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.

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. 

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

Coast to Coast: 9/23/08

Let’s push the ball up the court as we go from coast to coast with the stories from around the league.

• The big news around the league, especially around the Knicks, has to do with the inevitable release of Stephon Marbury.  One thing to remember is that it is not official yet, but it is expected to be by the end of the week.  The only thing holding things up at the moment is the approval of The Clown himself, James Dolan.
• Henry Abbout of TrueHoop on Marbury: “He has had opportunities galore. He was Kevin Garnett’s sidekick — and it didn’t work out. He was supposed to be the point guard who lifted the Nets of Kenyon Martin to fulfill their potential … instead they did that the moment he left town was replaced by Jason Kidd. And the Knicks spent like drunken sailors to surround him with the best (or at least, most expensive) coaches and talent money can buy, and it became a cautionary tale for the ages.”
• The Wizards have lost Gilbert Arenas for a significant chunk of the season.  However, they did make a move on Tuesday by signing free agent Juan Dixon, as the AP has reported.  “Juan is a proven NBA player and we like what he brings to our team,” said Grunfeld.
• The Wizards also made other news with the interview involving Grunfield and coach Eddie Jordan.  Despite the loss of Agent Zero they are keeping expectations high as CBS Sportsline is reporting.  Good luck with that.  ”We feel very confident in the players that we have and the way we played last year, the way we shared the ball, moved the ball, played defense and made the playoffs,” Jordan said.
• However, the uncertainty around Arenas remains.  ”We don’t have a time frame for when he’s going to be back,” Grunfeld said. “It’s a process. We expect him to be back and be an outstanding player in this league. This, for us, is not a two- or three-month proposition. We’re looking at the long term here. He’s only 26.”
• Disgraced ex-NBA ref Tim Donaghy has reported to federal jail to serve his 15-month sentence, CBS Sportsline is reporting.  He may be removed from society for over a year, but the black cloud that his scandal has created over NBA officials remains.
• Miami Heat fans should be excited about their new trio of Shawn Marion, Dwayne Wade, and Michael Beasley.  However, the Miami Herald reports that he is on the last year of his deal and will likely head into the start of training camp without an extension.  So this trio may not be together for that long.  I think it also might be a good idea to see how the three of them coexist before giving Marion a big deal.
• The writing appeared to be on the wall this summer for Jamaal Tinsley.  The Pacers brought in point guards TJ Ford and Jarrett Jack to take over his job.  But the way they are pushing Tinsley out the door does seem a bit rough.  Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star reports, “Jamaal Tinsley remains on the roster, but the Pacers have taken steps to distance themselves from the point guard. They’ve removed Tinsley’s nameplate from the locker he used at Conseco Fieldhouse and he is not expected to be at the team’s media day Monday.”
• Good news for USA basketball: Jerry Colangelo is considering staying on board and taking aim at more success with the national team, as the Seattle Times is reporting.  ”I’m kind of leaning toward continuing, but we still have some things that we’re talking through just in terms of organization,” Colangelo said Monday at a luncheon benefiting the Special Olympics of Arizona. “I’m kind of inclined to continue because it is my connection to basketball.”  Maybe we will see him at the World Championships in 2010.