A Defense for Amare Stoudemire

I have heard about Stoudemire's Dumb Foolery all day and it just got me thinking. He was trying to send a message to his team. The Knicks are down 2-0 to the defending eastern conference champs and as a captain he only took 9 shoots. NINE shots, compared to Mello's 26. I understand that Mello is our best player, but the Knicks need balance on offense and defense. The Heat have 3 amazing players who also play defense, but if they only have to focus on Mello , then its an EMERGENCY! I think this is the point Stoudemire was trying to make by breaking the glass on a fire extinguisher, granted not all went according to plan, the point he tried to get across made him look like a Dumbass, but that is how the media is spinning it. I bet before he smashed that glass he was hooting and hollering about the urgency his team needs now, not in game 4.

Amare I know what you were trying to do, I forgive you and I know the statement you made in that locker room will show in the Knicks next game.

Knicks 90- Heat 89

See you at the garden.

NBA Playoff Preview

The abbreviated NBA regular season has come to a close, and after a sloppy start, it's been a pretty good one. The 16 teams qualified for postseason play are all above .500 (even in the Eastern conference), the rugged play has leveled off to mostly quality basketball and there is really no clear cut favorite to win it all. Call it parity or simply a watered down league, but there are at least 5 teams with a legitimate shot at the title. There are also subplots aplenty this go round: Can Dirk's Mavs regain their championship form or will the Thunder get their revenge? How will LeBron react in crunch time and will Kobe have enough juice left in his German engineered knees for a title run? Will anyone watch the Magic Pacers series? Lots of questions will be answered over the next 4 months or however long it takes to play these games. Let's get down to the matchups.

Eastern Conference:
1)Bulls vs 8) Sixers

For the second year in a row the Bulls are saddled with the opening game time slot the NBA relegates to the Sixers every year. Aside from Derrick Rose (the NBA's number one jersey seller) this series is seriously lacking in star power. Nevertheless, the games must be played so we can set up a rematch of last year's ECF. These are the 1st and 2nd ranked defenses in the league respectively so on top of the boring lack of stars, expect really low scoring games. Despite their epic fall off after an easy early schedule, I think the Sixers are good enough to get a game or two off the Bulls, but that's about it. Bulls in 5

2)Heat vs 7)Knicks




Now this is more like it. This series has it all. Superstars, a historic rivalry, the Heat trying to atone for last year's collapse in the Finals against a Knicks team hungry for any type of playoff success. Why did the NBA and ABC schedule this game at 330 on a Saturday when most people are either grocery shopping or watching the Rangers game? You're guess is as good as mine but it seems like they figure that Saturday night is a dead zone ratings wise (hence the Orlando vs Indiana matchup at 7) and they still want the Lakers in the golden time slot Sunday afternoon. Regardless, this should be a fun series, especially for us beleaguered Knicks fans at PTU. It will at least give us many opportunities to hate on LeBron. Heat in 6

3)Pacers vs 6) Magic

35 years of Misery: Name that Net

Greetings, hoops fans! As you may have heard, that team that plays in New Jersey is moving to Brooklyn in a few months and so ends 35 years of misery in the Garden State. To commemorate 3 and a half decades of pain, the Nets are having a farewell night and they're pulling out all the stops. All the past legends of the Meadowlands will be on hand like Kerry Kittles and Derrick Coleman? Bernard King's brother? And who's that guy wearing number 10??? I understand that the active guys aren't available like Kidd and K-Mart (and obviously Jayson Williams isn't) but shit isn't Kevin Edwards available? How about Keith Van Horn, he can't be too busy. And where's Buck Williams? I understand DC and Kenny Anderson, since they were the stars of the other good Nets team that didn't feature Kidd, but why does Kerry Kittles get the prime position in that poster? That's the position Ewing or Clyde Frazier would hold if the Knicks had a similar celebration, KK is the symbol of 35 years of history?? At the very least, I'd like to see a Petrovic hologram at this event.

Now, here's where the PTU readers come into play. If you can name number 10 in that photo you will be shouted on in a post as the most knowledgeable sports fan in the world and will also receive a special prize. Good luck, because I am stumped. It's not Sam Cassell or Mookie Blaylock. Could it be a made up player? Let us know if you have any idea, Nets fans.

If You Hate Isolations, You Hate NBA Basketball

There's been a lot of controversy circling the Knicks recently as you no doubt know if you read this blog or don't live under a rock, most of it centering on Carmelo Anthony. With Mike D'Antoni out of the picture, all of the scrutiny will be focused on the guy who many people think was the reason for his departure. Everything from his sluggish body language and thuggish attitude to his shot selection has already been picked apart by everyone, and I'll admit there's merit to most of the criticism. One favorite gripe of Melo haters that I don't necessarily agree with, however, is this one: Melo's isolation plays are what's wrong with the Knicks offense. Yes, it's true that he tends to hold on to the ball for too long when the call is for an iso, and he needs to make quicker moves and be a more willing passer. But there seems to be a large population of Knicks fans and Carmelo haters (two groups of which there is much overlap) who think of isolation as a dirty word. Like Carmelo Anthony invented this ugly ruffian, selfish style of basketball in order to get his points like the me-first thug he is. Truth is, the NBA has been dominated by isolation plays for years, like it or not (and many people choose to not like the NBA because of this). While Carmelo may tend to isolate more than other players, what he does is not out of line with much of what the rest of the league runs on a nightly basis. To further complicate matters, Jeremy Lin came out of nowhere and initiated a free flowing offense for 2 weeks, that was pretty God damn fun to watch. It's only natural that this will be viewed as the antithesis to the ugly Melo ball, the "right way to play" as opposed to that other way. It was nice to see everyone sharing the ball and multiple passes every trip down the floor, but the way many Knicks fans have lionized those two weeks of Linsanity is bordering on insanity. The average caller into NY sports talk radio (not that these are the examples of intelligent sports fans but I would say they are a good representation of the average ideas of most NY sports fans) has reimagined those two weeks in February vs the Raptors and Kings as the rebirth of Clyde Frazier to Monroe to Debuscchere. The holy grail of beautiful basketball in all it's glory. Sorry Vinnie in Manhasset, that's not NBA basketball. Melo standing on the wing trying to break down a defender is.

Take a look at the last 20 years of NBA championships, when I think isolation play took over the league just as the superstar did. Not one of the champion teams played a Phoenix Sun, D'Antoni style, every one of the team had a superstar who spent at least half of it's team's possessions isolated on offense (a post up also counts as an iso), and the one team that didn't have any superstars ( the 2004 Pistons) played a drag out half court offense that played to it's bruising strengths. That lovely style of basketball that's so adored by both media members as well as the bandwagon Knicks fans who hadn't watched a game since Ewing, the sweet passes that seemed to sail through the air pushed by the spirit of Bob Cousy, James Naismith and Ghandi. That hasn't won a title since before Magic had HIV. The NBA game is predicated on superstar play, and has been since Michael, Magic and Bird became big money makers. Some times it can bog down the offense and make NBA games boring, other times it can result in amazing singular performances. The best teams mix in a little of both, running at opportune times, moving the ball and also incorporating isolation plays for their stars at the right time. There's been an outpouring of love for teams like Philadelphia and Denver who have like 9 guys each that average 11 points and no one can name 4 players in their starting lineup (in particular Denver who has apparently reinvented basketball since ridding themselves of that black hole, Melo). But you know where those teams will be in June? Watching the games just like me and you. The Knicks have a lot of issues that need solving including how to consistently make shots and defend and rebound, etc. But isolation offenses aren't going anywhere. It's a fact of NBA life. Get over your dreams of a socialist basketball offense where everyone is treated equally, and the wealth is shared. Professional basketball is not like that. There's probably a reason you stopped watching a while ago.

M@D Gamble

"I make the bets so you don't have." "Nor should you"

I hope to make this a weekly segment until I either run out of money or you guys tell me this segment sucks and I won't write about it any more. So the bet I made tonight was I took the Knicks plus ten and the over of 195. Basketball Expert Johnny Bagels thinks I am insane and I am better off just throwing money out the window, but I think the Knicks will play the Heat tough have a close game and just put up a lot of points in the process. So in order to win my wager I need

Knicks +10 &

Over 195

Happy Gambling to me, next week I bet on the Super Bowl MVP and I won't be picking a QB

Is It Time To Panic?

I usually reserve judgment on a team until at least a third of the season has passed, and in this shortened NBA season that time frame should probably be adjusted a bit what with the lack of practice time and an adequate preseason. Except the Knicks look like garbage. And not just any garbage that can be easily cleaned up or taken out to the curb on a Monday night. No, hot, stinky, wet garbage that sits in the middle of one of those old ladies houses on Hoarders. I'm usually optimistic in that obnoxious way that only a Yankee fan can be (and I give Mets fans like Snoot and M@d $cientist a hard time about their intrinsic sad sack rooting style) but after witnessing nearly a month of Knicks 2012 basketball I can say with confidence that they are not a good team. A certain lack of timing is expected with barely any practices after an extended offseason, but even keeping that in mind, there are serious flaws with this team. We all knew letting Chauncey Billups angrily take off for Lob City would be a downgrade at point guard, but did anyone think Toney Douglas would be THIS BAD? Toney's a solid back up guard that can bring the ball up (I hesitate to call him a point guard) but as a starter, he makes me yearn for the glory days of Howard Eisley and Moochie Norris. When he's not hitting his 3 (as he has not been doing with remarkable consistency since he got yanked from the starting lineup) or little tear drop, he's absolutely useless as a person. Iman Shumpert has been a pleasant surprise with his defense and hustle, but we can't expect a rookie to run the point, especially one that goes 5 for 20 from the floor and doesn't seem to know how to throw a pass. It's gotten to the point that Knicks fans have resorted to holding out hope for a savior in Baron Davis. The often injured, usually overweight guy who has been known to quit on a team or two. Still, he'd be an upgrade (the white chick from Hang Time would be at this point) and would at least be able to run a simple pick and roll.

Besides the tragic point guard situation, there are other pot holes on the way to that victory parade that idiots envisioned when the Knicks signed the over rated Tyson Chandler. Surprisingly, defense isn't the biggest problem on a Mike D'Antoni coached team. Sure, they mostly suck on defense, switching on every opposing team's pick and roll resulting in horrible mismatches and allowing mediocre players like Ryan Anderson to look like Reggie Miller, but Chandler and Shumpert have been very good defenders and the team's been able to show flashes of holding teams down. The problem is the offense. It's been beyond terrible. Mike's basic set seems to be give the ball to Carmelo, let him hold it for 15 seconds and then either throw it up towards the hoop or pass to some other guy who has no idea what to do on a basketball court. Where's the movement and dynamic shooting that was a staple of the offensive genius's best teams? Sadly, I don't see anything changing until D'Antoni and his moustacheless brother are out on 33rd St. wondering what went wrong and if they can get tickets to see Jersey Boys.

Is it time to panic? Yes. This is a team that is flawed in very important areas for a basketball team (mainly point guard, bench and the ability to shoot a basketball) that probably won't be easily fixed even with time and practice. The best hope the beleaguered Knicks fan base has right now is that Baron Davis comes back to at least play what resembles a point guard (something they don't have right now) and the team's ice cold shooting picks up a little. Or else, it's going to be a long 4 months at the Garden.

The PTU 2011-2012 NBA PREVIEW

Basketball is back on again, and so it's time for the PTU NBA Preview for 2011 - 2012, aka the Year of Kemba. Lets start with the Eastern Conference:

With a healthy Haslem and the addition of Battier (and possibly Arenas?), the Heat will totally dominate the Eastern Conference, easily securing the #1 seed, while looking even stronger than last year. The other decent East Coast teams - the Bulls, the Celtics, the Hawks, etc. - will all be taken out in the first two rounds of the playoffs, making way for a Heat - Knicks Eastern Conference Finals match-up. Heat in 6.

In the West, the Lakers will lose early in the playoffs after failing to trade for Dwight Howard. The Grizzlies and the Mavs will look good going into the playoffs, but ultimately the Thunder will take the West behind the 2011-2012 MVP Kevin Durant. As for the Clippers, in case anyone is wondering, they will lose on the road in the first round of the playoffs.

Heat over the Thunder in 6. Lebron-haters cry themselves to sleep.

MVP: Durant.

Rookie of the Year: Derrick Williams (Kemba lets him win).

Iman Shumpert Welcome to the New York Knicks

Welcome to NY! I am sure you enjoyed your time at Georgia Tech. I would like to let you know that we as a basketball city are hungry for a championship, but worry not, we're not expecting that from you. You are merely a piece of the puzzle. What we expect from you is dishing, swishing, and defense. Now that we got that out of the way; We at PTU want to be one of the many media outlets to offer you a chance to reach out to your new fans. Please have your press agent reach us at blogptu@gmail.com to set up an interview.

Thank you