Tag Archives: Knicks news

Knicks Lose 102-91 In Miami, Putting Playoff Chances On Life Support (Postgame Reaction)

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The Knicks (33-45) lost to the Heat (53-23) by a score of 102-91 on Sunday afternoon in Miami.

The Knicks started out hot, jumping out to a 16-3 lead. But the Knicks quickly squandered their advantage, and were down 8 in the blink of an eye. The Knicks did rally to regain the lead by halftime, but a miserable 3rd quarter rendered a decent 4th quarter comeback attempt irrelevant. 

J.R. Smith was amazing today. Smith hit a Knicks record 10 threes on an NBA record 22 attempts. Smith also broke NBA records for most games with 10 or more threes made (3) and most threes made in a three-game span (24). 

Carmelo Anthony was bad for the second game in a row. He was also battling a shoulder injury for the second game in a row. Maybe they are related, and he shouldn’t be playing 44 minutes a game?  

Amar’e Stoudemire was cold for most of the game, but I don’t think he passed once. He has to be better about moving the ball…

Raymond Felton was pretty good today, but 2 early fouls (both of them bad calls) sent him to the bench when he was hot and helped Miami go on a run.

The Knicks had no answer for LeBron James, who scored 38 points. However, the thing that killed New York was their inability to stop Miami’s shooters. Every time the Knicks threatened to gain some momentum, Miami would hit from beyond the arc.

The Knicks will almost certainly miss the playoffs at this point. If the Hawks beat the Pacers tonight, it’s practically over. The Knicks are 1.5 games back, and because Atlanta has the tiebreaker, it is really 2.5. New York’s “tragic number”— the combination of Knicks losses and Hawks wins needed to eliminate the Knicks— is now 4. The Knicks have 4 games left and the Hawks have 7 (including the Pacers game tonight). The Knicks play the Raptors twice, the Nets, and the Bulls. The Hawks play the Pacers, Heat, Nets, Bobcats, Celtics, Pistons, and Bucks. If the Knicks go 4-0, the Hawks will need to lose 4 of those games, so they would have to lose to at least one of the Celtics, Pistons, and Bucks. If the Knicks go 3-1 (with the Bulls game looking like a very tough game to win), Atlanta would need to lose 5 of those games, meaning at least two losses against those 3 weak teams. The game the Hawks are most likely to steal is the one with Charlotte. I could see them losing to the Pistons. 

Either way, the Knicks have a huge uphill battle ahead of them. New York does not have another game until Friday, while the Hawks have 3 games during that span (Pacers, Pistons, Celtics). On Friday, the Knicks will play the Raptors and the Hawks will play the Nets. So in the next week, we will find out whether the Hawks can help us out and keep the Knicks alive. 

-Tommy Rothman

Pregame Report: Washington Wizards @ New York Knicks

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 The Knicks (33-43) will host the Wizards (39-36) on Friday night at Madison Square Garden. Gametime is 7:30 PM.

The Knicks know this is a huge game for them and must do whatever it takes to get a win. As always, keys to the game include ball movement, knocking down open shots, and effort (especially from Tyson Chandler).

The Wizards have the quickest point guard in the league; John Wall is a matchup nightmare for the Knicks. Raymond Felton can’t guard him. So Raymond Felton shouldn’t guard him. It’s up to Mike Woodson to make the obvious and correct decision to have Iman Shumpert— who did a fantastic job on Deron Williams Wednesday night— guarding Wall whenever they are both on the court. It will be Shumpert’s responsibility to avoid committing foolish fouls that keep him off the court.

The Knicks were unstoppable on Wednesday when they were moving the ball, but allowed the Nets to make a bit of a run in the 3rd quarter when Carmelo Anthony and his teammates started looking to play 1-on-1 ball. This can’t happen tonight. The Knicks need to be unselfish throughout the game.

Chandler did a solid job Wednesday, but his effort level has been inconsistent this year, so it’s anybody’s guess whether he will show up tonight. The Knicks need their starting center to provide energy and leadership tonight.

Washington has some pretty good shooters, including Bradley Beal. Beal and Martell Webster torched the Knicks when the Wizards came to the Garden in December, and that can’t happen again tonight.

The Knicks enter tonight tied for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. If the two teams finished tied at the end of the season, Atlanta would win the tiebreaker. New York, at 33-43 has 6 games left, while the Hawks, at 32-42, have 8 games remaining. Atlanta plays the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight. If the Knicks can play a good game, they can put a lot of pressure on the Hawks. Let’s see if we can get a win tonight.

-Tommy Rothman

Wizards’ unconfirmed Starting Lineup: Wall, Beal, Booker, Ariza, Gortat

Knicks’ unconfirmed Starting Lineup: Felton, Smith, Anthony, Stoudemire, Chandler

Tickets for the game: Here

Postgame Recap: Knicks 110, Nets 81

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The Knicks (33-43) crushed the Nets (40-34) on Wednesday night at The Garden, beating their crosstown rivals 110-81.

J.R. Smith was the game’s leading scorer with 24 points. Smith, who has been red-hot lately, also grabbed 8 rebounds and dished out 6 assists. Carmelo Anthony was right behind Smith with 23 points of his own to go with 10 rebounds, 3 assists, a pair of steals, and a highlight block. Tim Hardaway Junior also filled it up, finishing with 17 points and knocking down 3 shots from downtown. Iman Shumpert had one of his best games of the season, scoring 10 points, racking up 5 steals, locking down Brooklyn’s key players, and making several highlight plays. 

None of the Knicks-Nets games this season have been close. The Knicks won by 30, then lost by 23, then won by 29. But hey, any time we can see the Knicks win without having panic attacks in the 4th quarter, we’ll take it. 

The Knicks really needed this game, and they got it. With the Hawks losing to the Bulls, the Knicks and Hawks are now tied in the standings. The Knicks have one more win and one more loss, which gives them a better winning percentage and technically gives them possession of the 8th seed for now. However, each team will have played 82 games by the end of the season, and if they are still tied then, Atlanta wins the tiebreaker. The Knicks need to win the 8th spot outright. New York has 6 games left and Atlanta has 8. The Knicks currently have 1 more win than the Hawks and they need to finish with 1 more win than the Hawks. 

The Knicks will have a day off before hosting the Washington Wizards on Friday. The keys to that game will be containing John Wall and Washington’s 3-point shooting. The Knicks have some momentum, now they need to stay focused.

 

I will be doing pre-game and post-game articles for every remaining game, so be sure to check the site regularly!

-Tommy Rothman

Pregame: Brooklyn Nets @ New York Knicks

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The Knicks (32-43) will host the Brooklyn Nets (40-33) at 7 PM. 

 

Starters for New York:

 

PG- Ray Felton

SG- J.R. Smith

SF- Carmelo Anthony

PF- Amar’e Stoudemire

C- Tyson Chandler

 

Starters for Brooklyn (unconfirmed)

 

PG- Deron Williams

SG- Shaun Livingston

SF- Joe Johnson

PF- Paul Pierce

C- Mason Plumlee

 

Tim Hardaway Jr (ankle) and Toure Murry (stomach bug / coach’s doghouse) were both questionable, but will apparently be in uniform tonight. Hardaway is expected to play, and Murry is expected to be available to play.

 

The Knicks really need this game. The Nets have been on fire these past few months, and are the favorite heading into this contest at the Garden. For the Knicks to win, they need to move the ball, stay focused, stay smart, knock down their shots, and play hard. Tyson Chandler needs to step up… his effort level has been wildly inconsistent and the Knicks need their $14 million dollar man to earn his paycheck tonight. 

 

Note: I will be doing Pre-Game and Post-Game articles for every remaining game this season. 

-Tommy Rothman

 

Does Metta Want Back In With Phil In Town?

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Metta World Peace, who played (or rather, rode Coach Woodson’s bench) for the Knicks earlier this season before asking for a buyout and being released, reportedly wants back in now that Phil Jackson is running the team. This story first caught some eyes when Metta told reporters he “absolutely” would NOT have accepted a buyout had he known that Jackson— with whom World Peace won a ring while playing for the Lakers— was coming on board. Today, CBS and the NY Post are reporting that sources close to Metta claim that he “abso-bleeping-lutely” wants another shot with the Knicks next season. Metta knows how to play defense, which means he could fill a need for this team. Jackson has specifically complained on the Knicks’ lack of perimeter defense and proper footwork. With Phil in and Mike Woodson almost certainly on the way out, this could be worth watching.

-Tommy Rothman

 

BREAKING: Mike Woodson… turns 56

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HA! You thought for a split-second that this was an announcement that he had been fired, didn’t you? Happy Birthday, Woody. 

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