170 thoughts to “2011 Game Thread: Knicks @ Rockets”

  11. I don’t understand how Fields doesn’t get more assists. If I was guessing without ever reading a box score I’d think he averaged 4 or 5 a game.

  13. Robert Silverman: Got the Rockets’ feed. Their announcers are just awful  

    It is basically “HURF DURF THE KNICKS DON’T PLAY DEFENSE” and when the Knicks score, it’s like somebody’s dog died.

  14. Smart, disciplined teams like the Rockets are a real problem for us. They move the ball on offense, don’t settle for bad shots and don’t turn the ball over, which is what we need to get our running game going. Don’t have a good feeling about this game.

  16. Doug:
    It is basically “HURF DURF THE KNICKS DON’T PLAY DEFENSE” and when the Knicks score, it’s like somebody’s dog died.  

    And then they spend two mins talking about BBQ. Way to play into a stereotype

  17. Remember how we were all yelling at WC to stop shooting 3s at the beginning of the year? That’s how I feel about Ray right now.

  18. Now the Rockets’ color guy blames the announcer for “jinxing” Kevin Martin on the foul shot.

  24. TheXman: knicks lose and rockets get a better draft pick to boot  

    I know, I can’t believe the season ends after this game, either.

  25. @23 that nonsensical sentence was supposed to read: “that hoser ref was standing right there and didn’t make the call” :)

  33. Its gonna be real hard not to overreact and start predicting the Knicks by the end of the week will have their 2nd 6 game losing streak of the season…

  34. Robert Silverman: You ok there Z? No drinking during games. You promised Mom you wouldn’t anymore  

    Every time the announcers talk about BBQ I drink… Didn’t realize I’d be this drunk this early in the first.

  36. That was hilarious – it was like each pass was designed to get a worse shot attempt.

  37. If Martin had hit a few of his wide open 3’s, the Rockets would have scored 45 in the first quarter.

    TD has a better chance of making a 3 than a 5 foot shot.

  38. wilson chandler is a guy you can fall outta love with real quick. hasnt had a good game since SA. gets to within 3 feet 3 straight times and passes to a semi open perimeter player

  42. If AR was in, maybe it wouldn’t be playing 4 vs. 5 on offense if he crashed the offensive boards.

  43. Is it blasphemy to say the Rockets Dance Team is better looking than The Knicks City Dancers? ‘Cause they are…

  46. Robert Silverman: Is it blasphemy to say the Rockets Dance Team is better looking than The Knicks City Dancers? ‘Cause they are…  

    lol probably because they’re wearing less

  48. If D’Antoni refuses to admit that this unit does not work the way he wants it to…well, that is not a good showing on his part.

  50. According to the Rockets’ TV guys, Courtney Lee’s athleticism is “off the charts.” Um, no it isn’t

  51. They’re getting every rebound and every loose ball.

    Robert Silverman: According to the Rockets’ TV guys, Courtney Lee’s athleticism is “off the charts.” Um, no it isn’t  

    They also referred to TD as “a really good player off the bench for the Knicks”.

  52. What is particularly annoying is that this Rockets unit is not good either. The Knicks should be gaining on them!

  56. I thought MD’A’s rule was, “Either Stat or Felton has to be on the court at all times.” We’ve gone about 5 mins w/o either of them, and it’s showing — esp. when Chandler’s having a “I’m going to play awful so I don’t get traded” game

  57. Nice run by the Knicks, but once Houston gets their starters back in and stops taking dumb shots, it could get ugly again.

  60. The Rockets’ TV guys made the “Landry Fields Forever” joke. That officially un-makes that his nickname

  61. Robert Silverman: The Rockets’ TV guys made the “Landry Fields Forever” joke. That officially un-makes that his nickname  

    Basically. Nothing good enough for the Rockets announce team is good enough for our Landry.

    Everyone is ice cold except for Kyle Lowry.

  74. Nice to sees that Jordan Hill still sucks.

    The New York Knicks: making average players look like stars since 2001!

  75. I’m sorry, I promise I wouldn’t bring it up again, but I’m watching the C’s feed…. is anyone else incredibly offended by Kia turning “Hamsterdam” into a commercial? About hamsters driving Kias?

  77. Jimmy C: I’m sorry, I promise I wouldn’t bring it up again, but I’m watching the C’s feed…. is anyone else incredibly offended by Kia turning “Hamsterdam” into a commercial? About hamsters driving Kias?  

    As much as I like Black Sheep getting a royalty check, I hate those Kia ads. Anthropomorphic animals creep me out

  87. The Rockets’ constant movement and patient passing go to show that our bad D isn’t just about not being able to guard 1 on 1; it’s about not being able to communicate through those screens.

    On a side note, I’m seriously starting to dislike Chuck Hayes.

  92. Man, I bummed about Felton. Was really loving him but he has hit a huge wall. No energy. Too many minutes

  97. Is Chuck Hayes just allowed to hack w/o getting whistled b/c he’s a 6’7″ center? I mean, this is just awful officiating. Having Matt Effing Bullard gush all over CH for his D is all the more frustrating.

  101. Robert Silverman: Is Chuck Hayes just allowed to hack w/o getting whistled b/c he’s a 6’7? center? I mean, this is just awful officiating. Having Matt Effing Bullard gush all over CH for his D is all the more frustrating.  

    It is amazing that Amare doesn’t get calls when he’s in the running for MVP.

  102. Getting angrier than Ren Hoek in the Ren & Stimpy episode, “Stimpy’s Invention.” Singing the “Happy Happy Joy Joy” song isn’t working…

    TAKE WILL OUT NOWWWWWW!!!!

  109. Bad officiating, dumb ass announcers, illWil worrying about a trade and everyone else dog ass tired. Sigh.

  113. I take that last comment back, Chase Budinger is the best player on the Rockets, future HOF’er.

  121. I know Mozgov is not perfect but he isn’t a whole heep worse than Hill surely? Get him some burn and let him learn at least. I’m just frustrated by how poor we are on the interior.
    Rotation looks tired and disinterested. Donnie may want to declare his position pretty damn quick if he wants to engage this team again. Just horrid to watch.

  125. Someone please tell Stat that even though it’s serious BS, he’s not going to get the calls tonight and he has to stop barreling into the Lane Al Harrington-like

  133. I didn’t think I could get through a game without seeing that wonderful Kevin Martin smile. Bedtime, Spurs should crap all over us Friday.

  144. ess-dog: Jesus, is Gallo’s hair that bad??Really????  

    I live in TX and these dipshits are giving this state a bad name. Apparently if you’re white, you’re supposed to have a crewcut for these dumb crackers.

  148. Knicks giving up Tipserovic-style. Oh, speaking of which, the Australian Open is on! Good night.

  152. I do not recall the last time the Knicks played a team who had played the night before and were tired and the Knicks did not play the night before and were rested. When is Knick’s turn to pick up a few easy wins?

  153. adelman is a pretty darn good coach. he has a pretty hodgepodge group playing well. same as last few years.

  156. When was the last time, win or lose, when we could honestly say not one Knicks had a good game? certainly can’t think of one from tonight’s game….

  158. Gallinari, Chandler, Fields, Turiaf, Douglas
    Scola, Hayes, Jordan Hill, Budinger.

    That’s the list of players who had more rebounds than Stoudemire tonight.

    He doesn’t look disinterested. He looks uninterested.

  159. maurice lucas: I do not recall the last time the Knicks played a team who had played the night before and were tired and the Knicks did not play the night before and were rested.When is Knick’s turn to pick up a few easy wins?  

    this team will never have easy wins

  160. Are we completely effed here? Whether we add Melo or Gasol, I don’t see this team cracking the top three in the East.

  161. cgreene: adelman is a pretty darn good coach.he has a pretty hodgepodge group playing well.same as last few years.  

    The well coached, hard nosed, smart teams like the Rockets and the Bucks are like kryptonite to the Knicks, hard to see us ever beating teams like that.

  162. Should we be happy if the Knick were to finish the season, say, as the 6th or 7th seed with a record of 40-42? Is that considered some sort of accomplishment?

  163. not sure what you guys are so upset about, Caleb told us that the odds tell us that NY won’t go 0-3 on this trip. sadly, the real world may beg to differ. :)

    but yeah, we’re coming back to earth, not too surprising. those two home losses really hurt.

  164. tastycakes: Knicks giving up Tipserovic-style.Oh, speaking of which, the Australian Open is on!Good night.  

    yea i can watch nadal, at least he gives a fuck

  165. That was just enraging. Walking away from the Nix for a bit, before I start screaming at some innocent poster

  166. A few things:

    1) The trade talk is clearly affecting us. Just like it did the Nets. An unfortunate byproduct of existing under the harshest sports media spotlight on the planet, where the acquisition of one just-below-superstar-level player can dominate everything you hear for months on end? Absolutely. That’s why it takes a special athlete to truly thrive here.

    2) I hate Chuck Hayes.

    3) While I believe SSOL can be effective, I also believe it’s a psychological ticking time bomb. Here’s what I mean: when the purpose of the offense goes from “running plays and passing the ball in order to find the optimal shot” to “take the first OPEN shot EVERY TIME”, any time anyone catches the ball, they’re trained to think “should I take this?” That split second of thinking inevitably disrupts what would otherwise be a flow based on quicker decision making. It might seem like SSOL lends itself more to spontaneity, but really it can be a perpetual pair of mental handcuffs, because you can get benched for taking bad shots just as easily as NOT TAKING SHOTS. And when shit’s off, it’s REALLY off.

    I’ve been standing with 3 out of 4 limbs squarely in the anti-Get Melo camp, for reasons that are long and varying. But I will say this: Melo can thrive here. Not because he’ll fit in SSOL, but because he can alter our obsession with SSOL — I think for the better. Someone in an earlier thread brought up (and I’m sure it’s been brought up before) the idea that part of Melo’s value in this kind of system is that he — unlike just about everyone on our team right now — can create their own shot when the shot clock winds down and options run out. As we’ve seen the last few games, Stat is increasingly being stymied in his ability to do just that. He just doesn’t have near the repetoire of moves that Melo does.

    D’Antoni’s biggest flaw is his stubbornness. I think Melo tempers this. And he’ll bring it every night in the blue and orange — guaranteed.

  167. Anyone notice Scola did not play any of the last like 18 minutes after he got that 4th foul?

    d-mar:
    The well coached, hard nosed, smart teams like the Rockets and the Bucks are like kryptonite to the Knicks, hard to see us ever beating teams like that.

    This is so true. We really fold to teams that make us work. Chicago is a notable exception though. They are a top defensive team. For a while, Felton really was the guy who was making it all work. He was doing pretty well at adapting to the defense. I think the reason the other parts aren’t working is because Felton has lost some focus – he’s taking fewer good shots, and when he’s not shooting, he’s forcing it to Amare for isos against defenses that have proven to be able to stop him (whether it’s tonight – Hayes’ defense [in which case run PnR], or on other nights just smart double teaming [in which case swing to the open man]). When Felton makes those poor decisions, the whole offense collapses. Amare no longer requires the defense to make difficult decisions. All they have to do is play to defend him.

    If Felton gets his act back together, then I think we are just that one player short (an upgrade at the 4/5, or possibly ‘Melo), but if not, we’re really short on options until 2012 when we can try to steal Paul or Williams. This offense demands premiere talent at the 1; good decisions from that position keep the defense on its heels and lead to easy shots. IMO ‘Melo wouldn’t help us much in that department. Instead, he’d simply score somewhat more efficiently on the difficult shots.

    On the bright side, I thought gallinari played well tonight. He had some bad breaks, missing the two gimmes at the rim and getting called for the bogus charge against Hayes, but he made good decisions with the ball. I also thought the defense was back to average. It’s our offense that killed us.

  168. Off topic, but I must say, the sheer hubris of the Onion trying to fill a half hour show with sports jokes is impressive.

    The end result (Onion Sportsdome, on Comedy Central) is not particularly good, but still, it’s impressive in its ambition.

  169. Wow, haven’t seen such a negative thread in a long time. Kinda funny to read i.e. skim top to bottom.

    @89 I saw that!

    re: Chuck Hayes – who says you can’t use a one dimensional, non-scoring player on a fast-paced, run and gun, terrific offensive team? He is great at what he does.

    Of course Rick Adelman might be the best coach in the league – an underrated, worthy rival to Pop + Jackson.

  170. I get the sense that our boys are nervous. Carmelo chitchat is in the air. I’m going to tell them what I tell my boyfriend: if Carmelo wants to play in NY so badly, he can pay us for the privilege. As for our lineup, let’s keep them all with one possible exception (RF).

    Mr. Felton needs to shape up, skill-wise. He has a great attitude, but is clearly nonplussed. Could someone please remind him that he’s a point guard? No need to take the ball straight to the basket repeatedly without (a) letting any other players touch it or (b) making the shot. Boo hoo.

    My love, Wilson, has become very timid as of late. Is it my affection that’s making him nervous? Doesn’t he know I love him unconditionally? That the love can only grow to greater extremes when he plays up to his potential, demands the ball and makes his shots?

    Landry continues to be the intelligence of the team. He’s always positioned well, active, ready for rebounds and ready to help the team. This week he puts the IQ in “all other NBA teams better qUIt because the NYK are going to put them all to shame”.

    Amar’e. Hmmm. I realize the refs were against you last night and didn’t call anything. However, expecting a call seems to slow you down. Play, man. Get the basket!!! And stop with these ridiculous turnovers. You are too tall and too good to play at the level you brought last night. As a fellow height champion (comparatively measuring in at 5’9 1/2″), I’m disappointed.

    That’s all for this afternoon. I think our boys can win the next two games. Go Wilson. In your honor, my boyfriend is now referred to as “the white Wilson”. oxooxxxo

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