Obviously when you have the top three teams coming to Madison Square Garden, we’ll be able to see just how far we’ve come in recent weeks since Gallinari has come off the IR list and become active.
No, it is not all Gallinari, we’ve got Lee playing well, Nate playing well after crawling out of his slump, Chandler doing his thing and Al Harrington finding a way to add value to our Knicks.
Duhon is a great point guard and runs the pick in roll for the Knicks as good as anyone in recent memory.
Yet with our inspired play as of late, we still will have a tough time hanging with the Bostons, the Lakers, and the Cavs.
Not saying it is impossible, but that staying competitive against these complete teams will be a continued sign of improvement for this work in progress…
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
I agree that remaining competitive throughout this week will symbolize maturity and toughness, but we should not expect too much from the Knicks.
Take a look at the upcoming match ups
Guards:
Duhon, Robinson, QRich vs. Kobe, Farmar, Fisher; Mo Williams, Daniel Gibson, Sasha Pavlovic, Wally Szcerbiak; Ray Allen, Rondo, Eddie House
Forwards:
Chandler, Harrington, Tim Thomas, Gallinari, Jeffries vs. Gasol, Odom, Walton, Radmonovich, Ariza; Lebron and Ben Wallace; Garnett, Pierce, and Leon Powe.
Centers:
David Lee vs. Bynum [pending injury]; Ilgauskus and Verajao; Kendrick Perkins
i can’t really think of one favorable matchup anywhere.
Bynum’s out!
so you’re telling me there’s a chance…
If Gasol guards David Lee [assuming Chris Mihm won't play, though I could be wrong], Harrington should be able to exploit Odom on the perimeter and Walton, Ariza in the post.
I like the “there’s a chance line,” Starks4ThreeYes, reminds me of the quote from Dumb and Dumberer.
The game is definitely entertaining thus far.
Kobe is a fantastic player.
Whatever you think about the guy off the court, he is a special player to watch just like Mike was. Okay, maybe not just like Mike, the greatest to ever play the game, but within the first five minutes of this basketball game, I’ve already seen him do several things on the basketball court that only he and another two or three players in the league can do.
He is a player that comes around only once in a generation, like Mike, Dr. J, Kareem, Magic, Bird and Wilt. They just play at the highest level of basketball possible and everyone else has to adjust.
good shot by chandler across the lane.
good pass by gallo to nate on the break
strong d chandler! block kobe’s sh*t!
kobe had 18 in the first?!
this is going to be interesting…
trevor… I don’t miss him. we have chandler, an upgrade because he does everything. trevor was only athletic…
like balkman.
kobe has 27 and it is not halftime yet.
this could be a performance for the ages…
dantoni is a genius.
great lob pass from q to jeffries.
good to see jeffries finish around the basket with authority.
i like this five that is taking us out of halftime.
Q
harrington
duhon
lee
jeffries
it still probably won’t be enough.
the lakers are too strong.
hope i’m wrong.
61 points.
kobe torched us.
LOL
KnicksD
He, Kobe, might have had about a double knickle on the defensive oriented Knicks teams of the 90′s.
Some performances are just pure zoneing!
Problem was that the Knicks tried to match Kobe individually instead of collectively on offense.
They should remember that lesson b/c the King is capable of lighting up the Garden as well, and if the Knicks get drawn into matching a stars performance individually instead of collectively- moving the ball, looking for the open man, drive to get higher percentage shots instead of settling for the distance J- then they’ll have a chance on offense to stay in the game.
Other observation, Lee wore down against the finesse combo of Odom and Gasol, he needs better help inside. It’s unfair to put the rebounding load on him alone.
Get Ewing Jr. in here!
Ball movement and team play on offense only deteriorated once the game was out of reach. They clearly grew frustrated. Can’t blame them. They shot 44% and scored 117 points, but Kobe was unstoppable.
They moved the ball well and stayed competitive for the most part. Not bad, but not great.
Too many missed layups and missed opportunities following Lakers turnovers.
All things considered, it was fun as hell to watch and the frustration at the end of the game is only a sign that these guys believe they can win every day, regardless of opponent.
51 points, 11 assists, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks.
and next up, the nba champions come to the garden on friday…
well, what do you have to say for your ‘true litmus test’?
The only way to get a good reward is to take a good risk, and sometimes that means the possibility of failure