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Why I'm still not sold on this team
Tonight's game just showed what I'm most feared of,the Knicks can't handle the pressure.
[B]We lost every physical game we played this season.
[/B]It all started with the road game in Memphis. They were very physical,refs made a few suspicious calls and the Knicks just cracked allowing the Grizzlies to create a big lead by just shooting free throws.
Chicago punked us twice too by playing physical basketball. The one at MSG was really painful. It was a chippy game,something like tonight and the Knicks collapsed. Tyson and Noah almost had a fight.
Then you have this game against Boston. KG was trash talking,Melo was frustrated and even though he hasn't been shooting well tonight he started to force shots.
[B]It's ok to lose a few of the games like that in the regular season because our record is pretty good but in the playoffs this will become a real problem.
Teams play physical in the playoffs. Players like KG will try to get into your head and I'm very worried the Knicks won't react well.[/B]
[B]Let's be honest,we have a team full of players that can't keep their focus and stay calm.
[/B]You have Melo going after KG and often trying to beat the other team by himself when he gets mad.
Then you have Tyson Chandler who is first to crack when things aren't going well,often throwing elbows (to Asik and Noah this season,I probably forgot someone too).
Amare punches fire extinguishers when things go bad.
I won't even bother talking about Sheed getting mad :lol
Felton (even though he didn't play tonight) has the same problem as Melo,trying to prove himself too much.
We even saw Prigioni getting a technical last night :roll: :roll: :roll:
J.R. is a headcase and he seems like the calmest guy out there this season,that shows you how bad the rest of them are :oldlol:
[B]My point is this team is mentally weak,most of our players are either headcases or can't handle the pressure. The only guy I can trust in this kind of situation is Kidd. He never loses his calm and he always plays smart,no matter how physical opponent is or how much he's trying to get into his head.
Rest of the team has a short fuse,especially Melo and Tyson.
We are probably the 2nd best team in the East but this stuff will happen regularly in the playoffs. If we can't somehow fix our problems and continue to play poorly under pressure we aren't going far.
No matter against who we play,if they play us physical there's a great chance we're losing that game.
This is a real issue and we can't even count on advancing the 1st round if we're going to crack under pressure every single time. This is why I really want to avoid both Chicago and Boston in the 1st round. Even the Nets play very physical against us.
[/B]
Anyone disagrees ?
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
I wholeheartedly agree.
Knicks have a low threshold for keeping their composure/poise. Bad sign. Especially when it comes to ref treatment. That is something you cannot influence, you simply have to adjust, roll w/ the punches, and play w/ the hand you're dealt.
BUT....with that said...when it comes to trash talk...I can't put too much fault on ppl who go after KG w/ the below the belt things he says. If anyone deserved to get decked its him. One of the best big men the league has ever seen but man that guy is a massive ****.
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
[QUOTE=ClutchOver9000]I wholeheartedly agree.
Knicks have a low threshold for keeping their composure/poise. Bad sign. Especially when it comes to ref treatment. That is something you cannot influence, you simply have to adjust, roll w/ the punches, and play w/ the hand you're dealt.
BUT....with that said...when it comes to trash talk...I can't put too much fault on ppl who go after KG w/ the below the belt things he says. If anyone deserved to get decked its him. One of the best big men the league has ever seen but man that guy is a massive ****.[/QUOTE]
Yeah,I hate KG. I would have enjoyed watching Melo kicking his ass but for the sake of the Knicks it's better it didn't end up with a fight. Melo is still probably going to get suspended for waiting him after the game.
Melo should have played way smarter but I can't really blame him. He's been terrific for us this season,he's allowed to have a game off.
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
I agree partially. Melo needs to do a much better job at channeling his emotion. That being said, I didn't have a problem with Melo's shot selection last night. Most of those shots are ones he hits. Furthermore, let's face it, he was getting hammered and he should have gone to the line WAY more. Our record has been such because of Melo's and JR's aggressiveness on offense. Melo can't afford to be passive and at the end of the day, when guys refuse to shoot on a nightly basis, unless it's a wide open 3, someone has to shoot the ball. I've been since last year. We have too many guys who can't create their own shot. We have too many guys waiting around the perimeter for wide open looks.
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
[QUOTE=franchize]I agree partially. Melo needs to do a much better job at channeling his emotion. That being said, I didn't have a problem with Melo's shot selection last night. Most of those shots are ones he hits. Furthermore, let's face it, he was getting hammered and he should have gone to the line WAY more. Our record has been such because of Melo's and JR's aggressiveness on offense. Melo can't afford to be passive and at the end of the day, when guys refuse to shoot on a nightly basis, unless it's a wide open 3, someone has to shoot the ball. I've been since last year. We have too many guys who can't create their own shot. We have too many guys waiting around the perimeter for wide open looks.[/QUOTE]
His shot selection was fine until he got mad. Then late in the 4th he rushed some shots. I can't really blame him. He's won so many games for us this season that it would be stupid to attack him for one bad game. Everyone has off games. It happens. But he and the rest of the team needs to be better at keeping their composure.
And I agree about us having too many guys just standing behind the 3 point line. That's where we miss Felton. He didn't really shoot well before he went down (part of it because he was playing injured) but he wasn't turning the ball over (the thing Knicks now do more often) and he you needed to defend his penetration.
Prigioni and Kidd are easy to defend. Kidd can only shoot three and Prigioni can only pass.
Even with Felton shooting a low percentage he still gets Tyson involved with the alley oops and he kicks out the ball to shooters. Right now the Knicks offense is just passing around the perimeter and then taking a contested three.
The only guy that can drive to the hole is Melo. Maybe J.R. too. And that's it. Brewer can't even make a layup,Prigioni is too afraid to shoot and Kidd is useless when he steps into the arc.
[B]What I was going to say with this thread is that the Knicks have to control their emotions better or they will pay for that in the playoffs. It will be costly,very costly.[/B]
[B]You can get away with a few lost physical games over the course of regular season. But in the playoffs every game is important and losing composure can be deadly.
Forget about ECF and beating Miami. We need to overcome this problem if we want to get out of the 1st round.[/B]
Bulls are coming to town on Friday,we'll probably see another very physical game. It'll be interesting too see how will the Knicks respond.
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
[B][COLOR="Navy"]I disagree... This wouldnt be the reason I'm not sold on the team.
Melo and Tyson cry all the time over calls. They havent earned the reputation to get calls at this moment.
Now opponents know they can get under these guys skin. Thats all that will happen from this point on pushing there buttons.
Remember though how often will this really happen to Melo considering most NBA guys are buddy buddy. Same agents, same training facilities, olympic team, aau team blah blah blah.....
Make the playoffs first but yes they need more composure. I said in the other thread Melo hurt the team.[/COLOR][/B]
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
I'm just glad STAT didn't do anything stupid (i.e. slap or punch a fire extinguisher). He seemed level-headed out there and I'm glad his game is slowly starting to pick up again.
I would, however, love to see someone (not a Knick) deck KG in the mouth full force. He runs his mouth way too much, for someone who's proven to be a bitch over and over again when it's actually time to throw down. Ever since his T'Wolves days, this guy has been a pure bitch who only runs his mouth.
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
That isn't why I would not be sold on the team.
Most NBA teams aren't physical anyway.
I'm not sold because it's only been about 30 games, and there is about 50 more to go.
I just had a friend of mine at work just say, "you know all the teams know what to do now?"
I'm like "come on, most NBA players don't want to mix it up, they'd rather flop".
This situation is of zero concern to me.
Knicks win 5 straight playing good defense, and Melo's MVP play, and everyone will be right back on the wagon.
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
You should all feel stupid for ripping me when I said Paul Pierce is better than Melo. He's a smooth criminal.
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
[QUOTE=Scoooter]You should all feel stupid for ripping me when I said Paul Pierce is better than Melo. He's a smooth criminal.[/QUOTE]
So Melo has one bad game and all of a sudden Paul Pierce is better than him ?
Melo has been a top5 player in the league so far this season,Pierce is nowhere close to it.
Sorry but your hate is reaching the whole new level.
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
[QUOTE=Clutch]So Melo has one bad game and all of a sudden Paul Pierce is better than him ?
Melo has been a top5 player in the league so far this season,Pierce is nowhere close to it.
Sorry but your hate is reaching the whole new level.[/QUOTE]
No no no, you've got it all wrong, as usual. I think the first time you could definitely say Melo was better than Pierce is this season, in which Melo thusfar should be top 3 in MVP voting. But a lot of people, especially here, were saying [I]before[/I] this season that Melo was clearly better than PIerce, and I never saw that. I still think Pierce has an edge in certain intangibles that makes him so dangerous. And I think his game is more polished, and less reliant on athleticism than Melo's, and I tend to award more points for stuff like that.
This game highlighted the differences between the two, and obviously did so in Paul Pierce's favor; but obviously it would be stupid to say PP is having a better season than Carmelo.
And to be honest, I think this is the most exciting small forward matchup we could get in the playoffs, barring a NYK/Thunder finals.
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
Even though I wont say Pierce is better than Melo, Pierce certainly was able to get his game on track to take over, something Melo never could.
Both players were in the same kind of foul trouble so that cannot be used as an excuse.
Pierce refocused on the game, Melo just did not.
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
[QUOTE=knickscity]Even though I wont say Pierce is better than Melo, Pierce certainly was able to get his game on track to take over, something Melo never could.
Both players were in the same kind of foul trouble so that cannot be used as an excuse.
Pierce refocused on the game, Melo just did not.[/QUOTE]
[B][COLOR="Navy"]Your misunderstood him. He is saying until this year Paul Pierce was arguably equal or better than Melo. I would say this I agree with some of the intangibles The Truth was better. [/COLOR][/B]
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
Pierce got better talent around him. Period. All the stuff they said about Melo, they used to say about Pierce. Even worse. (He's never in great shape. He's a ball hog. He's not a leader. Yada Yada Yada. He's not a winner) Then he got Garnett and Rondo and Allen. Now, all of a sudden he has all this leadership and intangibles that he didn't have before? No. He just started winning because his team didn't suck anymore.
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
[QUOTE=franchize]Pierce got better talent around him. Period. All the stuff they said about Melo, they used to say about Pierce. Even worse. (He's never in great shape. He's a ball hog. He's not a leader. Yada Yada Yada. He's not a winner) Then he got Garnett and Rondo and Allen. Now, all of a sudden he has all this leadership and intangibles that he didn't have before? No. He just started winning because his team didn't suck anymore.[/QUOTE]
[B][COLOR="Navy"]I disagree with the leadership and he's been clutch. His shape is his shape it's his look not chiseled neither was melo. [/COLOR][/B]
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
[QUOTE=Rameek][B][COLOR="Navy"]I disagree with the leadership and he's been clutch. His shape is his shape it's his look not chiseled neither was melo. [/COLOR][/B][/QUOTE]
O I'm not saying I agreed with the criticisms. I'm just saying everything they accused Melo of, they accused Pierce of. I was a fan of Pierce since he was in HS. I still have the McD's All American game on tape (Best All American class ever IMO).
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
[QUOTE=Rameek][B][COLOR="Navy"]Your misunderstood him. He is saying until this year Paul Pierce was arguably equal or better than Melo. I would say this I agree with some of the intangibles The Truth was better. [/COLOR][/B][/QUOTE]
I'd say they were pretty equal, wont say better.
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
[B][COLOR="DarkOrange"]Oh I am not defending the dudes assertions. I just think the only small piece I thought was a little in The Truth's favor was what I said.
I like the original topic anyway![/COLOR][/B]
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
I guess my issue...well not issue but question with the original topic is... What are we supposed to be sold on? The Knicks being legit? The Knicks being a title contender? The Knicks being as good as they seem? The Knicks being a playoff team? The Knicks being different from last year? Maybe if I knew what expectation we were referring to, I'd get the original premise of this topic even better because my answer to each one of those questions differ. For instance, I think we are legit but I don't think we will compete for a title this year.
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
[QUOTE=franchize]I guess my issue...well not issue but question with the original topic is... What are we supposed to be sold on? The Knicks being legit? The Knicks being a title contender? The Knicks being as good as they seem? The Knicks being a playoff team? The Knicks being different from last year? Maybe if I knew what expectation we were referring to, I'd get the original premise of this topic even better because my answer to each one of those questions differ. For instance, I think we are legit but I don't think we will compete for a title this year.[/QUOTE]
I don't expect us to compete for the title either.
Sold on what ? Sold on us being a good playoff team that will advance all the way to the ECF and at least put up a fight against Miami.
I'm still not confident we can do it. Team looks too mentally weak and we aren't really that more talented than other teams in the East besides Miami.
Heat were also mentally weak in their 1st year but they were so much more talented than anyone else in the East that they made it all the way to the Finals.
I don't think that's the case with the Knicks so that mental weaknesses can be deadly in the playoffs.
Damn it,I'm not even sure we can go out of the 1st round. Depends on who we play against. I'm pretty confident we could beat Indiana,Milwaukee,Atlanta or Philly. I think we could beat Brooklyn too.
But if we meet Chicago or Boston in the 1st round it will be tough to advance. They play hard and are able to get into our heads.
[B]So,here are my questions:
a) Are you confident the Knicks can get out of the 1st round no matter who they play against (excluding Miami,we won't meet in the 1st round unless something weird happens) ?
b) Do you think the Knicks can go all the way to the ECF and at least put up a fight against Miami ?
c) What would need to happen for you to call our season a success ?[/B]
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
[B][COLOR="Navy"]Cant make predictions but as presently constituted I think the Knicks can beat any team in the EC 1st round except Miami and Brooklyn.
As presently constituted I dont think the Knicks can get to the finals.
I dont think my expectations are any different than the beginning of the season. Make the playoffs maybe win one round. I always thought this team a 44 win team but the other EC teams are worse than I anticipated and the miracle start wasnt predictable.[/COLOR][/B]
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
Clutch is this your yearly "panic mode" thread?:D
One minute they can make the ECF, but now they can be bumped in the 1st?
Quite a few teams have had that fate happen to them, hopefully this team doesn't have it, but outside of Miami i see no worries with the others.
Definitely not this soon with almost 50 games left to play before then.
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
[QUOTE=knickscity]Clutch is this your yearly "panic mode" thread?:D
One minute they can make the ECF, but now they can be bumped in the 1st?
Quite a few teams have had that fate happen to them, hopefully this team doesn't have it, but outside of Miami i see no worries with the others.
Definitely not this soon with almost 50 games left to play before then.[/QUOTE]
Is this my yearly panic thread ? Well yes and no.
I think we can be bumped in the 1st round pretty easily if we don't fix some of our problems. Main problem is dealing with physical play and the refs. Team just collapses way too easily and tense situations like the Celtics or Bulls game will happen regularly in the playoffs.
As good as motivator Woodson is he's not really the best x and o's guy and he's sometimes stubborn with his adjustments which could very easily cost us games in the playoffs.
Well,that's the two things I'm most worried about come playoff time,assuming we're healthy.
When healthy I think the Knicks have more talent than any other team in the East besides Miami. That's why I think they can make it to the ECF but ONLY IF they fix some of the things mentioned above.
I'm not into panic mode and I don't have a reason to be in. Knicks are 23-11,only half a game behind Miami.
This thread was created to put things in perspective. Not everything is as great as our record suggests.
Besides from the hot start the Knicks have played very much like the .500 team in the last 15 games or so.
I know we are hit by injuries but we lost some games that we should have won. Our defense has really fallen off.
We're probably going to have a homecourt advantage in the playoffs. In the worst case we'll be like 5th or 6th seed and will still avoid Miami.
But I'm not really worried about our regular season play. The thing I'm worried about is that opponents are surely watching us and clearly see that it's not that hard to beat us. Punch us and we'll fall down and never get up.
That needs to be fixed come playoff time because you won't see many blowouts in the playoffs. Every game will be tough and close so execution and mental toughness will be the key.
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
This is a soft league, not too many teams out there will do what Chicago and Boston can.
Honestly Chicago is rather soft in the playoff themselves, their gameplan changes in the posts season to far more finesse.
Truthfully no major worries here.
I would be concerned with Melo only because he can't channel is anger into beating his opponent.
All the other top player would have lit the Celtics up, but nope, more bad shots and frustration.
He wants thing he hasn't earned at times, like ref respect.
Now if there is anything to not be sold on, is whether Melo can be that guy that dominates and wins in the playoffs.
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
A. I think we are a legit playoff team who will earn a top 4 seed.
B. I [U]don't [/U]think we are a championship contender this year.
C. I think we are better than a 1st round out
D. I think we are more than a flash in the pan team.
E. I think our success [U]does not[/U] rest on Melo's shoulders. I've seen him perform well in the playoffs and still lose. I think our success ultimately will be determined on what we get from Amare. Melo can have an amazing playoffs but if he doesn't have help, it will end the same way that Boston series ended. With him exhausted and them waiting till the end of the game to double. Are we going to get a Jared Jeffries performance from amare or are we going to get a guy that teams have to at least game plan for?
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
It could be debated the only playoff win we have is due to Amare and that was with one hand.
But nah, even LeBron knew he could not defer anymore, he had to take over along with someone stepping up.
Dominating for a game does nothing, dominate a series, each one to advance.
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
I'm interested in seeing what Shumpert can bring to the team. At their best, the combination of Shumpert and Felton is a feisty back court. Add in Kidd and JR, and you've got a lot of potentially different looks to throw at other teams.
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
[QUOTE=Scoooter]I'm interested in seeing what Shumpert can bring to the team. At their best, the combination of Shumpert and Felton is a feisty back court. Add in Kidd and JR, and you've got a lot of potentially different looks to throw at other teams.[/QUOTE]
I agree. A lotta toughness and grit in that backcourt. I also think Kidd and JR compliment each other well. Kidd is looking to pass and JR wants to put it up lol
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
[QUOTE=Rameek][B][COLOR="Navy"]Cant make predictions but as presently constituted I think the Knicks can beat any team in the EC 1st round except Miami and Brooklyn.
As presently constituted I dont think the Knicks can get to the finals.
I dont think my expectations are any different than the beginning of the season. Make the playoffs maybe win one round. I always thought this team a 44 win team but the other EC teams are worse than I anticipated and the miracle start wasnt predictable.[/COLOR][/B][/QUOTE]
Brooklyn? Brooklyn to be succesful in the playoffs will be relying on Evans and Blatche to give them a big contribution. And Lopez to carry them offensively. I doubt he's even healthy at that time. I disagree 100%.
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
[QUOTE=niko]Brooklyn? Brooklyn to be succesful in the playoffs will be relying on Evans and Blatche to give them a big contribution. And Lopez to carry them offensively. I doubt he's even healthy at that time. I disagree 100%.[/QUOTE]
[B][COLOR="Navy"]So you dont like Blatche and Evans.... ok but they do have other players on the team. Have you actually noticed they are starting to right the ship? Have you seen the Knicks play Brooklyn?[/COLOR][/B]
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
[QUOTE=niko]Brooklyn? Brooklyn to be succesful in the playoffs will be relying on Evans and Blatche to give them a big contribution. And Lopez to carry them offensively. I doubt he's even healthy at that time. I disagree 100%.[/QUOTE]
I actually agree with both teams.
To beat Miami someone will have to outplay LeBron, and we no one to do that.
Brooklyn touts a frontline that can score and rebound, and we dont match up well there at all.
We're really in a predicament that I hope can be cured by then.
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
[QUOTE=Rameek][B][COLOR="Navy"]So you dont like Blatche and Evans.... ok but they do have other players on the team. Have you actually noticed they are starting to right the ship? Have you seen the Knicks play Brooklyn?[/COLOR][/B][/QUOTE]
We've won two out of three, and the last game we steamrolled them. Outside of the OKC game they've played and beaten terrible teams and they are in the midst of their post coach bump. By playoff time Lopez foot will be hurting, Deron will be hurting and they'll be look at each other like "will PJ shut up?"
For the Knicks to not impress you but the Nets to impress you puzzles me. I think the Nets get way too much credit. They are a team that's had a fairly favorable schedule, and pretty much loses when they play good teams.
I don't think the Knicks are fantastic but they have clearly played at a higher level than the Nets.
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
I'm actually with Rameek. I don't wanna have to play the Nets early in the playoffs. I also don't wanna have to play the Pacers or Bulls. I'd rather play the Celtics believe it or not. I also disagree that to beat the Heat you have to outplay LeBron.
Furthermore, I DO think we have a player that can outplay him. I'm not saying Melo is better than LeBron but it isn't farfetched that he could outplay LeBron in a series. I think to beat the Heat you have to have your star even that matchup (which Melo has and is capable of doing). Then you have to have a big man that's a threat enough to make LeBron guard Melo. I STILL maintain that Lebron hates to have to guard Melo. The key to us beating Miami will be Amare Stoudemire making Miami have to start a PF and a Center. If Miami is allowed to go small and LeBron is allowed to play pf, you lose. Why? Because no other team has a 2 guard that's going to outplay D Wade AND now LeBron doesn't have to work hard on the defensive end.
I think our problem last year was, we didn't get much out of amare and chandler offensively, so LeBron wasn't forced to guard Melo. Therefore, he could just play passing lanes and we all know he's arguably the best at that in the league. And don't even get me started on how good Miami is on the break. If LeBron is occupied guarding Melo and you have a big man that's a threat, Now everyone has to work on defense. They can't cheat and help as much. Last year, all LeBron had to do was defend the pick and roll and Tyson Chandler became inept. We had no other big man who was a threat, so they could go small and put Battier on Melo with LeBron and Wade lurking.
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
[QUOTE=niko]We've won two out of three, and the last game we steamrolled them. Outside of the OKC game they've played and beaten terrible teams and they are in the midst of their post coach bump. By playoff time Lopez foot will be hurting, Deron will be hurting and they'll be look at each other like "will PJ shut up?"
For the Knicks to not impress you but the Nets to impress you puzzles me. I think the Nets get way too much credit. They are a team that's had a fairly favorable schedule, and pretty much loses when they play good teams.
I don't think the Knicks are fantastic but they have clearly played at a higher level than the Nets.[/QUOTE]
[B][COLOR="Navy"]I wont respond to the Miami comment. I dont even have to dignify that.
Its about matchups. Nets are a great rebounding team that have a number of hard nosed players in the blocks. The Knicks dont match that. I never said I was impressed with the Nets. I said they are starting to right the ship. You want to discuss quality wins or wins after PJ? How many games were they behind before PJ and now? Dont look now here they come.
You want to live off the first few weeks of the season or deal with the reality that we have now?
Thats all I'm saying. Dont look now Pacers are on our heals. Celtics can figure it out. Atlanta keeps on chugging along. You know how many games that separates 1st seed and 8th seed 5.5 games
[/COLOR][/B]
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
[QUOTE=Rameek][B][COLOR="Navy"]I wont respond to the Miami comment. I dont even have to dignify that.
Its about matchups. Nets are a great rebounding team that have a number of hard nosed players in the blocks. The Knicks dont match that. I never said I was impressed with the Nets. I said they are starting to right the ship. You want to discuss quality wins or wins after PJ? How many games were they behind before PJ and now? Dont look now here they come.
You want to live off the first few weeks of the season or deal with the reality that we have now?
Thats all I'm saying. Dont look now Pacers are on our heals. Celtics can figure it out. Atlanta keeps on chugging along. You know how many games that separates 1st seed and 8th seed 5.5 games
[/COLOR][/B][/QUOTE]
It doesn't matter, the season is long, and you're giving the Nets credit for beating up a bunch of crappy teams. That Nets team is very so-so. If you think that team is better than the Knicks then we suck and talking playoffs, etc. is pointless. That Net team is a 45 win team that will have periodic ups and downs because they'll fall apart the month or two they miss Lopez and/or Wallace. We look like a 50-52 type win team. We are struggling now but we are fitting in new people and everyone is hurt.
Basically i know PJ, and if the Nets don't tune him out a month from now i'll be shocked because they hated Avery because he was mouthy all the time, and PJ is the same, but less respectful.
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
I thnk people need to learn to relax and realize this is not a finished product. Things can improve, some things might get worse. I think Knick fans tend to be pessimistic on the Knicks going forward and optimistic on other teams. No, we probably won't pass the Heat, we just want to be in a postion it's not a pipe dream if we play them. The Nets, everyone assumes they will be in good position and healthy. Why? The post new coach bump will be gone, and Deron and Lopez will be several more months into the season. Lopez foot is going to last the season? Why? Indiana will have the problem (if people are watchign) of Granger coming back and ruining their chemistry, much as people worried about us with Amare.
Give it some time, every season has up and down periods. If we had none we'd be a 65 win team and we are not a 65 win team. The goals of the Knicks are all still within reach. Which is a good thing.
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
[QUOTE=Rameek][B][COLOR="Navy"]I wont respond to the Miami comment. I dont even have to dignify that.
Its about matchups. Nets are a great rebounding team that have a number of hard nosed players in the blocks. The Knicks dont match that. I never said I was impressed with the Nets. I said they are starting to right the ship. You want to discuss quality wins or wins after PJ? How many games were they behind before PJ and now? Dont look now here they come.
You want to live off the first few weeks of the season or deal with the reality that we have now?
Thats all I'm saying. Dont look now Pacers are on our heals. Celtics can figure it out. Atlanta keeps on chugging along. You know how many games that separates 1st seed and 8th seed 5.5 games
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I agree. The Nets don't impress me. It's all about matchups. I don't like how we match up against Brooklyn or Indiana. I like how we match up against Chicago but their defense impresses the hell out of me. Another sleeper team I don't want to have to face in the 1st round is Milwaukee.
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
[B][COLOR="Navy"]Lets think about this objectively. You wonder about the Nets and the other teams injuries..... Hmmm you can say the same about the Knicks. The other teams are catching up.
No one is a pessimist the question was asked and answered! Please look at Clutch's questions you may be confused. I think the Nets dont match up well against the Knicks. Even before the first game was played between them I felt this way.
You can reply to this post that no other team is capable of beating the Knicks in the playoffs, or they're a championship team.
[url]http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/showpost.php?p=8130783&postcount=20[/url][/COLOR][/B]
[QUOTE=niko]I thnk people need to learn to relax and realize this is not a finished product. Things can improve, some things might get worse. I think Knick fans tend to be pessimistic on the Knicks going forward and optimistic on other teams. No, we probably won't pass the Heat, we just want to be in a postion it's not a pipe dream if we play them. The Nets, everyone assumes they will be in good position and healthy. Why? The post new coach bump will be gone, and Deron and Lopez will be several more months into the season. Lopez foot is going to last the season? Why? Indiana will have the problem (if people are watchign) of Granger coming back and ruining their chemistry, much as people worried about us with Amare.
Give it some time, every season has up and down periods. If we had none we'd be a 65 win team and we are not a 65 win team. The goals of the Knicks are all still within reach. Which is a good thing.[/QUOTE]
[B][COLOR="DarkOrange"]Teams are starting to find there groove. We still have a while to go. But hopefully by February Stat will be what he is, Felton will be in his groove, and Shump should make a contribution. The old post players we cant predict anything with them.
I am more worried about where the Knicks are as opposed to what threats are out there against the Knicks.[/COLOR][/B]
[QUOTE=franchize]I agree. The Nets don't impress me. It's all about matchups. I don't like how we match up against Brooklyn or Indiana. I like how we match up against Chicago but their defense impresses the hell out of me. Another sleeper team I don't want to have to face in the 1st round is Milwaukee.[/QUOTE]
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
Something needs to be done about our guard positions. Prigioni is atrocious. Im sorry but the guy just does not belong on an NBA court unless he's wiping up sweat with a towel. I respect his tenacity but he's just too much of a liability and everytime he's on the court, we're at a disadvantage.
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Re: Why I'm still not sold on this team
Melo doesn't have a true running mate. Don't even say Amare. He never complemented Melo in the first place and he's pretty much done anyway. And its not like he brings any defense to this team to compensate. Hope I'm wrong but I doubt it...
After Melo, JR Smith is easily our best offensive weapon and in reality is a 3rd option at best, plus very streaky.
Look at Deng on the Bulls. An all-around versatile stud. Underrated scorer, defensive specialist, excellent rebounder etc. He makes life easier for the Bulls, complements D-Rose nicely.
KD has a borderline superstar in Westbrook to help take pressure off him, and Westbrook thrives at putting defenses on their heels, scoring buckets, and opening the court up for KD.
Paul Pierce has KG or vice/versa.
We have JR Smith and as much as I appreciate JR Smith, the fact that we rely so heavily on him is a negative thing.
Some say Chandler is arguably our most important player, well, the guy is incapable of hitting a baby jumper, and needs to be set up for all of his points. Even Noah can make you pay if you leave him open.
BUT to be fair we're ravaged by injuries everywhere, Shump hasn't sniffed the court all season (he should benefit us HUGE when he's back) so when we're healthy I still think we're a top 3 seed in the East and we're capable of making serious noise in the playoffs. BUT I don't think we're in title contention.