Bleacher Report |
Pre-Game News and Notes
Memphis Grizzlies vs. New York Knicks
With all of the attention being on the
Heat currently and their 27-game winning streak it is understandable that
people are not aware that the Knicks actually hold the second longest win
streak in the NBA currently at five games.
The Knicks will look to run that streak to six games tonight with a win
against the Grizzlies. This is the
second matchup between the teams this season with the Grizzlies taking the
first meeting 105-95 all the way back in November. Here are some things to look for in the game
tonight.
-Can Knicks Compose Themselves?
The last time these two teams took the
court together the game was very physical with little altercations taking place
throughout the game. The Knicks were
unprepared for this and let it get the Grizzlies’ physicality and the referees
get into their head and throw them off their game.
J.R. Smith got into it with Jerryd
Bayless and picked up a technical foul and head coach Mike Woodson also picked
up a technical for arguing calls. The Knicks
were unhappy with how physical the game had gotten and how the referees handled
it and did not respond in a good manner.
Throughout the season the Knicks have
been rattled by teams that play them physically and get under their skin. Will that continue tonight? Both teams will look different tonight on the
court with plenty of roster moves and injuries changing the landscape of both
teams.
Rasheed Wallace said it best after the
first game, “They’ve still got to come to the Garden.” The Knicks should respond differently tonight
being home and prepared more for what to expect.
-Injury Concerns
For the second night in a row the Knicks
will not be the only banged up team taking the court. The Knicks will most likely be without
All-Star center Tyson Chandler again as he told reporters earlier today that he
was most likely sitting out with pain still lingering in his neck.
Thankfully for the Knicks they will be
going up against a team for the second straight night without their best big
man as the Grizzlies’ starting center Marc Gasol will miss the game with an
abdominal injury. Gasol is a vocal point
in the Grizzlies’ offense and he will be missed a lot on the court; but not by
the Knicks.
The Knicks should let Chandler rest as
much as he needs. The playoffs are much
more important than these games currently right now and they haven’t missed him
too much on the court, going 5-2 without him with big contributions from his
fill-in Kenyon Martin.
-Bench Brings It
The Knicks have fared quite well in the
second games of back-to-backs, going 10-6 thus far this season. One reason for this is a strong bench,
something the Knicks have. The Knicks
bench averages 40.8 points per game, second best mark in the NBA.
Led by J.R. Smith the Knicks bench is
capable of carrying the offensive load for long periods of time. They will need Smith to have an efficient game
again like he did last night against the Celtics as the Grizzlies are second in
the NBA in defensive efficiency. He will
not able to do it alone and will need help from the likes of Steve Novak and
Chris Copeland if the Knicks are to score enough to beat the Grizzlies.
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