Statistical Analysis. Humor. Knicks.

Saturday, March 8, 2014

106 comments on “2011 Game Thread: Knicks vs. Grizzlies”

  2. Nick C.

    Now we can see if Melody is really just a different version of Zach Randolph, as has been suggested.

  8. Robert Silverman

    I’d like to take credit for the Z-Bo/Melo comp, as nauseating as it may be.

    And they’re both about 10-15 lbs overweight

  9. BigBlueAL

    Billups not being able to get to that loose ball is proof he is still nowhere near close to 100% healthy.

  14. Robert Silverman

    Jake S.: I’m not sure if Melo’s overweight, he’s just puffy. Some guys are built that way  

    Look at him his first two years – he doesn’t have that double chin

  15. Jake S.

    I just wish he’d stop compulsively licking his lips in his post-game interviews. He looks and sounds like LL Cool J’s idiot kid brother.

  17. Robert Silverman

    Oh crap – Bennett Salvatore is working the game. He’s possibly the worst ref in the NBA. And that’s saying something

  19. cgreene

    Team looks confused out there. Maybe it’s tougher to get on the same page mid-year than seems to be the opinion on the blog.

  20. Robert Silverman

    ess-dog:
    wait, didn’t you also invent the internet?  

    Well, to be fair, I only provided funding for the committee that invented the internet. But the movie, “Love Story” was based on my life.

  22. Jake S.

    Is it me or is the Knicks’ advertising campaign actively trying to jinx them from making the playoffs?

  25. BigBlueAL

    Its hard for Melo to be encouraged to pass more, or at least to anybody other than Amar’e, when he makes nice passes to players in the paint and they either are scared to go up with it like Turiaf was or miss a layup like Shawne just did lol.

  27. ess-dog

    Robert Silverman:
    Well, to be fair, I only provided funding for the committee that invented the internet. But the movie, “Love Story” was based on my life.  

    I’m sorry for your loss.

  28. d-mar

    It feels like we played better defense in the 1st quarter, but we still gave up 29. Second chance points I guess.

  31. Jake S.

    Roger Mason really gives Greg Anthony a run for his money for the most hideous jump shot in Knicks history.

  39. Jake S.

    Does Penny Marshall still count as a celebrity? Shouldn’t he have had her passport revoked by now?

  41. cgreene

    It’s amazing when you really start to just focus your attention on Stat when he’s on D how bad he is in rotations and closeouts. Breen starting to call him out hard on it. Not convinced it’s an effort thing with him though. He came right out of high school and into MDA’s system. He grew up playing no D. Frankly, doesn’t seem like he has ever had a Thibodeau type as a coach. A really good defensive teacher. Remember what a great defender LJ became under JVG and Thibs. Amare needs guys like that in his life. I think he would embrace their coaching and get better.

  48. Jim Cavan

    Jake S.: So Kenneth Faried? Will he still be around at 18 or 19?  

    If that last shot by Louisville had been called a foul, maybe. Now? Doubt it.

  50. Doug

    Jim Cavan:
    If that last shot by Louisville had been called a foul, maybe. Now? Doubt it.  

    It’s only one game! I’m trying to stay optimistic. His offensive game looked rudimentary.

  51. latke

    Brandon Knight had a bad game (2 points) vs. Princeton. He’s projected at 13 right now on nbadraft.net. He could fall. Physical point guard with size, handle, perimeter shot. Negatives: turnover issues. He’s a freshman who averages 17, 4 and 4 and 39% from deep.

  52. Jake S.

    Latke, you like him better than Kemba Walker? He looks like a little Tim Hardaway in the making. Also has one of the better basketball names in recent memory.

  53. Jim Cavan

    Doug:
    It’s only one game! I’m trying to stay optimistic. His offensive game looked rudimentary.  

    Yeah but each extra game in this thing means that much more attention. I actually picked them to hit the Sweet 16, and now that Richmond is there it looks more than possible. You never know though. If he is there I certainly wouldn’t disapprove of the pick.

  54. latke

    Isn’t walker way out of reach? Walker is nearing a triple double right now. His team is up by 40 with 7:40 remaining. I can’t see that hurting his stock.

  55. Jim Cavan

    No way Walker’s around that late. I think at this point he’d have to kill someone to drop past 15. Knight, maybe. But even that’s a two year project minimum.

  59. Doug

    Jim Cavan:
    Yeah but each extra game in this thing means that much more attention. I actually picked them to hit the Sweet 16, and now that Richmond is there it looks more than possible. You never know though. If he is there I certainly wouldn’t disapprove of the pick.  

    After reading about how his mom has lupus and how he pretends he’s adding a year to her life with every rebound, I’m totally on the Kenneth Faried bandwagon. I’m a softie like that.

  60. d-mar

    It continues to amaze me how Amare gets no respect from the refs. He constantly gets bumped going to the basket and never gets the call. Maybe those “and one” calls piss off the refs?

  62. Jim Cavan

    Doug:
    After reading about how his mom has lupus and how he pretends he’s adding a year to her life with every rebound, I’m totally on the Kenneth Faried bandwagon. I’m a softie like that.  

    Wow I hadn’t heard that. Yeah, that’s pretty much the kind of kid you’d want.

  75. art vandelay

    I missed the entire first half..has the Defense been at all improved or have they just been winning on the back of raining 3′s?

  77. Brian Cronin

    Are they going to bring back Extra E next year? Do we want them to?

    They’ll definitely want to bring him back, but only on a one-year deal. Do you think he could beat that on the open market?

  81. DRed

    Basically, we’re going to be tough to beat anytime we get 5 points out of Jarred Jeffries.

  83. Jim Cavan

    Great game. The defense was still spotty at times, but it definitely seemed like they were talking and communicating more out there. Doesn’t hurt when you hit 20 threes either. I know he disappears sometimes, but Douglas is really trending upward lately. Bodes well.

  84. Jake S.

    Good for Toney. Seems like a good dude. I was worried he might go Private Pile with all the abuse he seemed to be catching from STAT, D’Antoni & Co.

  85. BigBlueAL

    Much needed win tonight, good to see.

    Interesting tweet from Jon Schuhmann tonight:

    Deron Williams is now shooting 33% (32-for-97) in 7 games with the Nets. Averaging 13.7 assists, but is a minus-32.

  86. jon abbey

    6-2 now against teams over .500 since the deal, 1-4 against teams under. puzzling but promising.

  87. BigBlueAL

    Jake S.: Good for Toney. Seems like a good dude. I was worried he might go Private Pile with all the abuse he seemed to be catching from STAT, D’Antoni & Co.  

    D’Antoni has mentioned in the past that the good thing about TD is that he is receptive to coaching and he knows that he can get on TD hard w/o a problem.

  88. DRed

    jon abbey: 6-2 now against teams over .500 since the deal, 1-4 against teams under. puzzling but promising.  

    Once we get into the playoffs it’s going to be gravy. That’s a statistical fact.

  90. BigBlueAL

    Biggest development tonight to me was Billups looking better. Still looks a bit hobbled but he played great tonight, 18 pts on 9 FGA with 8 asts, 2 stls and only 1 turnover.

    Unfortunately Knicks not only play tomorrow but have another back-to-back Sun/Mon so Billups’ leg will get tested next few days.

  91. Z-man

    Bottom line: if we ain’t shootin’, we ain’t winnin’.

    Gotta love TD, there is something special about him. Very easy guy to root for. He was Coach K’s favorite player not on his team, and you can see why. Total team guy, all heart, all hustle. I also think it is premature to say that he can’t be a 20+min PG, his passing is getting better (now that he has another guy to pass to.)

  92. CapB

    Team played with alot more energy and cohesiveness tonight. I thought Jeffries stood out alot tonight, best game since he got back.

    Billups started out a little out of control but was able to right the ship.

    Not a huge Tony D fan but happy to see him hit that last 3 to tie the record. He has really been playing well lately

  94. Z-man

    There were still too many times when we looked overmatched on the boards.

    At the end of the day, the trade was a lateral move in the short run, and it remains to be seen what happens in the long run. All the extremism on this blog lately is disturbing.

  95. CRJoe

    BigBlueAL: Unfortunately Knicks not only play tomorrow but have another back-to-back Sun/Mon so Billups’ leg will get tested next few days.  

    Yeah, and as happy as I am for DWTDD tonight, I still can’t forget how bad he was against the Pacers & Cavs… Going against Detroit it makes me wonder, is he only interested in bringing it against decent teams??? Does he take nights off when the rival is more “accessible” (as in “sucks”)??? If Billups is still struggling with his leg, DWTDD taking the night off pretty much gurantees us a loss…

  96. TheRant

    DRed: jon abbey: 6-2 now against teams over .500 since the deal, 1-4 against teams under. puzzling but promising.

    Once we get into the playoffs it’s going to be gravy. That’s a statistical fact.

    Yes, we play much better against better teams and lose to the Cavs and the Pacers with impunity. Which means we are a lock for the NBA Finals, because we play our best against the best teams.

    QED.

  98. Jake S.

    I don’t get the sense that Toney struggles from a lack of effort. I just don’t think he has an especially high basketball IQ (or at least a high point guard IQ). If his shot’s not falling–and it often isn’t–he looks completely lost on offense and ends up pressing on defense.

  99. massive

    Great game. If for no other reason, I’m glad to see Douglas have a game like this because its good for his confidence as a player. Melo had a pretty sweet game, too.

  100. NYFaithfull33

    You have to wonder if Amar’e was saving energy for tomorrow because he didn’t seem to run hard or attack the hoop much today. Still had a pretty good game but defensively he needs to learn how to close out and trust his teammates. Every time he leaves his man to go help that man winds up hurting us (example: Tyler Hansbrough and Darrel Arthur the first game against Memphis). Good team defense comes from each player locking down his own man and helping only when necessary.

  101. dsulz

    CRJoe: Yeah, and as happy as I am for DWTDD tonight, I still can’t forget how bad he was against the Pacers & Cavs… Going against Detroit it makes me wonder, is he only interested in bringing it against decent teams???

    I think that attitude trickles down from the top leadership: Amare, Melo, and perhaps Billups and D’Antoni too. It’s worrying and I don’t quite understand the dynamic. Truly baffling.

    DRed: Once we get into the playoffs it’s going to be gravy. That’s a statistical fact.

    I don’t think there’s any indication this will be the case. My sense is that it’s entirely possible that this whole beat-good-teams-lose-to-bad-ones is entirely a coincidence masking the fact that we are one game above .500 since the Melo deal. Furthermore, with the exception of the heat–which as the previous post points out was a real outlier–none of the teams we’ve beaten (Griz, Hawks, Hornets, who else am I missing?) are as good as the teams we’re going to face in the first round. So I dunno. The Celtics, Magic games coming up next week will be more telling, I think. But first we have to beat the Pistons and Bucks. And we really have to.

  102. daJudge

    Really enjoyed the effort tonight. I thought the Knicks closed out quicker on D tonight. Chauncey looked much healthier. Melo moved he ball and was more committed on D. His offensive skills are a lock. I though JJ played very well.
    Ray Williams=John Starks=TDDWTDD. Maybe? How can you not love this guy? I observed inanely to my wife (who was checking her bracket) that TD even seems to move his head back and forth like Ray Williams used to. She sneered at me. “Good team defense comes from each player locking down his own man and helping only when necessary.” NYFaithful33. I could not agree more with man to man. I have been thinking about zones for the Knicks lately.

  103. latke

    i thought amare did a nice job of moving the ball. The offense in general was excellent. Then again, it’s much easier to pass when your guys are hot.

    Offense: A
    Defense (compared to the best we can hope for from this roster): C

  104. daJudge

    Tonight is like Basketball Christmas Eve/first night Chanukah/whatever. Knicks won, BYU won, my bracket is solid, go Johnies. Tomorrow again.

  106. chrisk06811

    I love the fact that TDDWDD is going to show up for practice today, and if he’s got a big head, billups is going to deal with him.

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