Post Game Recap
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| Jim O'Connor/USA TODAY Sports |
The Knicks have hit an all-time low for the second time this
season, this time because of a home loss to the 76ers, losing 110-106. The
Knicks are full of turmoil and the problems they are having behind the scenes
off the court are beginning to rear their ugly head on the court. Mike Woodson
cannot find workable combinations as the five players he employs on the court
look like they all speak different languages and are not on the same page; they
look constantly lost and play scared because of the tension surrounding the
team currently. With how things are looking it seems that there is no turn
around on the horizon. With the loss tonight the losing streak is ran up to five
games and 0-3 thus far on the home stand. The Knicks will get back at it Friday
night against the Charlotte Bobcats.
Player of the Game: Andrea Bargnani
Bargnani played only 28 minutes on the night but he played a
solid game, finishing as the only Knick with a positive +/- in the starting
lineup. Bargnani was aggressive throughout the game, scoring 20 points as he
did not settle for as many deep jump shots tonight as normal; he attacked the
paint and was able to get to the foul line for six free throw attempts, making
five of them. He also added four rebounds and some good one-on-one defense
again. He got switched onto smaller player on a very occasions but he was able
to hold his own, getting four blocks on the night. The thing Bargnani has to do
is get more consistent; if the Knicks knew what they were going to get from him
game in and game out things would be much better.
Match-up of the Game Recap:
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| Frank Franklin III/AP Photo |
Raymond Felton wasn’t as embarrassed as he could have been
Wednesday night by Michael Carter-Williams but he was still thoroughly
outplayed. Felton and Carter-Williams both struggled from the court but MCW was
able to do other things to help his team out tonight; he grabbed 12 rebounds in
addition to the seven assists he handed out. Unlike Felton, MCW was also able
to hold his own when switched onto bigger players, never giving up an easy
basket, showing just how nice it is to have the size advantage that he has over
other point guards.
-Positives
On a freezing night in New York ,
the Knicks were able to warm things up with a scorching 15-33 from the three
point line. Carmelo Anthony, Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith all knocked down
multiple shots from deep as it was the only thing really keeping the Knicks in
the game tonight.
The bench gave the Knicks a much needed boost tonight.
Without Amar’e Stoudemire and Kenyon Martin the Knicks do not have much size
coming off the bench but there is plenty of athleticism. Tim Hardaway Jr.
always gets the crowd in a frenzy when he enters the game and when Smith is on
the crowd goes nuts as he knocks down three pointers. Tonight, coupled with
Pablo Prigioni and Bargnani, they were able to get the Knicks back into the
game and give them a five point lead in the fourth quarter.
Smith did not have a strong shooting night, going 5-16 but
he looks to be getting his confidence back. He was not forcing the action as
much tonight and looked to shoot every shot with confidence tonight. Shumpert
looked to be in the zone as well, something the Knicks desperately have been
waiting for from their wing players. The Knicks suffer when Smith and Shumpert
are not on top of their games as they are two of the most athletic players on
the team that are capable of getting easy shots.
-Negatives
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| Jim O'Connor/USA TODAY Sports |
The 76ers came into the game as the second worst three-point
shooting team in the NBA; you wouldn’t have known it tonight. On the night they
went 9-14 from behind the arc, good for 64.3 percent. The constant switching
left 76er players open on multiple occasions from the perimeter and they took advantage.
On the night the 76ers shot extremely well, going 42-88 (47.7 percent). It
seems every night the Knicks are allowing an opposing player to score either a
season or career high. Tonight was no different, as Evan Turner scored a career
high 34 points. He shot 13-22 from the field (3-3 3pt, 5-5 FT) as he lit the
Knicks up from all over the court. Turner was not alone, as Young scored 19,
MWC scored 19 and journeyman James Anderson hurt the Knicks with 18 on 8-11
shooting.
The rebounding department tonight was not visited by the
Knicks as they were manhandled on the boards by the 76ers 54-39. It is
disturbing that the Knicks were beaten so handedly in rebounding tonight as the
76ers starting center Spencer Hawes grabbed only one on the night; Turner and
MCW grabbed 11 and 12 respectively to pace the 76ers. Chandler
led the way with 14 for the Knicks as Shumpert added eight.
The post game interviews the Knicks have had recently have
been very telling and tonight was no different. Smith and Chandler
each had some eyebrow raising quotes tonight, as they spoke on the difficulties
they are having on the defensive end. Smith says the 76ers could get any shot
they wanted tonight and Chandler followed that up with saying they knew what
play was coming on the Thaddeus Young back breaking three-pointer in the fourth
quarter and still couldn’t stop it. The Knicks right now are a team on the
ropes as close to being knocked out as they have been all season and the quotes
and emotions they show during and after games are not ones of a team that looks
ready to get back to playing good basketball.
One thing Chandler
was critical of was the constant switching the Knicks do on the defensive end. Chandler
believes that should be a last resort playing defense; tonight the Knicks
continued their switching and it hurt them. The culprit more times than once
were Anthony and Shumpert; they were just not on the same page and their
breakdowns were crushing in the final minutes of the game. On back-to-back
possessions Anthony and Shumpert messed up defensive assignments, leading to an
Anderson lay-up and Young
three-pointer on the next possession.
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