It's time for Round 3 between the Knicks and the Celtics, this time with none of the buzz that preceded the last game. We all remember that game, the first Knicks game in years that everyone and their mother in New York watched (and a few people around the country on ESPN) only to be disappointed by that stupid scene up there (Paul Pierce did a victory lap around the Garden court without aid of a wheelchair) and an Amare three that came a split second too late.
You would think that the first game vs. the hated Celtics since the Balkman trade would have everyone in the city hyped up, but the Knicks crappy past week and a half have effectively killed any good feelings that would have us long suffering fans excited for a late March contest that didn't involve an office pool. 4 straight losses to garbage Eastern Conference teams (sandwiched around a 3 point happy win in front of a very drunk St. Patrick's day Garden crowd) will do that. Not to mention, the last 2 games have featured Carmelo going 2 for 12 and holeing up on the team bus instead of talking to the media (a faux pas in NY for sure), followed by a 9 point first quarter to the Bucks. THE BUCKS. I'm fairly certain that myself, Bottle and Snoot could score 9 points vs. Carlos Delfino and the Bucks*.
Luckily for the Bockers, the Celtics have been pretty up and down lately themselves, getting blown out by inferior teams and losing a few home games. A lot of their issues can be traced to the slumping play of their early season MVP, Rondo. Always an offensive liability (to put it nicer than I usually do), his game has dropped to near Jared Jeffries levels as of late (except for the passing ability and general quality as a human being that J.J. lacks). Over 3 games last week, Rajon shot 11 percent, and averaged 1.3 points a game. If he can give them anything offensively, then teams won't be able to use the Corky from Life Goes On defense on him. When Rondo plays well, the Celts are near impossible to beat.
I was talking about the Knicks recent success against the better teams the other day, but the way that they have been playing lately, I have trouble picking them to win tonight. Celtics by 7 or 8.
*We definitely could not.
On a personal note, this will be my last ever regular season game in my usual seats. It would be a shame to lose to Boston on this momentous occasion. I'll try to do some live updates from the game.
You should piss on your seat at the final buzzer and send a message to that d-bag Dolan.
ReplyDeleteJared Jefries just hit the side of the backboard on a wide open corner three. I hope he gets cancer.
ReplyDeleteKnicks keeping pace with Carmelo in foul trouble, apparently Amare was in Vogue magazine..Melo back in, now hell play even less aggressive d than usual.
ReplyDeleteBoston has the bum ass team in right now...Troy Murphy made his required appearance as white Irish mascot.
ReplyDeleteBig Baby was dead on the flor but th Knicks couldn't capitalize. Both teams missing a lot of shots right now.
ReplyDeleteMelo looks focused tonight., Turiaf playing big to. Jared Jefries still sucks.
ReplyDeleteLandry Fields with the Rondo like ball fake, Knciks still holding on.Big end of the quarter here.
ReplyDeletemelo doesn't look focused, he goes one on one more than necessary and commits dumb fouls when he doesn't get his way on offense end.
ReplyDeletefirst half, he was focused...oh well, a fitting end I guess. Celtics showed their experience.
ReplyDeleteAt least the effort was there tonight. The main problem was their lack of execution in the 4th. I can live with these kind of loses just as long as they play hard from start to finish. What I can't live with is the way they lost to scrub ass teams like Indiana, Detroit, Milwaukee and Cleveland. Completely unacceptable. I don't even want to hear that they need time to gel. Quite frankly I'm starting to get sick of hearing that excuse from D'Antoni and the players after every loss. The lack of playing time together doesn't excuse a complete lack of effort they've shown at times. Another thing that bothers me is seeing Melo and STAT complaining whenever a call doesn't go their way. It's completely unacceptable when your team's best players don't get back on defense because they're too busy complaining to the refs. It sets a bad example for the rest of the team. It's also unacceptable to commit stupid fouls because you're having an off night offensively. Seeing this crap way too often is beyond frustrating. Just quit your bitching and play ball.
ReplyDeleteAs for Melo, anonymous is right. He iso's way too much. I noticed that every time he calls for the ball the offense stalls. Everyone just stands around the perimeter while he forces up bad shots. Basically, this is what we signed up for when we traded for him. Like Ray Allen said in his post game interview(backhanded compliment really), Melo is "a great one on one player." He shows flashes of greatness with his ability to be clutch and be unstoppable offensively on certain nights. But the truth is his overall game leaves a lot to be desired. If anyone says otherwise then they haven't been paying attention. He's a mediocre passer that's way too inconsistent on defense. Sometimes he plays really good 'D' and sometimes he looks awful. But in his defense that can be said about the overall team defense these days. I would also like to add that Melo doesn't play off the ball very well. Just look at the difference between him and Pierce. At least Pierce can get off good shots without having to play iso's the majority of the time. This is the one area in Melo's game that needs to change in order for him to take it to the next level. That being said, I haven't given up hope but I am starting to get a little worried about his ability to adapt. You're starting to see the reason why his former teammates and coach were quick to criticize him when he left Denver. He needs to stop going one on one so much and keep the ball moving so that the offense is more cohesive. Melo needs to look for the open man when he gets doubled instead of forcing up one bad shot after another(this can also be said for Amar'e).
While it's not the end of the world(because we really weren't going to win this season anyway), I at least want to see some personal growth before their season ends. Hopefully it will happen sooner rather than later.
Jesus, that was long. (no homo)
ReplyDeleteLong? Yes. There's a lot to be said about Melo and the overall state of the team right now. It's not as simple as "they need time to gel, we've only played 16 games together" There are problems on this team that goes beyond that.
ReplyDeleteBillups is a concern. Maybe not by himself but as a part of the big picture. In Denver, he played with Melo and three good defenders in Afflalo, KMart, and Nene. Karl made sure that two guard is a good defensive player and he had enough tandem to back him up.
ReplyDeleteNow that Billups has Amare on the back, his deficiencies became ever obvious. Just look at this statistic and cry with me:
51 games with Denver. Never fouled out. Only once he got 5 fouls and three times 4 fouls.
9 games with NY. Fouled out once. Another game with 5 fouls and another two games with 4 fouls. Averages 3.2 fouls with the Knicks. He was averaging 1.8 with Denver. His career his was 2.6.
What we have in our hands is a old guy whose legs are betraying him at this point. Without a great defender to share the backcourt and enforcers covering his behind, he has been resorting to play defense with his hands. This is trouble in the long term.
Knicks suck. I think you should get used to it, Shank.
ReplyDeleteSorry about the spelling errors on the comments during the game, damn phone.
ReplyDeleteThere's no I in Team, but there's me in Melo.
ReplyDelete@ Anonymous with the Billups comment.
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, Chauncey still hasn't full recovered from the injury he sustained from Howard. He's healthy enough to play, but still recovering in the process. But you do bring up a decent point. Billups is nowhere near the same defender that he was in Detroit. He lacks the quickness to defend the position. What Pringles needs to do is have TD(when he's on the same time as Billups) and Fields defend the opposing team's point. This would take some pressure off him somewhat.
The Knicks are done, Shank, give up.
ReplyDeleteYou need to find a new team, Shank. Knicks are garbage.
ReplyDelete