T-Wolves Crash Boards, Crush Nets

By Ryan McDonald (@RonnieMac90)

Friday, November 22^nd 2013

Brooklyn Nets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves

Post Game Recap

Once again the Brooklyn Nets were without all stars Deron Williams and Brook Lopez. Not that they would’ve made a difference tonight as the Timberwolves annihilated the Nets, 81-111. They fall to 3-9 on the young season.

The Nets scored first, Garnett hit a jump shot to take a 2-0 lead. That would be the last time the Nets would have the lead in this game. It was your typical definition of a blowout in which the Nets waived the white flag in the 3^rd quarter, bringing in their bench.

Kevin Love had 11 rebounds in the 1^st quarter alone. He was untouched on a few offensive put backs as well. The Nets just played without passion which is a theme dating back to last season for them. Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce were supposed to fix this problem with the passion and intensity they play with. They have not.

The Nets were just out played at every level and the Timberwolves were clearly the more aggressive team. For the game, the Nets had just 7 assists to 20 turnovers.

Jason Kidd’s seat continues to grow hotter despite the injuries excuse. If Kidd can’t get this team to play with maximum effort night in and night out, he might be the one who gets outted. We know Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov does have a trigger finger for firing coaches early such as last year with Avery Johnson.

However, it’s all still fixable. The NBA season is long and grueling. Deron and Brook will hopefully return soon and Kidd is still learning on the job. This team always had the makeup of a better playoff team than regular season team and in the Eastern Conference; making the playoffs isn’t tough.

New York Jets Week 11 Team Grades

espn.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

Week 11: New York Jets Team Grades

November 17^th, 2013

Final Score: Jets 14 Bills 37

The New York Jets coming off a great win against the New Orleans Saints and a bye week headed up to Buffalo with a chance to separate themselves a bit in the Wilda Card standings, but laid a egg. The loss moves the Jets to (5-5) on the season, and (1-4) on the road now, but if the season ended today they would still have the sixth spot in the AFC Playoffs.

Passing Offense Grade (F)

The Jets passing offense was a total disaster on Sunday, as basically nothing went right. Geno Smith had a disaster of a game throwing for just 103 yards on eight for 23 passing with no touchdowns. The turnovers from Smith really did the Jets in during the game, as he lost one fumble, threw three interceptions, one of which was a pick six to Da'Norris Searcy, and the other two were to Jairus Byrd. The Offensive Line didn’t do a very good job protecting Smith either, as they allowed four sacks, two of which were from Kyle Williams. One good thing for the passing offense was that they got some weapons back for the playoff push, as Santonio Holmes, Kellen Winslow, and Jeff Cumberland were all back in the lineup. Matt Simms got some playing time late in the game and looked good in junk time throwing for 60 yards on four for six passing with a touchdown pass to Cumberland.

Knicks Give Extreme Effort, But Fall In OT To Pacers

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Wednesday, November 20^th, 2013

Indiana Pacers vs. New York Knicks

Post Game Recap

When quite possibly the best game you play in the season results in a loss you know things are going tough and that is exactly how it is going for the Knicks tonight after they lose their fourth straight game, fifth at home, to the Pacers 103-96. The Knicks effort was there from the start as they jumped out to a 13-0 lead but the little mental things that separate a contending team from a pretender reared their head again as the Knicks were unable to get over the hump and take down the Pacers. Morale victories do not help much in the standings but the Knicks do reside in what is the worst division in the NBA right now so they are right there in the standings. Hopefully this game shows them how they need to play in every game and they can build something positive from it. The Knicks will have a couple of days off before embarking on a road trip that starts in Washington to take on the Wizards Saturday night.

Player of the Game: Beno Udrih

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Udrih had a horrendous game last night against the Detroit Pistons but bounced back in a big way tonight against the Pacers. Udrih filled the stat sheet unlike any point guard had for the Knicks this season, scoring 19 points, handing out four assists and grabbing eight rebounds. Udrih was aggressive on the offensive end and made a number of circus shots as he oozed with confidence as the game went on. He shot eight of 15 from the field, including three of four from the three point line. The offense also looked good with him on the court as he has the versatility to run a number of different things from the point guard position and mesh with his teammates. For one game, and hopefully for the near future, Udrih looks like the point guard the Knicks have been seeking.

Ugly Performance by Knicks Leads to Defeat in Detroit

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Tuesday, November 19^th, 2013

New York Knicks vs. Detroit Pistons

Post Game Recap

It was an ugly performance Tuesday night for the Knicks as they were defeated by the Pistons in Detroit by a score of 92-86; it was only the second loss in the last 13 games against the Pistons. The Knicks struggled in virtually every facet of the game tonight and things only got worse as the game wore on. With Raymond Felton joining Tyson Chandler on the inactive list tonight the Knicks had to once again tinker with their lineup and was unable to find a working combination. Things are not going to get any easier for the Knick as they will be taking on the Indiana Pacers Wednesday night in the second game of the back-to-back at Madison Square Garden at 7 PM ET.

Player of the Game: Kenyon Martin

AP Photo/Carlos Osorio

Martin was inserted into the starting lineup tonight to try and minimize the massive advantage the Pistons had on the inside and he did everything he could. Martin’s minute restriction seems to have been lifted as he is no longer in a platoon with Amar’e Stoudemire and it was a good thing for the Knicks tonight as he was the only person providing any energy and toughness in the paint. Martin finished the game with 29 minutes played, five points, seven rebounds, two steals and one block. Martin provides a lot of the things Chandler does on defense so having him in there helps but no one is sure how he will respond on the second night of the back-to-back as Mike Woodson previously has said that he will try and sit him and Amar’e Stoudemire in at least one of the games.

-Positives

Week 11 Grades: Green Bay Packers vs. New York Giants

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

NFL Week 11

Green Bay Packers vs. New York Giants

Post Game Grades

The Giants continued their winning streak Sunday as they beat the Packers 27-13 and ran their winning streak to four games. The winning Sunday also added to another impressive streak the Giants have had with Eli Manning under quarterback, as this was the eighth season in a row that the Giants have gone on a winning streak of at least four games with Manning under center. It is an impressive streak that has helped the Giants nudge their way closer into the NFC East Division picture. With this game past them the Giants can now put all their efforts into what is the biggest game of the season next Sunday at MetLife Stadium against the Dallas Cowboys.

W2W4: New York Knicks vs. Detroit Pistons

Simmons,Howard/New York Daily News

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

November 19^th, 2013

New York Knicks vs. Detroit Pistons

Pre Game News and Notes

The Knicks head back on the road to take on the new look and much more talented Detroit Pistons than the ones they faced last year. It is a good thing that the Knicks are on the road as they have struggled mightily at Madison Square Garden, dropping five in a row at their home court. This game is almost a must win for the Knicks as it is the first game of a back-to-back with the second game being in Indiana against the scorching Pacers Wednesday night. Here are some things to keep an eye on for the Knicks vs. Pistons tonight as the Knicks look to continue their success against the Pistons, who they have won 11 of the last 12 against.

*Bonus thing to keep an eye on: J.R. Smith vs. Brandon Jennings. The two had a heated twitter exchange earlier in the week as Smith was fined $25,000 for tweets he sent towards Jennings. Now the two will be on the court together and will be interesting to see if they are matched up at all during the game and how it goes if they are. The two were thought to have a healthy relationship prior to this but things seem to have deteriorated now that Jennings poked some fun at Chris Smith, J.R.’s brother, being able to make an NBA team instead of some players Jennings felt were more deserving.

-Paint Play