A reasonable look at the Knicks
It‚ is time to put the Knicks in perspective. Thanks to LeBron James and the star collection that is the Miami Heat, the average NBA fan has come to view unions of star players as indications that teams will dominate. This is a shame, because the game of basketball‚ particularly at the professional level‚ is about more than star power. Sure, the Lakers could win with Shaq and Kobe ‚but so could the Pistons when nobody was even sure who (in a lineup of Rasheed Wallace, Ben Wallace, Tayshaun Prince, Rip Hamilton and Chauncey Billups) their best player was. So, while it is still a good idea to head to http://www.cabletelevision.net and make sure you have the TV package you need to watch as much Knicks basketball as possible, this is not because the combination of Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony is necessarily championship-worthy. Down the road, this team could win a lot of games, but there are a few general observations, some positive and some negative, that people need to accept.
Knicks Get Back on Track, Beat Wizards 99-96
After losing what felt like 100 games in a row, the Knicks finally finished a game on top, by beating the Wizards 99-96, on the Wizards’ home floor.
Now, I’m not going to pretend that this was a good win, because it wasn’t. It was ugly and way too close. The Knicks found themselves down 14 after the first quarter, and risked losing the game before the halftime buzzer sounded. However, they were able to stage a comeback, by outscoring the Wizards 28-15 in the second stanza, after being outscored 18-32 in the first. At half, they found themselves down just one point.
Knicks Get Embarrassed by Bobcats, 118-110.
Oh man, I didn’t think it would ever end.
When your defense let’s this happen:
- The Bobcats were 47-85 (55.3%) from the floor, 7-11 from deep.
- Boris Diaw and Gerald Henderson were a combined 22-28, including 4-5 from deep.
Too Little, Too Late: Knicks Fall to Raptors
The Knicks lost to their division rival from the north, the Toronto Raptors, 90-85, at MSG, in a game they definitely should have won.
One excuse some might have for the loss is that Amar’e Stoudemire did not play for the second straight game, as a result of a sprained ankle, but they easily beat the Sacramento Kings without him.
No Stoudemire, no problem: Knicks win 114-92
In Stoudemire’s first missed game of the season, the Knicks beat the Kings 114-92, on New Years Eve.
The Knicks jumped out to an early lead, due to a 15-0 first-quarter run. Landry Fields, in particular, was very active. He showed flashes of his old self. He wasn’t worrying about creating, rather, he let the game come to him. He had two buckets in the first-quarter that came on put-backs.
Knicks get embarrassed by Lakers
I’m not sure you can call that basketball, but the Knicks will fall to 1-2 on the young season.
The Knicks lost to the Lakers by a score of 99-82, in an ugly, ugly game.
Let’s look at a few numbers, before delving into how the game played out.
Knicks visit Lakers
The Knicks will be taking their talents to the Staples Center, to challenge Kobe Bryant and the old, underachieving Los Angeles Lakers, to try and go above .500.
The Knicks are coming off a solid two-point victory over the Celtics on Christmas (who were without star Paul Pierce), behind 20 points in the fourth quarter by Carmelo Anthony, followed by a lackluster effort, which led to a 92-78 loss on Wednesday night against the Golden State Warriors, who were without the prolific Stephen Curry.
Knicks blow halftime lead, get rolled by Warriors
The Knicks couldn’t keep the winning vibes going, dropping their second game of the season and first of a three game West Coast trip to the Golden State Warriors, 92-78.
This was a game of two halves for the Knicks. In the first half, the ‘Bockers shot 45.7% from the field, while holding the Warriors to 35.1%, shooting to take a 43-37 lead. Just as they did in the first quarter against the Celtics, the Knicks were very active on defense. They harassed the Warriors into turning over the ball six times in the first quarter.
Pre-Game: Knicks visit Warriors
Tonight, the Knicks will face off against the Warriors in the first game of a three-game road trip. After facing the Warriors, the Knicks will play the Lakers and Kings.
Stephen Curry will likely sit, but will ultimately be a game time decision, due to re-aggravating his surgically repaired right ankle.
Who is Jeremy Lin?
Jeremy Shu-How Lin is 23-years-old, and was born on August 23, 1988. Lin grew up in Palo Alto, California, where his parents chose to raise him after emigrating from Taiwan to the US in the ‘70’s. Jeremy Lin stands at 6’3”, which is amazing, considering both of his parents are 5’6”.
Despite win, Knicks still have concerns
The Knicks did something on Sunday they couldn’t do on eight separate occasions last season: beat the Boston Celtics. But, despite the win, there are some things the team needs to clean up, in order to contend for a championship this season.
‘Melo Gives Knicks Fans a Merry Christmas
The New York Knicks gave all of their fans a nice Christmas present by defeating the Boston Celtics in thrilling fashion, 106-104, as Carmelo Anthony led the way.
During a matinee game against their rivals from the north, the Knicks started out strong, ending the first quarter with a 34-23 lead. Renaldo Balkman, and rookies Josh Harrelson and Iman Shumpert, came off the bench and gave valuable minutes, while the starters were resting. New York was able to successfully limit the impact of Rajon Rondo in the first quarter, who is one of the top three point-guards in basketball, especially when he is making his jumpers.
