Knicks · This team has a legit chance to win it all (page 1)

I did not think that until today--I now believe that this team can really do it.

The only thing that can stop us is Chicago. And Miami. But we are a scary match up for either one of those, it will be difficult to push us aside

Look, it's never as good as it seems and it's never as bad as it seems, so let's put the breaks on our joy here, because at the end of the day this team, this Star, does not have the track record in the playoffs.

I'm ready for the Second Season, if they reach the ECF, I will be on the wagon

Ehhhh...the only teams i worry about are the pacers bulls and heat

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2...

Knicks look very much a contender out-scoring Thunder in OKC

Kurt Helin

Apr 7, 2013, 4:05 PM EDT

What do you want from your title contender?

A superstar to lead the team? How about Carmelo Anthony with 36 points and 12 rebounds — nine offensive? He took over the league’s scoring title race with that performance.

Toughness inside? How about 19 offensive rebounds on one end and your big center Tyson Chandler contesting shots in the paint at the end on the other? (And that was without Kenyon Martin or Amare Stoudemire.)

Three point shooting? How about 10 in the first half and 15-34 for the game”

Quality play off the bench? How about 54 points and 10 threes?

Sunday the Knicks went into Oklahoma City and checked off a lot of boxes on the contender card, beating the Thunder 125-120 in a one of the more entertaining games of the season. That would be a dozen wins in a row for the Knicks as they have found their groove before the playoffs.

If you believe playoff statements can be made in the regular season, the Knicks made one this week beating a depleted Heat and an at-full-strength Thunder.

When talking about the Knicks as contenders, the hesitation was simply are not a good defensive team. There was never any doubt they could score but can they get stops? This game certainly didn’t alleviate that concern but it showed the Knicks can overcome it. On the season their defense is average (15th in NBA in points per possession) but in their 10 games before this they were allowing 1.5 points per 100 possessions fewer, which has them 8th in the NBA in that stretch.

Meanwhile, the Thunder looked beatable. Again. They have two fantastic scorers in Russell Westbrook (37 points on 27 shots) and Kevin Durant (27 points on 17 shots), but their system has a little isolation heavy and that makes them easier to defend. The difference in ball movement between the two sides was stark — the Knicks rate up there with the Heat and Spurs as the teams really sharing the rock right now.

This game was what the Knicks look like when the three ball is falling — they can score in bunches. In the first half it was the long ball that carried the Knicks — 10 threes and a total of 65 points by the break.

The other part of that was their bench. Jason Kidd was 4-of-6 from three for the game, J.R. Smith had 22, and Chris Copeland exploited his matchup with Nick Collison in the first half (Collison isn’t quick enough to cover him on the perimeter and Scott Brooks stuck with that matchup for way longer than he should have).

This was a close game — 110-109 New York with 4 minutes left — and it was the Knicks that made plays down the stretch.

It was Anthony driving baseline again, missing and getting his own rebound again and scoring. It was Tyson Chandler contesting and forcing Durant to miss a floater. It was a J.R. Smith stepback 20 footer then a possession later a 26-foot three off a broken play.

The Thunder made plays also down the stretch — Westbrook in particular with a steal and bucket, then a key three — but it wasn’t enough. When the Knicks offense is clicking they can just outscore teams. That’s what they did.

It felt like a playoff game and the Knicks have won again. They look ready for the postseason in 10 days and like a team that can do a lot of damage when it starts.

GustavBahler wrote:

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2...

Knicks look very much a contender out-scoring Thunder in OKC

Kurt Helin

Apr 7, 2013, 4:05 PM EDT

What do you want from your title contender?

A superstar to lead the team? How about Carmelo Anthony with 36 points and 12 rebounds — nine offensive? He took over the league’s scoring title race with that performance.

Toughness inside? How about 19 offensive rebounds on one end and your big center Tyson Chandler contesting shots in the paint at the end on the other? (And that was without Kenyon Martin or Amare Stoudemire.)

Three point shooting? How about 10 in the first half and 15-34 for the game”

Quality play off the bench? How about 54 points and 10 threes?

Sunday the Knicks went into Oklahoma City and checked off a lot of boxes on the contender card, beating the Thunder 125-120 in a one of the more entertaining games of the season. That would be a dozen wins in a row for the Knicks as they have found their groove before the playoffs.

If you believe playoff statements can be made in the regular season, the Knicks made one this week beating a depleted Heat and an at-full-strength Thunder.

When talking about the Knicks as contenders, the hesitation was simply are not a good defensive team. There was never any doubt they could score but can they get stops? This game certainly didn’t alleviate that concern but it showed the Knicks can overcome it. On the season their defense is average (15th in NBA in points per possession) but in their 10 games before this they were allowing 1.5 points per 100 possessions fewer, which has them 8th in the NBA in that stretch.

Meanwhile, the Thunder looked beatable. Again. They have two fantastic scorers in Russell Westbrook (37 points on 27 shots) and Kevin Durant (27 points on 17 shots), but their system has a little isolation heavy and that makes them easier to defend. The difference in ball movement between the two sides was stark — the Knicks rate up there with the Heat and Spurs as the teams really sharing the rock right now.

This game was what the Knicks look like when the three ball is falling — they can score in bunches. In the first half it was the long ball that carried the Knicks — 10 threes and a total of 65 points by the break.

The other part of that was their bench. Jason Kidd was 4-of-6 from three for the game, J.R. Smith had 22, and Chris Copeland exploited his matchup with Nick Collison in the first half (Collison isn’t quick enough to cover him on the perimeter and Scott Brooks stuck with that matchup for way longer than he should have).

This was a close game — 110-109 New York with 4 minutes left — and it was the Knicks that made plays down the stretch.

It was Anthony driving baseline again, missing and getting his own rebound again and scoring. It was Tyson Chandler contesting and forcing Durant to miss a floater. It was a J.R. Smith stepback 20 footer then a possession later a 26-foot three off a broken play.

The Thunder made plays also down the stretch — Westbrook in particular with a steal and bucket, then a key three — but it wasn’t enough. When the Knicks offense is clicking they can just outscore teams. That’s what they did.

It felt like a playoff game and the Knicks have won again. They look ready for the postseason in 10 days and like a team that can do a lot of damage when it starts.

Awesome. Thanks for posting this.

Grunwald has done a very good job adding important veteran players

CrushAlot wrote:
Awesome. Thanks for posting this.

NP. I can't wait for Sheed and Kmart to get back, and maybe Camby will feel healthy enough to contribute as well. That's a lot of extra firepower on tap for the playoffs.

GustavBahler wrote:

CrushAlot wrote:
Awesome. Thanks for posting this.

NP. I can't wait for Sheed and Kmart to get back, and maybe Camby will feel healthy enough to contribute as well. That's a lot of extra firepower on tap for the playoffs.

I agree. It sounds like Sheed is going to make it back for the playoffs. My guess is he would love to play in the games against the Celtics if the Knicks meet them in the first round.

Some of us felt this at the beginning of the year after the great start .

playa2 wrote:Some of us felt this at the beginning of the year after the great start .

Then its "extra special" for you!

What stands out to me is the work Woody has done with the team and how he's really at his most comfortable with his rotations and how he wants to use his players. He did a great job of bringing along JR, Shump and Cope this year. All 3 are playing at a higher level than the start of the year. Think about it, this team is tops in terms of Turnovers and you would think that our young guys would be a problem in that area but they aren't and that's great coaching.

Also Woody has gotten a lot out of Felton, Prigs and Kidd. He now has a nice rotation with those guys having them do what they're best at and not have to do what they are weakest at. Felton can be more of the scorer and slasher. Prigs can be the pure PG and defensive pest. Kidd can be that ball mover and 3pt release valve, also smart defensive plays and timely offensive plays that win games.

All Woody needs now is to get KMart and some of the other bigs back just for insurance as we move along. I have to give credit where it's due and he really has pulled it all together.

Melo has been once again a BEAST in April. He's done that 3 yrs in a row now. He's looking really confident and also trusting of his teammates. Looks like Melo and JR are the 1-2 punch now. We needed that to really contend.

I agree. And no matter what happens in the playoffs lets please keep the trade Melo talk to a minimum.

BRIGGS wrote:I did not think that until today--I now believe that this team can really do it.

Wow....Am I the only one that believed in this team? This was before we even played 1 game. Just based on the additions and age of the vets. I'm just kicking myself for not betting on them before the season started. Even if you bet a few bucks, you would come up big because vegas odds gave a slim to no chance of winning.

I still hate this lineup....I still think our small ball lineup will come back to bite us. The only thing I like about our lineup is Melo's advantage against bigger guys on offense. Everything else is a disadvantage.

Lack Defensive Rebounds
Increased Fatigue and tired legs
Increased Foul Trouble
More Defensive mismatches (Pablo)
Nobody to protect the paint (Due to Chandler's consistent switching on PG's)

Lets hope Woody can prove me wrong. I just hope he's not afraid to change it up against bigger teams.

blkexec wrote:

BRIGGS wrote:I did not think that until today--I now believe that this team can really do it.

Wow....Am I the only one that believed in this team? This was before we even played 1 game. Just based on the additions and age of the vets. I'm just kicking myself for not betting on them before the season started. Even if you bet a few bucks, you would come up big because vegas odds gave a slim to no chance of winning.

I still hate this lineup....I still think our small ball lineup will come back to bite us. The only thing I like about our lineup is Melo's advantage against bigger guys on offense. Everything else is a disadvantage.

Lack Defensive Rebounds
Increased Fatigue and tired legs
Increased Foul Trouble
More Defensive mismatches (Pablo)
Nobody to protect the paint (Due to Chandler's consistent switching on PG's)

Lets hope Woody can prove me wrong. I just hope he's not afraid to change it up against bigger teams.

Our bigs are sparse. 4-1 is what we have won 12 straight with--this is how we roll

I think Kidd and Priggs is an absolute key for us to keep winning. When they pass the ball it becomes contagious. We have as good a shot at a title then any team in the league.

We beat every team thats considered a contender except for the clips, what more can we say.

things are lining up for a nice run. not sure they should fear any team in the east at this point. beat the heat. out west, spurs and okc seem to be the most likely to come out. parkers status could help dictate that.

Not drinking the Kool-Aid about a championship yet. I'm just happy that we're playing relevant basketball. It's been a while since I've looked forward to the playoffs.

I'm just glad we won't be playing the Bulls in the first or second round.

I've always had faith in this team despite their flaws. Honestly, it's much more fun to just enjoy the ride.

Did anyone notice the quick hook JR got after he came in? Woody knows what time it is and he is not playing around.

MinsHeartsReezy wrote:I'm just glad we won't be playing the Bulls in the first or second round.

I've always had faith in this team despite their flaws. Honestly, it's much more fun to just enjoy the ride.

Enjoying the ride as well. I knew what the team's ceiling was at the start of the season but wasn't sure if all the bad luck was going to overwhelm them. This season, even with all the ups and downs, is still the most fun I've had watching the Knicks in many years.