Quick Rewind: Pacers 105, Knicks 103

Box Score

The Pacers pulled off a dramatic win at the Garden on Friday 105-103 thanks to the game winning jumper by Jarrett Jack with 0.9 seconds remaining.  Jack was the difference as he scored his 29 points on 10-14 shooting.  The Knicks had a poor start to the game as they did not have a lead until they made their run in the fourth quarter.  They actually built a 5 point lead with a few minutes to play but could not secure the advantage.  Their poor play had a lot to do with their offense which was not pushing the ball enough and turning the ball over at will (they finished with 21 total turnovers).  It would also be nice to see the Knicks play with some desperation every game.  They go through these lapses in games when they don’t get after it enough on both ends.

The Knicks made their move in the second half when their offense got in gear.  A lot of that had to do with the performance of Al Harrington who scored 22 of his 27 points in the second half.  But as we are all to used to seeing, the Knicks could not get the big stop at the end of the game.  The Knicks led 100-99 with about a minute remaining.  Jarrett Jack gets a switch with David Lee on him and nails the jumper.  The next Pacers possession, with Indy up 101-100, the Pacers set a pick for Jack at the top of the key and the Knicks had some miscommunication as Lee failed to provide the help or at least slow down Jack who drove right down the lane for the easy deuce.  Then with the score tied the Pacers run an isolation for Jack who nails the clutch jumper for the win.

Three Pacer possessions, three buckets by Jarrett Jack.  Give credit to Jim O’Brien for not calling timeout after the Knicks tied it.  With a stoppage I have to assume D’Antoni would have subbed Jared Jeffries in for the final possession to guard Jack who had the hot hand down the stretch.  Jeffries’ length may have bothered Jack and would have given him less space for him to get off the final jumper.  The Knicks are clearly still having trouble finding a way to finish games which has a lot to do with their inability to get crucial stops in crunch time.

Some other people postgame thoughts:

Alan Hahn of Newsday:

But while five steals is five steals…reality is David Lee has more to give on the defensive end. But the Knicks aren’t getting it.

The most critical play was with 24.1 seconds left and the Knicks trailing 101-100. Lee was supposed to switch on a screen to pick up Jarrett Jack but seemed to hesitate as if waiting for Nate Robinson to slide through. Jack used Lee’s hesitation to blow right by him and down the wide-open lane for a layup to put the Pacers ahead, 103-100. Lee, who had three fouls at the time, could have tried to pursue and clobber Jack just to avoid the freebie, but instead he went matador and turned spectator.

Marc Berman of the New York Post:

It’s one thing to get outclassed by Denver’s Carmelo Anthony. It’s another to get whipped by Indiana’s Jarrett Jack.

The Pacers point guard ambushed the Knicks last night, dominating all game, going wild in the final minute and hitting the game-winning 19-foot jumper over Chris Duhon with 0.9 seconds left as the Knicks dropped a 105-103 Garden heartbreaker.

Joshua Robinson of the New York Times:

With four miserable teams packed in the span of six games, this chunk of the Knicks’ schedule was supposed to be their buoy, a spell to keep them afloat and lift them back toward a .500 record.

Instead, it has been a stretch of stunning mediocrity — a sorry defeat against the Minnesota Timberwolves, an expected failure against the Denver Nuggets, and only modest success against the Charlotte Bobcats. Friday’s 105-103 defeat to the Indiana Pacers (11-21) was simply the latest in a string of forgettable nights at Madison Square Garden.

Frank Isola of the Daily News:

Yes, the Knicks knew what was coming and no, they didn’t stop it. Only the Knicks can make Jack, a solid veteran guard, look like LeBron James and open a new year with the same old way of losing: not understanding how to close out games.

And a Pacer perspective via Indy Cornrows:

Jarrett Jack had a big overall game to go along with the last-second heroics. Jack finished with 29 points on only 10-14 shooting from the floor. He knocked down his first four 3-balls, so obviously he was feeling it all night. Of course, Jack doesn’t play a perfect game and a couple of his five turnovers were critical in letting the Knicks back in the game. No since dwelling on those tonight though. Since Jack has had to play so many minutes and grind through the “Heartbreak Hotel” games as he calls them, he has become the emotional leader for this team. He sets the tone for the team’s heart, soul and guts on the floor.

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.

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quick Rewind: USA 118, Spain 107

Redemption complete

Quick Rewind: USA 116, Australia 85

In Wednesday’s quarterfinal matchup at the Olympics, the US men’s basketball team pulled away from Austrailia in the second half en route to another blowout win.  They held just a 12 point lead at half but started the second half with a 14-0 run.  Game over.  In case you missed the game, here is what different people are saying about the Redeem Team at the moment:

Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Free Press says:

“I’d like to give you one moment when the Australia men’s basketball team was in trouble against the United States, but that’s like picking one time of year when Hawaii is pretty. The Aussies fell behind early, came back to tie it at 21, and should have asked for the check right there.  The final score was 116-85, and if you want to know what this tournament has been like for the Americans, this little nugget should tell you: Afterward, a few reporters were seriously asking the U.S. players what it felt like to be tested for the first time.  A test? Five minutes into the second half of this quarterfinal game, the United States led by 23 points.
If that’s a test, I’d love to hear what those reporters think of the LSAT.”

Greg Couch of the Chicago Sun-Times says:

“I believe these big stars with some of the biggest egos on the planet are getting along and becoming friends, not just for show. The U.S. beat Australia 116-85 today, and the news was that Australia was within one at the end of the first quarter.  The U.S. hasn’t lost a quarter yet in the Olympics, and is all the way into the semifinals. The U.S. will play Andres Nocioni and Argentina on Friday.  The U.S. defense works into passing lanes, and blocks shots. And if an opponent isn’t demoralized from the start, it happens soon enough. That’s what happened today.  You already know that Team USA is winning again. But Team USA is a team again, too, talking hokey things about winning for the three letters on the front of the jersey. And it’s believable.”

Chris Sheridan of ESPN says:

“Australia’s game plan included dropping four players quickly back on defense while letting a fifth, one of its speedy point guards, apply ball pressure and make the Americans use an extra few precious seconds before getting their offense running. The Australians also placed a premium on protecting the ball and turned it over only once in the first quarter — something no American opponent had managed to do until then — and dared the U.S. team to beat them from behind the arc (the Americans did finish 12-for-25 after the poor start). And when Team USA managed to get open looks, especially from inside, the Aussies gave hard fouls and took gambles that the Americans would miss from the line.  For a half, it worked, and the game would have been even closer if Australia hadn’t missed several open looks from underneath and if Andrew Bogut hadn’t fumbled the ball out of bounds two times during a second quarter in which Australia coughed up seven turnovers.”

Rick Maese of the Baltimore Sun says:

“Any debate over whether replacing an NBA coach (Larry Brown) with a college coach (Mike Krzyzewski) was the right thing for USA Basketball has been quashed. It turns out a college coach was exactly what this team needed, someone who would stress fundamentals and defense, someone who didn’t bring an NBA mentality to international play.”

The reason for success so far has to have been the Redeem Team’s ability to flat out wear their opponents down with tenacious defense, easy transition hoops, and their superior athletic ability.  Argentina represents their toughest test so far.  I say Redeemers win by 20.