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With the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat
starting their Eastern Conference Finals series tonight, it is finally set in
that the Knicks have been eliminated from the playoffs. It was a rough series against the Pacers as
they struggled on both sides of the court for most of the six games and were
eliminated by a team that looked like they wanted it more. Here are some things as to why the Knicks
fell to the Pacers in the second round of the NBA playoffs.
-Rebounding
The most glaring difference in the
series between the Knicks and Pacers was the rebounding numbers. The Pacers dominated the boards throughout
the series, only being outrebounded in Game 2, a Knicks blowout victory. The Knicks small-ball lineup with Carmelo
Anthony starting at the power forward was no match for the Pacers huge
frontcourt of Roy Hibbert and David West; even when the Knicks went big they
were still unable to contend with the Pacers front court. To put into perspective how badly the Knicks
were outrebounded in the series, here are some numbers to take a look at:
272 total rebounds for the Pacers, at
45.3 per game. Rebound Each Game: 44, 35, 53, 54, 43, 43
220 total rebounds for the Knicks, at 36.7
per game. Rebounds Each Game: 30, 37, 41, 36, 40, 36
When the Knicks were able to keep the
rebounding numbers close, they were successful.
The two games the rebounding numbers were closest were the two games
that the Knicks won. The Knicks played
defense well, but were not finishing the defensive possessions as the Pacers
best offense was to grab an offensive rebound and kick it out for a three
pointer or lay it back in as they dominated the offensive glass.
- Free-Throw Disparity (Poor Refereeing?)
A lot of talk throughout the series was
that the Knicks were not getting as many calls and in turn less free throw
attempts, as the Pacers because the Knicks were a jump shooting team. This is true as the Knicks set the NBA record
for three pointers made and attempted in a season, but was not the reason the
Knicks did not take as many free throws.
In the series, the Pacers were just as much a jump shooting team as the
Knicks.
In the series, the Pacers attempted 140
three-pointers, taking 23.3 per game.
In the series, the Knicks attempted 136
three-pointers, taking 22.67 per game.
That throws the notion right out the
window that the Knicks were not getting calls because they are a jump shooting
team as the Pacers actually attempted more three pointers than the Knicks
did. With that thinking the Knicks would
have more free throw attempts than the Pacers, but those numbers are even more
lopsided in favor of the Pacers.
In the series, the Pacers took 176 free
throws, 29.3 per game, with a high of 46 and a low of 18. The Pacers took 30+
free throws the last three games of the series.
In the series the Knicks took 107 free
throws, 17.83 per game, with a high of 25 and a low of 10. The Knicks took less
than 20 free throws in four games.
The Pacers were called for 114 fouls, 19
per game, with a high of 23 and a low of 17.
The Knicks were called for 157 fouls,
26.17 per game, with a high of 34 and low of 24.
What really stands out is how the foul
disparity grew as the series wore on, as the first three games the foul numbers
were almost identical, as the Knicks were called for only two more fouls, but in
the last three games of the series the Knicks were called for 41 more fouls.
Numbers as lopsided of that are tough to
ignore.
-Tyson Chandler’s Struggle
Tyson Chandler struggled throughout the
playoffs but was really exposed against the Pacers in round two as Roy Hibbert
did whatever he pleased against what was an overmatched Chandler. Chandler did miss 16 of the last 20 regular
season games, causing him to be out of rhythm in the first round against the Celtics,
but he looked lost at times throughout the series and a shell of the player who
was named Defensive Player of the Year last season. Chandler says he gave 100 percent and was
pleased with how he played; scary with how badly he was outplayed by
Hibbert.
Tyson Chandler: Minutes, Rebounds,
Assists, Blocks, Personal Fouls, Points
29.8 6.0 0.2 1.7 4.8 6.2
29.8 6.0 0.2 1.7 4.8 6.2
Roy Hibbert: Minutes, Rebounds, Assists,
Blocks, Personal Fouls, Points
37.5 10.3 1.7 3.2 4.2 13.3
37.5 10.3 1.7 3.2 4.2 13.3
With Chandler playing as poorly as he
did, it hurt the Knicks because they had to change their defensive schemes with
his inability to guard Hibbert one-on-one. The double-teaming the Knicks were
forced to do against Hibbert threw the rest of their defense out of whack as
the constant scrambling left the Pacers open for numerous three point attempts,
which they converted more times than not, and the Knicks out of position to
rebound as well.
-Where was J.R?
Throughout the series Carmelo Anthony
was the only Knick that was able to constantly provide any type of offense and
a big reason for that was J.R. Smith struggled mightily. Smith was suspended for Game 4 of the series
against the Boston Celtics for hitting Jason Terry with an elbow and was never
the same after that, struggling the remainder of the Boston series and the
whole series against the Pacers.
Smith could not hit water if he fell out
of a boat against the Pacers, shooting 28.9 percent on the series, averaging 13.5
points per game. His three point
shooting was even worse, as he shot 23.1 percent from beyond the arc. Without Smith the Knicks could not find a
constant second scoring option and the offense was unable to get going at all
throughout the series outside a couple of a few isolated stretches.
The Knicks will have a big decision to
make this offseason with Smith most likely opting out of his contract to become
a free agent. The Knicks will have to
decide if he is worth a contract extension, as he can get a bigger payday from other
teams as the Knicks can only offer him 175 percent increase in his contract
from this season. His poor showing in
the playoffs may cause some teams to shy away from signing him, but all it
takes is one team to like what they see to offer him a big contract the Knicks
cannot match.
-Mike Woodson’s Coaching
Mike Woodson put himself directly on the
hot seat with his performance in the playoffs.
Woodson was as stubborn as ever against the Pacers and it really hurt
the Knicks in the end. He watched
without making a move as Chandler was dominated by Hibbert throughout the
series even though he had Marcus Camby sitting next to him on the bench. Camby had not played much throughout the
season because of numerous injuries but letting him just sit there while
Chandler got worked was a poor decision.
It would not have hurt to see what Camby could give.
Woodson also showed too much trust in
players like Smith and Jason Kidd. Smith
was lighting the world on fire with his shooting compared to Kidd, who did not
score a single point in the whole series against the Pacers, going scoreless
since April 25th, a span of 10 games. Those were the players who helped the Knicks
win 54 games and the Atlantic Division during the regular season, but their
poor play in the playoffs lasted long enough that a change should have been
made.
Players such as Iman Shumpert and Chris
Copeland showed they were capable of giving the Knicks good minutes and Woodson
let them toil on the bench numerous times as the lineups he opted for were not
working. Another player who fell victim
to Woodson’s mindless rotation decisions was Pablo Prigioni, who played only
three minutes in Game 4 as Woodson panicked and went away from what the Knicks
do best and played big. Prigioni had
started 20+ consecutive games and was benched in Game 4 as Woodson went big and
watched the Knicks offense fall apart again as the Pacers still dominated the
boards.
Woodson was unable to make the
adjustments necessary to get the Knicks over the hump and was badly out-coached
by Pacers head coach Frank Vogel.
Woodson’s track record of poor playoff performances continued and he has
no one really to blame other than himself.
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