Oh, the ups and downs of the long NBA season. The Knicks, very recently, looked like an up-and-coming team, coherent on offense and much improved on defense. How quickly things fall apart. A four game win streak was immediately followed by a three game losing streak, and the Knicks’ offense sure looked impotent in those most recent three losses.
I’ve been on record recently as a Miami Heat believer. It pains me to admit that, given my long standing hatred of Pat Riley and his stupid beachfront franchise. The Heat’s defense can be stifling at times and the Knicks showed their inability to hang with them for more than a half at a time. Hassan Whiteside is an absolute beast. The two losses we’ve been handed at the hands of the Heat are painful, but not quite as bad as the emotional aftermath would seem. The Heat are second to the Spurs in the NBA in terms of defensive efficiency. They can make you look bad.
The Rockets, on the other hand, have been very bad. They are near the bottom of the league in defensive efficiency and in the bottom half in offensive efficiency. Dwight Howard has been on and off the court throughout the young season, which probably skews those numbers unfavorably, but the eye test would also suggest that Houston looks like a mess in all aspects of the game. Harden is typically disinterested in the defensive part of the game. Ty Lawson has been poor. The team, in general, looks like a bunch of individuals trying to figure out the game on an individual basis. There’s no cohesion, as Clyde likes to say.
Anytime you go up against a team with James Harden, Dwight Howard, Trevor Ariza, and Terrence Jones you feel as though the deck is stacked against you. There are other names that jump out on any given night, and it’s hard to believe that the Rockets are as bad as they’ve been so far. On any given night, you expect that they’ll figure something out and go on a 10-game winning streak. The key for the Knicks is to exploit the Rockets’ lack of cohesion on the defensive end and limit the Harden express train to the free throw line. He’s going to stick out his arms and jerk his head back on every possession and you have to be smart about how aggressively you reach in on him. Porzingis ran a clinic on defusing James Harden’s wild forays to the rim in the clubs’ first meeting of the season.
Everyone has theories about why the Knicks offense disappears for long stretches. The bench has lost its early season luster and everybody seems to have gone cold at once. That’s going to happen. It’s also likely to happen against a team like Miami, as I mentioned above. The key is not to panic. I’d like to see the Knicks get Afflalo more involved via ball movement. He’s good at posting up and he’s good at flashing to the lane, off the ball. I’d like to see him triangulate with Melo and Kristaps some and get a few easy looks as team’s try to compensate for the double threat known as Melzingis.
I’m not sure what we’re going to learn about the Knicks from this game. I think it’s far more likely we’ll learn something about the Rockets, and whether they’re just a bad mix of players or a very good team working through some early season growing pains. For our sakes, I hope they’re a bad mix of players who wilt at the sight of our New York Knickerbockers. Let’s go Knicks!!!
On the train to MSG now. Hoping Galloway goes psycho on D and 3’s tonight and KP stages a blockfest! Let’s Go Knicks!
This is quite the set of stats, in terms of how Melo plays with and without Porzingis: https://twitter.com/herringwsj/status/671103520209260545
Melo is out tonight. Knicks might have a hard time breaking 70 pts even against the Rockets.
Melo out changes a lot of things. This is awful.
I’m not surprised. Kristaps Porzingis is the best player Carmelo Anthony has played with in his entire career, or at least he will be when it’s all said and done. This must be what it feels like to have a franchise QB in football.
Kristaps Porzingis will score 30+ and look for Calderon to have a big night.
What’s wrong with Melo?
Melo is out with an illness.
What’s worse is Thomas is starting in Melo’s place. Would’ve been nice to start Gallo at SG and Afflalo at SF but that’s too much good shooting for Fisher to put on the court at the same time.
With Howard and Beverly starting and Melo out the result might be a tad different than last week.
Glass half full: tonight early breaks into the rotation
Trade rumors with Houston. Melo sitting out.
Hmmmm!
Not having Melo probably tanks whatever small chance we had of winning, but seeing how we play without him should be interesting. I guess.
Nooo not Seraphin
Gotta get Afflalo going.
@11 – I would like to see Early.
Seraphin takes two bad shots before he gets a good one.
No Melo..does this mean we’ll see Early? I hope so and I hope KP doesn’t press to hard and try and do everything. He just needs to play his game and be aggressive when the situation calls for it
Jason Terry might be one of the few guards Calderon can drive the lane on.
Man, Kobe retiring makes me feel old for some reason.
Afflalo needs to watch his toes. That two points now he’s cost us with his careless positioning.
I’m kidding. Mostly.
Seraphin can make himself useful by fouling Capela a lot
D-Williams gets away with a clear offensive foul and ends up heading to the line to go for the and-one.
It’s good to have a lead.
If the Knicks somehow win this game without Melo, THCJ’s smug-o-meter will be at an all time high (even though it would be more about how bad the Rockets suck than anything else)
I’m watching the rockets broadcast tonight. They jerk Harden off every chance they get.
Love that defense, Harden. Keep it up.
Rockets broadcast blamed that on a no call foul against Terry.
Jason Terry never misses an opportunity to remind me why I despise him
Afflalo’s outlet pass hitting Lance’s arm and somehow running down said arm back to Lance for the wide open fast break lane = instant karma for that cheapass Harden 3 point foul
This may be the worst defense we’ve played against this season
RoLo and KriPo rising like a living forest of vengeful Ents and allowing no layups = love
Oh my god did Seraphin just pass the ball out of the post
Even he must recognize the glory of Porzingod
Nights like this are the ones where Derrick Fisher deserves credit. He’s a good coach I think. The Knicks up double digits at half without Melo and are looking to sweep a team the Knicks haven’t swept in how long? Everyone is getting it done as a function of the offense and they’re all buying in. These might be my 2nd favorite Knicks of recent (to the 2013 54 win squad).
Great first half! Are we better without Melo?
@33 I like this team too and don’t have too many problems with Fisher, but we’re catching Houston at a really good time. Right now, they’re totally dysfunctional and the players look they just don’t give a crap. I mean they almost lost at home to Philly this week.
The good news is that if they ever do get their act together, we won’t have to face them.
That team is 2nd for me, mostly because this team feels more sustainable with an actual future. That was a fun team, to be sure, but this one is looking like that start of a decade plus of fun basketball. Hopefully anyway, so long as KP continues to develop and fends off the injuries and Isiah doesn’t come back to trade him Rose or something.
I agree. I think this game is more about Houston not being very good than us being not very bad. Harden continues to be my most disliked superstar in recent memory.
Allow me to be the wet blanket: I think we’re getting a bit ahead of ourselves talking as if this game was over at halftime with a 13-pt lead. Let’s keep in mind that we’re not that good either and are on a 3-game losing streak with Melo out.
Knicks finally waking up in the quarter.
Very appropriate that it was via back to back KOBE ASSISTS
@39 lol!
Wow, Calderon is actually staying in front of Harden. Color me impressed.
Calderon shutting down Harden on back to back possessions?
Seraphin throwing up lobs?
WHAT IS HAPPENING
I jinxed it.
Harden sucks. He needs to get bullshit foul calls to be relevant and he’s not getting them tonight.
Porzingis coming off of a curl is beautiful like Bambi on ice, now. Someday, it may just be beautiful because it will be as unstoppable as Kareem’s sky-hookTM.
Am I the only one here to think our offense and defense looks better without Melo?
Seraphin got really happy there. LOL
Grant the Ant!
The Rockets’ defense will make any offense look good. Outside of a five-minute spurt in the third quarter, no one on the Rockets has broken a sweat on the defensive end.
Attaboy Grant! Good to see him hit the 3 without hesitation.
Very true. But I saw us play them in Houston without Howard a few games back and our offense still looks superior now than it did then.
Why is PorzinGod out of the game?
This version of Kevin Seraphin is a rotation player on any team.
Seraphin is eating Dwight’s lunch out there
Houston’s defensive effort after a Saturday night in NYC < Houston's defensive effort at home on a school night.
Yes Fisher, take out your best defender and rebounder from a game your team is winning.
Smart.
@53 Seraphin reads Knickerblogger for bulletin board material
BTW, any comments about Houston’s lack of defensive effort should be read to have an asterisk that reads “except Patrick Beverly”. Beverly hustles on D every moment of every game.
True.
Fisher just wants to cost us this game.
Fisher’s rotations are costing this team.
And here we go… sigh…
Somehow no one told Fisher that PorzinGod is his best two way player on the court. His best defender and rebounder is off the court and he wonders why the team coughed up its massive lead.
Fisher really being too cute with the rotations. There’s no need to keep 13 guys happy when the game is slipping away.
Seraphin has reverted to pumpkin mode and it’s past time for Porzingis
Alright, I’m about done watching Seraphin turn it over.
Porzingis is coordinated.
That pass by Porzingis deserved a finish.
Wow, what a pass by Passzingis! Too bad Thomas missed.
lord if Thomas had converted that over the shoulder tip pass from KP…
The media should grill Fisher for how he’s coached this game.
How the hell did that shot go in?
Well, I know I was just hoping for competitive games before the start of the season, but all these close games really riles up the ol’ nerves.
OK. Whoever Beverly is defending should be off the ball. Whoever Harden is “defending” should be triggering the offense.
Seriously, this team is garbage sans KP.
Knicks don’t play 4th quarter basketball. When they learn how to do that, watch out.
Fisher mismanaged this game. Its as simple as that.
WHAT THE FUCK LANCE THOMAS
Free basketball.
If Harden hadn’t been afflicted by a hideous disease…
What a great play drawn up by Fisher
I concur…
Ok, to be fair, we saw the x’s and o’s on the clipboard during the timeout. That was not how Fish drew it up
Let’s see if Fisher can coach OT better than he did the 4th quarter.
1. If Patrick Beverly is defending you, stay off of the ball.
2. If anyone shorter than 6’9″ is defending Porzingis, get him the ball in the post.
3. Defend Beverly the way you would defend Rajon Rondo. If he hits a 20′ jumper, tip your cap. Don’t let him drive and kick.
4. If Afflao is guarded by Harden, it’s ISO-Aron.
Iso Melo is better than pull up lance
Pre-Kardashian Harden would have made that shot
Where the fuck is Lopez?
It’s just two points, KP. Keep your head in the game.
Nice comeback.
This looks like me playing 2k
This is bullshit. Fucking Fisher puts Calderon in there and he blows the game.
Calderon with some awful turnovers
Just about everything that is wrong with the Rockets gets cured by 36 minutes of Patrick Beverly per night.
Calderon has to protect the ball better with Beverley ball-hawking like that.
We deserve to lose.
ffs can you not take care of a basketball
This is garbage. Fisher is a horrible coach. Just terrible.
Marcus Thornton Jimmer Fredette award???
Also 15 minutes for Lopez hmmm.
The Giants and Knicks are killing the joy of being a sports fan.
FYI
The team is +5 when KP is in the game.
The rest of the starting lineup is in negative numbers.
As I said, iso-Aron if he is covered by Harden.
Seriously, where the fuck is Lopez. God damn it Fisher.
I know he’s a young rookie, but you know he’s already played over 38 minutes right? Can’t play him 48 a night (or 53 in this case).
Aron should be able to force Bickerstaff to pull Harden off the floor for defense.
At least it’s exciting.
Garbage defense is garbage.
Arron is having a hell of a game.
Also fuck that moving screen.
If there’s a game where we should its this one without Melo.
Howard with the KG screen
Knicks out of timeouts come out with the most garbage possessions.
Seriously, Calderon has to camp out for the corner 3 if he is guarded by Beverly.
KP get the ball to KP PorzinGod.
Well, another nice game by Porzingis at least. Which, really, is the #1 priority of the season. Playoffs would be nice, but I’m far more interested in his growth and development. Along with Galloway’s and Grant’s.
This team is trash without KP. Fisher pulled him out and the defense went to pure trash.
welp, good night.
Way to go Fisher and Co…
Days like today honestly make me question why I care about my sports teams as much as I do. Rooting for the Giants and Knicks cant possibly be good for my health lol.
We threw this game away. Such fucking bullshit.
Some really ugly offensive possessions at the end of this game. But that moving screen really fucked us.
@113 GOTTA REWARD SERAPHIN
Fun game. Tough loss.
I’m sure Phil is thrilled to be seeing Lopez on the bench while Seraphin plays ahead of him in the 4th quarter and OT. Great way to justify that contract.
I mean Seraphin played pretty decently but you can’t have him in the game at OT when a fresh Lopez is sitting on the bench.
EDIT: Never mind 5 turnovers LOL
Calderon vs. Beverley. The End.
Here’s the story of the game. Turnovers: Calderon 5, Seraphin 5, Galloway 3, everyone else 2 or less. The team continues to choke away close 4th quarter games. Calderon and Seraphin had huge crunch time turnovers.
My response to this game is “eh, tough loss but who gives a shit because Porzingis is AMAZING”
panicky
Jesus, stop already. The Knicks lost the game because they had some incredibly stupid turnovers in the 4th quarter and overtime. And it wasn’t like they were getting killed inside, they left Thornton open too many times and he basically made every shot he took.
Like Clint Eastwood said, a man’s gotta know his limitations.
Remember the Linsanity game in Toronto where Shump stripped Calderon before Lin hit the dagger three? This is nothing new.
When does Spring Training start??
They lost because their defense isn’t shit without KP to patrol the paint to cover the fact that our guards couldn’t guard a blind man off the perimeter without fouling. Look at the score before he was taken in the 4th and the score when he was put back.
I didn’t watch most of this game but why didn’t Jerian get more minutes? He played well and I don’t think you can afford to give Calderon 38 minutes of play with Beverly defending him–he probably was gassed by OT.
Probably should have had Lopez and Grant in at the end for Seraphin and Jose but oh well.
Fisher did wait a bit too long before putting KP back in, but then the Knicks settled down briefly. Sloppy turnovers cost the Knicks the game. The 4th quarter passing was hideous. They had trouble even inbounding the ball at times.
Oh yeah, that shot by Lance was Bargnani-esque.
Damn, I want Jordan Clarkson for our team.
Is there any trade we can work out for him?
All snide and sarcastic frustrating comments aside, this team is fun to watch and should be back at .500 after the next 2 games. But this team has virtually no chance of making the playoffs with these group of guards and with Fisher as head coach. You need a very good coach to manage the minutes and lineups with this roster and Fisher is way over his head in that regard. I just hope they play good enough and win enough games to keep this season interesting for the majority of it.
+1
“But this team has virtually no chance of making the playoffs with these group of guards”
Hard to argue with this.
Yeah our guards are pretty trash without Galloway hitting 50+% from 3 (i.e. he’s regressing) or Arron going for 31 on 12-17 shooting.
Fisher should play Grant more if only to ease the load on Calderon because Calderon at his age simply cannot play 38 minutes with Beverly guarding him.
Thibodeau and McHale are available
Thibs will either bench Porzingis because he’s a rookie or play KP 40 minutes a game until he has a season/career ending knee injury. I’ll pass on that one.
I think Fisher is establishing himself not as a terrible coach but as a totally mediocre one who’s a good player’s coach (like a slightly better Mike Woodson).
So long as Zinger is excelling, I really don’t care too much about anything else. The wins will come eventually with a guy like that as your cornerstone.
@141 I agree, and the thing is, he’s only going to get better. It’s not like opposing coaches can scout him and figure out a way to shut him down. There’s no game plan for stopping Zinger, no one believes any more that he’s skinny and you can push him around.
Turning to the Rockets for one moment, if Patrick Beverly plays less than 36 mpg, Bickerstaff is not doing his job. He covers up so many of Harden’s failures. He balances the floor. He ball hawks. He forces PnRs out of the middle of the floor. He penetrates in order to pass (which is why Thornton went off in the 4th quarter). He has the strength of personality to keep Harden and Howard on the same page.
The trade for Ty Lawson was a failure. If they keep trying to play Lawson, it will be an epic.fail. So, I expect him to be in Brooklyn after December 15.
Speaking of the Rockets, I wonder how annoyed their fan base is that they barely eked out a win in OT against the sub-.500 Knicks without melo.
Looks like Kobe announcing his retirement has lifted a huge weight off of him, 2-15 tonight. His teammates should beg him to retire today.
Zach Lowe called Kobe the most detrimental player in the NBA recently. I’m inclined to agree with him. Not the worst, but given what he makes and how much he does he dominates the offense (not in a good way) he is the most detrimental player in the league to his team. He should have retired last year.
Scott is even worse for that team than Kobe. The notion of giving that guy a young dynamic guard is just…wow. So dumb.
Byron putting Kobe at SF doesn’t help, should limit his minutes at his position of SG.
Fisher post game interview – roll with Seraphin
Luke Walton must be doing something right
#lakerplayersturnedcoaches