Knicks Defeat Nets, Win Season Series 3-1

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Tuesday, April 15^th, 2014

New York Knicks vs. Brooklyn Nets

Post Game Recap

The New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets finished up their disappointing season series Tuesday night, as the Knicks defeated the Nets 109-98. It was the third win in the series for the Knicks, who defeated the Nets by 30 and 29 points earlier in the season, while the Nets lone victory came by 23. There was plenty of players not suiting up tonight, and veterans who did played very little as both teams had nothing to really play for. The play resulted in a game that looked more like a preseason game than a regular season meeting. Both teams will be playing their regular season finales Wednesday night, as the Knicks will take on the Toronto Raptors, and the Nets will be going against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Knicks Perspective:

Knicks Blow Out Nets To Reach 8th Seed in East

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Wednesday, April 2^nd, 2014

Brooklyn Nets vs. New York Knicks

Post Game Recap

In what is a stretch of important games to finish the season that the New York Knicks need to win, they came out with the effort and passion of team fighting for a playoff spot, blowing out the Brooklyn Nets 110-81. It was a decisive win for the Knicks, who moved into eighth place in the Eastern Conference with the victory over the Atlanta Hawks, who lost to the Chicago Bulls. The Knicks will look to continue their winning ways Friday night, when they take on the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden.

Player of the Game: J.R. Smith

William Perlman-The Star-Ledger

Since calling out the team for the lack of heart and urgency that a playoff team shows, Smith has turned things on. His game has improved immensely, and he continued that strong play Wednesday against the Nets. Smith was on fire shooting the ball, making 9-16 shots overall and 6-12 from the three point line. He stuffed the stat sheet everywhere else as well, grabbing eight rebounds and handing out six assists. Smith is dynamic with the ball in his hands when his head is on straight, and is a capable distributor when he wants to be. With Smith playing this way the Knicks are a dangerous team not only finish out the season but possibly in the playoffs as well.

Match-Up of the Game Recap:

W2W4: Brooklyn Nets vs. New York Knicks; April 2nd, 2014

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Wednesday, April 2^nd, 2014

Brooklyn Nets vs. New York Knicks

Pre-Game News and Notes

The New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets will be facing off in a big game Wednesday night, as the Knick are fighting to get into the playoffs and the Nets are looking to move up in the standings. The Knicks are coming off their most successful west coast trip since 1999-2000 and will look to ride that momentum tonight against their cross-town rivals. For the Nets, they played last night and handled the Houston Rockets rather easily. Here are some things to look for tonight in the Battle of the Boroughs.

-Player News and Notes

The Knicks are staring at a big problem tonight, as Tim Hardaway Jr. is questionable with an ankle injury. Hardaway Jr. injured the ankle in the waning moments of the Knicks win Monday night over the Utah Jazz. If he is unable to go, Iman Shumpert will be in line for an increase in minutes and big role in the game plan. Amar’e Stoudemire should be back in the lineup for the Knicks tonight after sitting out Monday with a planned day of rest.

For the Nets, they will still be without Kevin Garnett. Garnett is not expected to make a return to the lineup until next week at the earliest. Andrei Kirilenko was not able to play last night for the Nets and his status is up in the air for the game tonight. Same goes for Marcus Thornton, who missed Tuesday’s game with back problems.

-Match-Up Of the Game: Carmelo Anthony vs. Paul Pierce

Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images

Knicks End West Coast Trip On High Note, Defeat Jazz

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Monday, March 31^st, 2014

New York Knicks vs. Utah Jazz

Post Game Recap

The New York Knicks were able to handle business Monday night, beating the Utah Jazz 92-83. The Knicks knew before halftime that they needed a victory tonight to keep pace with the Atlanta Hawks, who defeated the Philadelphia 76ers earlier in the night. The Knicks were able to do so, and will head back home with a 3-2 west coast trip and one game behind the Hawks for eighth place in the Eastern Conference. It was also only the second time this season the Knicks picked up a victory after trailing at halftime. Things will get difficult from here on out for the Knicks, as the remaining opponents on their schedule all hold records above .500. They will get back on the court Wednesday night to take on the cross town rival Brooklyn Nets.

Player of the Game: Carmelo Anthony

Rick Bowmer/AP Photo

Amar’e Stoudemire was unable to go tonight because of a scheduled day off, so Anthony knew he had to carry the scoring load. Carry the load he did, as he poured in 34 points on 11-19 from the field. Anthony had his jump shot going throughout the evening, knocking down 4-7 from beyond the three point line and sinking all eight of his free throw attempts. Anthony also grabbed eight rebounds to go with three assists, three steals and one block.

-Positives

Knicks Pull Off Big Upset In Golden State Over Warriors

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Sunday, March 30^th, 2014

New York Knicks vs. Golden State Warriors

Post Game Recap

Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Knicks were able to grind out a tough, hard earned victory Sunday night against the Golden State Warriors. The Knicks finally looked like a team fighting for their playoff lives as they put the effort and energy in to beat a superior team. The Knicks were able to take control of the game in the second quarter, and would not relinquish it throughout the second half. They bended but did not break as the Knicks were able to pull out the victory. With the win, the Knicks are now one game behind the Atlanta Hawks for eighth place in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks will look to finish the road trip 3-2 Monday night against the Utah Jazz before heading back home.

Player of the Game: The Bench

The bench has been much maligned for the Knicks recently, but tonight they were the catalysts to get the lead in the second quarter. Pablo Prigioni was inserted into the game and brought a different mentality to the team on both ends of the court. He was extremely aggressive and showed leadership by getting into his teammates when they were not in the correct positions. Prigioni wasn’t alone, as Tim Hardaway Jr. delivered a much needed scoring punch off the bench with 15 points. Iman Shumpert may not have shot the ball well, but he was able to stymie the Warriors explosive backcourt when he was in the game. Shannon Brown even gave the Knicks something without playing much in the game, getting the game sealing steal and knocking down two free throws after a clear path foul was called.

Knicks Have Solid Bounce Back Effort to Defeat Kings

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Wednesday, March 26^th, 2014

New York Knicks vs. Sacramento Kings

Post Game Recap

Kelly L. Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Knicks made it a lot more difficult than it had to be Wednesday night, but they were still able to pull out a much needed victory over the Sacramento Kings by the score of 107-99. The Knicks and Kings have a history of roller coaster games in Sacramento and tonight was no different. The Knicks led by as many as 24 points but the Kings were able to get it as close as three in the fourth quarter. Nonetheless it was a nice, and necessary, bounce back win as the win puts the Knicks three back in the loss column and two in the standings with 10 to play. The Knicks will continue their west coast trip Friday with a visit to the Phoenix Suns.

Player of the Game: J.R. Smith

Smith was huge for the Knicks tonight, as he caught fire right from the beginning and never slowed down. Smith tied the Knicks franchise record for three-pointers made in a game, draining nine of his 12 attempts from deep en route to 29 points. Smith made timely basket after timely basket in the fourth quarter for the Knicks to help them bring home the victory. When the Kings cut the lead to six with about 9:30 remaining Smith nailed a three pointer to get the lead back to nine. After they got it to four with about seven minutes remaining Smith knocked down yet another three. Finally, with just over four minutes remaining and the Kings on another run knocking the Knicks lead to just two, Smith knocked down his ninth and final three of the game to put the Knicks up five. Smith was very vocal after the Los Angeles Lakers game last night, and he came up big time for the Knicks, backing up everything he said. He also added four rebounds, four assists and a block to round out his stat line.

Erza Shaw/Getty Images

Match-up of the Game Recap:

The center match-up highlighted before the game was dominated tonight by DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins was unstoppable tonight as the Knicks had little answer to slowing him down. With Tyson Chandler dealing with foul trouble Cousins had his way offensively, dominating in the paint and showing off an impressive jump shot. Cousins finished the game with a monster stat line of 32 points, 15 rebounds, a season-high eight assists, two steals and two blocks. Chandler was hampered with foul trouble, but still managed to put up a respectable line with 10 points, eight rebounds and one block in only 29 minutes.

-Positives

Carmelo Anthony put up a solid effort tonight to help get the Knicks a victory. Anthony finished the game with a game-high 36 points on 12-21 from the field, knocking down 5-8 from three point range and all seven of his free throw attempts. Anthony added five rebounds in the process, to go along with two assists, one steal and one block. Anthony had a monster third quarter, scoring 12 points to make sure the Knicks did not have a repeat of the last two games to start the second half.

Seemingly every game this season the Knicks have been at a disadvantage at the point guard position, but tonight they caught a break with Isaiah Thomas being injured, and they were able to take advantage. Rookie and second round pick Ray McCallum got the start for the Kings tonight and the Knicks were able to rattle him early on. He got it going a bit in the second half, but it was too little too late for the Kings. On the other hand, Raymond Felton put together a strong game, handing out 10 assists with zero turnovers and pulling down seven rebounds.

The Knicks got much better results from their bench tonight. They were still outscored by the Kings bench, but they got positive contributions from the players who came into the game. Pablo Prigioni delivered seven assists in 16 minutes, while Iman Shumpert provided some solid defense and Tim Hardaway Jr. provided a dagger basket on the last possession. Cole Aldrich should also be applauded for being ready to play once Amar’e Stoudemire and Chandler got into foul trouble.

Erza Shaw/Getty Images

-Negative

While the Knicks were able to pull the victory out tonight, they made it much more difficult than it had to be. Once again this team lacked the killer instinct to put away a team, as the Kings bounced back from a 24-point deficit they faced halfway through the third quarter. If not for the sharp shooting of Smith and timely baskets from players like Anthony and Hardaway Jr. this would have once again been an embarrassing and disaster of a loss for the Knicks.

W2W4: New York Knicks vs. Sacramento Kings; March 26th, 2014

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Wednesday, March 26^th, 2014

New York Knicks vs. Sacramento Kings

Pre-Game News and Notes

The New York Knicks will look to bounce back from possibly their most embarrassing performance of the season Tuesday against the Sacramento Kings tonight. The Knicks were handled with ease by the Los Angeles Lakers, and will look to get back on track with only 11 games remaining on the season and their playoff hopes on life support. The Knicks will have revenge on their mind tonight as well to help add fuel to the fire, as the Kings won the first meeting this season at Madison Square Garden. Here are some keys to the game tonight.

Match-Up of the Game: Tyson Chandler vs. DeMarcus Cousins

cowbellkingdom.com

Chandler was non-existent in the game Tuesday night and will have to step his game up against the Kings and Cousins or else he will get embarrassed. Cousins is one of, if not the most, talented center in the NBA. He leads the Kings in points, rebounds, steals and blocks on the season, showing how great he is on both ends of the court. In the first match-up this season Cousins went for 19 points and 14 rebounds, even though he was unable to finish the game because of injury. Chandler had a strong game as well, going for 17 and 11. Cousins is prone to fouling, so if the Knicks can get Chandler involved in the offense through the pick-and-roll it could frustrate Cousins and get him in foul trouble.

-Player News and Notes

Knicks Embarrassed by Lakers To Start West Coast Trip

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Tuesday, March 25^th, 2014

New York Knicks vs. Los Angeles Lakers

Post Game Recap

If fans of the New York Knicks thought that Sunday was disappointing, it hit a whole different level of low Tuesday night in Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Lakers destroyed the listless Knicks 127-96. It was a frighten sight for the Knicks, who gave no effort and did not seem to care about what was happening in the game. It was an embarrassing performance for a team still in the playoff race. The Knicks playoff hopes are on life support and fading fast as the poor performances continue to pile up. The Knicks will have a quick turnaround as they will play the Sacramento Kings tomorrow night in the second night of the back-to-back.

Player of the Game: None

For the second consecutive game the Knicks do not have a player of the game. It was a total team embarrassment from top to bottom, players and coaching staff.

Robert Hanashiro/USA TODAY Sports

Match-up of the Game Recap:

J.R. Smith and Nick Young didn’t have the match-up anticipated at the start of the game, partially because the Knicks were blown out after the first quarter. Like all of his teammates, Smith was unable to get anything going consistently in the game. Young on the other hand had to going, pouring in 20 points in only 19 minutes. Young, like the Lakers, ran away with this match-up tonight.

-Positives

After starting the game 0-6, Carmelo Anthony was able to finish stronger, ending the game 10-21 for 29 points. Anthony added nine rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block to round out his stat line for the night.

The first quarter was the only bright spot for the Knicks. Anthony struggled but they were still able to take a 22-14 lead into the second quarter. The 14 points allowed were a season low for the Knicks, as they looked to be well on their way to a much needed victory.

-Negative

The remaining three quarters were a nightmare for the Knicks. After allowing a season-low 14 points, they allowed a franchise-high 51 in the third quarter. That is also a record for points in a quarter for the Lakers, which is shocking because this is quite possibly the worst Laker team in franchise history. The Lakers poured it on after the first quarter, scoring 113 points in quarters 2-4. They really lit the Knicks up from deep, knocking down 18-28 from the three point line.

Harry How/Getty Images

The Knicks bench was pounded tonight. When they were matched up with the Lakers bench to start the second quarter things got out of hand quick and the Lakers started rolling. The Knicks bench scored 21 points combined, 17 from Tim Hardaway Jr. On the contrary, the Lakers bench poured in 82. Xavier Henry scored 22, Young had 20 and Kent Bazemore had 18 to lead the onslaught.

It was scary how poor the Knicks defense was after the first quarter. They showed no heart or effort, leading to a blowout and yet another embarrassing loss. Hardaway Jr. continues to get torched nightly, as he has failed to even pick up the basics of defense in the NBA 60+ games into his rookie season. Tyson Chandler did nothing to protect the paint, as the Lakers scored 40 in there with little to no resistance.  It was an embarrassing performance all-around for the Knicks on the defensive end. They got dominated by essentially a D-League team and players who haven’t played in a very long time. Chris Kaman, who hasn’t even talked to his coach in three weeks, was inserted into the lineup tonight with Pau Gasol out, and scored 13 points and grabbed nine rebounds.

The team should have to find their own way to Sacramento for the game tomorrow and some people should be left in California for the remainder of the season. They have had golden opportunities to move up in the standings and close the gap with the Atlanta Hawks but have squandered all of them. The Knicks have played heartless and low IQ basketball for the better part of the six quarters and do not deserve a playoff spot. It is hard to imagine this is the same team that beat the Indiana Pacers last week at Madison Square Garden, creating as positive of vibes the team has had all season, and that is all gone now.

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

Mike Woodson's Poor Decision Making Almost Costs Knicks 8th Straight Win

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Friday, March 21^st, 2014

New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers

Post Game Recap

The New York Knicks almost saw their playoff hopes dashed tonight in extremely embarrassing fashion. The Philadelphia 76ers cut a 15 point Knicks lead to 2 in the last four minutes of the game, making what should have been an easy victory into a nail biter. Both teams were desperate for a win for different reasons, and it showed the last couple minutes of the game. With the victory the Knicks winning streak reaches eight games, and with the loss the 76ers are closing in on the NBA All-Time record for losses in a row 23. The Knicks also move to three games behind the Atlanta Hawks for eighth place in the Eastern Conference, as the Hawks dropped their game against the New Orleans Pelicans tonight.

Player of the Game: Amar’e Stoudemire

 

Matt Slocum/AP Photo

Stoudemire continued his strong play for the Knicks since being inserted into the starting lineup. Tonight he led the way offensively for the Knicks, scoring 22 points on 10-15 from the field. He was also a force on the boards, grabbing 10. Stoudemire looks like a different person since being inserted into the starting five and the Knicks have benefited greatly from it. Stoudemire may have to sit a game now and then to rest his knees but if he keeps putting forth performances like tonight it is worthwhile.

Match-Up of the Game Recap

W2W4: New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers; March 21st, 2014

Written By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Friday, March 21^st, 2014

New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers

Pre-Game News and Notes

The New York Knicks are in the midst of playing their best basketball of the season, reeling off seven straight wins. They will look to continue the good play and winning streak tonight against the Philadelphia 76ers, owners of their own lengthy streak. The 76ers are currently riding a franchise long 22-game losing streak and do not look like they will be ending it any time soon. The Knicks have to come in and handle business against a team that is more concerned with getting a top draft pick than winning games at the end of the season. Here are some news and notes to help get the Knicks the victory tonight.

Match-Up of the Game: Carmelo Anthony vs. Thaddeus Young

 

http://www.morningpickup.com/76ers-drop-pair-games-weekend/

When the 76ers started moving players at the trade deadline, Thaddeus Young was one expected to go. The versatile forward would have fit nicely in almost any front court in the NBA, but he was the one player the 76ers decided to keep. Even though the expectations for the team were rock bottom right from the start of the season, Young has played well, averaging career-highs in points, rebounds, assists and steals. He will be matched up throughout the night with Anthony, being tasked with slowing down the Knicks best player.

Carmelo Anthony has played well all season and has continued it throughout the winning streak. He will give Young everything he can handle tonight. Look for Anthony to come out aggressive early and often as the Knicks will try and put the 76ers away early and cruise to a victory.

Pre-Game News and Notes:

Strong 4th Quarter Pushes Knicks Past 76ers

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Monday, March 10^th, 2014

Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks

Post Game Recap

The Knicks were able to run their winning streak to four games Monday night with a 123-110 victory. It was a total team effort for the Knicks, who got a little something from all the players who stepped on the court tonight to help get the win. The Knicks are now sole owners of ninth place in the Eastern Conference, percentage points ahead of the Detroit Pistons. They now sit 3 ½ games behind the Atlanta Hawks, who were able to hold on and defeat the Utah Jazz tonight. The Knicks will look to continue their strong play Wednesday against another divisional foe in the Boston Celtics.

Player of the Game: Amar’e Stoudemire

 

Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Stoudemire has found his groove and is dominating for the Knicks. This is as close he has looked to the Stoudemire of his Phoenix Suns and first season with the Knicks days. Tonight he scored 23 points to go with six rebounds and one block. The impressive thing about his scoring output is that he did it on only 10 shots, making nine and connecting on five of eight free throws. Stoudemire is the most efficient scorer the Knicks have and he has shown time and time again when given the minutes he can still produce offensively. Recently Stoudemire has been playing better on the defensive end as well, enabling Mike Woodson to use him more minutes during the game.

-Positives

Knicks Blown Out For Second Consecutive Night

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Friday, February 28, 2014

Golden State Warriors vs. New York Knicks

Post Game Recap

It was another embarrassing loss for the Knicks at Madison Square Garden tonight as the Warriors came in and blew them out by a score of 126-103. The Knicks were out of it virtually from the start, trailing by double-digits from the midway point of the second quarter on and never really getting much closer. They fell behind by as many as 27 points and didn’t get closer than 16 in the second half. It was another uninspired effort for the Knicks who lacked the effort and urgency of a team on the outside looking in of the playoff race. The loss tonight runs the Knicks losing streak to five games and with a 2-11 record to finish February. The Knicks will be back at it again Sunday afternoon in a nationally televised game against the Chicago Bulls at 1 PM ET.

Player of the Game: Tim Hardaway Jr.

After having quite possibly his worst NBA game to date in his return home last night, Hardaway Jr. had a nice bounce back game tonight. He scored 22 points on 6-11 from the field and connected on 4-7 from deep, improving immensely upon his 2-15 and 0-8 from deep last night. It was nice to see Hardaway Jr. still trying out there tonight in a game that was seemingly over before he even stepped on the court. He showed resiliency and supreme confidence by coming out tonight with the same energy and emotion that he has brought in every game this season. His defense may need work but he is a guy the Knicks need to keep around as his offensive game has loads of potential to make him a starter in this league for many years to come.

Match up Of the Game Recap

Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images

The Knicks never really stood a chance in this match up of Stephen Curry against their backcourt. Curry, who had a season low five points Wednesday against the Bulls, came out and destroyed the Knicks tonight. Without Iman Shumpert starting Curry was able to get going from the start and lit the Knicks up throughout the night. He finished with a triple-double tonight after scoring career high 54-points in his visit last season. This one is much sweeter for Curry and the Warriors though as they left Madison Square Garden with the win in addition to Curry’s stellar night. On the contrary, Raymond Felton and Pablo Prigioni didn’t have much of an impact on the game. In 32 combined minutes the Knicks starting backcourt barely managed to provide stats you would expect from a reserve.

-Positives

W2W4: Golden State Warriors vs. New York Knicks; February 28th, 2014

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Friday, February 28^th, 2014

Golden State Warriors vs. New York Knicks

ESPN.go.Com

Pre-Game News and Notes

The Knicks will look to bounce back from an ugly performance against the two-time defending champion Miami Heat Friday night against the Warriors at Madison Square Garden. The Knicks are free-falling in the standings and cannot afford any lackluster performances like they have been putting forth recently. Things will not get any easier for the Knicks tonight as the Warriors are looking to avenge some poor play of their own, getting blown out by the Chicago Bulls Wednesday 103-83. Here are some things to look for in the game tonight.

-Player News and Notes

Knicks Blown Out By Heat Behind James, Wade

Thursday, February 27^th, 2014

New York Knicks vs. Miami Heat

Post Game Recap

The Knicks came into the game with the best winning percentage against the Heat since the start of last season and left with it dropping a little bit. The Knicks were handled rather easily tonight by the two-time defending champs, getting blown out 108-82. It was tough to watch at points if you are a Knicks fan and it reached a low when they actually went away from the game for a bit in the fourth quarter to watch the end of a the triple-overtime thriller between the Washington Wizards and Toronto Raptors. If the season hadn’t hit a low point yet, having a game switched over to a less than marquee match up like that should do it. The Knicks will be back at it again tomorrow night at Madison Square Garden to take on the Golden State Warriors.

-Player of the Game: Carmelo Anthony

Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

As it has been too often this season, Anthony looked to be one of the few Knicks to come in and try tonight. Anthony tried once again to put the team on his back tonight but he was unable to do it alone against one of the best teams in the NBA. Tonight Anthony finished with 29 points on 11-20 from the field, including 3-8 from the three point line and 4-6 from the foul line. He also added seven rebounds, two assists and one resounding block of LeBron James. He also had another highlight play with a dunk over James early on in the game. It was another efficient scoring night that has gone to waste as the Knicks got blown out.

-Positives

Knicks Suffer Devastating Loss to Magic In Double-OT

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Friday, February 21st, 2014

New York Knicks vs. Orlando Magic

Post Game Recap

The Knicks have added yet another disappointing loss to this disappointing season in a game they probably should have won. Tonight the Magic joined the list of teams with poor records to hand the Knicks a loss, winning 129-121 in double-overtime. With the loss the Knicks have fallen 4.5 games behind in the race for eighth place in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks have lost seven of their last nine games with bad losses to the Milwaukee Bucks, Sacramento Kings and now the Magic part of them. The Knicks playoff chances are slipping away with every passing loss as they continue losing close games they should come out ahead in. The Knicks will be back at it tomorrow night in Atlanta to face the Hawks as they finish up their four games in five nights stretch.

Player of the Game: Carmelo Anthony

David Manning/USA TODAY Sports

Anthony did everything he could to get the Knicks a victory tonight but once again it was just not enough. Tonight he continued his scoring barrage, pouring in a game-high 44 points on 16-28 from the field. Anthony was on fire from deep, going 6-10 and making 6-7 from the foul line. At one point he even made nine straight shots as he was on fire. The Magic even started sending double and even triple teams at him but there was no stopping him. Anthony also added 11 rebounds, four assists and one steal to round out his stat line. Anthony also played 50 minutes tonight, which raises the questions of how he will perform tomorrow night with such a quick turnaround. He is doing everything he can to get the Knicks wins and they just keep coming up short. Knicks fans should sit back and just soak in what Anthony is doing recently and throughout the season as he could easily be doing this for another team next season.

-Positives

With the trade deadline passing Thursday, Raymond Felton finally can be at rest with where he is going to be the rest of the season. Tonight he played quite possibly his best game of the season, scoring 15 points, handing out eight assists, grabbing eight rebounds and playing decent defense with one steal and two blocks. He neutralized Magic starting point guard Jameer Nelson, who finished with three points, four assists and three rebounds. Felton has struggled mightily throughout the season with trade rumors swirling and injuries taking their toll, but he looked as good as he has all season tonight. If Felton is able to get things turned around it would help the Knicks immensely, especially with Iman Shumpert now sidelined.

David Manning/USA TODAY Sports

The perimeter shooting tonight for the Knicks was on point. They were efficient from the three point line all game and used that as the vocal point of their offensive attack. For the game the Knicks shot 15-34 from deep, good for 44.1 percent. Anthony led the way with six makes, while Pablo Prigioni and Tim Hardaway Jr. each made three. Through three quarters they Knicks shot 53 percent from the field and looked to be in control of the game.

The defense through the first three quarters of the game was solid. The point total was a little high at 79, but the Knicks had held the Magic to 40 percent shooting. They went into the fourth quarter up seven points and looked like they were well on their way to their second consecutive victory.

-Negatives

The fourth quarter and overtime were polar opposites for both teams from the first three quarters. The Knicks shooting percentage dropped to 47.4 percent as the offense began to stall at times and Anthony was routinely bailing them out. On the other hand the Magic’s shooting percentage rose all the way to 49.9 percent as the Knicks could not get needed stops. The Knicks went up by four points with under two minutes remaining and were unable to slow the Magic down no matter what they tried. The Knicks have lost games like this all season because they cannot lock down defensively consistently enough when they need to.

David Manning/USA TODAY Sports

The perimeter defense is usually the problem for the Knicks, but tonight they had trouble stopping the Magic from anywhere on the court. Tobias Harris, the Long Island native, was manned with guarding Anthony throughout the night. He lost his cool a little early in the game but locked in later and finished with 22 points on 7-11 from the field. Rookie Victor Oladipo destroyed the Knicks throughout the night, finishing one rebound short of a triple-double to go along with 30 points and 14 assists. Arron Afflalo, whose name was a part of some rumors before the trade deadline, hurt the Knicks as well scoring a team high 32 points along with three rebounds and assists.

Plays that would have changed with just a little more attention to detail tonight could have turned the game into a Knicks win. The first one came at the end of regulation, when Anthony stepped on the sideline while dribbling to the right corner for his patented pull-up jump shot. Harris stuck with him and needs to be given some credit for the defense he played. The other play came in overtime, when Tyson Chandler attempted to throw down a reverse dunk off an alley-oop pass from Felton and the ball didn’t make it through the basket as it hit off his head. The Knicks have proved time and time again this season that they do not possess the mental fortitude and attention to detail to pull out close games and they showed it once again tonight.

W2W4: New York Knicks vs. New Orleans Pelicans; February 19th, 2014

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Pre-Game News and Notes

New York Knicks vs. New Orleans Pelicans

The Knicks will look to get on track tonight against the Pelicans after a tough loss last night to the Memphis Grizzlies. The Knicks will also be looking to exact some revenge on the Pelicans, who beat the Knicks 103-99 December 1^st at Madison Square Garden. In that game the Pelicans didn’t even have rising star Anthony Davis, who left the game with a non-displaced fracture in his left hand, and were still able to get the victory. It will be a tough match-up with Davis in the lineup tonight but the Knicks do match-up pretty well with the current lineup the Pelicans are forced to use. Here are some things to look forward to in the game tonight.

-Players News and Notes

The Knicks, who were without Kenyon Martin prior to the All-Star break will be without him again tonight and most likely for the remainder of the road trip. Martin is dealing with more ankle soreness and the Knicks are missing him immensely. Andrea Bargnani has been out a month now and there is still update on his injured elbow. His timetable is still unknown of when he is expected to return to the court.

Two players to keep an eye on also are Raymond Felton and Iman Shumpert. They are the two names brought up most in trade rumors involving the Knicks and if anything is close to being made official on the trade front both players may not be suiting up tonight.

For the Pelicans they will still be without Jrue Holiday. His status has been upgraded and he should be back with the team within a week, but the Knicks will not have to face him. Anthony player they should be happy about not facing is Ryan Anderson. Anderson is out with a back injury. That sound was a sigh of relief by the Knicks, who have been killed by Anderson every time he steps on the court against them.

Match-up Of The Game: Carmelo Anthony/Tyson Chandler vs. Anthony Davis

Kathy Willens/AP Photo

The Knicks front court will have their hands full with Davis no matter who is guarding him. He presents match-up problems against virtually everyone in the NBA as his combination of athleticism and size is not rivaled by many in the league. Davis, in the midst of a breakout career year will cause problems for the Knicks wherever he is stationed defensively. He has the intangibles to make life difficult for Anthony, who would be best suited taking Davis away from the basket. It would help the Knicks a lot by having Davis as far away from the basket as possible to diminish his rebounding and shot blocking abilities.

-Re-Kindle New Orleans Magic

Over the weekend during the All-Star festivities two Knicks put on offensive shows. Tim Hardaway Jr. and Anthony both set the court ablaze with hot outside shooting. Anthony set an All-Star game record with eight three-point makes while Hardaway scored 36 points in the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge Friday night. It would go a long way if both players were able to put on performances reminiscent of that tonight against a Pelicans team that allows teams to shoot a high percentage against them at 46.2 percent.

-Woody’s Rotation

Last night we saw Mike Woodson go against his normal rotations and ride the hot hands throughout the second half. It helped get the Knicks back into the game but also could have been a problem holding that lead; Woodson made only two subs the whole fourth quarter, as Pablo Prigioni played the last 14:29 of the game without a rest. Woodson needed to use the players that were performing, but at what cost?

Anthony Gruppuso/USA TODAY Sports

Tonight it will be worth watching how he monitors minutes. The Knicks are engaged in trade rumors with seemingly the whole NBA so until the game starts they are not even 100 percent sure which players will be taking the court for them tonight. It would benefit him and the team greatly if he dipped a little deeper into the bench tonight and gave some more minutes to players like Jeremy Tyler and Toure’ Murry with it being the second game of the back-to-back set.

-Perimeter Play

Even without Holiday, the Pelicans still possess strong perimeter play. They start a capable replacement in Bryan Roberts and have Eric Gordon alongside him in the backcourt. The real problem for the Knicks is former Rookie of the Year winner Tyreke Evans. In the first meeting this season Evans scored 24 points, 10 of which came in the fourth quarter, to go along with seven assists and four steals.

The Knicks will need a spirited effort from their perimeter players to keep up with the Pelicans. An improved performance from J.R. Smith, who is very vocal about his dislike of the mask he needs to wear to protect the broken bone in his face, should become more comfortable with it in the coming days. He was pretty much useless Tuesday in his first game with the mask, shooting 2-8 and grabbing five rebounds to go with one assist.

Knicks Comeback Falls Short in Memphis

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Tuesday, February 18^th, 2014

New York Knicks vs. Memphis Grizzlies

Post Game Recap

The Knicks started the second half of the NBA season much like they played throughout the first half; underwhelming with a heart breaking loss at the end. The Knicks had a poor first half against a strong Grizzlies’ defense but they were able to pick it up in the third quarter to make it a tie game going into the fourth. The Knicks picked up momentum and looked to be in control of the game but mental lapses swing the advantage back to the Grizzlies, who took advantage and came away with the win. The Knicks did everything they needed to do to win the game tonight and still came away with a loss. They are now 13 games under .500 and falling further and further behind in the playoff race. Is help on its way? The trade deadline is Thursday at 3 PM ET and the Knicks are apart of plenty of rumors. They will be back at it tomorrow night in New Orleans to take on the Pelicans a in the second game of their four game in five nights trip.

Player of the Game: Tim Hardaway Jr.

Justin Ford/USA TODAY Sports

The rookie put on a show during All-Star weekend during the BBVA Rising Star challenge and carried it into tonight’s game. Hardaway Jr. was the only Knick with a knack from long range, knocking down four of the six Knicks makes from the three point line. He finished with a team high 23 points on 7-15 shooting overall, scoring 14 of those points in the fourth quarter as the Knicks attempted to take over the game. The same story rang true tonight that has throughout the season though as Hardaway Jr. did not help anywhere else in the game outside of scoring, showing that the rookie still has a little ways to go before being a player the Knicks can count on night in and night out.

-Positives

Knicks Fall in Overtime to Western Conference Cellar-Dwelling Kings

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Wednesday, February 12^th, 2014

Sacramento Kings vs. New York Knicks

Post Game Recap

The Knicks will be heading into the All-Star break with a lot of negativity surrounding the team after a 106-101 overtime loss to the Kings Wednesday night. The Kings have the worst record in the Western Conference and had lost seven in a row on the road, including last night by 10 points in Cleveland, but were unfazed coming into Madison Square Garden. These are the kind of losses that can result in people losing jobs and players being moved. This could very well be the last time we see Mike Woodson on the sidelines as the Knicks coach and some players wearing a Knicks jersey. By this time next week and into Thursday there is a good chance this team will look much different. The Knicks will start their All-Star break now and will be back on the court Tuesday in Memphis to start off a four game in five nights stretch that will take place in four different cities. If this isn’t rock bottom for the Knicks they are definitely close.

Jim McIsaac

Player of the Game: Amar’e Stoudemire

Tonight Stoudemire turned back the block and the Knicks needed every bit of it. Stoudemire played 37 minutes, scoring 20 points on 10-15 from the field and grabbed eight rebounds. He also had one assist and two blocks on the night. Stoudemire was the only Knick with the knack in the fourth quarter as he picked up all the scoring slack being left behind by Carmelo Anthony, who didn’t score in the fourth quarter or overtime. Stoudemire is by far the most efficient scorer the Knicks have yet for some reason he is not relied upon on by Mike Woodson unless there is a necessity to use Stoudemire, such as injuries like there was tonight.

Match up of the Game Recap:

Tyson Chandler and DeMarcus Cousins did not disappoint tonight as both came to play. The only problem was that Cousins was unable to make it through the full game. He did his damage even with only getting 33 minutes, scoring 19 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Chandler was not far behind, scoring 17 points and pulling down 11 rebounds of his own. It was a hard fought match up between the two, but it seemed like a blessing in disguise for the Kings when Cousins went down; on the night they were -17 with him on the court.

-Positives

Anthony’s first quarter. He was on fire out of the gate, scoring 17 points in the first quarter. He knocked down his last seven shots of the quarter, finishing 7-9 from the field for the quarter. The Kings threw a number of people at Anthony to slow him down but none were able to do the job. The only player able to stop Anthony was himself and Woodson; will be touched on later on.

Jeremy Tyler received only 11 minutes but he once again made the most of them. He did not score tonight but he had five rebounds in his time on the court. The Knicks actually out rebounded the Kings tonight, a surprise given how strong of a rebounding team the Kings are, ranking 13^th in the NBA in rebounding per game compared to 26^th for the Knicks.

-Negatives

Anthony the final three quarters of the game did not help the Knicks out too much. After a scorching first quarter he finished the game 12-28, going 5-19 after the first quarter. He missed his final six shots and didn’t score in overtime when the Knicks needed him most as he continued his troubling trend of shooting worse as the game went on. He also played 48 minutes in the game, something that could play into why he struggled so much in the second half as he became fatigued.

Jim O'Connor/USA TODAY Sports

The shooting guard play was bad for the Knicks tonight. What made it worse, Iman Shumpert was having a good game before he was forced to leave with a hip pointer in the third quarter after knocking down a three pointer. With no J.R. Smith tonight the onus fell on Tim Hardaway Jr. and he did not step up tonight. He finished with a poor shooting night, going 3-12 overall and 1-6 from the three point line. He was unable to also stay in front of whoever he was guarding as the Kings picked him out and went at him whenever they had the chance.

The Knicks defense again was mind boggling, as they double-teamed mindlessly leaving shooters open throughout the game. Tonight it was New York native Jimmer Fredette. Fredette scored 24 points, going 9-14 overall and 6-8 from deep; when I say deep I mean deep as Fredette was knocking down jumpers feet behind the three point line. The embarrassing part about this is that Fredette has barely been able to crack the Kings rotation recently as he hadn’t even scored 24 points in the month of February combined.

Knicks Cant Hang With Heat, Ending Four Game Winning Streak

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Saturday, February 1^st, 2014

Miami Heat vs. New York Knicks

Post Game Recap

The Knicks were unable to end their home stand on a high note and continue their strong play against the Miami Saturday night as the Heat handled them rather easily, winning 106-91. After an embarrassing loss at Madison Square Garden three weeks ago the Heat were able to exact some revenge tonight. The Knicks played sloppy, unnerved basketball tonight as the Heat came ready to play. Some of the younger players looked overwhelmed against the two-time defending champion Heat and the veterans were unable to right the ship outside of a few short lived runs. Inconsistent play on both ends of the court eventually doomed the Knicks. On a night that biggest and brightest stars were at the Garden for Super Bowl weekend, the Knicks fell flat and their winning streak ended at four games. They will get back on the court Monday night in Milwaukee against the Bucks.

Player of the Game: J.R. Smith

Howard Simmons/New York Daily News

Smith was tasked with the biggest challenge of the night; slowing down the human freight train LeBron James. Smith tried admirably throughout the game to slow James down but was barely a speed jump for King James, who is two inches taller and listed at least 30 pounds heavier. With Iman Shumpert sidelined Smith drew the toughest defensive assignment. Even thought James was taking it to Smith on the defensive end, Smith was able to hold his own offensively. Smith shot the ball efficiently, going 6-11 from the field (4-7 3pt, 4-8 FT) for 20 points. He added two rebounds and one steal as well, as he played James as well as he possibly could and still delivered offensively even with all of the effort he was putting forth on the defensive end.

-Positive