Coming Up: Pacers @ Knicks

• Records: Knicks 12-18 (11th in Eastern Conference); Pacers 10-21 (14th in Eastern Conference)
• Pace: Knicks 100.6 possessions per game (1st in NBA); Pacers 97.8 (3rd in NBA)
• Offensive Efficiency: Knicks 103.0 points per 100 possessions (19th in NBA); Pacers 102.7 points per 100 possessions (20th in NBA)
• Defensive Efficiency: Knicks 107.3 points allowed per 100 possessions (25th in NBA); Pacers 105.2 points allowed per 100 possessions (18th in NBA)
• Effective FG% (eFG%): Knicks 49.8% (12th in NBA); Pacers 49.1% (14th in NBA)
• Rebound Rate: Knicks 47.4 (28th in NBA); Pacers 50.5 (11th in NBA)

From ESPN Preview:

The Indiana Pacers are still struggling to close out games, while the New York Knicks needed a matchup with the league’s lowest-scoring team to snap their longest losing streak of the season.

Knicks players think their latest win could be a step in the right direction.  New York shot just 42.4 percent from the field but had five players score in double figures, including Wilson Chandler, who had seven of his team-high 19 points in the final four minutes.

Both clubs, however, are optimistic that they can turn things around.The Knicks look to build on their first win in more than two weeks Friday night when they host the Pacers, losers of 11 of their last 14.  New York (12-18) has shed some of its biggest salaries in a rebuilding season, and as a result, the Knicks have struggled to stay competitive in the Eastern Conference.  They’ve lost 15 of 21 since their 6-3 start, and had dropped six straight before escaping with a 93-89 win over lowly Charlotte on Tuesday night.

Despite his team’s struggles, first-year coach Mike D’Antoni is convinced New York will improve.  “I’m not backing off what I told you before, that we can be a good team,” D’Antoni said. “It’s up to us to prove it.”

Key to the Game: The stats indicate how even these two teams appear to be.  Let’s be honest.  The Knicks matched up well with Charlotte because they are not a very good shooting team and couldn’t take advantage of any open looks they got.  The Knicks had better effort on defense but that was still the Bobcats shooting the ball.

The big thing the Knicks need to improve to win tonight is their offense.  They have not been running as much as they need to.  They looked great early on against Charlotte but they eventually got out of rhythm and stopped running as much.  It is obviously still an adjustment for some of these players to play in this system.  They need to get in the mindset of staying aggressive throughout the game and not stop running. 

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.