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Raptors hang on to drop Knicks |
The Knicks’ poor first-half effort gave Toronto another big lead. Then their poor final-minute execution allowed the Raptors to keep this one. Andrea Bargnani and DeMar DeRozan each scored 21 points, and the Raptors held onto a big cushion this time, beating New York 90-85 on Monday night. Jose Calderon added nine points and 12 assists for the Raptors, who blew a 16-point lead Sunday in Orlando before losing 102-96. They opened a 17-point advantage at halftime in this one thanks to the Knicks’ inept second quarter then held on to snap a three-game losing streak. “We didn’t let their run get to us,” DeRozan said. “The last couple of games you know teams made runs on us and we let it get to us and we kind of broke down on the defensive end. So tonight we didn’t let that happen.” Carmelo Anthony had 35 points and 11 rebounds as the Knicks played their second straight game without Amare Stoudemire, who has a sprained left ankle. But they couldn’t duplicate their impressive play from their victory without him on Saturday in Sacramento, shooting just 36 per cent from the field and misfiring on 25 of their 35 three-point attempts. Toney Douglas had 22 points for the Knicks, 12 during a third quarter that finally woke them up after a dreadful second period in which they made three baskets. But he appeared to forget the play when the Knicks inbounded down three in the final seconds, forcing Anthony to launch a long-range attempt that missed with 13 seconds left. Coach Mike D’Antoni was all the way on the court hollering for Douglas to move before the ball was thrown in, and he said after the game the Knicks forgot the play that was to be run. “I thought the whole first half our energy was down. We didn’t play real hard. And then I think we got a little snake bitten in the sense of when you’re not playing hard, things aren’t falling, it started being contagious and everybody started missing shots, and we were playing on our heels,” D’Antoni said. “Halftime we talked about it and we came out and played aggressive and I thought second half was really good, but we needed obviously 48 minutes and didn’t get it.” Missing a chanceThe Raptors missed a chance to extend a three-point lead in the final 90 seconds when Amir Johnson blew a dunk, and Anthony followed with a drive into the lane to cut it to 84-83 with 1:04 to go. Bargnani answered with a jumper, and after Tyson Chandler’s dunk, Bargnani sank a pair of free throws to keep it at a three-point edge with 17 seconds left. Anthony missed the three-point attempt and Anthony Carter, who finished last season with the Knicks, hit two free throws to make it 90-85 with 10.7 seconds remaining. Rasual Butler had 13 points and 10 rebounds for Toronto. “A little bit different than last night,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. “They made the run. We knew they were going to make a run. Our guys bounced back, hung in there, took the blow and absorbed it.” Stoudemire could be back Wednesday against the Bobcats, and Iman Shumpert could return this week, ahead of the two to four week absence that was expected when he sprained a right knee ligament in the Christmas opener. The Knicks showed how badly they could have used his help in the first half. New York led 23-22 after one, but then shot 3 of 19 (16 per cent) in the second quarter. They heard some boos at Madison Square Garden, where the loudest cheers came when receiver Victor Cruz of the playoff-bound Giants was shown in his courtside seat. The Knicks didn’t monopolize the ugliness — Toronto’s Jamaal Magloire threw up an airball on a free throw. But Toronto shot 56 per cent in the second quarter and ran off seven straight during one Knicks drought to open a 17-point lead before taking a 51-34 advantage into halftime. “Second half we played with a lot more confidence,” Anthony said. “First half, I really don’t know what was wrong with us. No excuses, but I think, I know, in the second half we did a better job defensively. Offensively guys made shots.” DeRozan hit a three-pointer to open Toronto’s second-half scoring, but the Knicks surged back behind Douglas, who had a four-point play among his 12 points in the period as New York got within three before Toronto took a 67-58 lead into the final period. Rookie Josh Harrellson, who had 14 points and 12 rebounds as Stoudemire’s replacement Saturday, was limited to two points and five boards. Chandler finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Gotta run!. Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off
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New York Knicks 2011-12 Season Preview, Part IV:… |
Read More: Carmelo Anthony (F – NYK), Tyson Chandler (C – NYK), Jason Terry (G – DAL), Dirk Nowitzki (F – DAL), Amare Stoudemire (F – NYK), Toney Douglas (G – NYK), Mike Woodson (H – ATL), Landry Fields (G – NYK), Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks SB Nation New York will be running a five-part season preview of the 2011-12 New York Knicks, culminating right before the start of the season on Christmas Day. Part I: The Stars Part II: The Non-Stars Part III: The Coach Part IV: The X Factor In the first two parts of our 2011-12 Knicks Season Preview, we broke down the Knicks’ roster into two factions: The Stars and the Non-Stars. Those who belong to the first group are Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire and the newly acquired center Tyson Chandler. I made the distinction because its clear who the most important players on the Knicks are, but also because we know what we’re getting with The Stars. Carmelo and Amare will score, a lot, and won’t play tons of defense. Chandler will do the opposite. You know what you’re getting from them, and if they don’t play well, the Knicks are doomed. We’re going to sort of assume that they’ll be themselves. That leaves us with the rest of the roster. On any winning NBA team, the ancillary players make a huge difference. When you get to the finals and late playoff rounds, every team has stars. Often the better and bigger stars prevail, but there hasn’t been a championship team that didn’t get major contributions from its role players. Last year the Dallas Mavericks rode Dirk Nowitzki to a title, but they don’t get there without the play of JJ Barea, Jason Terry and Chandler, now a Knick. The team they defeated, the Miami Heat? Sure, LeBron James wasn’t as great as everyone would expect of him, but they were giving huge minutes to the likes of Joel Anthony and Eddie House. For this Knicks team, there are a few candidates for the team’s X Factor, the guy who could help the team immensely with good play and slog them down with poor play. There’s Baron Davis, who is a huge unknown at this point. How healthy will he be when he finally comes back? Will he be in shape? Will he be motivated? There’s Landry Fields, who was an All-Rookie selection last season but only based on his play pre-Carmelo Anthony trade. If Fields can find his form from the beginning of last season — knocking down open threes, playing sold defense, getting out in transition — he’s the type of role player that many successful teams have. Does iman Shumpert improve on his shot selection and become a better offensive player? And that brings us to Toney Douglas, who I choose as the X Factor for this Knicks squad. Douglas will begin the year as the starting point guard, but will he end it there? Douglas will have to get off to a fast start to keep his job, with Davis entering the fray in a few weeks. The way Mike D’Antoni seems to have shaped the offense will help Douglas, as it calls for Anthony to handle the ball the most and play as a point forward. With that being the case, Douglas will be relied upon to provide secondary scoring by hitting perimeter shots. Douglas hit 37% of his three pointers last year, down from 39% in his rookie year (he did attempt many more as he played more minutes). He’s going to get a lot of open looks from deep. If he can hit nearly 40% as he did as a rookie, the Knicks will put up a ton of points. Defensively, Douglas is one of the Knicks’ more aggressive players. Aggressiveness doesn’t always lead to being a good defensive player, but Douglas does cause a lot of turnovers with his speed and relentlessness. It will be interesting to see the effect assistant coach Mike Woodson has on the whole team, and specifically Douglas. Woodson likes to pressure the ball right as it crosses half court, and Douglas will often be the guy given that task. If Douglas can turn into a very good defender he’ll get a lot of minutes, and the Knicks will be better for it. The season begins soon, and all eyes will be on the Anthony, Stoudemire and Chandler. But if the Knicks want to be playing deep into June, the others on the team will play a big role — perhaps none bigger than Douglas. Leave your comments on the news below. |
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New York Knicks 2011-12 Season Preview, Part I:… |
SB Nation New York will be running a five-part season preview of the 2011-12 New York Knicks, culminating right before the start of the season on Christmas Day. Part I: The Stars The New York Knicks finally have actual aspirations. For the past decade-plus, it hasn’t been about winning a championship. How could it have been? Years and years went by with Isiah Thomas souring the Knicks’ brand with gross mismanagement, truly the darkest days the franchise has ever seen. When Isiah was finally, mercifully gone, Donnie Walsh was brought in to clean up the disaster. He did an admirable job, hiring Mike D’Antoni as head coach and gutting the team of its’ awful contracts and giving it an actual direction. But the Walsh/D’Antoni Era, from 2008-09 until the end of last year, was still not about about truly competing for a title. It started out as a plan for 2010 and LeBron James. When that failed but netted Amare Stoudemire, then it became about getting Stoudemire superstar help. Last year, when Carmelo Anthony joined the fray, it still didn’t seem enough. The Miami Heat had three stars, and a toast at Carmelo’s wedding in the summer by Chris Paul gave Knicks fans and the organization dreams of their own trifecta of superstars. They just had to have a third superstar. It was the new NBA blueprint, right? Yet in early December of this year, when the lockout was lifted and teams could start building again, the Knicks seem to have made a philosophical shift away from Paul. It would be silly to say that they no longer wanted him, but when the trade offers for Paul were coming in, it became increasingly apparent that the Knicks no longer had a realistic chance at landing him. They had to try something else, and it’s a good thing they didn’t wait another year. The splash came in the form of Tyson Chandler, a move away from the flash of a Anthony/Stoudemire/Paul tandem and more in line with the Knicks of old. Chandler gives them the size and rugged attitude that The Garden faithful has always embraced. In the NBA, you need stars, but you also need your stars to be themselves. The Chandler move allows Stoudemire and Anthony to remain themselves. Had the Knicks gotten Paul, either Stoudemire or Anthony would have had to take a huge backseat. It’s just the way it happens with the three-superstar mold. The casualty of the Heat’s version of this last year was Chris Bosh. Sure, Bosh is clearly the least talented out of LeBron and Dwyane Wade, so that should be the case. But what’s the point of paying Chris Bosh to be on your team if he’s not going to be, you know, Chris Bosh? If Paul was a Knick, the fall guy would have been Stoudemire. Whatever you think of Stoudemire’s play — his lack of defense and a general misuse of his size — he played at an MVP-level for long stretches last season. If he’s your second-best player, that’s a good thing. Ask this question: would the Heat be better served with their current three, or with Tyson Chandler instead of Chris Bosh? The Knicks made the decision to go big, go defensive, and create maybe the best frontcourt in the entire league by signing Chandler. Sure, the Knicks did struggle last year after the trade, and Anthony and Stoudemire didn’t perfectly mesh. That will have to happen for the Knicks to really contend. But you can certainly make the case that they have a better chance of meshing with Tyson Chandler patrolling the paint than with Chris Paul running the point. Chandler isn’t the player Paul is — he might be the best point guard of his generation — but it’s difficult to imagine that Stoudemire and Anthony would have maxed out their potential with Paul as a teammate. All three of those players need the ball to be their most effective, especially Stoudemire and Anthony. Chandler doesn’t. He’ll rebound, defend, block shots and score on put-backs, and that will still allow the offense to run through Anthony and Stoudemire. Now the Knicks have their stars, and they finally aren’t waiting for anything (except a coach maybe…but we’ll get to that later on in this season preview). Are they a true title contender this year? They’re probably a few pieces away. But if they get in the playoffs, they won’t be as easy an out as they were last year. They could win a round. They could win two rounds. And if that happens, who knows? It’s going to be an uncertain year with a whirlwind 66-game schedule in 120 days followed by a playoffs with a lot less off days than usual. What’s certain, though, is that the Knicks have a chance. They’re not just back to being relevant, they’re a force. And you can thank their stars for that. Feel free to leave your comments below. |
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New York Knicks Should Try to Sign Brandon Roy… |
It’s time for the New York Knicks to make a bold move this offseason and go after shooting guard Brandon Roy(notes). ESPN’s Marc Stein has already stated that there is a strong possibility that the Portland Trail Blazers will waive Roy under the NBA’s new amnesty clause. It will make him a free agent right away, and the Knicks should step in and offer him a contract. New York could offer Roy either the veteran’s minimum or the mid level exception for the 2011-12 season, or even offer up a multiple year deal if Roy was willing to accept it. What he could provide the Knicks is a nice spark off the bench at shooting guard, and a player that could control the tempo of the game when Carmelo Anthony(notes) and Chauncey Billups(notes) are taking a rest. How much of a deal Roy becomes will depend on the specifics of the amnesty clause. It had looked like the clause would still require the franchise to pay the player, but that the contract just wouldn’t count against the salary cap of the original team any longer. That could make Roy an extreme bargain for any franchise that gives him a chance, and New York should try to become that team. Roy showed in the 2011 NBA Playoffs that he had a lot of value with the Trail Blazers still, and that is something that could translate to another franchise this season. Roy has knees that have gone through numerous surgeries and he isn’t the star player that he once was. That doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have a lot of value though, and he posses basketball intelligence that could help a team like the Knicks. The Knicks need to get more players on the active roster that can score, especially after dealing away so many assets to get Anthony from the Denver Nuggets. Roy is the type of player who can serve as a catalyst, could act as a great complimentary player to Anthony and Stoudemire and wouldn’t eat up cap space the team might need to pursue point guard Chris Paul(notes). Maybe the biggest reason to give Roy a try is that no other franchise would get the chance to play him. What the Knicks don’t want to see is a team like the Chicago Bulls step up and give Roy the minutes to prove he can still play the game. More From YCN : Knicks Open on Dec. 25 A Look at Knicks Roster Salary Cap Impact on Knicks Chris Paul to New York Source: New York Knicks Website *Ryan Christopher DeVault is a fan of the New York Knicks that has followed the team since the days John Starks, Charles Oakley, and Anthony Mason instilled their defensive will on the rest of the league. Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content. Subscribe to our feed!. |
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Carmelo ponders playing with Paul in New York |
Rumours of the New York Knicks wanting to create their own “Big Three” have long been reported, but under cover of the NBA lockout, Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony was able to officially give voice to them. With a tampering gag order lifted during the lockout, Anthony told the New York Post he would be thrilled if New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul joined him and Amar’e Stoudemire in New York when he becomes a free agent in 2012.
“If it works out and he comes here and they allow him to come here, you’ll see a smile from ear to ear,” Anthony said. “It’s not just me. It’s everybody (in New York). If he decides to leave New Orleans and goes somewhere else, they’ll be feeling the same way I’m feeling.” The thought of Paul joining Anthony and Stoudemire first came at Anthony’s wedding in 2010, when Paul made a toast that included a goal of the three players uniting in New York. Anthony and Paul have since teamed up many times in exhibitions and might do so again in a New York area game. “It’s fun (playing with Paul),” Anthony told the Post. “He’s such a competitor, even in games we play now. He wants the games to be NBA games — the intensity level. He wants everybody to go out and compete. It’s something I’ve really enjoyed.” Gotta run!. |
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