SB Nation - New York Knicks

Word of the Day: Fantasy

Ben Q Rock — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 19:16:51 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

fantasy (n.) - imagination unrestricted by reality.

Two weeks ago, Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade made headlines when he told Tim Povtak of NBA FanHouse that he would prefer to play with Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard if he had his choice of any superstar teammate. Not LeBron James, not Chris Bosh, but Howard.

His comments have kept Magic fans up at night, dreaming of trade packages Orlando could send Miami this summer, when Wade becomes a free-agent. Would the Heat accept Vince Carter's expiring contract, Marcin Gortat, and a combination of future draft picks? What about Brandon Bass instead of Gortat?

Problem is, Wade's comments don't actually mean anything. I found this recent Tweet by Ric Bucher instructive:

Snarky Snap take: Enough w/the "Player X says he'd like to play w/Player Y" stories. It's only news if X says he wouldn't want to play w/Y.

I hate to get all preachy, but Magic fans really don't need to worry about Wade's free-agency plans. Putting aside the fact that Heat GM Pat Riley would never trade the best player in franchise history to an in-state rival--from which Riley demanded compensation to let Stan Van Gundy out of his contract as a consultant so he could sign on to coach the Magic--there are far more important things happening on the court right now. Orlando has tied the best start in its history with a 17-4 record. There's nothing wrong with looking ahead to the summer of 2010, as the New Jersey Nets, New York Knicks, and the Heat have done for several years by shedding salary and by signing players to short-term deals in order to clear salary-cap sapce. But for an elite team like Orlando, the foremost goal next summer is to hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy.

On the Outside, Looking In

Seth — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:12:52 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

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I may or may not be quoting Staind in the headline, but the fact of the matter is that the Knicks have strung together a nice stretch of wins with Eddy Curry and Nate Robinson on the sideline. The Nate-less and Curry-less success has made for some mixed feelings in two of the longest tenured Knicks.

Nate Robinson, as we know, has been a regular DNP-CD for over a week now. The benching certainly stings, but as Marc Berman reports, Nate is doing his best to swallow his pride and work his way back.

Privately, Robinson feels D'Antoni treats him with a double standard and gets punished for transgressions teammates get away with. Because Robinson signed a one-year, $4 million contract days before training camp, he can't be traded until Dec. 15 and needs to approve any trade.

Since the benching, Robinson's pre-game preparation has been ultra serious. He's on the court 90 minutes before tipoff, usually performing a series of intense shooting drills with assistant coach Kenny Atkinson. It's all business.

Again, Nate has every right to be hurt, but it's an excellent sign to see that he's taking the demotion in stride. Robinson isn't a kid in this league anymore, and the fact that the Knicks are thriving without him seems to have affected his habits. Personally, I'm not dead-set on using Nate's expiring deal as a trade asset just yet. We've long considered him to be one of the most talented Knicks, and it might be worthwhile to let this benching play out and see if he can't earn his spot back and turn over a new leaf on the court.

In a similar vein, a Knick with different issues and a very much opposite personality from Nate's is Eddy Curry. Curry made a spirited, if not entirely compelling, comeback from injury several weeks ago. His appearance was short-lived, though, and he's been rehabbing his sore legs while the Knicks have been winning. Eddy's just about healthy enough to return (again (again)), but worries about messing with a good thing. From a separate Berman article:

"I want to try to blend in and not mess them up," Curry said after the Knicks' fourth win in five games Monday night over Portland. "They're really rolling right now. I don't want to be the reason we lose the game. It's going to be touchy for me. I trust Coach puts me in there when he feels I'm ready."

That kind of self-consciousness doesn't exactly scream "dominant big man", but we've long known that Eddy's not a brute or an egomaniac. In fact, he's got a very lucid idea of where he stands:

"Trade bait?" Curry asked. "I'm going to relish any moment I can to play. Whether playing me to trade me, or playing me because they want to win games, it doesn't matter to me. I just want to get out there. Although I don't want to be traded."

As Coach Herman Boone would say, "a self-aware man. I like that".

The point is that Eddy Curry and Nate Robinson have both been absent from the Knicks' recent surge, but both are hopefully on the path to factoring into the winning equation. They approach it from different directions, but both seem to have reached the conclusion that they've gotta fit into the team concept to earn playing time. Curry and Robinson can and should be key factors in the Knicks' success, and both seem to be headed in the right direction.

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.

IC Cold Links: Without Granger, Pacers Must Rely On Next Man Up

Tom Lewis — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 11:37:01 -0000

Here are a few links of interest, including the Indiana Pacers taking a little inspiration for dealing with injuries from the NFL team across town.

Caught in the Web: Pacers preparing for life without Granger
Bruno on the Pacers moving forward as if Danny Granger will be on the shelf for a bit. Like how T.J. Ford tries to pick up the 'next man up' mantra the Indianapolis Colts have used for years now. If only it could work as well for the Pacers as it does for the Colts.
Pacers Notebook: O'Brien preparing for worst with Granger
Mighty Mike Wells reports on all of the wonderful news coming out of the Fieldhouse, as Jim O'Brien prepares to go forward without Danny Granger and with T.J. Ford.
Blazers drop game to Knicks before arriving in Indy
The Portland Trail Blazers are in town on Wednesday to play the Pacers. I have a feeling they'll be fired up and ready to go after an emotionally draining couple of days that included losing Greg Oden and then losing to the New York Knicks. With a day off to regroup, the Blazers will try to get better against the Pacers.
Hinrich out the next two games. So...could VDN really be fired? - Blog a Bull
It appears from this Blog a Bull post that the Chicago Bulls are a step ahead of the Pacers but traveling down the same path, wondering what to do with the coach while players are underperforming. Worse for the Bulls, though, they have some serious young talent.
Tim Donaghy's claims on trial - TrueHoop Blog
Henry Abbott doesn't just take Tim Donaghy's word for it and instead investigates someo the claims he's made about other referees, players and coaches. Another similar post about claims against Dick Bavetta is here.
NBA Power Poll: Pacers slide down the rankings
Sean Deveney from The Baseline has the Pacers sliding eight spots to 27 in his latest rankings which seems about right. Still stings to read it.

Game 22 Recap: Blazers 84, Knicks 93

Dave — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 05:55:25 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

Small Comfort: This game still didn't suck quite as badly as a Celine Dion album. And by the way, the Knicks immediately forfeit all street cred for giving her that t-shirt she's holding. That expression is all, "Thank you! This will be great for wiping my poodle's bottom!" Tune in next week when Michael Bolton is given a replica jersey that he won't wear either.

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Well, this was the kind of night we half-expected, half-feared coming off of the events of the weekend and the resulting short-handed roster. The Blazers didn't play a terrible game, just listless at some points. They did a decent job attacking where they needed to but the Knicks knew exactly where the Blazers needed to attack too and threw the house at the Blazers' best players. The supporting cast was a mixed bag. That's been OK so far this season as Portland has had enough players to compensate. But with only 9 players remaining pretty much everybody has to be spot on in order for the team to succeed. That didn't happen tonight, thus the loss.

The first quarter news wasn't all bad, as the Blazers actually did many of the things they needed to do in order to succeed against the Knicks. They penetrated on offense. They grabbed offensive rebounds while denying the same to the Knicks. They did an excellent job of keeping New York on the perimeter when the Knicks were on offense. As a result New York scored only 18 in the period. Unfortunately the Blazers had trouble finishing at the rim and escaped with only 18 themselves. Still, it looked promising. It appeared the Blazers could hang close and then maybe pull it out at the finish.

Then came the second period. The offense wasn't that much better for the Blazers. They had decent movement in the halfcourt but New York still had time to set up and overload Portland's biggest threats. This was made easier because Roy and Aldridge got breaks in the period. With only one of them on the floor the Knicks had a pretty good idea who to stop. Each star missed shots and committed turnovers under the extra pressure. They pretty much had to option off to their teammates. The offense ended up looking like the typical bad Portland day: a couple passes followed by somebody creating one-on-one. Offensive rebounds dried up as well, taking away extra opportunities. Portland ended up with 20 for the quarter. Another side effect of the thin bench was the Blazers being forced to go with three guards. Too often those taller, scoring Knicks forwards ended up with a backcourt player on them. To their credit the Knicks moved the ball well. Worst of all, New York was also hitting its threes. After a couple of those went down early in the period the Blazers all but threw their hands up. There were too many places to scramble. The Knicks scored 31 in the period and left the floor up 11.

So many times this year we've seen Portland come out with a strong surge at the beginning of the third, serving notice that they intended to take the game. That surge was all but absent tonight. It looked like the final minute in a half, not the opening minutes of the second half of a game that needed to be taken. The offense was scattered. The defense remained listless, encouraging the Knicks to score up close. Unfortunately they also kept scoring from distance. The Blazers were caught between in no-man's land. The one bit of "oomph" in the quarter came late when Portland started forcing some turnovers and running out but even the break was shaky tonight and frankly New York profited from a faster tempo as much as Portland did. 29-17 Knicks for the period and the game was pretty much done.

The Blazers did make a serious run in the fourth, at one point cutting the 20+ point lead down to single digits. The defense clicked, the rebounding was strong, and the Blazers kept forcing turnovers...this time converting them. It looked like the Knicks had fallen asleep early. But as Steve Jones used to say, everything has to go perfectly to make a comeback like that. The deficit was so big that perfection couldn't be sustained that long. A three at the 6:00 mark and a conventional three-point play off of a layup off a turnover right afterwards sealed the deal. Jerryd Bayless had been a huge part of the comeback but the turnover in question was his. Whether related or not, he went to the bench immediately thereafter and the spark never returned. The Knicks win by 9 in a game that wasn't that close.

Portland did a decent job in a couple areas. They shot 47% on the night and most of the shots came from Aldridge and Roy. That was smart. To their credit they did not attempt many threes against the Knicks, who have problems defending easier shots. Unfortunately the Blazers missed 7 of the 8 threes they did attempt, allowing New York to pack it in with impunity and putting Portland behind the 8-ball in point generation. The Blazers stayed even at the foul line. However they allowed the Knicks too many offensive rebounds. They also suffered in the continuity stats: assists and turnovers. The turnovers in particular killed the Blazers' chances. It looked like everybody was in an unfamiliar situation. The connectivity just wasn't there. Playing with nine guys is bad enough but when the nine guys aren't comfortable together it's a killer.

Click through for Individual Observations, Final Thoughts, Links, and Jersey Contest Scores...

Individual Observations

Brandon Roy did what he could to keep the team afloat offensively. He mixed up his game pretty well, penetrating for layups or pull-ups and drawing fouls (9-10 from the line). He missed all four of this threes though and he was Captain Turnover with 5. To be fair he saw a minimum of two Knicks every time he put the ball on the floor, sometimes three. He scored 27 but it wasn't a brilliant 27...more of a necessary 27 really. But it wasn't enough.

LaMarcus Aldridge had a rough start to the game, a luxury the team can no longer afford. He got right again by rebounding and then poured on the scoring late. He got 19 points and 13 rebounds but, like Roy, he looked isolated out there. At no time did he seem dominant on either end, so the isolation wasn't even a mixed blessing. Not a bad game, but we need more.

Jerryd Bayless provided a really nice spark tonight. He had energy and used it. In 17 minutes he shot 4-5, 6-7 from the free throw line, hit his jumpers, moved his feet on defense, and even got a couple assists. Then again the one-on-one style we devolved into favors him. In fact my suggestion is that if we're going to employ that style we just get Jerryd 20 shots and call it good. He knows what he's doing. Even if that were to happen I have a hard time envisioning the Blazers winning without better teamwork. But Jerryd is a weapon with the ball in his hands and his whole game lifts when he can score it.

Joel Pryzbilla played 32 minutes with only 2 personal fouls. Some of that was the opponent, as the Knick bigs don't play the kind of offense that draws fouls. Part of it is also the refs knowing our changed situation, I'm sure. It's ironic that now that the Blazers can't field a dominant center tandem the whistles are going to ease up, but I bet that's exactly what happens. I'm OK with it, I guess, but I wish the whistles would have eased when it would have done more good. Joel had 8 rebounds and 4 points but also had 3 turnovers and wasn't able to keep a defender near enough ease the pressure off of his teammates.

Martell Webster didn't have much of an offensive night. He went 1-6 for 3 points in 23 minutes. Portland can't afford that. Portland can't afford half of that right now. I didn't notice him on the defensive end much which probably means he wasn't bad but wasn't great either. It was just kind of a disappearing game for him. Memo: We need you. Badly.

Steve Blake played 38 minutes and managed a good all-around game. He was the other guy who brought consistent energy. 4-8, 9 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 turnovers. Blake can do that. It's just needing that much Blake that worries me.

Andre Miller played 26 minutes and looked out of synch also. He had as many turnovers as points (4 each). His offense was basically his offense. It wasn't his best showing.

Dante Cunningham did OK, hitting both of his shots, manning up tight on defense, trying hard. 11 minutes, 4 points, 2 rebounds. I liked the effort, especially defensively.

Juwan Howard had 3 rebounds in 8 fourth-quarter minutes.

Final Thoughts

It's a mark of how much the weekend took out of me that I'm not upset about this game. Had the roster been complete I'm pretty sure I'd be furious right now. But it feels like 2007-08 already. I don't know quite what to think, other than it seems possible that the Blazers could go on quite a losing streak in the near future. They're definitely going to have to get it together or the month will be atrocious. They did the technical things right but the emotion, trust, and continuity were missing. That's just not enough. But we can't find those things for them. It's up to them to figure it out.

Boxscore

Check out the Knicks reaction at PostingandToasting.

See the Jersey Contest scoreboard here and enter Wednesday's form over here. Maybe site veterans can give us a primer on what it's like to war between common sense and homerism when playing for a jersey. Haven't had to wage that battle in a while...

--Dave

Breaking Down the Orlando Magic with Synergy Sports

erivera7 — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 13:00:42 -0000

More photos » by Marcio Jose Sanchez - AP

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Ed. note: Fixed an error in the 'Isolation' table, as of 1:03 p.m. EST.

A little less than a month ago, I looked at the statistics for the Orlando Magic after the first 10 games in the regular season. The purpose of the write-up was to take a quick look at how some of the players on the Magic had performed at that point. I figured, now, it would be a good moment to examine the numbers for Orlando with 20 games elapsed this year. This time, I'll be looking at stats from Synergy Sports Technology. Specifically, data that is used by NBA teams.

For instance, sifting through Synergy will give you a nugget like this: the Magic rate "Excellent" in offense from the category of 'After Time Outs' (1.02 points per possession) with a percentile-based rank of 91% - statistics compared to the rest of the league, to be specific. So in this case, the numbers support the notion that head coach Stan Van Gundy does an excellent job of drawing up plays that convert into scores after timeouts.

Other nuggets of information are that Ryan Anderson does an excellent job of scoring off of offensive rebounds or that Brandon Bass is the only player on the roster, so far, who does better than average at defending post-ups.

Spot-Ups, Pick & Rolls, and Post-Ups

Excluding 'Transition' offense, the majority of the offensive plays for the Magic come from the categories of 'Spot-Up' (25%), 'Pick & Roll Ball Handler' (16%), and 'Post-Up' (15%). Orlando rates "Excellent" in 'Spot-Up' (1.06 points per possession) with a rank of 86%, "Very Good" in 'Pick & Roll Ball Handler (0.90 points per possession) with a rank of 78%, and "Average" in 'Post-Up' (0.85) points per possession) with a rank of 46% - granted, those are a ton of numbers to try to digest so let's break things down to try to make sense of all that information.

The Magic's offense is mostly known for its 4-out/1-in offensive sets and its pick & rolls, with both play-types having a number of variations to it. As such, it makes sense that Orlando would excel with its spot-up shooting because when Dwight Howard is in the post, he's the focus of the 4-out/1-in offensive set. Howard can go to himself on the offensive side of the ball or he can kick it out to one of the four shooters standing around the perimeter. One of them, then, can either attempt a shot or swing it around the perimeter. Because defenses are scrambling to cover everyone, if the ball movement is good, a player is bound to be open and have a good chance at making a bucket. Here's a list of Magic players and how each of them rates in the 'Spot-Up' category:

	Percentage of Time	Points Per Possession	Rank	Rating
Mickael Pietrus	17%	0.98	59%	Good
Matt Barnes	13%	0.54	5%	Poor
Rashard Lewis	13%	1.27	92%	Excellent
J.J. Redick	13%	1.12	79%	Very Good
Ryan Anderson	12%	0.95	54%	Good
Vince Carter	10%	1.16	83%	Excellent

Vince Carter, Jameer Nelson, or Jason Williams are the primary pick & roll ballhandlers. Usually the pick & roll is used so that one of the aforementioned players engages on offense and looks to score. Fairly self-explanatory. Even though J.J. Redick isn't listed, he excels in the pick & roll, with statistics comparable to Williams (1.07 points per possession, "Excellent", 90%). Here's a list of Magic players and how each of them rates in the 'Pick & Roll' category:

	Percentage of Time	Points Per Possession	Rank	Rating
Vince Carter	29%	1.04	84%	Excellent
Jameer Nelson	26%	0.97	67%	Very Good
Jason Williams	22%	1.06	88%	Excellent

Lastly, the post-up. More often than not, Howard will be posting up and it will be occurring, the majority of the time, within 4-out/1-in offensive sets. As has been mentioned before, Howard can go to himself on the offensive side of the ball and if he does, good things usually happen. Here's a list of Magic players and how each of them rates in the 'Post-Up' category:

	Percentage of Time	Points Per Possession	Rank	Rating
Dwight Howard	69%	0.97	64%	Good
Brandon Bass	10%	0.92	57%	Good

More after the jump.

Say No to Isos

For the Magic, the only play-types the team is "Average" in is 'Post-Up' (15%) and 'Isolation' (7%). That's it. In every other category, Orlando rates "Good" or higher. Isolations aren't not a strength (0.87 points per possession) for the Magic, given that the squad rates in the middle-of-the-pack in that category with a rank of 50% - thanks, mostly, to Nelson (see numbers below).

Even though Orlando can score in isolation if need be, it's not the prescribed manner by which Van Gundy wants the players to execute on offense. Inside-out, not one-on-one, is the mantra for the Magic on the offensive side of the ball (thus, working the basketball through the post can't be ignored). But if push comes to shove, again, there are individuals on the team who can create shots on their own. Van Gundy has said a number of times that the best teams in the NBA have at least one player who can get shots at will and to have someone like that on the Magic, particularly Carter, is good. Here's a list of Magic players and how each of them rates in the 'Isolation' category:

	Percentage of Time	Points Per Possession	Rank	Rating
Vince Carter	30%	1.00	81%	Very Good
Jameer Nelson	20%	0.74	25%	Below Average
Brandon Bass	10%	0.88	57%	Good

Pick & Rolls an Achilles' Heel on Defense, As Expected

Although the defense for the Magic has steadily improved since the start of the regular season, the defensive effort against the pick & roll could certainly improve. Last year, Orlando was one of the best squads in the Association at defending the pick & roll but this year, the Magic aren't doing as good of a job - giving up too many points (0.88 points per possession) and sporting a rank of 22%, which is "Below Average." The Los Angeles Lakers, by comparison, allow 0.78 points per possession, 61%, which falls in the "Good" strata.

The main issue, as Van Gundy told me at practice last week, has largely been the rotations. Three or four players will make the right rotation but one player will be a little bit late and the team is in trouble, as a result. When a squad like Orlando is incorporating a number of new faces to Van Gundy's defensive schemes, breakdowns like these will occur. It's inevitable. The key is looking for signs of improvement and look no further than the Magic's victory against the New York Knicks a few days ago, in which the team's pick & roll defense was excellent. Like Orlando's defensive efficiency, the pick & roll defense should improve as the regular season progresses. Here's a list of Magic players and how each of them rates in the 'Defending the Screener in a Pick & Roll' category:

	Percentage of Time	Points Per Possession	Rank	Rating
Jason Williams	29%	0.83	62%	Good
Jameer Nelson	20%	0.93	38%	Average
J.J. Redick	13%	1.10	14%	Poor
Mickael Pietrus	11%	1.00	25%	Below Average
Matt Barnes	10%	1.34	3%	Poor
Vince Carter	10%	0.77	75%	Very Good

As one can see, the issue hasn't been Howard or Marcin Gortat in defending the pick & roll, but rather the wing players for the Magic. In terms of individuals who were with Orlando last year, Pietrus and Redick aren't playing to their capabilities on the defensive side of the ball so their dip is a bit of a surprise.

Again, that aspect of the defense should improve as the regular season progresses.

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.

Lakers-Suns Preview

DexterFishmore — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:00:16 -0000

All right, rockers, it's time to get serious. We've been in high spirits the past two days toasting the Great Bank Bailout of 2009, but tonight we've got new guests arriving. They're not as fun and easygoing as the Miami Heat, and if the Lakers don't tighten their act up from what we saw on Friday night, the game won't end quite so festively.

On Friday, the Heat high-pick-and-rolled the Lakers nearly to death. It's been lost amid the Kobe glee, but the Laker defense was inept for most of the game. Repeatedly Dwyane Wade broke free off a high screen, drove the lane unharassed and either finished at the rim, went to the line or found one of his big men for an open look. The Lakers appeared baffled by this 100-year-old tactic, and if the Heat hadn't missed 15 free throws or Kobe's heave had been two inches off to either side, the D-grade D would have been the story of the game.

Now arrive the Phoenix Suns, deadly masters of the pick-and-pop, drive-and-dish and numerous variations thereon. Last time they darkened the Lakers' door, on November 12th, they got hammered for their troubles, losing by a cool 19 points. They were playing part deux of a back-to-back, as they will be tonight. Then again, Miami had the same difficulty on Friday, and that and three bucks bought us a cup of coffee.

The Suns don't have the same buzz around them these days as they did in November, when they were the hot team du jour, but their resumé is still very solid. They're only a game behind the Lakers in the standings, and they held the league's best record until an out-of-nowhere loss to the Knicks last week. Following that up by getting rocked in Cleveland didn't help their Q rating, but they handled a game Sacramento team last night to get back in whack. Their Offensive Rating of 112.5 is first in the league, and their death-dealing three point attack gives them a puncher's chance against anyone.

Of the basic activities that take place on a basketball court - turnovers, shooting, rebounding, fouling and getting fouled - shooting is the most important. Shooting accuracy, as measured by Effective Field-Goal Percentage, predicts game outcome better than any other metric. Those other things are important too, but none as much as shooting well, and Phoenix does that one thing better than anyone else in the NBA.

About 28% of the Suns' field-goal attempts are from three-point range, which is the third highest rate in the league, and they make an insane 44% of those tries, first in the league. They boast a team Effective FG% of 56%, also first. They don't take care of the ball well, and they're below average in getting to the line and rebounding their misses, but their ridiculous shooting means their offense is great anyway. Basically, they bomb away from outside and see if you keep up.

What makes tonight's matchup so interesting, schematically, is that the Laker D excels like no other at forcing missed shots. The Lakemen have allowed opponents an Effective FG% of only 46% and a three-point accuracy of only 30%, both tops in the NBA. They were strong in these metrics last year and are even better now, thanks in no small part to Ron Artest and the (nearly) full-time service of Andrew Bynum. When the Suns have the ball, it'll be a bellwether, strength-on-strength contest of elite units.

When these two teams played in November, Phoenix had a ghastly shooting night, managing an EFG of only 40%. Amare Stoudamire, who bricked 13 of 15 field goal attempts, was especially brutal. The Suns won't shoot that badly again, but remember that last time around, Pau Gasol was out. His length on the inside will make clean looks for La Soudamire and any other Sun who visits the paint even harder to come by.

The other roster difference this time around is the absence of Leandro Barbosa, who's out with a sprained ankle. I wouldn't call this a crippling blow or anything, but it's more important than you might think. Barbosa was playing 21 minutes a night and showing superlative plus-minus numbers. Per 100 possessions, Phoenix was 4.4 points better with him on the court than without. His shelving has meant more minutes for second-year lefty Goran Dragic, about whom the numbers are conflicted. His assist rate is strong and his shot is improving, but his plus-minus stats are ugly. At least he and Sasha Vujacic can chat together about Slovenia during shootaround.

The Lakers will need to keep close track of both Jason Richardson, who's hitting 44% of his threes, and Channing Frye. I've remained highly skeptical of Frye and his newly developed three-ball range, but damned if he isn't proving me wrong. He's hit an absurd 47% of his money shots on the year.

Also, I'm not sure this "Stephen Nash" guy they've been touting is for real.

(One other trend line to note before we move on from the Phoenix O: the Suns have been awfully loose with the rock lately. Over their past five games, they've turned it over on 17% of their possessions. Not good, gentlemen.)

So Phoenix knows how to accrue pointage. Fair enough. It's not clear, though, that they're at all equipped to slow the Laker attack. The November game served mostly as a chance for Bynum to build up his All-Star credentials, as he destroyed Amare to the tune of 26 points and 15 boards. Even physical, well-regarded post defenders like Emeka Okafor and Nene have struggled to control the Laker big man this year, and as a defender Amare is - how to put this nicely - neither physical nor well regarded.

Furthermore, at the risk of repeating myself: Pau Gasol. He didn't play in November; he will tonight. Pau gives Phoenix yet another post player they probably can't really really deal with.

The Suns are just a poor defensive team, ranking 23rd in the league in points allowed per possession, and it's this shortcoming that keeps them a level below the Lakers in the NBA food pyramid. They don't force turnovers, they allow opponents to shoot pretty well, and they're the worst defensive rebounding team in the league. Over their past five games, they've allowed foes to rebound 34% of their misses, which is bad but only a few ticks higher than their full-season rate of 31%.

You know when the Lakers miss a shot, and Pau, Drew and Lamar Odom just keep volleyballing it around until it goes in? We could see a lot of that tonight.

Over this five-game stretch, the Suns have surrendered 1.13 PPP to their opponents. That group includes strong offenses like Toronto and Cleveland, but also total crap offenses like New York and Minnesota. The Lakers have adjustments to make from their recent outings, smarter and more disciplined pick-and-roll defense foremost among them, but so do the Suns.

Kobe scored 29 against Phoenix last time around, and he knows the Lakers played poorly on Friday. He's irked about it. He should be attacking from the start. The Suns don't have an answer for them either, so they'll need their threes to rain down like a desert squall.

	Lakers	Suns
*RECORD*	15-3	15-5
*NET POINTS PER GAME*	+7.7 (3rd)	+4.6 (8th)
*PACE*	98.1 (6th)	98.5 (4th)
*OFFENSIVE RATING*	105.0 (14th)	112.5 (1st)
Turnover Rate (Off.)	13.0% (6th)	14.5% (21st)
FTA/FGA (Off.)	0.26 (25th)	0.30 (18th)
Free-Throw %	74.9 (15th)	73.3 (22nd)
Effective FG% (Off.)	50.2 (14th)	56.1 (1st)
True Shooting% (Off.)	53.8 (17th)	59.2 (1st)
Off Rebounding Rate	27.6% (11th)	26.9% (14th)
*DEFENSIVE RATING*	97.6 (3rd)	106.9 (23rd)
Turnover Rate (Def.)	14.5% (12th)	11.9% (28th)
FTA/FGA (Def.)	0.28 (8th)	0.25 (1st)
Effective FG% (Def.)	46.0 (1st)	50.1 (20th)
True Shooting% (Def.)	50.5 (1st)	53.3 (13th)
Def Rebounding Rate	72.2% (20th)	69.4% (30th)

All statistical terms defined here. Parentheses indicate league rankings. Numbers are courtesy of Basketball Reference and HoopData and, except for record and net points per game, are through Friday night's action.

Game Preview: Suns vs. Lakers

Wil Cantrell — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 16:27:34 -0000

Will Nash look to shoot first like last night? (Photo by Max Simbron)

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Ah the dreaded second game in back to back nights. The Suns flew out of Phoenix last night after the Kings victory to Los Angeles to play the Lakers tonight at 7:30 tonight. The Lakers are still very pleased with themselves after a last second Kobe three finished the Heat, 108-107.

The Lakers hold a game edge on the Suns atop the Pacific Division and are currently on an 8 game winning streak. Are you all worried? I am not. And here is why. The Suns can gain a moral victory tonight without scoring more points than the Lakers at the end of 48 minutes. Here's how:

Play with confidence (unlike last time out vs. the Lakers)
Make shots we should make (shoot the three, and a respectable FG%)
Battle on the boards (put bodies on Bynum, Odom, and Artest)
Play some defense (let Kobe get his 30, but don't let Pau and the others kill you)
PLAY COMPETITIVE BASKETBALL FOR 48 MINUTES

Simple, yes? Look, there has been much made of late about the Suns and their confidence. From Gentry to Nash to Stoudemire, the sentiment echoed is the same. Against the Knicks and Cavaliers the Suns were tired and lacked confidence. (They also didn't make any shots). While we cannot say that the Suns won't be tired, it's a fact of NBA life. There's a game scheduled, and the Suns have to play it. Why not down an extra red bull before the opening tip?

Stats:

Lakers: 104 ppg (6th). Opponents 96.7 ppg (10th). 46.3 %FG, 34.7% 3 pt FG%

Suns: 110 ppg (2nd) Opponents 105.8 (27th). 49.6% FG, 43.8 3pt FG%

Top Five Man Units (+/-):

Lakers: Bryant-Fisher-Gasol-Bynum-Artest: 117.5 minutes/+52/80% win percentage

Suns: Nash-Richardson-Stoudemire-Frye-Hill: 320.4 minutes/+50/ 53% win percentage

Quick Facts:

The Suns are 1-3 on the second games of back-to-back sets, averaging 102.8 points to opponent's 116.3.
The Lakers have not lost a game since Pau Gasol returned to the lineup
In the Suns 5 losses, they have shot 35 percent from 3-point range. In their 15 wins, unsurprisingly, they shoot 46 percent from three.
Amare Stoudemire's 21 rebounds last night was more than his combined totals versus the Knicks and Cavaliers.

Suns Stats

Lakers Stats

Silver Screen and Roll