The Knicks played poorly early, and though they showed some fire in the second half, they came up short in a 105-95 loss to the Charlotte Bobcats Friday night.
John Andariese and I discuss the Knicks sluggish start and dissect what they did well in the later stages of the game.
Watch postgame reaction from Isiah Thomas and Nate Robinson by CLICKING HERE.
Zach Randolph is the high-scoring power forward that Isiah Thomas has been looking for since Eddy Curry came to town. Curry worked the low post for the Knicks and was the key man in their power game this past year, but the problem was in facing double- and sometimes triple-teams.
The picture changes with Randolph. He can play a low post man, but the versatility he brings is the ability to shoot facing the basket anywhere from 14 to 18 feet. He can make a jump shot and look very comfortable doing it.
He also has the ability to put the ball on the floor and drive to the basket. So now we have a situation, if Curry is double-teamed, Randolph will be the man to get the ball and it's very hard to prepare for two big-time prolific scorers.
So there is a lot of versatility for the Knicks offensively with those two working together.
The other effect with Randolph’s presence is the perimeter players can now wait for those pass-backs. When that ball goes inside and the double-teaming takes place, they will move that ball outside. So now, the outside guards and small forwards can get a good look at the basket and in a good position for an outside shot.
It’s a tremendous difference now for the Knicks at the offensive end of the court with this young man coming in and he could be a big part of the team’s success in the near future.
I was taken with the effort and the effectiveness of the Knicks' play last night against Toronto.
When a team is officially out of the playoffs,there's always a question of "Will the team play hard?" That question was answered loudly last night with a lineup that was so under the strength of the team.
With five players out, the effort they put forth last night was amazing. Not necessarily the effort, because professionally you respect that, but just how effective they were and how hard they worked to beat a team that won the Atlantic Division, a team that's in the playoffs having a great season.
It was just tremendous. The real fans know when that effort is there and they recognize it.
Tonight they'll get great support playing against New Jersey. They'll put forth that "do-or-die" effort. Even though it was a disappointing year, they took a big step forward as a team - and I've already seen it being reflected in the papers and when the players talk to the media - because there's a lot of togetherness with this team and certain individuals have broken out, like Eddy Curry, David Lee and Mardy Collins in particular.
In the down part of the year they have found out who Mardy Collins really is, and they would have never found him as quickly had they been healthy this year. He looks like he has big-time potential to be a starting point guard.
The other part of the equation is that everyone playing tonight wants to be here next year, and they want to prove to the coaching staff that they deserve to be here, that they're good enough to have the franchise built around them. So I think it's a very important showcase for all of the players.
I said this in the pregame last night when I was talking ... anybody who wears a Knicks jersey always wants to wear it and play at Madison Square Garden, to have that be their home court; that's the greatest thrill an athlete can have.
Going back to last night. Even with guys getting in foul trouble, they were right there until the very end. And Toronto was playing hard; they were playing their best. They had two guys out also, but they're a very deep team, and it was a heck of a game.
I see the same thing happening tonight. It's their last home game and they're going to remind everybody that they're going to be back next year, and the only way they can assure that is by continuing to show this kind of effort.
This period right now is another challenge for the Knicks to present the best that they're capable of, and I think it's a very important time for several players. Not a Stephon Marbury or an Eddy Curry, but other players who would not have been getting this type of playing time must cherish the opportunity to play as much as they will be in upcoming days.
Obviously I'm referring to Mardy Collins, who got his first start the other day, and Renaldo Balkman, who has been delivering on a regular basis.
When you're a rookie you never know, first of all, if you're going to play much in your first year. And then if you do play, it's very hard to come in and make a great impression right away because you don't know if you're going to play much more during the season. And then when guys get injured -- and all of a sudden there's playing time for you and you start showing that you belong in the league -- if you're that person you get very excited. You're already wishing it's next year because you feel that you can make it and get significant time and become a respected player in the league. And that's what Collins and Balkman are going through right now.
When you see Balkman get 17 points and 16 rebounds against the Sixers the other day or Collins get his first start, you're getting a message that things are going well. These guys have to be feeling real good, real happy, and anxious to show the coaching staff what they can do.
From that standpoint, these four upcoming games are a great opportunity for players who are young, who wouldn't normally be getting this playing time.
Obviously for Marbury he has to hope he can bring the perimeter game that the team needs. And with four games in five days that will be very difficult with three different parts of his body hurting these days.
Minnesota has the same record as the Knicks coming in tonight. The Knicks should be confident about the matchup. Tomorrow brings Milwaukee, a beatable team, and there's nothing like a win to lift up the spirits of a team. And then of course on Monday things get tougher, we know that, but the Knicks will at least have had Sunday off when they play Detroit. Then it's out to Chicago. Those are two tough games.
Remember, they're still not eliminated from the playoffs.
The last time the Knicks and Sixers met was on Feb. 21 in Philly, and I think the Knicks have a strong memory of that game when the Sixers went to town on them.
They were a very difficult opponent and played with great energy. They blew the Knicks out with great energy, and they blew the team out with a strong effort in a situation when Philadelphia wasn't doing well.
The 76ers are a very capable team, so it is important that the Knicks come out very strong. Phillyare playing with a lot of pride, and they have beaten a number of impressive teams lately, so they have to treat the Sixers like they are a winning team opposed to a team with a poor record.
Simply put, Philly became a better team when they lost Iverson. There is much more balance to their game now. It's not just about geting the ball to AI and then everybody else getting his leftovers.
But having said that, the Knicks have had a couple of days off which is great. Their effort against Dallas was spectacular, and Stephon Marbury put on a performance aganist the Mavs that I think the media didn't catch.
He was absolutely unbelievable in his ability to put his imprint on the game from beginning to end in every facet of the game. His shooting was just phenomoneal and his range was spectacular. He was beating guys with speed and accuracy. It was just an incredable and inspiring performance. Steph made shots with such pressure in the fourth quarter that were just amazing, and his committement in that game rubbed off on his teammates.
I am acting like they won the game. They didn't, but to push the best team in the NBA, on their home court, to that level, I think it was sensational.
The next night against the Hornents, while they weren't as good, they competed and played hard. As Isiah has said, their opponents know they are in for a though game every game.
So with that said, they certainly can beat Philadelphia with Eddy Curry doing what can do. And Steph can turn into a monster with a couple of days off. Nate Robinson has also done some good things, and if Channing Frye can show some of his better things as well, they win the game.
In fact, I can foresee this being the game of a three game winning streak with Minnesota and Milwaukee coming up on Friday and Saturday.
The playoffs are always the goal, so if the Knicks don't make the playoffs it's a disappointment.
Nevertheless, they have made improvement. They've gotten on the track of playing for the coach after a rough season the year prior. They won several games that were very impressive.
When Utah came in on December 18, they were leading their division, and they lost to the Knicks. When Detroit came in on December 27, the Knicks beat them in triple-overtime. Who would have predicted that the Knicks would beat the Pistons? They have a number of impressive wins, and they've proven they can come from deep holes and win a game.
When they started winning at The Garden, there were a number of games that were very dramatic and got the place rocking.
New York's problems throughout the season have been foul shooting and turnovers. Until that problem is rectified, it's going to be very difficult for them to be consistent. When they did get into holes, even with turnovers and poor foul shooting, they showed the character to come back and win games.
After the slow start in November, the Knicks have been pretty much a .500 team the rest of the way. So November was a pretty tough month for them. When you see what happened after November, you say “here's a team that's made significant progress from last year.” That's a good thing.
Stephon Marbury has had a great year both offensively and as a defender. Jamal Crawford took another step forward and Eddy Curry neared All-Star status. David Lee grew like crazy. So there has been individual and team growth.
Renaldo Balkman has been a big surprise, and has helped them win games. He has proven that he can not only play, but also be an impact player with his rebounding, his defense, his speed, and his strength. Mardy Collins has received playing time and has proven that he belongs in this league.
When you look at 82 games there are a lot of ups and a lot of downs for teams that are continuing to evolve. But the ups have given the Knicks, as an organization, a sense of progress.
If the Knicks want to beat the Mavericks tonight, they have to have two different players have huge games, and that points to Eddy Curry and Stephon Marbury.
The reason that Dallas is now so good is because they play defense better than they ever had, and that's why they're winning. They're just winning, it seems, all the time. That comes when a team gets in a real flow of playing the game the right way. Also, having gone through the NBA Finals experience last year, when you lose and you get that close your tongue is hanging out, you're thirsty, you want to win it. You know what it's like, you know the feeling.
A lot of times teams get into the championship for the first time and they're intimidated, there are so many distractions, everyone they know wants to go to the games, there's so much tension. This year, if they get to the Finals they're going to be all business. They know it, they've been there.
So the Knicks will be playing a very highly motivated team at home, where they don't really lose all that often. Dallas is 32-4 at home coming into tonight's game. They've won eight straight there right now. On the road they're 28-7.
Their record as of today is 60-11. The closest team to them is Phoenix at 53-18. They're six games up on Phoenix, and nine up on San Antonio, who happens to be a very good team. The best team in the East is Detroit, and they've won 45; so that should tell you something about how good Dallas really is.
For the Knicks to do well they have to play a perfect game. They have make to make a minimum of 85 percent of their foul shots, and they have to have no turnovers. That's what they've got to do. That responsibility is going to fall on two guys.
When these teams met on March 20 the Knicks lost 92-77, which wasn't a disgrace, I might add. They didn't get embarrassed. But they didn't have Quentin Richardson, they didn't have David Lee, they didn't have Jamal Crawford. Eddy Curry had 22 points and 12 rebounds, but Stephon Marbury was only 2-10 and had eight points. He got banged up in that game and shook it off.
The Knicks will have to be perfect. That's pretty much what it comes down to. The thing is, on the home court teams tend to be better, and that place rocks down there. Dallas is a very exciting environment.
LeBron James is on the path to being one of the all-time greats.
He has superior talent, and he has superior maturity. Not to say that he's a finished product yet, but he's only going to get better.
Right away we see his foul shooting is not good enough, particularly to his own standards, but all he has to do is round out his game with some adjustments. Some of his shot judgment is flawed, as he takes bad shots, whether they are too far out, off balance or early in the offensive possession, but his superior passing offsets that.
One of the great things about him is his understanding of the game. LeBron throws terrific passes and plays the game the right way. He's so confident and so good he takes joy passing the ball to others, not only because he gets so much attention, but because it makes the team better.
James seems to relish winning as opposed to getting his own numbers. That's something that coaches teach, but it's very hard to get that instilled in a player. Considering that he never played in college, he's an extraordinary basketball player.
But having spoken to, most recently, one of the coaches in Cleveland, I got the very clear impression that he's very coachable and very responsive.
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