jon abbey:
but it’s silly to cite the Pythagorean record without mentioning that we’ve faced the third weakest schedule in the league so far, even after this recent tough stretch.

Simple Rating System, which accounts for schedule strength, tells the same basic story. The play has been not surprisingly volatile, but even with that, more mediocre than bad. With that, the Knicks can still make something out of this season.

I’m not taking up for D’Antoni. If, as reports suggest, he “politely suggested” trading Anthony for another point guard, he was basically asking to leave.

Part of what makes basketball — really, any sport — so gripping is that the details of the particular situation really matter; an entire season or even era can depend on a single instant.

D’Antoni never seemed to appreciate that. He seemed to be more interested in the big picture and getting the system working than he was in the dirty details of particular plays or even particular games: when to call time-out, what lineup is needed in order to solve some particular problem that’s killing you, when to call a set play.

In the first few seasons it often seemed like he thought of himself as just the team’s custodian, waiting for better days when the mess was finally cleaned up and a new team would move in and make things happen.

When it finally came time to transition to Phase II, though, there was no real plan as to how to make that happen. The team was assembled at the last minute, they weren’t a natural fit for him or one another, the lockout limited training camp and practice, and new parts kept on getting added while others proved to be irreparably broken. Rather than seize control of those things that really could be fixed or at least improved upon, he fell into the old habit of waiting for better days. Patience gave way to a frustrated messianism, and the team started falling apart.

I wonder what would have happened if D’Antoni had trusted less in things working out over time and gotten his hands dirty on a more regular basis, demanding that the team win right now.

Caleb:

On the optimist’s side, the Knicks roster is at its strong point right now… with Lin and Davis, plus Melo getting healthy while the only player we’ve lost is Bill Walker.

That was the case 6 losses ago, though, too.

they have 23 games left just as we do .They play 9 playoff teams we play 13 play off teams. they have the 2-0 record advantage against us. and they just added Monta Ellis.

Fat ass Melo better show he is worth what the knicks payed for him or we are toast!

jon abbey:
overall stats are even more worthless than usual this year for NY, with us now working on our 4th team in 43 games (pre-Lin, Lin, Melo and Amare back, new coach), but it’s silly to cite the Pythagorean record without mentioning that we’ve faced the third weakest schedule in the league so far, even after this recent tough stretch.

It’s two separate issues – 18-24 against the worst schedule int he league (or now, 3rd worst) is even more disgraceful than 22-21 against the 3rd worst schedule.

But you are right to point out we really dug ourselves a hole, not winning winnable games.

On the optimist’s side, the Knicks roster is at its strong point right now… with Lin and Davis, plus Melo getting healthy while the only player we’ve lost is Bill Walker.

Cheers, Stanley Chang

The Honorable Cock Jowles: The Honorable Cock Jowles says:

March 15, 2012 at 2:22 pm

It’s called “momentum,” Brian. Didn’t you know that it’s a real thing?

At the risk of getting into a flame war with THCJ, my thinking is not about momentum — even if the Knicks won in Boston, they were still going to lose two in Texas — but rather about the MDA – ‘Melo dynamic. If the Knicks had won in Boston, ‘Melo would have been (correctly) hailed for bailing out the offense in the last three minutes. I think that makes ‘Melo less likely to dog it on defense in Milwaukee and otherwise mentally check out of the game. I think a win in Boston would have led to an honest effort in Milwaukee, and it was effort, not system or talent, that was responsible for that loss.