W2W4: Detroit Pistons vs Brooklyn Nets April 4th, 2014

barclayscenter.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

April 4th, 2014

W2W4: Detroit Pistons vs. Brooklyn Nets

Pre-Game News and Notes

The Brooklyn Nets will be back at the Barclays Center looking to bounce back from an embarrassing loss on Wednesday night in Madison Square Garden against the Knicks. Brooklyn is currently 2.5 games behind the Toronto Raptors in the Atlantic Division, and will be looking for some help on Friday from the Pacers, who will be in Toronto.

Match-Up of the Game: Brandon Jennings vs. Deron Williams

The match-up of the game for the Brooklyn Nets has to be at the Point Guard position, as the Nets small lineup will no doubt have their hands full with the monster front court of the Pistons; it puts pressure on Williams to have to outplaying Jennings, and control tempo. In the three games that Jennings has played against Brooklyn this season, despite a poor shooting percentage his stats are pretty good. In the three wins the Pistons have this season against the Nets; Jennings is averaging 16 points, 7.7 assists, and five rebounds per game. Williams has missed one of the losses to the Pistons, but in two games his assist numbers are down at just 4.5 per game, but he is averaging 16 points which is a bit above his season average.

- Rebound

In the Nets three losses to the Pistons this season it has been the frontcourt of the Pistons that have really hurt Brooklyn, as they have been able to dominate the painted area. In the three games, the Pistons are out-rebounding the Nets by 10.3 per game, and out-scoring them in the paint by and average of 23.3 points, which is ridiculous. Andre Drummond has been the main problem for the Nets, as in the last two games the up and coming young Center is averaging 19 points and 17.5 rebounds per game. Kevin Garnett will be missing his 19th straight game so Plumlee will once again be asked to shoulder the load at the Center position.


- Series Sweep

Detroit will be looking for an impressive season series sweep against the Nets, after what has been a disappointing season for a team that had to think with all its off-season moves and a weak Eastern Conference that they would be in the playoffs. Pulling off the sweep will be no easy task however with the Nets at home being backed by a 14-game home winning streak. If the Pistons can pull of the sweep it will be the first time since the 2007-08 season that they did, as that year they won all three games against the then New Jersey Nets.

Knicks Losing Streak Hits 7

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Monday, March 3^rd, 2014

New York Knicks vs. Detroit Pistons

Post Game Recap

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

This was a rough game to watch for fans of either team, but it hurt a little more for Knicks fans as they fell to the Pistons 96-85 Monday night. The Knicks didn’t not put forth the effort once again and were once again embarrassed by their opponent. The focus and attention to detail just are not there for this team as a playoff run looks as out of the question as ever now. They have completely collapsed after a strong January and look to just be going through the motions as the positives needed to win basketball games are coming far too sporadically for this team. The Knicks losing streak now hits seven as they have lost 13 of their last 15 games and fall to 21-40.

Player of the Game: None

There was no Knicks player that brought it on both ends of the court tonight. The closest person was Jeremy Tyler, who came in and continued to give the energy and competitiveness he has shown all season. With the season all but down the drain he should see his minutes increase. You could also say that Shannon Brown and Earl Clark were players of the game as they didn’t give any negative plays to the Knicks on the court being stapled to the bench and receiving DNP-Coach Decision.

-Positives

Knicks Hold On Despite 4th Quarter Struggles

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Tuesday, January 7^th, 2014

Detroit Pistons vs. New York Knicks

Post Game Recap

The Knicks did not make it easy on themselves but they were able to knock off the Pistons at MadisonSquare Garden 89-85 Tuesday night, ending their four game home losing streak in the process. The Knicks led by 15 to start the fourth quarter and allowed the Pistons to come all the way back but were able to hold them off for the win. The win tonight marks only the second time this season the Knicks have put together consecutive wins; the first came December 5^th and 6^th against the Brooklyn Nets and Orlando Magic.  The Knicks will take the victory, albeit it ugly, as the Knicks will face some of their stiffest competition Thursday in the defending champion Miami Heat.

Player of the Game: Carmelo Anthony

Jim McIsaac

If not for Anthony the result of the game tonight easily could have been in the Pistons favor. Anthony would not let it happen as he willed the Knicks to a win tonight with a game high 34 points. Anthony shot the ball efficiently, shooting 13-24 overall from the field, including a scorching 6-7 from behind the three-point line. Anthony was the catalyst in the third quarter to get the Knicks in control of the game as he nailed three straight three pointers in the middle of a 15-0 Knicks run. He added a fast break dunk to punctuate the run. Anthony helped the Knicks ice the game playing outstanding one-on-one defense against Josh Smith on the Pistons last offensive possession and grabbed the offensive rebound off Raymond Felton’s missed free throw with seven seconds left. He added four rebounds, two assists, four steals and one block on the night to round out his stat line.

-Positives

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

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

NBA: Eastern Conference Predictions

By Ryan McDonald (@RonnieMac90)

With the start of the NBA season just around the corner, it's time to play psychic with the regular season standings of the Eastern Conference.

The Miami Heat were the 1 seed last year, can they claim the 1 seed this year? Do they even care about being the 1 seed? I don't think so. Thus, this leads to the new 1 seed..

1. Indiana Pacers - (Last Season: 49-32) - Lost in the return of Derrick Rose is Danny Granger, who is returning to the Pacers after missing all but 4 games of last year. Once thought to be their franchise player, Granger will now hopefully come off the bench in a 6th man role.

In addition to Granger, they also added C.J. Watson and Luis Scola to their bench. Watson is the backup point guard the Pacers desperately needed in their series against the Miami Heat last year. Struggling to bring the ball up the court on numerous possessions, Watson looks to fix that problem and also bring some three point shooting as well. For Scola, he might not fit what they want in terms of defense, but he'll be able to replace the post scoring ability when Hibbert and/or West when they sit down.

Expect Paul George to continue to emerge as a star in this league. One of the best two way players in this league already, if he can improve his offensive game from last year, he can be one of those guys that fight for 2nd place votes in the MVP race (LeBron's winning again). And finally, one of the main reasons the Pacers only had 49 wins last year was due to Roy Hibbert's god awful play in the first half of the 2012-2013 season. Hibbert was shooting 41% from the field during that time. For a 7'2" center, that is god awful. It was mostly rectified in the 2nd half of the season, and especially during the postseason where he seemingly dominated a former defensive player of the year in Tyson Chandler. If Hibbert can average 48% from the field which is close to his career average, the Pacers should be able to attain the 1 seed with their top 5 defense.

Expected Record - 60-22

2. Miami Heat - (Last Season: 66-16) - The Heat didn't make any moves this off-season that improves their team unlike last season where they added Ray Allen. They'll have a full season of Chris Andersen instead of half, but everyone on this team is now a year older. Shane Battier and Ray Allen were considered old last year. As well as another year of wear and tear for Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh.

They still have LeBron, whom I expect to somehow improve like he does every season. However, I think they'll take more of a San Antonio Spur approach to the season which means lots of rest. They may have taken this approach if not for that 27 game win streak with their other players, especially Dwayne Wade who looked gassed in the postseason.

The Heat are no stranger to the 2 seed, in the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 season, they finished in the 2 seed. They went on to the NBA Finals each year. They're an older team, they can't afford to exhaust themselves in the regular season when it's championship or bust.

Expected Record - 58-24

3. Chicago Bulls - (Last Season: 45-37) - The Bulls get their former MVP back in Derrick Rose. So clearly they're going to improve as long as he stays healthy.

The Bulls won the 1 seed when Rose was healthy the last two years, so why are they in the 3 seed now? Well, the other teams around them have improved since last Rose played. The Heat won 2 championships, and the Pacers who are in the Bulls division have gotten significantly better.

They'll still contend for the 1 seed, I just don't think they have enough to make it.

Expected Record - 55-27

4. Brooklyn Nets - (Last Season: 49-33) - This team improved the most this offseason with their blockbuster trade with Boston. Acquiring Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Jason Terry, and signing Andrei Kirilenko. However, their seeding is the same, 4.

The reason for this is because the teams above them aside from the Heat improved as well. They lost to a Roseless Bulls team in the playoffs, which was an embarrassment. Rose is now back.

KG gives them a great interior presence and Brook Lopez did improve in his help defense, but their backcourt struggled last year keeping bodies in-front of them. Paul Pierce and Jason Terry will only add to that problem.

Furthermore, the Nets hired rookie head coach Jason Kidd to lead the team. I like Kidd, I think he'll be a great head coach someday. But with this roster, and this pressure filled situation where it's championship or bust, is not great to learn coaching on the fly.

KG and Pierce will probably only play 20-25 minutes a game. Infact, I expect Kirilenko to average more minutes a game than Pierce does.

Expected Record - 51-31

5. New York Knicks - (Last Season - 54-28) - Last year, they were the 2 seed. How did they fall 3 seeds in one season? Last year, for the first quarter of the season, Carmelo Anthony was on fire. An early MVP candidate, Melo led the Knicks on a hot start but fell back to normal later. He suffered injuries late in the year which plagued him in the postseason. Melo rehabbed and looks back to his normal self. But is it enough?

Amar'e Stoudemire will most likely be on a minute cap of 20 for the entire season. JR Smith will be out the first month of the season recovering from offseason surgery. They lost Jason Kidd to retirement (and to the Nets).

They gained Andrea Bargnani who will look to start at the power forward position, moving Melo back to the small forward position. They also signed Metta World Peace to backup Melo.

 Bringing in Bargnani spreads the floor on offense as he can shoot the 3, but he can't rebound or defend. Amar'e, another power forward, also can't really rebound or defend. Kenyon Martin can do both, but can he get the minutes he deserves with these two on the roster? I guess you could play Martin or Amar'e at center to backup Tyson Chandler, but Martin would be undersized and Amar'e is just awful playing defense at center (great offensively).

Coach Mike Woodson will have to find a good mix with this roster.

Expected Record - 50-32

6. Washington Wizards - (Last Season - 29-53) - The Wizards. 6th. Someone had to be I guess. There's 5 teams I see fighting for the last 3 spots. I look at the Wizards roster and I think it's the best out of these teams.

John Wall hopefully will stay healthy this season and finally live up to all that potential he has. Bradley Beal will continue to improve off a strong rookie campaign. The drafting of Otto Porter Jr. gives them a good wing player and moves Trevor Ariza to the bench where he most likely belongs. They also brought in Eric Maynor to be their backup point guard which is a good signing.

No more 50 win teams though, that stops here.

Expected Record - 42-40

7. Cleveland Cavaliers - (Last Season - 24-58) - Where to start? They signed Andrew Bynum, they drafted Anthony Bennett. They get back Anderson Varejao from injury last year. They're one of the youngest teams in the league. But injuries.

Bynum is a huge question mark but what goes under the radar is that Kyrie Irving has yet to play a full season. Granted, he's only been in 2 seasons, but he also had an injury at Duke. He's injury prone. This is really a hit or miss team. If they can stay healthy, they'll make the playoffs easily, but it's a big if.

People forget however that Varejao was a beast before he got hurt. So I expect Bynum to only play 20 games (I'm probably being generous), I still think they make the playoffs with Varejao. They have a good young core and I expect Kyrie to play at least 70 games.

That being said, doesn't take much to snag one of these lower seeds in the eastern conference. Guess Cavs should be happy they're not in the West.

Expected Record - 39-43

8. Atlanta Hawks - (Last Season - 44-38) - They lost Josh Smith to free agency, still don't know why they didn't trade him. To fill the void, they signed Paul Millsap. Certainly a different skill set, and you lose something on the boards and defensively, but Millsap is the better offensive player currently.

They still have Al Horford, who is one of the better centers in the league. Elton Brand was also signed who is a serviceable big man at this point in time to come off the bench. Jeff Teague is a young point guard who can still improve.

Louis Williams should return mid-season from an ACL tear as well.

The negative is they're probably going to start Kyle Korver at small forward. They don't really have anyone better for the position, but Korver should be coming off the bench.  

Expected Record - 36-46

As for the snubs,

Detroit Pistons - (Last Season - 29-53) - They signed Josh Smith. They're going to play him at small forward. They're going to play Stuckey at shooting guard. This means, out of their starters, only Brandon Jennings can shoot threes effectively and he sometimes shoots too much.

The floor spacing is going to be terrible. Their frontcourt seems dominate on paper, with Smith, Monroe, Drummond. It's monstrous, but how effective can it be when 4 defenders have a foot in the paint at all times?

Expected Record - 34-48

Toronto Raptors - (Last Season - 34-48) - They get Rudy Gay for a full season, he's a solid player. I don't think he's a franchise player though, nor can he carry a team. Jonas Valanciunas had a decent rookie year, but I can't see him emerging as a legitimate post threat which is what the Raptors need.

Perhaps their season rests on the development of DeMar Derozan who's better known for his athleticism. If he can improve his range on his jumper, they'll do better than I expect.

Expected Record - 34-48

As for the Charlotte Bobcats, Milwaukee Bucks,  Boston Celtics, Orlando Magic, and Philadelphia 76ers, they'll be competing for the number 1 pick.

NBA Taking Its Show on the Road Next Season

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725) 

The NBA has been attempting to build their product around the world by playing some exhibition games around the globe in recent seasons. This past season the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons played in London in front of a sold-out frenzy crowd. The NBA has a lot of events in China as well with the help of Yao Ming to help gain exposure there as well.

The NBA will continue having teams play abroad and will be adding another location for the 2013-2014. The Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets will play a regular-season game at the O2 Arena in London January 16^th as part of the NBA Global Games London 2014.

Nets Finish Regular Season with Win Over Pistons

nytimes.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

April 17th, 2013

Detroit Pistons vs. Brooklyn Nets

Final Score: Pistons 99 Nets 103

The Brooklyn Nets finished up their first regular season in their new home on a positive note by beating the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night. The Nets finished their first season in Brooklyn with a (49-33) record, which gave them home court in the first round, as they are the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. 

Positives:

Interim Head Coach P.J. Carlesimo did a pretty solid job for Brooklyn after filling in for the fired Avery Johnson. Carlesimo finished the season with a (34-19), and that record is the best start for any coach in Nets franchise history. Carlesimo’s future with the Nets is unknown, as the Nets front office has made no commitment to him, but he’s got them ready to go for a big playoff series with the Chicago Bulls, and he’s done a great job getting the Nets to their regular season expectations.