Coming Up: Knicks @ Bobcats

• Records: Knicks 11-18 (12th in Eastern Conference); Bobcats 11-20 (13th in Eastern Conference)
• Pace: Knicks 100.6 possessions per game (2nd in NBA); Bobcats 90.1 (28th in NBA)
• Offensive Efficiency: Knicks 103.3 points per 100 possessions (17th in NBA); Bobcats 100.1 points per 100 possessions (25th in NBA)
• Defensive Efficiency: Knicks 107.8 points allowed per 100 possessions (25th in NBA); Bobcats 103.1 points allowed per 100 possessions (15th in NBA)
• Effective FG% (eFG%): Knicks 49.9% (12th in NBA); Bobcats 48.1% (23rd in NBA)
• Rebound Rate: Knicks 47.3 (28th in NBA); Bobcats 49.5 (19th in NBA)

Knicks Notes: The Knicks may have hit rock bottom back on Friday night when they fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves in an embarassing loss at home.  On Sunday they played better and with a little more energy but their second quarter defense and poor play in crunch time ultimately let them down as they watched Carmelo Anthony take things over.  The main problem for me has been their defense and especially not being able to prevent dribble penetration.  They could not keep Telfair out of the paint and we saw similar things against Chauncey Billups.  That has left them vulnerable to giving up easy buckets inside especially when you consider that the Knicks don’t have any legitimate shot blockers on their roster, which might be their most glaring need in terms of personnel.

The offense has not been bad as long as the Knicks do not start to play 1 on 1 basketball.  If they keep the ball moving they should be fine offensively.  I would like to see them run a little more but their offense still has been fairly decent.  One thing that needs to improve is their spacing on the court and getting back to the screen and roll game with Duhon and Lee.  I felt like they had great success when they went to it early in the season as it became their bread and butter.  Off the screen you can hit a cutting Lee who is good need the basket with his ability to use both hands, Duhon can take an opening and drive hard to the hoop, or if help defense comes you have a drive and kick scenario for them to get an open look on the perimeter.  Without much of a post scorer I think they need to go back to executing this well.

The other concern floating around is the possibility that this team has just gotten fatigued as the season has gone on.  Due to injuries and the exile of Starbury, the Knicks have basically been playing with just a seven man rotation throughout the season.  I’m not sure if I buy that theory completely.  Duhon might be tired because he has played a lot but everyone else on the team has played a reasonable amount of minutes.  The main problem may be the lack of depth.  They just need another couple options that can help score and give the team a boost of energy.  Eddy Curry could be back in two weeks which wouldn’t help the defense but would at least give them a low post scoring option.  Rumors have been floating about Carlos Delfino which is an option I like.  However, I think Donnie Walsh will wait until he hears if they will receive salary cap relief from the Cuttino Mobley retirment situation before he does anything.

The lineup changes may not have resulted in a win on Sunday but I thought they helped a little.  Jared Jeffries needs to be out there more because good things have happened when he’s been on the court, especially on the defensive end.  He has a -6 rating for the season which leads the Knicks when you don’t count fat paycheck collector, Jerome James.

A Look at the Bobcats: The Bobcats had been playing well recently, winning four out of five since acquiring Boris Diaw and Raja Bell in the Jason Richardson trade, until they fell to the Nets in their last game.  The big blow was Raja Bell leaving the game with a groin injury so his status for now is uncertain.  The trade made sense to me just because I didn’t think Richardson seemed like a Larry Brown type of player.  It is also hard to argue with the trade’s success since it has definitely improved their defense.  Their defensive efficiency has improved from 108.2 to 103.1 after the trade.

For me the Bobcats will only go as far as Emeka Okafor and Gerald Wallace will take them.  Okafor has been an All-Star caliber center this year who can pound you on the glass in addition to being one of the better shot blockers in the league.  Wallace is just an athletic freak and one of the toughest players to defend.  He can fill all columns in the box score and is capable of dominating a game on both ends.  The only problem with him is inconsistency and his propensity to have problems with turnovers.

Oh and Adam Morrison?  He was taken over Brandon Roy and Rudy Gay.  Yikes.

Keys to the Game: Obviously it comes down to the defense for the Knicks.  They need to be able to get enough stops to win games.  They also need to get off to a good start on the road to help their spirit as a team.

I think it’s pretty simple to determine which teams the Knicks should struggle against.  They have trouble stopping good shooting teams because they just aren’t very good defensively.  They are now 0-10 against teams ranked in the top 10 in eFG%.  However, Charlotte ranks 23rd in that department and will likely be without Raja Bell.  This is a big positive for the Knicks coming in.

The main area of concern will be rebounding and not letting Okafor and Diaw dominate the Knicks due to the size advantage they may have.  Another key will be containing the explosive Gerald Wallace who the Knicks have struggled with in the past.  Don’t let Wallace make plays driving to the hoop and turn him into a jump shooter.

Game tips at 7 PM EST on Tuesday.  That’s it and I won’t be back until Friday due to New Year’s festivities.  I’ll be back then to preview the game with the Pacers.

The Uptempo Coach’s Criticism

Mike D’Antoni has always been accused of not bothering coaching defense which is rediculous.  A lot of times people have looked at the amount of points per game his team’s have given up and automatically assumed that they were terrible defensively.  The truth is that in Mike D’Antoni’s uptempo system, they take shots quicker and therefore there are more possessions in the game for both teams.  So obviously teams they play against will allow more points because they get more chances than they would against most other teams.  This is why defensive efficiency, or points allowed per 100 possessions, is a much better measure of a team’s defense.  

George Karl brought his Nuggets to the Garden on Sunday and his teams of the passed have come under similar criticism.  He plays an uptempo style and always here the same things that D’Antoni has.  Ken Berger of Sportsline.com chatted with George Karl who had some interesting things to say about that type of crticism and of the new coach in New York:

“I feel for him,” Karl said after the Nuggets escaped the dreaded matinee at Madison Square Garden with a 117-110 victory over the Knicks. “My feeling is, when you give up a lot of points, nobody’s going to think you’re defending. Last year in our halfcourt defense, we were a pretty good defensive team. But no one would ever write that, because we were awful in transition and we were awful in giving up a lot of numbers. So I don’t know that anybody is ever going to give the due.”

On the cusp of the 30-game mark in D’Antoni’s first year in New York, the Knicks (11-18) are a far cry from the hardnosed, defensive-minded teams that had so much success in the 1990s. They also are nothing at all like the meandering teams that occupied basketball’s most famous venue for all the years since — bumbling along with no apparent plan other than spending money and committing the worst sin of all: failing to entertain.

The Knicks are nothing if not entertaining. For the first time in years, they inspire curiosity for the right reasons. The last vestige of the previous failed regime, Stephon Marbury, is enjoying a paid vacation until after New Year’s, when buyout talks will crank up again. Other than that, the Knicks are embroiled in the most drama-free six-game losing streak in their recent history. The Knicks are still losing, but who cares? Can’t you see the future?

Karl can. The first difference he noticed in watching film of D’Antoni’s Knicks is how frustrating they are to play. He noticed upon personal inspection that the energy has returned to the building, too. And it was nothing like the sky-is-falling drama that Karl remembers from past visits, such as the one marred by the infamous brawl between the Knicks and Nuggets two years ago.

“You can’t grow or build without a positive belief that this is going to be better in a year or three years,” Karl said.

There is reason to root for this team again, reason to hope. Many believe this is because of the future plans of a certain MVP candidate who wears No. 23 in Cleveland. In reality, it all emanates from a regular-looking guy with salt-and-pepper hair and a mustache, stomping around on the sideline in an expensive Italian suit and flashing indecipherable hand signals.

“Mike is an interesting hire,” Karl said. “My recollection of New York is the city game, the street game, the playground game. And he plays as fast and free as any coach I’ve ever played against. I know the Knick (teams) have been based on defense. But I was kidding with one of my assistants that I would like to see Mike D’Antoni get a Carolina or Kentucky or Kansas job, because people don’t think (his style) can win. People don’t think it can win championships. And I think that’s crazy.

“I think if you get the best players,” Karl said, “this style will be incredibly difficult to play against –- impossible, maybe, to play against. But we have so many experts who think that you have to play defense, you have to rebound, you have to be a possession coach, you have to execute. I just laugh. Explosive offense is not as intimidating as dominant defense. But it is scary when you don’t know how to stop someone.”

NYKC Power Rankings: 12/29/08

This is the first edition of our weekly power rankings here at NY Knicks Central.  These rankings are based on a mathematical formula that takes into account certain numbers and stats such as offensive efficiency, defensive efficiency, W-L record, and strength of schedule.  To see an explanation of how the ratings are calculated go here.

Here are some things to note in this week’s edition:

• Yes that is the Cleveland Cavaliers at the top ahead of Boston and LA.  Cleveland deserves the credit for simply blowing the competition out of the water.  They have blown out the bad teams they were supposed to and their efficiency ratings are so good that they project an expected winning percentage of .909.  That’s a 74-8 projected record.  No they won’t do it but that’s how good they have been.  A 25-2 stretch will do that for you.
• One team that needs to be in the discussion of the elite is the Orlando Magic as the numbers indicate.  This team is quietly 24-6 and everyone knows they can score with the shooting of Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis.  Having Dwight Howard to clean up and mistakes in the lane sure helps a lot also.
• After the slow start the Spurs have climbed back to being a legit title contender as they slide in at #5.  Age and depth is still a concern but at least the defense is back to where it should be.  Roger Mason is a good fit there.
• My one sleeper team going forward is Milwaukee.  Scott Skiles has gotten this team to play really good defense as their defensive efficency is alost identical to that of the Spurs.  They can’t win a title without a legit go to scorer but they’ll be in the mix come playoff time.
• One team that should get hot soon is Portland.  Based on their efficiency ratings they are a low-50 win team and they have played a rather tough schedule.  This young club will be on the rise again soon.
• Enough already.  Here are the rankings in their entirety.

 

Rank	Team	Off Eff	Def Eff	Exp Win %	Win %	Win % L10	SOS	NYKC Power Rating
1		110.5	96.1	.909	.867	.900	.472	85.1797
2		107.6	95.3	.881	.875	.800	.485	83.1553
3		109.7	99.9	.824	.833	.800	.489	79.0927
4		106.4	97.0	.821	.800	.900	.439	78.4622
5		105.4	101.2	.662	.667	.800	.466	65.7458
6		106.8	102.7	.656	.655	.700	.496	64.4195
7		105.7	101.4	.665	.645	.600	.518	63.7806
8		105.7	102.3	.632	.667	.700	.515	63.7345
9		111.0	105.9	.685	.613	.500	.518	62.8088
10		104.6	101.3	.629	.645	.700	.496	62.7767
11		104.9	101.7	.625	.600	.700	.491	61.1641
12		104.8	101.6	.625	.563	.500	.476	57.8949
13		108.4	106.6	.569	.571	.500	.540	55.9746
14		104.1	103.4	.528	.607	.600	.459	55.1944
15		103.4	102.4	.540	.552	.600	.451	54.0618
16		100.5	101.5	.459	.452	.500	.522	46.7308
17		106.6	108.9	.413	.500	.400	.453	44.1722
18		102.2	105.3	.379	.433	.400	.550	41.4588
19		98.9	101.9	.379	.414	.400	.492	40.2924
20		102.7	105.9	.376	.400	.400	.542	40.2234
21		102.7	104.9	.413	.333	.300	.557	39.2425
22		100.1	103.1	.381	.355	.400	.508	38.7524
23		101.7	106.3	.325	.333	.500	.481	36.0705
24		103.3	107.8	.331	.379	.300	.508	36.0104
25		96.7	103.2	.255	.276	.500	.499	31.0036
26		103.0	109.8	.258	.281	.200	.517	28.5221
27		101.4	109.1	.230	.179	.200	.532	24.1829
28		99.4	110.3	.152	.226	.200	.533	21.7180
29		98.9	108.4	.180	.172	.100	.510	20.2945
30		96.1	106.9	.147	.097	.100	.499	16.2495

Quick Rewind: Nuggets 117, Knicks 110

Recap from AP: “A week of rest was all Carmelo Anthony needed to rediscover his scoring touch.  Playing the defenseless New York Knicks probably helped, too.  Anthony scored 32 points after missing three games with a bruised right elbow, and the Denver Nuggetssent the Knicks to their sixth straight loss with a 117-110 victory Sunday.  It was only the third 30-point game this season for Anthony, who has been bothered by the elbow since he was originally hurt in a victory over Houston on Nov. 30. The Nuggets decided to give their leading scorer a break after he averaged just 11.5 points on 8-of-27 shooting in losses to Cleveland and Phoenix on consecutive nights.  ”I think that was the best thing that ever happened to me,” Anthony said. “At first I was a little hesitant about doing it. Any time you can get rest during a long season like this, it helps.”  The Nuggets blew the double-digit lead they seized by making 15 of 20 shots in the second quarter, but recovered behind Anthony’s flawless fourth.”

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Mike D’Antoni tried to shake things up by inserting Jared Jeffries and Tim Thomas into the starting lineup against the Nuggets on Sunday.  However, it was not enough as the Knicks dropped their sixth straight game.  The defense continues to be a problem for the Knicks as they cannot make stops when they need them.  On Sunday, the Knicks started off the game well and with much better intensity than they had on Friday night.  They were able to build a 20-13 lead early on and seemed to be in good spirits.

However, the Knicks defense was nonexistent in the second quarter.  The game may have been close down the stretch which would give the impression that the Knicks lost it in the closing minutes.  But actually they lost this game with their second quarter which was pretty horrendous on the defensive end.  The Nuggets shot 15/20 in the second to help them build a 10 point halftime lead.  It was in this period when the Knicks did not deny any dribble penetration as it seemed that the Nuggets did whatever they wanted in the paint.  Denver had 42 points in the paint in the first half alone.  Overall, their offensive numbers for the game show that the defense of the Knicks was not up to the challenge.  Denver shot 57% from the field, had an offensive efficiency of 123.2, and an eFG% of 60.8%.  

It was nice to see the Knicks battle back in the third as their ball movement improved which allowed them to get their offense on track.  Denver did not help themselves with poor defense and poor shot selection in the second half either.  The Knicks had an offensive efficency rating of 115.8, and most of the second half was spent with the teams trading buckets.  Defense was not required for you to participate in this one.

The Knicks then couldn’t make many stops in the fourth but that was more because of the fact that Carmelo Anthony caught fire.  Anthony made tough shots and was 5/5 in the final quarter.  The defensive energy in the fourth was there for New York but they are just not good enough to stop Melo when he gets hot.  But their second quarter defense is not defendable and ultimately cost them the game.

Now the losing streak is 6 and we now begin to wonder if the Knicks have the confidence and spirit to turn it around.  We shall see.

Live Game Blog: Knicks vs. Nuggets

Be sure to join us for the showdown between the Knicks and the Nuggets which tips at 1 PM EST.  To join us at the live blog Click Here

Coming Up: Knicks vs. Nuggets

Get ready for the Sunday afternoon showdown between the Knicks and the Nuggets at 1 PM EST.  

Pre-Game Notes:

• Denver Nuggets: 19-11 (4th in West), 97.1 possessions per game (6th), 105.2 points per 100 possessions (11th), 101 points allowed per 100 possessions (5th).
• New York Knicks: 11-17 (12th in East), 100.7 possessions per game (1st), 103 points per 100 possessions (17th), 107.4 points allowed per 100 possessions (25th).
• Carmelo Anthony expects to return to the lineup on Sunday after missing the last 3 games.  Anthony has averaged 27.4 points in 10 career games against the Knicks.
• Chauncey Billups has made a real impact with the Nuggets.  Their starting unit of Billups, Smith, Anthony, Martin, and Nene has a Net +/- per 48 minutes of +23, which ranks 6th among NBA starting units.
• The Knicks struggle with defending good shooting teams.  They are 0-9 when facing teams that rank in the top 10 of eFG%.  The Nuggets are currently ranked 8th in that department.  Uh oh.  

Quick Rewind: Timberwolves 120, Knicks 107

 

 

Recap from AP: “Kevin McHale turned to prayer, though it wasn’t really needed. The combination of Al Jefferson inside and some sizzling 3-point shooting was more than enough.  The Timberwolves snapped a 13-game losing streak and won for the first time this season under McHale, getting a season-best 23 points fromRashad McCants in a 120-107 victory over the New York Knicks on Friday night.  ”The guys have been playing hard and we really needed this one,” McHale said. “At the end of the game I said, ‘Thank God,’ and I meant it.”  Jefferson added 21 points and 15 rebounds in the Timberwolves’ first victory since beating Oklahoma City on Nov. 28. They had dropped their first eight games under McHale, who took over when Randy Wittman was fired Dec. 8.”

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The Knicks have suffered their worst loss of the season as the losing streak has now reached five games.  As the numbers do indicate, this is a loss that has to be put on the defense.  They simply did not bring the energy tonight defensively which was the main reason that they fell into a hole in this one and couldn’t find a way to climb out of it.  The pace of the game, at 99.0, was at the Knicks liking (their season average was 100.7) but a lot of that may have had to do with the fact that Minnesota had way too many open looks to turn down.  After the game Coach D’Antoni was quoted as saying, “We weren’t mentally sharp.”

The offensive numbers that the T-Wolves put up on Friday night were pretty rediculous.  They had an offensive efficiency rating of 121.2 which pretty much tells you what you need to know as that is extraordinary (the current median for Offensive Efficiency in the league right now is around 104).  Minnesota entered tonight game ranked 28th in the NBA in that category, averaging 98.3.  That tells you how poor the Knicks defense really was tonight and why they could not mount a comeback.  There are other ugly stats: the T-Wolves shot 51% from the field, 54% from behind the arc, and that translates to a silly effective field goal percentage of 60.1%.  One of the big keys for the T-Wolves was the play of Rashad McCants.  He scored 23 points on just 12 shots which included 7 big treys in just 21 minutes.  He hit a lot of big shots from the perimeter that really deflated the Knicks.

The numbers show that the Knicks were actually pretty good offensively but it wasn’t enough to make up for the poor defensive effort.  They made a couple runs, one at the end of the first half and one in the fourth quarter, but when you don’t make stops you can’t comeback to win.  The Knicks really need to start defending the screen and roll better.  They were putrid against it on Friday as Sebastian Telfair really had his way and seemed to get in the paint at will.  Give Telfair credit because he played extremely well, but the Knicks have to figure out a way to get on the same page defensively.  

The Knicks have now fallen to 11-17 and the losses are starting to pile up.  One of the worst teams in the NBA came to Madison Square Garden and pretty much had their way.  Things are tough right now as the .500 mark drifts farther and farther out of their reach.  We’ve all seen this story before.  Will the Knicks fall apart like they have in the past or will they find a way to get it straightened out?  A big key will be if they can keep the spirits up in the locker room and get the team to play with intensity night in and night out.  What we do know is the defense needs improvement.  Now Eddy Curry could be back in a couple of weeks.  Oh boy.  I love ya Mr. D’Antoni, but trying to improve your defense while putting Eddy Curry on the floor is a lot harder than you think.  Sunday’s tilt with the Nuggets will be a test for sure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coast to Coast: 12/26/08

Let’s go coast to coast with the stories and views from around the league:

• Steve Dilbeck of the LA Daily News: “The Lakers came into their showdown with the Celtics an impressive 23-5, and very much needing to beat Boston down. Needing reason to truly believe they are as good they like to think they are, that they are that much better than the team Boston drummed in the NBAFinals last June.  The Celtics came into Staples Center on a roll, having won a franchise- record 19straight games. Still looking focused and determined, and playing with a mature consistency that has eluded the Lakers.  But the Lakers needed this one more, needed to brush aside the perception they were soft, too weak mentally, just too inferior to the mighty Celtics.  Despite the great run the Celtics were on, despite the glare of a nationally-televised Christmas Day game, this game was more important to the Lakers, and ultimately they played like it.  They may not have been dramatically better, but it was the Lakers who answered the challenge, who made plays down the stretch and came away with the 92-83 victory that reeked of playoff intensity.”
• Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer: “Which brings us to the Cavs, the surprise team of the NBA after Thursday’s 93-89 victory over Washington. The 25-4 Cavs are right behind the 27-3 Celtics in the race to be the best in the Eastern Conference.  Was it reasonable to expect the Cavs to win 50 games this season? Of course, assuming LeBron James stays healthy. But a 25-4 start with only five players remaining from this time a year ago?  It’s a product of chemistry…make that trust…much like Boston a year ago.”
• Mark Heisler of the LA Times: “Yet to be determined is whether the Lakers have undergone an actual attitude adjustment and will play hard all the time.  On the other hand, when you think of their fans booing them off the court at halftime in their last game here, when they trailed the New York Knicks by 15, followed by losses in Miami and Orlando and a rally from five points behind in the last 3:30 to win in Memphis, Christmas marked some turnaround.  The Lakers defended energetically, if not always well.  They showed that their physical advantages over the Celtics in size and depth matter.”
• From the Detroit News: ”Chris Paul of the Hornets saw his league-record string of 108 games with at least one steal end in the Hornets’ 88-68 loss to the Magic on Thursday. Paul, the NBA steals leader (3.7 average), and most of the starters came out early in the fourth quarter with the Magic up by at least 20. “Half the time when I got a steal I didn’t even know it,” said Paul, who was unaware his streak ended until after the game. “It was going to end at some point so why not Christmas?”“
• Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News: “The NBA went all out to make the late-night portion of its Christmas Day extravaganza a real yuletide experience. The uniforms were green for the Mavericks, red for Portland.  Given the festive atmosphere, you half expected the teams to come out wearing Santa hats.  But by the third quarter, good tidings were officially over.  A flurry of technical fouls and some elbows-first kind of play turned the game into a nasty, rugged affair devoid of any Christmas cheer.  That was just fine with the Mavericks, since they ended up grinding out a 102-94 victory over the Trail Blazers in probably their most commendable victory of the season.”
• Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News: “Irate, Duncan grabbed Stoudemire so that referee Jason Phillips was forced to call a foul, and that gave Duncan time to give the whistle blower his opinion.  Fifty-nine seconds later, Duncan rued the momentary loss of his stoic demeanor. Whistled for bumping O’Neal as the Suns center looked for a cutting teammate, Duncan knew he was one foul shy of disqualification.  Somehow, he managed to avoid a sixth personal while stopping three drives to the basket by Stoudemire in the final 1:53, each time rebounding the miss.  It was a clutch performance Popovich called “absolutely spectacular.”  Duncan’s defense kept things just close enough for the dramatic ending. Spurs guard Roger Mason Jr. launched a 3-point shot from the left corner that beat the buzzer as it left his hand and beat the Suns when it went in the basket.”
• Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic: “Being plucked from a bad franchise and put into a successful one two weeks ago was like a Christmas present for Jason Richardson.  The new Sun wants so badly to help. Too badly.  His decision to help on defense Thursday against San Antonio’s Tony Parker made the NBA’s third-ranked 3-point shooter, Roger Mason, look as alone in the corner as a Christmas tree once the presents are gone. Mason, subbed in for that play, made good on the 3-point shot to beat the buzzer and the Suns, 91-90, at US Airways Center.”