Game time 1pm.
What better way to honor the great Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., than with a victory over the Celtics–and don’t tell me I have a dream, we can beat this team if we show heart and play smart.
Expert Frank Isola was on NBATV tonight sounding much like Lives saying the team has turned a corner. He said that he expects the Knicks to put up a good fight tomorrow (still Isola said the C’s would win, but who wouldn’t on national TV?). He did that very same kind of backpedaling at this time before, didn’t he? “I always thought this would be a playoff team,” was the exact quote during the 6-game streak if I recall correctly. Isola the jellyfish fence-straddler needs to just pick a side and quit calling loyal Knick fans everywhere “male groupies.”
I missed that Nate Robinson dunk in the first half of the Miami game, fortunately Alan Hahn found the video on youtube, check out Knicks Fix if you wish to revisit the footage. Somebody please tell nate if he uses his supreme talent to focus on defense he’ll have plenty of opportunities for more dunks in the game. Anticipate passes, read the passing lanes, he’s been studying Steve Nash tapes to become a better playmaker and that’s great, but he should supplement that with some Muggsy Bogues tapes if he has the time. Anyway, Nate has been doing a great job lately so I’m happy for him.
That’s two dunks for Nate in Miami thus far in his career. Does Nate even have a shoe sponsor yet? Would Steve and Barry’s possibly be interested?
{ 304 comments… read them below or add one }
← Previous Comments
Cs back up by 12.
Only about 6 minutes left and they need to get their O in sink.
Crawford hasn’t sat yet, and his jumpers may be getting flat.
They’re fighting hard to stay in the game but are not knocking down their clutch shots like they have been lately. FJones throwing up bricks and JClutch still yet to be seen.
How come Curry only takes things personal in the fourth quarter? he needs to get upset early on and maintain that emotion.
The clock is working against the Knicks
They really need to get their scoring in sink.
And as I said Allen and Garnett have been clutch
Garnett with a fall away ala the Mamba
Ice cold
Knicks shooting is ice cold.
And the Celtics are up 17.
Game is basically over.
Still they ought to fight on, a double digit loss against the Cs is terrible.
alright, well that’s that. whatever juice curry had is done now and the rest of the offense is stagnant. defence has sagged. still, pretty good effort against one of the elite teams in the league.
When the Knicks are forced to involve Curry and he doesn’t produce shots or free throws…its a trend…that everyone else’s shots HAVE TO GO IN…and when we are not as hot as usual…its a sign of bad things to come.
We just can’t rely on our defense like a winning team. That sucks.
If Curry is this cold, just put DLee back in. If they are both going to be missing their shots, I’d rather have DLee in…even though he’s been useless today.
JJeff
DLee
FJones
JCraw
Nate
Not much happening smoothly.
FJones is as cold as ice…and willing to sacrifice.
I dont care what the stats say. KG killed us.
Pierce killed us from the perimeter with passing and timely hooping.
Ray’s the third wheel.
If Isiah keeps playing Crawford all these minutes he’s gonna get hurt and then we’ll really suck.
Boom, goodnight. Pathetic showing by the Knicks. That prick ISiah even had to have his crappiest piece of dung Q take out Pierce and you still got pounded.
The Celtics three wheeled ATV ride over the Knicks yet again.
Still want them to fight on today. Make the score respectable.
Need to build confidence goinf foward
Those weren’t boos when James was introduced.
They were chants of “FOOOOOOD”
We need a point guard….. Knicks showed no energy in this game….. how badly do we need a defensive presence to man the paint …huh
A Jerome James sighting…
Between him and Curry, we have 700 lbs in the center spot….
bxboy, imagine if Curry hadn’t dropped that 30 lbs during the summer.
LOL Tom, as classy as ever I see.
go Detroit!
Well at least we didn’t get blown out by 45 and 40 like last time.
Yep we need a defensive presence in the post, and a guy to give us minutes at the point.
3 days off to think about this one.
Seems like Boston/New England did indeed sign a pact with the Devil.
Go Detroit of course.
But Stern might have his master script playing out right now.
O&B, thinking the same thing just now. You may dance with the Devil, but you’ll never lead.
Well at least we didn’t get blown out by 45 and 40 like last time.
Yep we need a defensive presence in the post, and a guy to give us minutes at the point.
Comment by Black and Blue — January 21, 2008 @ 3:35 pm
Wow, is that pathetic or what?
BARF..
They’d need their own locker room…..lol
Tom asshole,
your team will have a 1rst round playoff exit against the WIZ…you Prick!
Go Detroit
Go Spurs
Go the Western Confernce Champions
Fuck the Celtics and Boston!
Go GIANTS!
Hey O&B
Here’s a better answer to your earlier question
Lakers sign Mbenga; Ariza out eight weeks
Go Detroit, that’s a laugh, even you stumble bums beat them.
Go Giants!
Have a good evening guys …
Suck nuts Tom. Big Baby Glen is getting fatter and fatter. The good news is that if Boston’s plane ever crashes the whole team can survive for months on his blubber.
Zeke if you were a horse, they’d bring you out back and shoot you.
Jay Bee
True Dat @ 234
“Big Baby Glen is getting fatter and fatter. The good news is that if Boston’s plane ever crashes the whole team can survive for months on his blubber.”
ROFLMAO!
Good day fellas1
Will check in later after I detox and have a chance to drink it all in. There was a Curry sighting. Second half of the second half he manned up. See you guys later.
q did well to get pierce and himself ejected but it did nothing for our chances down the stretch.
jeffries missed some shots pretty badly but played good d.
i think if nate didn’t get 3 fouls in the first quarter and have to sit, the outcome of the game would have been more closely contested.
jamal pisses me off sometimes with the crappy shot selection. j chuck will be j chuck.
eddy did better in the second half, but the first half he wasn’t motivated at all, looks like he is afraid to play the fast-moving celtics. grow a pair.
the celtics are just a better basketball team. more talent, more chemistry, more everything.
of course it always helps to have friends in the league give you the best player in the NBA for a bunch of spare/junk parts because of prior loyalty in the old days. Danny Ainge and Kevin McHale should be imprisoned for unsportsman like business practices. the teams around the league were offering much more than what the T-wolves got for KG, but there were ulterior motives behind that unethical trade, you can tell that by the standout record with respect to the rest of the league. bottom line, you don’t trade an MVP for a bunch of roll players whom may never make an all-star team.
in any case KG is a great player and seems to be a good leader and person off the court–can’t say the same for pierce or anyone else on that squad but good for KG he deserves some winning after all those years in Minnesota.
Hey Tom: pierce is a damn ball hog. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
Dee-fenders
Wish we would have gotten this game today to get more r-e-s-p-e-c-t.
Exactly want we didn’t need,Perkins had a big game.(see my post @ #8 earlier today)
Peaceman and I knew EC would let us down……again.
3 days of practice till Philly……..waiting.
We got no offensive production from our small forwards, Q, Jefferies and Balk all with Zero points…We definetly need Ron Artest.
Black & Blue,
I’m strolling down reading you guys and notice your excellent observation that had me cracking—”Rondo looks like a Raptor”!!!!
That’s crazy—because it’s so true, he does look like a Raptor!!!!Imagine if he was playing for the Raptors, that would be something!
keep it up and writeon
Patience, Defenders!
We are bound to be exposed by one of the top five or six teams in the league this year. The Celts may be thin up front…..but sometimes that’s better than being fat up front!
As many have indicated, Zeke is experimenting with his lineup a bit, maybe too tentatively but he is adjusting and slowly “getting it”. i always bit my tongue a bit on criticizing Zeke over on the Knicks Knation blog in the past, primarily because that blog was so racially charged that any criticism of Zeke was merely racism-by-proxy, (even when the criticism was merited). In fact, i must admit i am kind of shocked at how quickly things have spun 180 degrees! Seems like everyone is hatin on Zeke these days….what ever happened to Kandiman, anyway? i’d love to get his take on Zeke these days!
We can’t kill Q for shooting early in the shotclock too much because he is one of the very few bonafide perimeter threats we have, even when he is dragging up & down the court and jacking up flat, unforgiving jumpers. He may be under standing orders to shoot when he sees daylight to avoid perimeter shots from Lee, Jeffries, Balkman, etc – so his poor decision-making could possibly be partially coaching-inspired.
i am very excited about one thing: we’re gonna find out the truth about Nate for better or worse this season, mainly because we have little choice but to play him heavy minutes. At least ONE of our four youngsters will not be a question mark going into next season! If you give ANY younger player in the league 30-35 minutes a night he will put up numbers – and what is more, his game will begin to mutate and blossom on-the-fly, as he adjusts to his opponents adjustments. Nate is gonna have to learn lessons on conserving energy, attacking his opponents dribble without fouling, and spreading touches around to keep everyone involved and active.
W/r/t Eddy, i think Isiah should get his back by campaigning publicly for the NBA to curb some of the anti-big-man foul calls. He can then accentuate his case by playing Eddy full runs regardless of his foul situation. Eddy should be firmly told to NOT vary his play based on foul trouble – he should play the game hard and let the COACH manage the team foul situation.
i think a string of games with Eddy fouling out in the first half would draw some slight media attention, and would be embarrassing enough for Mr. Stern to get the zebras to back off a tad on the pitty-pat calls in the paint. The plus in this strategy is that the Knicks would have an unlikely ally in South Beach, where Riley & SHAQ-FU could amplify the call to stop hatin on big men (and probably draw more media attention than Eddy & Isiah could).
There was a post by one of the Blog Elders attacking the “we are what our record is” theory, i cannot find it now but it was by someone cool and i believe it centered on the concept of identity. If i can extrapolate the meaning, i took that post to mean, “No, we are what our record COULD be if Isiah would play THE rotations correctly instead of consistently screwing them up.”
i don’t agree, i stand by my original post, just wanted to have a short rebuttal. We can all agree Isiah has had some real poor substitution patterns as coach, but if given a chance to do them over again, i think Statesman would play things differently than African, MODI as well, etc. To sum: there are some areas of widespread consensus (no Eddy/Z-Bo together) and other areas where Defenders differ quite a bit (Balkman vs. Chandler vs. Jeffries debate, for instance).
Finally, a second Blog Elder, also one i highly respect, bitchslapped ANOTHER post i had where i said it was disingenuous to claim fatigue was responsible for our loss when “we” pooh-poohed it as our opponent’s excuse during the three game win streak. This poster quite eloquently had pointed out opponent fatigue during that stretch, and took my post to be a slam on him i guess. It wasn’t….when i said “we”, i was referring to DEFENDER NATION as a whole, i would have to go diggin in those three game archive threads to find specific examples, and i don’t wanna do that. Suffice it to say that my post was not slamming the Blog Elder specifically, i’m just saying that fatigue (just like injuries and coaching and chemistry and everything else) effect BOTH teams so we cannot have a double-standard – either they count for both (nuance again) or they don’t count for anyone (we all got 12 guys to play – if you can’t run with the big dogs, then stay on the porch-type machismo thinking).
With that said, i’m hoping y’all don’t go and play the Roy Jones Jr. role to my Tito Trinidad with this post. =)
Special note: i was a bit sad that ChuckFM’s plea for a cussword curb on MLK Day didn’t get more traction. Dr. King is a rather unique American Hero, and….i dunno. Nevermind. i should delete this, but i won’t because i am too dumb and stubborn and sometimes have diarrhea of the keyboard.
i am a free speech guy too, Chuck’s plea would mean nothing if it were not a sacrifice that were freely offered….i guess it wasn’t. =/
PaulNoize:
I like the idea you put out in post # 243
“W/r/t Eddy, i think Isiah should get his back by campaigning publicly for the NBA to curb some of the anti-big-man foul calls. He can then accentuate his case by playing Eddy full runs regardless of his foul situation. Eddy should be firmly told to NOT vary his play based on foul trouble – he should play the game hard and let the COACH manage the team foul situation.
i think a string of games with Eddy fouling out in the first half would draw some slight media attention, and would be embarrassing enough for Mr. Stern to get the zebras to back off a tad on the pitty-pat calls in the paint. The plus in this strategy is that the Knicks would have an unlikely ally in South Beach, where Riley & SHAQ-FU could amplify the call to stop hatin on big men (and probably draw more media attention than Eddy & Isiah could).”
It would be a rare instance were the rival Heat and Knicks have an agenda in kind in which both have an interest in promoting a more level playing field for their big men.
Defenders, keep your heads up. We went up against the best of the east, and played better than the first time. We will grow and improve but sometimes it won’t come by mere leaps and bounds.
Goodnight all.
I’m beginning to think that our 4/5 pairings should be Snaxx/Z-Bo and Edwina/D.Lee because Snaxx has 6 fouls to give + shotblocking & rebounding presence alongside Z-Bo if he does wind up in foul trouble you can pair Z-Bo & Lee together limiting Edwina’s fat,flabby & lazy minutes.He’s definitely the one that should play 10 min max per game until his fat lazy ass learns to rebound and defend better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know everyone loves Lee’s game I do as well however he’s a 6’9″ tweener that can’t block shots nor defend well yet.Not to mention his lack of a CONFIDENT mid range J.If we could somehow get Snaxx to stop snackin’…and start workin’ he could provide the team with more than we bargained for.
And Tom for you: Suck Curry’s sweaty salty nuts! You stupid Celtic BITCH!!!!!!!
DEE-FENDERS
ROUND CORNER INTO A WALL
2 Wins against Road-Weary Teams(4games in 5 nights), good win against Nets and defeating a God-Awful Miami team has led some to believe
that the Knicks have turned the corner. To quote Bill Clinton, “That’s the Biggest Fairy Tale Going”. The loss to the Celts
today at the Garden, reinforced that the Knicks are a BAD team. The Celts led the entire game, and in my opinion were never
really threaten. Even when the Knicks closed the gap, the outcome was never in doubt. DEE-FENDERS the Celts are 21 games in front
of the Knicks!!! 21 Games!!! There are those who thought the Celts would be very good, others thought Celts would be average,
and then a few who thought the Celts would not make the Playoffs. If 39 wins is the Playoff cutoff then the Celts have to finish
6(W)39(L), while the Knicks have to finish 26(W)15(L). Who would you BET on??
CURRY-FACTOR
Some DEE-FENDERS believe that Zach’s arrival has led to the entire team reduced output. DLee,Balk, Q, and
everyone else numbers are down. My statement is that while attempting to COVER Curry’s short-comings w/ a NEW OFFENSE,
EVERY Knick has to suffered. The offense the Knicks are running this year is vastly different from last year.
Because Curry cannot handle double-teams and is a very POOR passer, the Knicks are putting Curry on the low-blocks by himself,
and everyone (including Zach & DLee) are placed on the PERIMETER. This leads to Curry having his man one-on-one, but when his shot is off
there is not another Knick underneath to fight for a rebound. DLee rebounds are down, due to this offensive setup.
Zach attempts 3pters because he is forced to spend time on the perimenter. Q only shoots 3s because he is told to stay on the perimeter.
Balk game has disappeared becasue he replaces Q, and is being told to stay outside similar to Q, and now he has become a jump-shooter,(a bad one).
Balk’s game is slashing, garbage baskets, he’s not effective away from the RIM.
N8 should never play w/ Curry, because his size keeps him from being able to throw the entry pass, and he has to slow down to wait on Curry
while running the point. Modi, African, and a few other DEE-FENDERS, the REVISED OFFENSE created to hide Curry’s liabilities
has HURT everyone’s game. Curry’s defensive game is nonexistent and therefore does not WARRANT discussion.
Protecting Curry will eventually COST Isiah his job. Baby Shaq is just a BABY.
Steph’s Move
Some question Steph’s mental stability and believe that his surgery and being place on the shelf was Addition by Subtraction.
I see a COLD-BLOODED you tried to throw me under the Train, Now I’m throwing your AZZ under the Tracks. Steph’s move has
obviously left the Knicks short-handed at the point. N8 starting in the back-court creates a contrasting style w/ Curry and Zach up-front
True point guards will get in Crawful’s jock and expose his point guard limitations, while also requiring Crawful to expend a lot of energy.
handling the ball. Fred Jones is not a point, and Mardy has not been developed. Yes going back to the HOF-coach’s tenure, the
point guard position has not been an area w/ great depth. Steph’s Elective surgery is REMINISCENT of the surgery he requested
during the HOF-coach year. I assume Steph is hoping for the same results. Is Steph CRAZY, or is he MANIPULATIVE?
Isiah is F@CKED, either way.
Statesman,
Re: #247: I know where Peace is; what happened to Blessings?
Noize,
that the player makes his/her identity, not the record.
Not to worry about an avalanche a la Roy Jones, Jr.–at least not from Steady. This time, Steady will acknowledge the reference and IDENTITY context. I believe it would be safe to spin the meaning as you did if it supports your postulate and has us agreeing. Still, my point is that if I’m a warrior a la Z-bo, Shaq, KG, et al., and my team’s record says that my team is the 2nd or worst or best team in the league, I do not automatically lose my warrior IDENTITY. I will play as such, I will destroy cats driving like Ms. Daisy down the lane, I will walk everyday into the arena like the warrior that I am. Steady is a throwback and the Big Fella is prima facia evidence (for you Cooleyhigh
KFLL
Trevor Ariza broke a bone in his foot and will be out indefinitely.
http://collegebasketball.rivals.com/content.asp?SID=1146&CID=764529
George, a Chicago native, may be the tallest player in the history of college basketball.
← Previous Comments