Author: DCrockett17

Congrats to the Pacers. They were better on both ends. You just have to tip your cap. This series was mostly about what they did right, even if the Knicks didn’t do everything they needed to win. Good luck to the Pacers in the ECF. It’s hard to bet against the Heat though. Indiana will need to keep turnovers down to have any chance against a much better, more aggressive Miami defense. (Remember, they didn’t really shoot that well versus New York and they gave away a ton of possessions.) Hibbert must play even better defense. His reverse posterizing of Melo will …continue reading

With a night to sleep on it, a few things I think I think heading into Game Two. 1. The defense was the biggest Game 1 culprit, part I. For all the huffing and puffing about NY’s offense, 95 points (inefficient though they were) really should be enough against the Pacers. The game should at least to be closer than three possessions. The Pacers shot 35% from three and corralled 28% of their misses, basically their season averages in both categories. Um… That’s not going to cut it gents. You have to take something away. As I noted in my preview, …continue reading

Schedule Sun, May 5 vs Indiana 3:30 PM ABC Tue, May 7 vs Indiana 7:00 PM TNT Sat, May 11 @ Indiana 8:00 PM ABC Additional games TBD Four Factors (from hoopsdata) Team Off. Eff. Def. Eff. Own eFG Opp. eFG Own FT rate Opp. FT rate Knicks 107.7 103.0 50.9 50.7 26.5 28.0 Pacers 101.3 95.4 47.7 44.6 28.3 26.2   Team Own TO rate Opp. TO rate Own ORR Opp. ORR Knicks 11.8 14.8 25.7 25.4 Pacers 14.2 12.8 30.1 25.3 I’d say the reputations for both teams generally follow the four factors. The Pacers are the rough …continue reading

The NBA has announced a new policy that outlaws flopping. Calls and non-calls are subject to post-game video review. Fines for repeat violators can reach $30,000 along with game suspensions. Many have openly campaigned for such a rule, none more openly, longer, or louder than ex-Knicks and Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy. So, this rule really should bear his name. It certainly reads like one of his on-air screeds turned into poorly thought out policy. The “Van Gundy Rule” stinks of awful nativist assumptions* and an awful process, leading inevitably to awful policy. *For the record, I’m generally a JVG …continue reading

The draft marked the symbolic end of a week so blah that Indiana and Golden State saw more drama. In truth though, it has been an important week for New York if a boring one. Nothing really happened, but the stage is set for some potentially good outcomes. Amid a chorus of boos, face palms and Scooby-Doo faces, the Knicks selected Kostas Papanikolaou, a forward in Greece’s top pro league. I suspect that fan reaction was just animosity toward an unfamiliar name. Odds are that Papanikolaou will take his place in the annals of European would-be 2nd round steals, right …continue reading

Stats: Player Age G MP MPG PER TS% eFG% TRB% AST% TOV% USG% Jerome Jordan 25 21 108 5.1 18.3 0.561 0.515 14.4 6.3 5.1 16.4 Per 36 Minutes: FGA 3PA 3P% FTA FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS 11 0 0 3.3 0.8 4.7 4.3 9 1.3 0.3 2 0.7 5 14 Sometimes storm clouds sit visibly on the horizon. Other times the sun lights up a cloudless sky on a perfect spring day. But mostly, days are just days. Partly sunny and partly cloudy blend; neither glorious nor awful. Such days rarely merit entry …continue reading