Although I must say Jeffries did play some pretty good D in the 4th quarter tonight.

I find myself yelling at the TV (and the Hornets game I went to) as the team just watches the point. Jeffries planted on the arch (why?!), Hughes in a corner, Chandler barely moving through screens in the paint and I just wish it was like my NBA Live where I can hit “O” “X” “Square” or “Triangle” and they’d run some time of motion…

I would actually like to see Gallo be utilized moreso on the pick-n-roll. He has a great 3 point touch, yes, but if we can get him peeling off for open mid-range shots which he’ll drop, then we can start keeping defenders honest and that might open the lane for penetration when defenders take away the pass from Duhon and Douglas.

Curry looked decent, but nothing spectacular. Giving him some playing time would help in my opinion… but there is not much left that could actually hurt lol. T

he one play that stood out was when Lee was trying to defend Hibbert (I think), and he had to literally pull Duhon back to help him on D. If Lee is getting outmatched by an opposing center, how come it seems like nobody ever wants to help him?

Also, why did Toney Douglas only get 12 minutes of pt… he’s been looking good in recent games.

BTW I dont think they need to just get Gallo the ball and let him go one-on-one. But they have to start designing plays, run him off screens or have him run pick-n-rolls/pops because their half-court offense is dreadful. Heck that one time he and Douglas ran a play where they ran by each other and Douglas handed off the ball to him Gallo just stopped and hit an open 3. He is not anywhere near being capable of being a go-to guy but his lack of touches are a disgrace. Even the announcers and beat writers joke about it now. Also he has proven that when he is hot he doesnt even need to be open to make his 3′s so if you know he is shooting it well (like the Warriors game) heck just drive and kick it to him regardless if he is wide open and let him shoot it.

Obviously his D is not up to par (although who on this team really is) but we have seen him get a steal and go coast-to-coast for a dunk, block shots and pick player’s pockets for a steal so his hands and instincts on D are there. But if he is on the court for his shooting than shit run plays to have him actually shoot the ball.

Biggest difference I saw in tonight’s game was not that the Knicks were forced to come from behind once again, but the fact that we were able to continue slicing through the deficit at the right times.

In recent games, we’d half the deficit early in the 3rd only to see it balloon again and kill momentum by the end of the quarter. This time, we were able to close the third within a decent margin and the guys were not exhausted. This gave us just enough gas in the tank to make another push minutes 9-6 in the fourth that were supported by a cold streak felt by the opponents for once.

If we could continue getting the grasp of timing in our surges, we might be able to become “closers” and keep leads (like the one we had against ATL, which would have been a stellar win) and perhaps pick up a few more come-from-behind wins against teams who will undoubtedly not be intimidated by the Knicks and who they are thus far.

One last note about Gallo – get off of him already. The dude has a lot to learn and is a pretty bad team defender. He does not deserve to be in the game just because of his shot. Frankly, he appeared stiffer than usual when he didn’t make a play for a loose ball in the 2Q and it seems even Eddie Curry could beat him in a sprint.

Also, AI would be terrible for D’Antoni’s open court style (you expect an aging vet with hammy problems to get up and down the court?) and if anything, it sounds like Starbury 2.0 in the making if you ask me. There was a reason why EVERY team passed on him, just like his prime has passed him by.

On a different note, one of the ex-factors that will get overlooked is that we were actually able to contain a seven-footer. Hibbert is no Dwight Howard, but he burned as badly in our first game against Indiana (15 and 14), and the fact of the matter is that mediocre, taller players have really hurt us: Jermaine O’Neal – 22 and 12 on 10/12 shooting, Boozer – 23 and 14, Horford – 25 and 9, etc. Yeah, Curry only played 14 minutes, but he seemed interested and focused. I got the sense that he knows how much is at stake for him.