When the Knicks acquired Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey “Mr. Big Shot” Billups at the trade deadline it seemed as though the sky was the limit for the New York Knicks. But as the rest of the season played out, reality set in and the basketball world realized that the Knicks are a horrible defensive team and only play with intensity when they feel like it, two things that cannot happen to a team that wants to be considered a true contender for the NBA championship.
So now let’s skip ahead to the playoffs. Its game 1 against the Celtics and the Knicks are playing with intensity and playing some defense. As you’re sitting on your couch surprised that the Knicks are ahead at halftime you begin to wonder if this team is for real. Then the 4th quarter comes along the Knicks start to expose a major disadvantage, this disadvantage being head coach Mike D’Antoni. After Ray Allen nailed a 3 to put the Celtics ahead 87-85 with 12 seconds left, D’Antoni decided to not use a timeout, and let his inexperienced and young team try to figure out how to win this game against one of the elite NBA teams… without a play. Melo ends up taking a forced 3 pointer and the clock expires. The Celtics take Game 1 and the Knicks take some Zoloft to cope with their depression, but why not take the timeout? Why is it even a consideration to let your team play the clock out? It’s no excuse to say that Carmelo can create his own shot. A timeout would’ve allowed the Knicks to substitute in some players that could be used as a distraction or 2nd option just in case Melo was doubled. Roger Mason Jr. is a perfect example of a player that rides D’Antoni’s bench but can deliver results when his number is called upon. It also would’ve allowed D’Antoni to go over what to do if the play doesn’t go accordingly. I’m not saying the Knicks would’ve won if they called a timeout but they would’ve had the chance to win in an organized matter. It’s the coach’s job to give your team a chance to win the game and D’Antoni didn’t do his job.
The circumstances were similar at the end of Game 2. Although the Knicks were playing without Chauncey Billups because of a knee injury sustained in Game 1 and Amar’e Stoudemire for the second half, they were still giving the Celtics some major issues. After trading leads throughout much of the 4th quarter, the Celtics were up 93-92 with 19 seconds left after a Garnett jump hook. Doc Rivers calls a 20 second timeout to prepare his team defensively. D’Antoni inexplicably uses his first of two 20 second timeouts right after that to finish going over the play with his team. That went unnoticed in the game and winded up being an important factor. I guess D’Antoni needed 40 seconds to explain his juvenile and predictable play. It was designed to get Carmelo the ball, as if the Celtics weren’t expecting that after Amar’e Stoudemire left with a back injury. The Knicks play worked successfully, they got it Carmelo Anthony, and that’s about it. He was immediately doubled teamed and forced to pass to Jarred Jeffries. Jeffries received the ball in the low post and became flustered from Garnett’s swarming defense. Jeffries is forced into a turnover and the Knicks lose an opportunity to take the lead with under ten seconds left to go. Great coaches create plays that have second, third, and even fourth options if the first option doesn’t work out. So why didn’t D’Antoni have other options for his team? Would it be unreasonable to think Melo would be covered like white on rice? Why wouldn’t other options be discussed in the timeout if Melo was forced to give the ball away? I do not know what was said during those two timeouts, but I highly doubt the backup plan was to get Jarred Jeffries the ball. Anyways, D’Antoni takes his final timeout with 4 seconds left. The Celtics inbounded the ball to find the Knicks confused about their assignments. A foul needs to be taken immediately and it wasn’t. Carmelo finally grabbed Delonte West with 0.06 left to go. Much too late for a comeback. The Celtics win Game 2 because of poorly executed plays and mistakes made once again by Coach Mike D’Antoni.
It was obvious in the first two games of the series that Mike D’Antoni was being outcoached in every way by Doc Rivers, but the third game was just pure domination by the Celtics as they went on to win by 17 right in Spike Lee’s face. There were no obvious mistakes made by Coach D’Antoni but his team showed no urgency in a must win game and looked lethargic, flat, dead, and all the other synonyms for unmotivated. A very disappointing performance considering all the potential they showed in the first two games. Down 3-0 and one loss away from elimination, the New York Knicks dug themselves too deep a hole to climb out of. The Celtics set a trend in the first three games and that was winning. The trend continued in Game 4 as they swept the Knicks in fashion.
So what do we take from the 2010-2011 Knicks and how do they become relevant to the basketball world again? It would be ignorant to say that this team doesn’t have talent, because they do. Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire are arguably the most versatile players at their positions. Landry Fields looks like the steal from last year’s draft class and Toney Douglas is benefitting greatly from Billups’ mentoring (led the NBA in three point field goals after the All-Star break). This team is young and explosive and has looked dangerous to face at some points during the regular season. “Some points” being the key words in that sentence.
In addition to becoming more consistent, adding a defensive presence in the frontcourt is a must. If D’Antoni is going to be running his up-tempo, high octane offense in New York then the least the Knicks can do is draft or sign a center that can dominate the paint on the defensive side of the ball. Look for the Knicks to make a run at the Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan. Jordan is a restricted free agent this upcoming offseason and would fit D’Antoni’s system perfectly. He can run the floor, block shots, and with his 6’11” frame, he can make opposing players think twice about driving the lane. The Knicks also have the 17th pick in the draft where many people see Kenneth Faried going. Faired is a rich man’s Dennis Rodman and could log immediate minutes in D’Antoni’s system.
Best case scenario for the 2011-2012 Knicks: They have a starting line-up of Billups, Fields, Anthony, Stoudemire, and Jordan, while their second unit brings energy and 3-point shooting with Douglas, Mason, Williams, Faried, and Turiaf. The Knicks drastically improve their defense and finish 3rd in the East behind Miami and Chicago. After a 1st round sweep of the Hawks, the Knicks lose in a classic 7 game series to the Bulls. They fall short of their goal, but prove that they are a force to be reckoned with in the East for years to come, especially with the entire Celtics roster going into retirement.
Worst case scenario: The Knicks do not improve during the offseason and look like the same team they did the previous year. Melo begins to point the finger at D’Antoni after they being the season a horrific 3-12, Amar’e hints to the media that he should be getting the ball more, and the Knicks hire Isiah Thomas after firing Mike D’Antoni mid-season. The Knicks sneak into the playoffs on the last day of the season and get embarrassed by the Heat, losing all 4 games by an average of 23 points. Knick fans get so fed up with the team that they all decide to become Brooklyn Net fans.
Let’s hope the players and owners can agree on a new CBA quickly because this should be one hell of an interesting season.
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So now let’s skip ahead to the playoffs. Its game 1 against the Celtics and the Knicks are playing with intensity and playing some defense. As you’re sitting on your couch surprised that the Knicks are ahead at halftime you begin to wonder if this team is for real. Then the 4th quarter comes along the Knicks start to expose a major disadvantage, this disadvantage being head coach Mike D’Antoni. After Ray Allen nailed a 3 to put the Celtics ahead 87-85 with 12 seconds left, D’Antoni decided to not use a timeout, and let his inexperienced and young team try to figure out how to win this game against one of the elite NBA teams… without a play. Melo ends up taking a forced 3 pointer and the clock expires. The Celtics take Game 1 and the Knicks take some Zoloft to cope with their depression, but why not take the timeout? Why is it even a consideration to let your team play the clock out? It’s no excuse to say that Carmelo can create his own shot. A timeout would’ve allowed the Knicks to substitute in some players that could be used as a distraction or 2nd option just in case Melo was doubled. Roger Mason Jr. is a perfect example of a player that rides D’Antoni’s bench but can deliver results when his number is called upon. It also would’ve allowed D’Antoni to go over what to do if the play doesn’t go accordingly. I’m not saying the Knicks would’ve won if they called a timeout but they would’ve had the chance to win in an organized matter. It’s the coach’s job to give your team a chance to win the game and D’Antoni didn’t do his job.
The circumstances were similar at the end of Game 2. Although the Knicks were playing without Chauncey Billups because of a knee injury sustained in Game 1 and Amar’e Stoudemire for the second half, they were still giving the Celtics some major issues. After trading leads throughout much of the 4th quarter, the Celtics were up 93-92 with 19 seconds left after a Garnett jump hook. Doc Rivers calls a 20 second timeout to prepare his team defensively. D’Antoni inexplicably uses his first of two 20 second timeouts right after that to finish going over the play with his team. That went unnoticed in the game and winded up being an important factor. I guess D’Antoni needed 40 seconds to explain his juvenile and predictable play. It was designed to get Carmelo the ball, as if the Celtics weren’t expecting that after Amar’e Stoudemire left with a back injury. The Knicks play worked successfully, they got it Carmelo Anthony, and that’s about it. He was immediately doubled teamed and forced to pass to Jarred Jeffries. Jeffries received the ball in the low post and became flustered from Garnett’s swarming defense. Jeffries is forced into a turnover and the Knicks lose an opportunity to take the lead with under ten seconds left to go. Great coaches create plays that have second, third, and even fourth options if the first option doesn’t work out. So why didn’t D’Antoni have other options for his team? Would it be unreasonable to think Melo would be covered like white on rice? Why wouldn’t other options be discussed in the timeout if Melo was forced to give the ball away? I do not know what was said during those two timeouts, but I highly doubt the backup plan was to get Jarred Jeffries the ball. Anyways, D’Antoni takes his final timeout with 4 seconds left. The Celtics inbounded the ball to find the Knicks confused about their assignments. A foul needs to be taken immediately and it wasn’t. Carmelo finally grabbed Delonte West with 0.06 left to go. Much too late for a comeback. The Celtics win Game 2 because of poorly executed plays and mistakes made once again by Coach Mike D’Antoni.
It was obvious in the first two games of the series that Mike D’Antoni was being outcoached in every way by Doc Rivers, but the third game was just pure domination by the Celtics as they went on to win by 17 right in Spike Lee’s face. There were no obvious mistakes made by Coach D’Antoni but his team showed no urgency in a must win game and looked lethargic, flat, dead, and all the other synonyms for unmotivated. A very disappointing performance considering all the potential they showed in the first two games. Down 3-0 and one loss away from elimination, the New York Knicks dug themselves too deep a hole to climb out of. The Celtics set a trend in the first three games and that was winning. The trend continued in Game 4 as they swept the Knicks in fashion.
So what do we take from the 2010-2011 Knicks and how do they become relevant to the basketball world again? It would be ignorant to say that this team doesn’t have talent, because they do. Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire are arguably the most versatile players at their positions. Landry Fields looks like the steal from last year’s draft class and Toney Douglas is benefitting greatly from Billups’ mentoring (led the NBA in three point field goals after the All-Star break). This team is young and explosive and has looked dangerous to face at some points during the regular season. “Some points” being the key words in that sentence.
In addition to becoming more consistent, adding a defensive presence in the frontcourt is a must. If D’Antoni is going to be running his up-tempo, high octane offense in New York then the least the Knicks can do is draft or sign a center that can dominate the paint on the defensive side of the ball. Look for the Knicks to make a run at the Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan. Jordan is a restricted free agent this upcoming offseason and would fit D’Antoni’s system perfectly. He can run the floor, block shots, and with his 6’11” frame, he can make opposing players think twice about driving the lane. The Knicks also have the 17th pick in the draft where many people see Kenneth Faried going. Faired is a rich man’s Dennis Rodman and could log immediate minutes in D’Antoni’s system.
Best case scenario for the 2011-2012 Knicks: They have a starting line-up of Billups, Fields, Anthony, Stoudemire, and Jordan, while their second unit brings energy and 3-point shooting with Douglas, Mason, Williams, Faried, and Turiaf. The Knicks drastically improve their defense and finish 3rd in the East behind Miami and Chicago. After a 1st round sweep of the Hawks, the Knicks lose in a classic 7 game series to the Bulls. They fall short of their goal, but prove that they are a force to be reckoned with in the East for years to come, especially with the entire Celtics roster going into retirement.
Worst case scenario: The Knicks do not improve during the offseason and look like the same team they did the previous year. Melo begins to point the finger at D’Antoni after they being the season a horrific 3-12, Amar’e hints to the media that he should be getting the ball more, and the Knicks hire Isiah Thomas after firing Mike D’Antoni mid-season. The Knicks sneak into the playoffs on the last day of the season and get embarrassed by the Heat, losing all 4 games by an average of 23 points. Knick fans get so fed up with the team that they all decide to become Brooklyn Net fans.
Let’s hope the players and owners can agree on a new CBA quickly because this should be one hell of an interesting season.
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