at Titans Speedster Chris Johnson
Former Celtic Antoine Walker to Begin Paying Off Gambling Debts
Celtics Slam Bobcats 108-90 on Road For Fifth Straight Win
Press Herald    Red Claws preview: The name doesn't hurt, but talent will make him
Gear Live NBA All-Stars thus far in the 09-10 NBA season
Dimemag    Blazers get the Bease-ness
CT News     Ray Allen leads Celtic Rout of Bobcats: 108-90
NY Post      Tinsley signing magnificent for Memphis
Hobby How To   Which team is likely to end the Lakers and Celtics dominance
Bleachers Brew    Thoughts on some NBA teams at this stage
NBA Wire     How Good a Shooter Did Glen Davis Really Become?

Knicks 126, Suns 99

Seth — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 05:06:33 -0000

More photos » by Frank Franklin II - AP

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Wow. In a season full of miscues and misery, that was just what the doctor ordered. The Knicks invited the Suns into the Garden, spanked them mercilessly, then sent the league's best team packing. Shots fell and the defense clicked as the Knicks built a lead and never really looked back. A number of different players stepped up and filled their roles with aplomb. Phoenix, meanwhile, played the part of the home team, flubbing easy plays and exerting very little effort en route to their first sub-100-point output of the season. The Knicks' best stuff and the Suns' worst just happened to coincide, and I must say it was positively exquisite.

Notes, after the jump...

I mentioned that each Knick played his role brilliantly. I wasn't kidding. Check it:

- Wilson Chandler got things started by driving to the basket on offense, getting fouled early and connecting at the line. Later, he canned a couple open threes (2-3) and otherwise let the offense come to him. On the other end, D'Antoni chose to match Wil with Steve Nash, which worked nicely, as Chandler was quick enough to stay near (not in front of. Nobody does that.) Nash, and big enough to disrupt his passes and switch onto Amare' Stoudemire when picks were set.

- Chris Duhon (2-8) didn't shoot as well as he did in the previous game, but hit a pretty big three, dished out 5 assists, and spent 23 minutes on the bench. Perfect.

- Al Harrington (8-14) took a reasonable number of shots and hit most of them. He also pulled down 8 rebounds.

- David Lee registered 24 points and 8 boards, actually made an effort to defend Stoudemire, and didn't get embarrassed on help defense because the Suns hardly attacked the rim. Lee's hands were up, too, as indicated by his 4 steals.

Those Knicks did their jobs. These Knicks went above and beyond:

- Larry Hughes up and stole the point guard reins from Chris Duhon in early going, dropping 8 dimes in the first quarter and finishing with 12 on the night. He demanded the ball, directed traffic in the halfcourt set, and hit cutters with pinpoint passes. It was beautiful. Hughes's 11 points and 4 steals were just gravy. That little display of competent point guard play was tremendous. Not to continue to dump on Duhon after a win, but Larry's leadership made a massive difference. Evidence: The Knicks started the second quarter with Hughes on the floor and won the first 4 minutes 12-10. Duhon then checked in for Hughes, and the Suns promptly went on an 8-3 run. Hughes then re-entered, and the Knicks won the next four and half minutes 17-12. I'm not just saying...I'm just saying...

- I can't say enough about Jared Jeffries's play. He was mostly a garbagebro on offense (4-6, 10 points), and I mean that in the best way possible. The rest of his line, though, is what stands out. 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks, and a steal are marks of a job well done by Jeffries, and he did that in just 25 minutes. Jared's quiet contributions helped keep the Knicks afloat when it looked like the Suns were poised to strike. Superb game.

- Finally, a big ol' Rooster Salute for Danilo Gallinari. Gallo asserted himself just like we hoped he would, finishing with 27 points, 10 boards, and 2 monstrous Cock-blocks. Gallo was potent from downtown (6-12, and it would've been more with a kinder rim), but didn't just settle for threes. He looked much more confident and made his way into the center of the court to participate more in the offensive flow. There were backdoor cuts, frontdoor cuts, and even a stop-and-pop banker from about 12 feet out.If you're on Twitter, hit up @gallinari8888 and tell him to keep up the great work. Gallo's shot at stardom is tied to the kind of confidence and aggression we saw him from him tonight.

The rest of the notes:

- Billie Jean King was interviewed by Al Trautwig at courtside, and finished her conversation by calling Trautwig "Babes". The following dialogue ensued:

Breen: "Did she just call Al 'Babes?'"

Clyde: "She's from the 70s."

Breen: "Don't you go call Al that now."

- King also took the opportunity to smack some tennis balls into the crowd during a timeout. One of them whizzed perilously close to Channing Frye's head, and Frye reacted with that memorable look of puzzlement we first witnessed in his "sometimes, dinner was just crackers" Garden of Dreams commercial. If you remember that MSG ad, you're officially a pimp by P&T standards (and a moron by everyone else's standards, but forget those guys.)

- Nate Robinson got very little burn in this one. The way Hughes was playing, I guess he wasn't really needed. Robinson didn't show any blatant displeasure, and actually did a nice job pushing the tempo in his 10 minutes.

- Amare' Stoudemire, who I'd typically consider to be a pretty good shot-blocker, didn't even bother to contest a lot of the Knicks' drives into the paint. Either Stoudemire's defense has fallen off or David Lee is contagious.

- Apparently some sort of rodeo is coming to MSG, and I feel obligated to pass along the information that the Garden will be "filled with the world's toughest cowboys and rankest bulls". I know P&T folks like their bulls rank, so I figured I'd share for those of you who missed the ad.

- P&T hero Frederic Weis coined the term "Knickslexia" to describe the phenomenon of reading a winning Knicks score backwards, because your tendency to assume they're losing overrides what you actually perceive. If you checked out the 71-58 score at halftime, odds are you got all kinds of Knickslexic.

- Robin Lopez is something else. No, really. He's something else.

- Clyde always mocks Mike Breen for being a ballhog on the basketball court. Do we have any evidence that these two have actually played ball together? If so, is it on video? If so, can I have it?

- Goran Dragic probably doesn't wear a diaper on the court, but he might.

- With the season's first real blowout came the season's first real garbage time. It was magical. Toney Douglas DWTDD for a sec, burying two threes and handing out a couple assists. Jordan Hill shot and missed a bunch (2-7) but looked active (to use the adjective that's gradually becoming his middle name) and showed off some of his typically fluid moves, with a jump shot to boot. Jordan Hill is pretty good at basketball. Mark my words. Marcus Landry got to spin as well, and hit a three just to ice the cake.

- Darko Milicic, despite chants from the crowd, was a DNP-BHWCSIYMHPGT. See if you can crack that one.

Tonight was marvelous. Thanks go to everybody who commented, and also to the Knicks for putting together a masterpiece of a performance in beating the league's best team. I got a little choked up for a bit there.

I'm sure we'll have video and some more excitement in the morning, but there isn't much time to bask. The Knicks head straight to Orlando for another meeting with the Magic tomorrow night. Could they possibly keep the dream alive?

TUCKER SCORES 14, suns lose to 3-14 knicks.....

Wil Cantrell — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 04:02:19 -0000

More photos » by Frank Franklin II - AP

New York Knicks' Danilo Gallinari (8), of Italy, destroys the Suns. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

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The best thing about this game was that we get to play tomorrow night and erase this mess. Of course the Phoenix Suns play the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James. That won't be too easy, but the victory will be all the sweeter.

There are a lot of different reasons for this loss. I'm not going to go through it all, but I'll tell you, when you give up 71 first half points, you aren't playing good basketball.

The Knicks seemed to make nearly everything they hoisted up tonight. The trio of Al Harrington, David Lee, and Danilo Gallinari went a combined 28-46 (73 points). Even more disheartening was Jared Jeffries, who finished with a +30.

UGH

The Suns were never in this game, giving up 39 points in the first period. It was if they were playing, like, the Suns or something. I t was enough for Danil Gallinari to gush: "I think we are a great team with many offensive weapons."

Well, let's not overdo it, Danilo. The Suns helped out by shooting 23% from three point range (4-17), getting out rebounded 40-50, and turning the ball over 17 times.

Another bad sign for your team is when you allow Larry Hughes 11 points, 12 assists, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals.

The Bright Side:

Alando Tucker showed some life in garbage time, scoring 14 points and looking pretty aggressive. He must want to stay in the NBA
Earl Clark got some quality time and made a few shots
ROLO went 7 and 5 in garbage time as well.
Nash went for 20 and 8

Ah, who am kidding? There wasn't much bright about this. Losing to a 3-14 squad, losing to your former coach, not really playing inspired basketball, not making many shots, etc. I could start pointing fingers or pushing panic buttons, but I won't. Every now and again Amare Stoudemire will have as many turnovers as rebounds, Dragic will go 0 for everything, the defense will allow a team to make 14 three pointers, and collectively, simply not show up. Let's breathe here, let's accept the fact the Suns will get "Fat and happy" from time to time.

Remember, it's an 82 game season.

Oh, and, let's give a little credit to the Knicks, they did what they had to do to win.

On to Cleveland, people.....

Highlights er, lowlights:

Links

Recap
Posting and Toasting
Suns vs Knicks boxscore
SUNS: Postgame Quotes: Suns vs Knicks, December 1, 2009
We didn’t play hard tonight, we got out-played, out-hustled – [we] didn’t deserve to win. Maybe we took them [Knicks] a little lightly, but you still have to play hard. They got all the loose balls, offensive rebounds. Obviously they made some shots and you take your hats off when shots are made but it’s all the layups and hustle plays and not getting back on defense that kill you. They just played harder than we did. We’re embarrassed and have to pick ourselves up. Not a whole lot to say tonight. - Nash
I feel just like Bill Belichick felt last night. I think we were out-coached, we were out-played and we were out-hustled. It’s one of those games where I just didn’t think we played real well. I don’t want to take away anything from the Knicks because I think they played hard. I think they had a good game plan and they made shots. You can see what they’re capable of doing when they’re making shots and their offense flows well. They out-played us but it’s one game. We didn’t play real well and I’m disappointed. It’s not a very good feeling. - Gentry
Surprising Knicks dismantle Suns- AZ Central.com
It was D'Antoni, the coach criticized so often for a lack of devotion to defense, who helped the 3-14 Knicks, who ranked 28th in the NBA in defense, become the first team to hold the Suns below 100 points this season. The Knicks demolished the Suns 126-99 at Madison Square Garden, ending Phoenix's four-game win streak.
Knicks 126, Suns 99 - Posting and Toasting
Phoenix, meanwhile, played the part of the home team, flubbing easy plays and exerting very little effort en route to their first sub-100-point output of the season. The Knicks' best stuff and the Suns' worst just happened to coincide, and I must say it was positively exquisite.