Celtics 96, Knicks 86: Celtics Show Knicks What a True Winner Looks Like
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Celtics 96, Knicks 86: Celtics Show Knicks What a True Winner Looks Like
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about 2 years ago Update 0 comments
Knicks' Swoon Against Celtics Gets Plenty Of Reaction
The New York Knicks are 7-9 since the trade for Carmelo Anthony. Monday night’s 96-86 loss to Boston, in which the Knicks imploded down the stretch after leading for most of the game, might have been one of the lowest points since the deal.
I gave you my reaction earlier today, and our Chris Celletti gave you his in his post-game recap.
Here are a few other thoughts on the Knicks from around the Inter-Google.
From the New York Times:
While the Knicks’ offense has a number of issues, the team’s dependence on the high screen-roll was the one most responsible for killing their offense late in Monday’s game. The Nash-Stoudemire high pick-and-roll used to be almost unstoppable, but he [D’Antoni] shouldn’t be able to expect his current personnel to be able to break down one of the best defenses in the league with nothing but high ball-screens.
The only thing worse than a lack of offensive movement is superfluous offensive movement that doesn’t put pressure on the defense, and that’s what the Knicks had when they tried to free Stoudemire with screens 30 feet from the hoop. In the first round of the playoffs, the Knicks will almost certainly be facing one of the five best defensive teams in the league. Before that happens, they may want to learn some new tricks on offense.
From Boston’s Glenn ‘Big Baby’ Davis:
“I think they gotta good future and it’s a process. You just can’t win in one year, especially in half a season. Winning is a journey. A wise man told me, ‘If you want to go quick, go by yourself. If you want to ride, you gotta go together.’ So it’s a long journey, and I think the upside is great. I think they have to be more defensive-minded. Everybody can’t score; they gotta get stops. I think they’re a great team. I think they have the tools. I think they need a couple more tools just to get to that championship level.”
Posting and Toasting examined Chauncey Billups struggles with the pick and roll.
about 2 years ago Update 0 comments
Celtics 96, Knicks 86: Celtics Show Knicks What a True Winner Looks Like
The Boston Celtics are winners; they’re a well-coached, championship contender with savvy veterans and solid role players. Everything the Celtics are, the New York Knicks are not. That was ever so evident in the fourth quarter of Boston’s 96-86 win over the Knicks on Monday night. The Celtics outclassed, out-executed and out-toughed the Knicks over the final frame, and the Knicks looked like the seventh place team that they are.
You can talk about the first three quarters of the game, and how the Knicks staked themselves out to a solid double digit lead. But when the game was on the line, down the stretch, the important part of the game, the Knicks simply weren’t up to the task. You saw Amare Stoudemire complain about a missed foul call instead of running back on defense. You saw Carmelo Anthony take some ill-advised, out of flow shots. Even Chauncey Billups, the ever-so dependent leader, turn the ball over late.
And most of all, you saw a team that, down the stretch, looked completely lost in its offensive sets, and lost all discipline. Mike D’Antoni is lauded for his offensive genius. How was the Knicks’ offense in the fourth quarter with a nine point lead? How does 4-for-16 shooting sound? How about zero points over the final 3:10 of the game? Doesn’t quite sound like a team being run by an offensive genius, does it?
The Knicks showed no organization or discipline down the stretch. Boston made all the right plays. The difference was stark. The stats for this game are irrelevant. All you needed to do was watch the fourth quarter, and you saw the difference between a championship contender and a far-off pretender.
about 2 years ago Update 0 comments
New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics: Sliding Knicks Host East-Best Celtics
The Knicks' road doesn't get any easier. Losers of five out of their last six games, the sluggish, struggling, new-look Knicks now stare a two-game buzz saw in the face, and part one of that come in tonight in the form of the Boston Celtics, owners of the best record in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks' recent struggles have come against terrible opposition, with two losses to the Indiana Pacers and losses to the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks over the weekend. Maybe the step-up in competition will help the Knicks, who outside of a beating to the Dallas Mavericks two weeks ago, seem to play to their competition.
It's probably useless to look at the past two Knicks-Celtics clashes this season, since they were both pre-Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups. They were also before the Celtics dealt Kendrick Perkins, a move that has not hurt them too terribly yet, but very well may in due time. Despite having the conference's best record at 49-19, Boston has allowed itself to be caught by the Chicago Bulls for the top spot in the East with some sketchy play as of late. Doc Rivers' team is as defensively solid as ever, but has dropped two of its last four games.
The Knicks' recent slide will knock some of the luster off this tilt, which a few weeks ago looked poised to be one of those marquee nights at Madison Square Garden. It's the first time Anthony and Billups will suit up for the Knicks against the Celtics, who the Knicks and their fans would love to reignite a rivalry with. It's a perfect "opposites attract" game, as the Knicks will see if their near-top rated offense can score against the league's best defense. But if the Knicks don't step up to the competition, the same way they've been playing down to it the past few weeks, they could be in for a long night.
