THINGS WE SAW
#1: Stoudemire, Chandler and Anthony played a little under 19 minutes together. In those minutes, the Knicks were -17, which works out to -43.22 points per 48 minutes. :-( (MFC)#2: Prediction: The Knicks are going to miss Jared Jeffries a lot. Our three new bigs — Thomas, Camby and Wallace — are all excellent post defenders and/or paint protectors, but they are not too nimble. Against a slow paced, isolation offense, being big is more important than being quick as the game becomes more about positioning. However, against an uptempo team, unless your big man is the type of low post threat who can force opponents to play bigger, slower guys, mobility is far more important. Not only was getting back on defense an issue for New York’s lumbering bigs tonight, but they struggled to trap the pick and roll, resulting in lots of paint shots and the bevy of top-of-the-key threes Toronto made to ice the game. It also led to a huge offensive rebounding advantage for Toronto as New York’s bigs were unable to get back in rebounding position after chasing around Toronto’s pesky little guards. (MFC)
#3: If there are cynics out there seeking a singular passage of play to represent their greatest fears about the 2012-13 season and beyond, the leader in the clubhouse is now a sequence that occurred at exactly the ten minute mark of the third quarter. Kyle Lowry brings the ball across halfcourt and is met by Raymond Felton about 5 feet beyond the arc. Andrea Bargnani (guarded by Tyson Chandler) steps out to the left wing and beckons for Lowry to go sideline as the rest of the team clears out. Lowry dribbles left, running Felton into a fairly half-hearted Bargnani screen. Seeing both 1) the softness of the screen and 2) Toronto’s intent to create a Bargnani/Felton mismatch, Chandler elects not to bite and stays with Bargnani, trusting Felton to come under the screen quickly enough to deny Lowry a path to the rim. And then:
…
1) Felton comes under the screen sluggishly, leaving literally zero blue shirts occupying the 23 feet between Lowry and the basket.
2) Chandler, immediately recognizing that Felton has been beaten but still unwilling to concede the open Bargnani look that was likely Option A, points to the open space, knowing that three of his teammates (Anthony, Stoudemire, White) surround the key.
3) Lowry actually slips and nearly falls, seemingly squandering his opportunity for an uncontested layup…seemingly.
4) Melo and Amare converge on the rim as Lowry recovers from his slip and drives.
5) All three players arrive at the same moment with Felton frantically chasing Lowry from behind. Lowry rises. And none…NONE…of the three Knicks at the rim jump, raise their arms, or make any other recognizable attempt to contest Lowry’s layup. Amare bumps him waist on waist, Melo goes with a two handed swipe at his abdomen, and Felton pulls up before making contact and looks the laziest of the three but, hey, at least his chosen tactic wasn’t a guaranteed foul. Lowry finishes easily, the obvious foul is called on Stoudemire (it looked like Anthony probably could have also been whistled, though it was pretty soft contact), and Chandler and Woodson (and if you watch the video please look closely for this because it comes and goes quickly) simultaneously toss their palms out as if in frustrated disbelief before the former affects an akimboed daze and the latter calls timeout.
…
There, in just ten seconds, is the image of our collective worst-case scenario: the two superstars and the much-maligned point guard being beaten by a combination of poor positioning, limited defensive skill, and general detachment while the team’s two defensive authoritities look on in horror, unable to save them from themselves. (KM)
