Nets Lose to Cavs, Clinch 6th Seed in East

nba.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

April 16th, 2014

Brooklyn Nets vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Post Game Recap

Final Score: Nets 85 Cavaliers 114

The Brooklyn Nets finished up their regular season with a blowout loss at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers. After a tough start to the season starting (10-21) they finished (44-38), which landed them the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, and a first round match-up with the Atlantic Division winning Toronto Raptors.

Player of the Game: Andray Blatche

Jason Kidd elected to rest his starting lineup leaving his bench players to play nearly the whole game with just a seven-man rotation. Andray Blatche in the extended time was able to snag a double-double in the blowout in 39 minutes of play. Blatche finished with 20 points on eight for 18 shooting to go along with a game-high 12 rebounds. It will be interesting to see how much Blatche will be playing in the playoffs with the emergence of Mason Plumlee and the return of Kevin Garnett.

Positives:

The biggest positive of the game for Brooklyn wasn’t anything that happened from a player on the court, but the way things worked out for them in the standings. The Nets loss and the Washington Wizards win the Nets got the sixth seed, and with the Toronto Raptors and Chicago Bulls both losing, it sets up a first round match-up against the Raptors. The Nets didn’t seem to want any part of the Bulls, and for good reason, so now they get a much better match-up against the young inexperienced Raptors.

W2W4: Brooklyn Nets vs Cleveland Cavaliers April 16th, 2014

ourbksocial.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

April 16, 2014

W2W4: Brooklyn Nets vs Cleveland Cavaliers

Pre-Game News and Notes

The Brooklyn Nets coming off a loss to the New York Knicks at home will be heading to Cleveland for the final game of the regular season against the Cavaliers. The Nets are now (44-37) on the season and will be either the fifth or sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, which will send them to either Chicago or Toronto.

- Limping In

Brooklyn has been playing great in the calender year of 2014, but heading into the playoffs the Nets don’t seem to be firing on all cylinders in the final games leading into the playoffs. In April the Nets have had four very bad losses, which could have been the difference between them starting a playoff series at home or on the road, as wins may have put pressure on the Raptors or Bulls. They lost four games to teams under .500 including the Knicks twice, the Atlanta Hawks, and the Orlando Magic. Three of those losses have come in the Nets last four games, as Rookie Head Coach Jason Kidd is trying to manage a veteran team for the first time heading into the playoffs.

- Scenarios

Wednesday is the final day of the regular season, and for the Nets it will let them know where they will be traveling to and what seed they will have. A Nets win against the Cavaliers or a Washington Wizards loss to the Boston Celtics will give the Nets the fifth seed, but a Nets loss and Wizards win will put the Nets in the sixth spot, as the Wizards own the tie-breaker. The battle for the third and fourth seed between the Raptors and Bulls can be decided rather easily if the Raptors beat the Knicks they will be the third seed, but a Raptors loss and Bulls win against the Charlotte Bobcats will give the Bulls the third seed. The Nets this season are 1-2 against the Bulls and 2-2 against the Raptors, and it seems like a popular consensus that the Nets much rather play the inexperienced Raptors in the first round than the Bulls, who knocked them out of the playoffs last season, and pose many more problems with their big lineup.

- Bothering the Waiter

If Brooklyn would like to go into the playoffs on a positive note, they would be smart to try and slow down Dion Waiters, who since moving into the starting lineup has been playing very well for the Cavaliers, and has also played very well against the Nets this season. Since moving into the starting lineup, Waiters has averaged 21.4 points per game in his last 14, and playing against the Nets this season he is averaging 19 points per game. Luol Deng will not be playing against the Nets with a sore back, so there should be some extra shots for Waiters to grab on Wednesday.

Knicks Playoff Hopes Delivered Big Blow With Embarrassing Home Loss to Cavaliers

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks

Post Game Recap

AFP Photo/Don Emmert

The New York Knicks playoff hopes suffered a big blow Sunday night, as they suffered an embarrassing loss at home to the Cleveland Cavaliers, 106-100. A 15-point halftime lead was not enough for the Knicks, as they imploded in the second half and reverted back to playing how they did prior to their eight-game winning streak. It was a heart breaking loss for the Knicks as the Atlanta Hawks had lost earlier in the day to the Toronto Raptors, presenting an outstanding opportunity for the Knicks to climb closer to the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. The loss tonight ends the Knicks winning streak at eight, with their next game being the start of their west coast trip Tuesday against the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center.

Player of the Game: None

W2W4: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks; March 23rd, 2014

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Sunday, March 23^rd, 2014

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks

Pre-Game News and Notes

The New York Knicks will look to continue their winning streak Sunday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks are coming off of a semi-disaster from Friday night, as the bench squandered a 15-point lead in less than four minutes. The Knicks have to come in and handle business tonight against a Cavaliers team that has faded from the playoff race, losing their last four games. Here are some things to keep an eye on for tonight.

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

Player News and Notes:

W2W4: New York Knicks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers; March 8th, 2014

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Saturday, March 8^th, 2014

New York Knicks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

Pre-Game News and Notes

The Knicks will look to continue their winning streak in what is their biggest game of the season to date against the Cavaliers tonight. The Knicks, who enter the game 4.5 games behind eighth place in the Eastern Conference, have the Cavaliers right ahead of them in the standings. A victory over them tonight would pull the teams within a tie and that much closer to a playoff spot. The Cavaliers will be sure to get up for the game as longtime center Žydrūnas Ilgauskas will have his number retired prior to the game. Here are some things to look for in the game tonight.

Match-up of the game: Raymond Felton vs. Kyrie Irving

Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Felton has turned things around the last two games for the Knicks and not coincidentally both games have resulted in Knicks victories. Felton has done well getting into the paint and breaking down the defense, opening up easy scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates. When Felton is causing havoc in the paint it opens up rolling opportunities for Tyson Chandler and Amar’e Stoudemire to the rim for alley-oops and open jump shots for Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith.

A key to slowing down the Cavaliers is containing Irving, which is easier said than done. When Irving shoots at least 40 percent from the field, the Cavaliers are 20-20 on the season; when he is below that they are 3-17 according to STATS LLC. The Knicks have struggled all season containing point guards, but have done a good job in the last two games against Ricky Rubio and Trey Burke. If they are able to contain Irving tonight in any capacity it would go a long way in picking up their third consecutive victory.

-Starting Lineup Clicking

Mike Woodson made yet another change to the starting lineup this week, inserting Stoudemire and Smith to go along with Felton, Anthony and Chandler. Since the change the Knicks have played much better basketball, getting out to strong starts and outscoring opponents 105-66 in the first quarters. The last two first quarters the Knicks have tied and set the highest scoring quarters for the season.

The change to the lineup has gotten the Knicks best players on the court to start the game and the results have been positive. The Knicks aren’t falling behind early, instead taking the control early on and forcing their opponents to climb out of deep holes. The cohesion in the starting lineup is something the Knicks have lacked all season but look to have gotten in the last week.

-Bench Play

With the changes the Knicks have made to the starting unit the bench has suffered. Tim Hardaway Jr. has become the biggest threat off the bench, a large drop-off from Smith and Stoudemire. It is hard to ask Hardaway Jr. to pick up the slack of both those players. One player who could help a lot if Iman Shumpert. He needs to pick things up and help carry the bench scoring load with Hardaway Jr. looking to slow down at times recently.

On the contrary, the Cavaliers have a strong option off the bench in Dion Waiters. Waiters is an explosive scorer and is capable of running the offense as well when needed. Anderson Varejao is also expected to return tonight. It will be in a limited basis, but his return to the court will give the Cavaliers a shot in the arm as he brings a lot of energy and intangibles fans of the Cavaliers have enjoyed watching over the past couple of seasons when he is healthy.

-Keep Momentum Going

The Knicks are in the middle of the softest part of the schedule. Eight of the next nine games the Knicks play are against teams with a combined record of 137 games below .500. If they are to climb into the playoff race and keep their slim hopes alive there is no better time than now to do so. The Knicks have shown under Woodson when things starting clicking they are capable of getting into a groove. If they are to sneak into the playoffs, no matter how undeserving or poor they have played this season, it has to start tonight. On the road in Cleveland is most likely the toughest task the Knicks will have in the next nine games outside a meeting with the Indiana Pacers.

W2W4: New York Knicks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers December 10th, 2013

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Tuesday, December 10^th, 2013

New York Knicks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

Pre-Game News and Notes

The Knicks will look to bounce back after an embarrassing performance Sunday afternoon against the Boston Celtics tonight against the Cavaliers. The Cavaliers have been playing much better basketball recently, winning three of their last four games against some talented teams in the Chicago Bulls, Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers. The Knicks will have to come out with a lot better effort and energy than they did Sunday if they are to knock off the Cavaliers tonight. Here are some things to keep an eye on in tonight’s game.

-Player News and Notes