SB Nation New York - Knicks-Nets: Preview, game time, TV, analysis, morehttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48977/ny-fave.png2012-12-19T14:43:29-05:00http://newyork.sbnation.com/rss/stream/35480252012-12-19T14:43:29-05:002012-12-19T14:43:29-05:00Knicks injury update: Melo a 'game-time decision'
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<p>Carmelo Anthony will be a "game-time decision" for the New York Knicks Wednesday night when they face the Brooklyn Nets at Madison Square Garden. Anthony has been out with an ankle sprain.</p>
<p>"He's gonna come out and warm up and see how he feel's," Knicks coach Mike Woodson said.</p>
<p>Amar'e Stoudemire will practice at least one more time before any decision is made on him returning to action from his knee injury, Woodson said. He added that Rasheed Wallace (foot) Marcus Camby (foot) remain out, and that Steve Novak has "flu-like symptoms" and missed the Wednesday shootaround. He may miss Wednesday's game.</p>
<p>"Eventually all of these guys will be back and they'll probably be complaining that they're not playing," Woodson said. "That will be something that I will have to deal with as a coach. Right now we're a little short-handed."</p>
<p>The Knicks and Nets will meet for the third time this season on Wednesday night.</p>
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https://newyork.sbnation.com/2012/12/19/3785150/new-york-knicks-injury-update-carmelo-anthony-a-game-time-decisionEd Valentine2012-12-19T10:16:30-05:002012-12-19T10:16:30-05:00D-Will, Avery Johnson clash could get ugly quickly
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<figcaption>Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>The star point guard and head coach are both saying all the right things... for now.</p> <p>For a while it looked like the inaugural <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.netsdaily.com/">Brooklyn Nets</a> season would be as charmed as owner Mikhail Prokhorov and GM Billy King has hoped when hundreds of millions of dollars were committed over the summer to the roster that would first play in the new Barclays Center.</p>
<p>The Nets were 11-4, had an emotional win over their new cross-town rival <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.postingandtoasting.com/">New York Knicks</a> under their belts and looked poised to join the group of elite teams at the top of the Eastern Conference.</p>
<p>All along, star point guard <span>Deron Williams</span> couldn't quite get into a groove, but it didn't much matter with the Nets winning at such an impressive clip. Then center <span>Brook Lopez</span> injured his foot and was forced to the bench for seven games. Brooklyn went 2-5 in that stretch and head coach Avery Johnson's rotations, which had been solid, were suddenly all out of whack trying to make up for the loss of Lopez.</p>
<p>With Lopez back in the fold the Nets are still struggling offensively, even with the center averaging 17 points over the last two games, and those struggles were highlighted even more when Williams praised the offense he got to run in high school, college and in the NBA with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.slcdunk.com/">Utah Jazz</a>.</p>
<p>"I grew up in high school, my coach wasn’t one of those guys who would just throw out the ball and let us play," <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/nets/system-error-d-will-adjusting-avery-system-article-1.1222311">Williams told reporters</a>. "We were a system team. We had a staple of plays that we relied on. We were good at execution. In college (at Illinois), we ran the motion offense. A lot of cutting, a lot passing, a lot of screening, a lot of extra passes. I’m used to just movement. So I’m still trying to adjust. It’s been an adjustment for me."</p>
<p>Williams and Johnson both down played the comments as being more than a passing thought.</p>
<p>"There's nothing to it," Williams <a href="http://www.netsdaily.com/2012/12/18/3780862/deron-williams-theres-nothing-to-it">explained </a>Tuesday . "[The media] asked me about Utah. I'm not going to bad mouth Utah. I had a great time in Utah. I loved he offense. I've said we've had struggles on offense here, which I've said all year."</p>
<p>"No, not at all," Johnson, added. "We talk about it. We have great communication. So the comments aren't surprising. And really and truly, guys, I'm 47 now turning 48. I don't take anything personal. I communicate with all my players, constant communication with Deron, [Jerry Stack[house] and Joe [Johnson]."</p>
<p>The head coach thinks it's as simple as waiting for open shots to fall, but another loss to the Knicks at MSG Wednesday night followed by losing at home to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.libertyballers.com/">Philadelphia 76ers</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.celticsblog.com/">Boston Celtics</a> could turn the tide in Brooklyn very quickly.</p>
<p>Off the cuff remarks will quickly become a private meeting with the general manager, all while an unhappy Russian starts to wonder what his hundreds of millions of dollars are paying for. Suddenly the heat gets turned up on a lame-duck head coach.</p>
<p>No one has forgotten how things ended with Williams and Utah, with the point guard being blamed (rightfully or not) for an all-time great coach in <span>Jerry Sloan</span> abruptly retiring. For all the improvements Johnson has made as a head coach, he's not -- and never will be -- Sloan, so if Williams and the Nets continue to struggle, a coaching change will come sooner than later.</p>
<p>If it gets to that point, then all of the hearts and flowers that have floated around the Brooklyn Nets since the doors opened on the Barclays Center would fly out the window and instead be focused on their disgruntled $98 million man.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2012/12/19/3783392/deron-williams-avery-johnson-brooklyn-nets-test">Deron Williams, Avery Johnson and the Brooklyn Nets' first real basketball test - SBNation.com</a></p>
<p><a href="http://offthedribble.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/18/williams-johnson-play-down-rift-over-nets-offense/?partner=rss&emc=rss">Williams, Johnson Play Down Rift over Nets Offense - NYTimes.com</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.netsdaily.com/2012/12/18/3780862/deron-williams-theres-nothing-to-it">Deron Williams: "There's nothing to it!" - NetsDaily</a></p>
https://newyork.sbnation.com/2012/12/19/3783718/deron-williams-avery-johnson-brooklyn-nets-offense-utah-jazzRyan Jones2012-12-19T10:14:47-05:002012-12-19T10:14:47-05:00Knicks Player Power Rankings
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<figcaption>Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Ranking the East-leading, 18-6, New York Knicks player-by-player. </p> <p>Well, as long as the New York Knicks don't face the Houston Rockets in the NBA Finals, I think all Knicks fans will be happy right? If the Houston Rockets didn't exist, the Knicks would be 18-4. (And I guess we would have won the 1994 title by default? Stop existing, Houston Rockets) Since our last rankings, the Knicks lost their first home game of the season as Jeremy Lin dropped 22 and 8 on their heads in Linsanity's return to MSG. But that game snapped a four-game win streak, which for these rankings' purposes, were highlighted by wins over the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers.With those wins, the Knicks are holdin' steady atop the Eastern Conference.</p>
<p>The health of the Knicks' stars is the big question surrounding the team right now. Carmelo Anthony badly sprained his ankle against LA, causing him to miss the games against the Cavs and Rockets, and he is questionable for Wednesday's third round scrap against Brooklyn. Amare Stoudemire, however, appears to be on his way back, and this could be the last ranking we do without the Knicks' potential $100 million bench player. On to the rankings we go:</p>
<p><b>1. Carmelo Anthony (Last: 1) - </b>We'll see how long Anthony is injured for, but he still holds the top spot even though he only played a little over a half during our ranking period. And WHAT a half-plus that was, as 'Melo was knocking down all sorts of shots in a barrage against LA. In 23 minutes, Anthony had 30 points on 10-of-15 shooting. WHOA. But he had no assists everybody! SO SELFISH. In all seriousness, the MVP-like season continues for the Knicks' best player. Now let's just hope he can get, and stay, healthy.</p>
<p><b>2. Tyson Chandler (Last: 2) - </b>Don't look now but Chandler is putting up a career year, and that's with some sub-par defensive play based on his lofty standards. Chandler is averaging career highs in points and rebounds 12.9 and 10. Last week, he put up 18 and 23 against the Lakers and Cavs respectively, and had 18 boards in the losing effort against Houston. He's become one of the deadliest pick-and-roll finishers in the league, and nobody has figured out how to stop it yet. Hopefully they never do.</p>
<p><b>3. Jason Kidd (Last: 3) - </b>It was a battle between Kidd and Ray Felton for the third and fourth spots, and I stuck with Kidd despite the fact that he's hit a bit of a shooting slump (just 5-of-23 in his last two games). Against the Lakers, Kidd stuffed the stat sheet with 5 pts, 9 rebs and 5 assists, and oh yeah he guarded Kobe Bryant basically all night. The fact that Kobe had a pretty big night is irrelevant. 39-year-old Jason Kidd chased Kobe Bryant around and did well. Kudos.</p>
<p><b>4. Raymond Felton (Last: 4) - </b>With Anthony out, Felton went back to his customary "I'm going to take a crapload of shots" ways, and as usual when Felton shoots a ton, there were mixed results. He's taken 64 shots in the past three games. Still, he's put up fine numbers and was instrumental in the Knicks' victory over the Cavs with 25 pts, 7 ast and 5 rebs in his most efficient game of the bunch with 9-of-20 shooting.</p>
<p><b>5. Steve Novak (Last: 6) - </b>Novak leapfrogs J.R. Smith (a brilliant real-life visual if you let your mind go there) based on the fact that he played his role just about perfectly in the wins over the Lakers and Cavs. In those two games combined, Novak played 59 minutes, hit 8-of-12 from deep for 25 combined points. And against the Lakers, all his three seemed to be perfectly-timed daggers.Also, the Lakers somehow allowed Novak to register four assists in a single game. If and when Mike D'Antoni gets fired by LA, this will be one of the reasons that Mitch Kupchak and/or Jerry Buss allude to.</p>
<p><b>6. J.R. Smith (Last: 5) - </b>Smith has been trying to find consistency since he started slumping after his hot start and it looks like he's <i>just</i> about there. With J.R. you want to see some efficiency in his shooting numbers, and he did shoot 50% or over against the Lakers and Rockets, sandwiched by a 6-of-20 night against Cleveland. Although, against the Rockets, Smith really struggled early on on the defensive end, picking up quick and silly fouls. When Anthony is out, Smith needs to be able to stay on the floor for his offense.</p>
<p><b>7. Chris Copeland (Last: 12) - </b>Why the heck not...Merry Christmas, Cope. He put up a career high 29 points against the Rockets, and although a lot of them were in garbage time, a lot of them were also during a third quarter run where he single handedly brought the Knicks back into the game, getting them within five before James Harden started playing like it was NBA Jam. Copeland got his first NBA start last Saturday against the Cavs, and played a solid offensive 19 minutes with 11 points. At the very least while Anthony is out, Copeland has proven that he's not out of place in an NBA game.</p>
<p><b>8. Ronnie Brewer (Last: 8) - </b>Brewer hasn't hit a three pointer since Dec. 9, which wouldn't really be a thing if he didn't start out the season doing a Reggie Miller impersonation. Regardless, Brewer's worth doesn't show up in the stat sheet. A lot of people want to slash Brewer's minutes when Iman Shumpert comes back, but I'm not so sure I would go ahead and start Shumpert right away instead of Brewer. I'm personally not sure where I sit on that debate altogether, but am interested how Mike Woodson handles it for sure.</p>
<p><b>9. Pablo Prigioni (Last: 9) - </b>Pablo put up 14 in the loss to the Rockets, as the game got out of hand. In the previous three games, Pablo had no points, 3 rebs and 1 ast, in EACH game. Pablo is consistent.</p>
<p><b>10. Rasheed Wallace (Last: 7) - </b>I liked Wallace's performance against the Lakers about as much as I liked his performance last week against Brooklyn, which is a lot. Against the Lakers, Sheed played 12 minutes and only took five shots, making three of them (2-of-4 from 3). He also had four fouls. It's great when Rasheed Wallace uses his fouls. It really should be one foul per two minutes played for him. He missed the past two games due to injury.</p>
<p><b>11. Kurt Thomas (Last: 10) - </b>Thomas ranks ahead of James White because he played good "real" minutes against Cleveland. Anytime Kurt Thomas scores, I think I speak for all of Knicks Nation when I say it's the absolute best part of my entire day.</p>
<p><b>12. James White (Last: 11) - </b>Got a nice 23-minute run in the loss to Houston. Outside of that, played four minutes against the Lakers and zip against the Cavs.</p>
<p><b>13. Marcus Camby (Last: 13) - </b>In the basement until he gets healthy.</p>
https://newyork.sbnation.com/2012/12/19/3783844/new-york-knicks-nba-power-rankings-carmelo-anthony-jason-kidd-tyson-chandlerChris Celletti2012-12-19T09:16:39-05:002012-12-19T09:16:39-05:00Knicks, Nets battle at MSG
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<figcaption>Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The Knicks will try to rebound from their first home loss of the season against a determined Nets squad.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.postingandtoasting.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">New York Knicks</a> and <a href="https://www.netsdaily.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Brooklyn Nets</a> will battle it out for the third time this season -- but first at Madison Square Garden -- on Wednesday night.</p>
<p>In the first two meetings between the intracity foes, the intensity has made them feel like de facto playoff games. In the first game, Brooklyn won in overtime despite <span>Carmelo Anthony</span> scoring 35 points for New York.</p>
<p>On Dec. 12, the Knicks (18-6) got their revenge in the Barclays Center when Anthony went off again with 45 points, while <span>Jason Kidd</span> hit the game-winning three-pointer in the final seconds.</p>
<p>Anthony is questionable for this matchup, as he continues to work his way back from a sprained ankle that has sidelined him the past two games.</p>
<p><span>Brook Lopez</span> will be in the lineup for Brooklyn (13-11) after missing the last contest between these two teams with a foot injury. The center is having a terrific year, averaging 17.8 points per game.</p>
<p><b>TV:</b> ESPN</p>
<p><b>Time:</b> 7 p.m. ET</p>
https://newyork.sbnation.com/2012/12/19/3783794/knicks-nets-preview-game-time-tv-injuries-nba-scheduleMatt Verderame