KNICKS BEAT CELTICS IN GAME 1 of 2011-2012 SEASON

The Knicks are 1-0 after a rough and tumble, hard fought win over the veteran and battle tested Boston Celtics.

It should be noted that the Celtics were without All-Star Paul Pierce who sat out with a heel injury.

The game itself had quite a few twists and turns, and the Knicks were ahead by 17 points at one point before halftime. As the half ended, the Celtics were able to cut into the lead finishing the half down by only ten points, 62-52, but with the momentum clearly in their corner.

In the third quarter, the Celtics were able to not only cut into the Knicks lead with some spirited and inspired play by their starting point guard Rajon Rondo, but they actually took the lead thanks to a third quarter which saw the Celtics outpace the Knicks 35-17. The Knicks played most of the third quarter without Carmelo Anthony, who was on the bench with four fouls.

His return in the fourth quarter saw a Knicks resurgence in confidence and offense, as the Knicks were able to turn the tide and outscore the Celtics 27-17 in the final frame.

Notes:

The Celtics Brandon Bass, an off-season acquisition from the Orlando Magic, gave the Knicks fits as he was able to time and again grab offensive rebounds and put them back in for timely buckets. He finished the game with 11 rebounds, 5 on the offensive side of the glass and 20 points, mostly off of the high percentage variety, including dunks and put backs.

There were six (6) Technical Fouls called in the game, three by each team, interestingly however, the Celtics were called for two (2) techs in the Fourth Quarter, one by Pavlovic, who had ceaselessly argued a foul call by a very active Joey Crawford as Pavlovic was guarding against Carmelo Anthony. Jermaine O'Neal was also called for a technical foul with a little over 6 minutes left in the game. The Knicks had one technical foul in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd quarters by Stoudemire, Douglas, and Chandler respectively.

The Celtics out rebounded the Knicks 41-31 for the game, and the assists also favored the Celtics by a final count of 28-17.

Carmelo Anthony led the Knicks in rebounding with 8, while Toney Douglas led the Knicks in assists with ... four (4).


Tyson Chandler had six (6) blocks to lead the Knicks defensive efforts while Amar'e Stoudemire had a respectable two (2) blocks.

Final Take:

The Knicks better get better on the defensive side of the ball as it concerns rebounding as they simply cannot afford to give up multiple possessions especially when it comes to playing teams who may be more offensively talented than the Celtics.

The decision making and distribution was also spotty, as oftentimes the Knicks found themselves lacking cohesion and flow to their offense. They need to do a better job of breaking down the defense from the point and then distributing the ball to the open man. The pick and roll was almost completely absent, and save for a couple of brilliant passes from Carmelo Anthony, there was not a whole lot to write home about with regard to finding the open man.

OAKLEY IS A BELIEVER

Former Knick great and stalwart defensive leader of the Knicks 1990s era teams believes in the 2011-2012 Knicks and their chances to contend for a NBA Title.

It seems that Oak believes this version of the NY Knicks has more than what it takes to make a deep playoff run. The often critical former Knick has had a change of heart of late, citing the addition of Tyson Chandler as a main reason for his about face.

Oakley and Chandler were team-mates in 2001 while they both played for the Chicago Bulls. Oakley was a mentor to Chandler, leading just as much by actions as he did by words. You see, Oakley taught Chandler the importance of preparation and professionalism. He also sprinkled in a few tricks on patrolling the paint.

"It definitely impacted me," Chandler said. "I saw that he wasn't even playing that much, but every day he was in the weight room and on the treadmill. He was ready whenever Coach called on him."

Oakley believes in this team as much as he believes in Chandler. Oakley called the 7-foot-1 Chandler "a guy who can clog the middle, block shots and bring energy to the game."


This is of course welcome news to a team whose defensive and rebounding rankings were putrid, at best during the 2010-2011 campaign. They ranked 20th in rebounding and 26th in opponent field goal percentage last year. They allowed an average of 105.7 points per game -- the third-highest total in the league. Forty-five of those points were scored in the paint (fifth-highest in the league). They also were out-rebounded by 3.5 boards per game.


Heck, if Oakley believes in this team, who am I to doubt him?

Go Knicks! 

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/knicks/post/_/id/8258/oakley-knicks-can-contend-for-title

Knicks must box out

Knicks must box out to make any kind of playoff push.

I know what you're thinking - it's only the preseason - calm down.

Having obsessively watched the two Knicks preseason games (I can't bring myself to call that the entire preseason) it has become painfully evident to me that regardless which defensive guru the Knicks have coaching on the bench, it is very difficult for someone to teach a veteran player what boxing out truly is and how to accomplish it.

Many people say that you really need to want to play defense and to rebound, and I couldn't agree more. What else can you say? What else needs to happen in order to reinforce the proper way to box out? Isn't getting out muscled, out positioned, and scored on enough to piss someone off into not wanting that to happen again?

When I was in high-school, I was a good jumper and had decent size for the league that I played in, but I did not understand the nuances or proper box out techniques. Recognizing my effort and desire to not be out worked or out rebounded, our best player and one of my coaches took me to the side and worked with me on the best techniques they knew of regarding boxing out.

It worked. I became a much better rebounder and understood the importance of proper positioning and technique regarding rebounding as I was able to out rebound other players, sometimes players who were a good three to four inches taller than me.

What is my point? My point is as it concerns the Knicks, that in order for them to truly contend and be consider a solid team, they need to as a team develop a mentality and desire to rebound and defend. Standing around and waiting for the ball to come to the, which is exactly what they were doing for the better part of the 1st half of game 2 versus the Nets, is not going to get it done. Relying on Chandler to do all the dirty work, to grab all the rebounds, and block all the shots is a recipe for defensive disaster, and is asking for Chandler to get into consistent foul trouble, and possible asking him to get injured.

The short answer is for the entire front line to committ - all they really have to do is establish position, stick their rear ends into someone's stomach, and drive them back - that is the best technique and the quickest way to clear out the paint area. The guards, of course, have to do their job too of establishing position and keeping the boards clean.

It truly comes down to wanting to learn and develop a better all around game. Rebounding, next to dribbling the basketball, is one of the more fundamental things in basketball, but it might be the most crucial element to team cohesion, and most importantly winning. If you control the boards, you control the ball, and thus the game.

They have the talent, but do they have the drive? Time will tell.

FOX Sports NBA Power Rankings 2011-2012

Check out the Fox Sports' NBA Power Rankings for 2011
Interesting Top 10.

Click here --> NBA POWER RANKINGS 2011-2012

KNICKS LOOK TO SIGN STEVE NOVAK

Sharp Shooting Big Man Steve Novak

The Knicks continue their very busy off-season with the pending signing of veteran shooter Steve Novak, who was recently released by the San Antonio Spurs, to a one-year contract for the veteran's minimum.

The 6-10 forward has to pass through waivers unclaimed before the Knicks can sign him.

He reportedly tweeted on Monday night, "Next stop .... NY" before deleting it. 

This would be a very interesting signing, as the Knicks have long aimed to strengthen their bench scoring and outside punch to complement the inside and mid-range threats posed by Melo and Amar'e. If signed, Novak would definitely impact the way teams would have to play the Knicks and should strengthen their inside/out game, despite his limitations. 

Strengths 

Novak is a 41.7% career three-point shooter 

Weaknesses

He is limited on defense and usually cannot create shots for himself.

Notes

Last season, he made 23 of his 42 attempts for San Antonio.

 

The Knicks still have the $2.5 million "room" exception and are poised to add another free agent. They have been in talks with James Posey and have reportedly shown interest in Al Thornton and Bostjan Nachbar, among others.

Source:
http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/knicks/post/_/id/8050/report-knicks-sign-steve-novak

KNICKS TO OFFICIALLY SIGN BARON DAVIS

In a shortened off-season that has already seen the Knicks involved in their share of blockbuster dealings, add the signing of Baron Davis to their list. Baron Davis has committed to sign with the New York Knicks. Sources indicate that Davis flew into New York on Sunday night and is expected to be at the Knicks facility on Monday to finalize his contract.

Davis cleared waivers Friday after he was released through the amnesty clause in the new labor agreement by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Davis and the Knicks have agreed to a one-year deal worth $2.5 million, which is the maximum New York could pay in using what is known as the "mini" mid-level exception for luxury-tax teams.

It remains to be seen how soon Davis will be able to play for the Knicks thanks to a back injury that the Cavaliers, upon releasing him, believed would sideline the former All-Star for eight to ten weeks. Despite the back injury, the Knicks aggressively pursued and courted Davis as they were desperate to upgrade their backcourt situation.

Sources say Davis, 32, always intended to make a decision well before he's physically able to play so he can familiarize himself with the team's playbook and personnel and settle into his new home. It is interesting to note that Davis regards playing at Madison Square Garden on par with playing for the Lakers in terms of his lifelong dreams.

Roughly $27 million of the nearly $30 million left on Davis' contract is guaranteed. The Cavs still have to pay Davis that money even after sending him away, but the new amnesty clause -- unlike the 2005 version -- give teams salary cap relief as well as tax relief on a player released via amnesty.

The immediate priority for Davis is getting healthy. The back injury has kept Davis off the floor since training camps opened last week and Davis' agent, Todd Ramasar has stated that "Baron is out a minimum of eight to ten if there's no setbacks in his physical therapy."

Knicks add depth

The team has penciled in Toney Douglas as its starting point guard and Mike Bibby as a backup, but with Douglas lacking experience and Bibby coming off of a subpar playoff run with the Miami Heat, the Knicks have been interested in bringing in Davis as another option at point guard.

One of the main weaknesses of the Knicks following the Chandler deal was their perceived lack of depth, specifically their bench scoring. With the addition of Davis, and the hope that he can get himself into game shape relatively quickly (conservative estimates has him playing in or around March), the Knicks may have added an integral piece to their championship puzzle.

Will this move put them over the top? Have they now solved their bench deficiencies? Only time will tell.

Source:

http://espn.go.com/new-york/nba/story/_/id/7365817/baron-davis-new-york-knicks-agree-deal-sources-say

D'Antoni Believes Knicks can win it all in 2011-12

New York Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni is feeling pretty confident about his team for the upcoming 2011-12 season. In a radio interview on WFAN in NY with drive-time regular Mike Francesa, D'Antoni was exuberant about his Knicks team and their chances of winning for the upcoming season.

D'Antoni stated that the Knicks have the ability to win a NBA Championship in 2011-12, falling short of predicting a championship for the Knicks.
"We do have the ability to win it all." He also said, "We're one of the top-tier teams."
Regarding the blockbuster acquisition of standout center Tyson Chandler, D'Antoni said he will "anchor the defense inside." D'Antoni gave some insight into his own thinking and his vision for Chandler's role on this year's Knick team, comparing the new center to a legendary Celtic - Bill Russell. Bill Russell "covered up a lot of mistakes for the Celtics." D'Antoni said Chandler can help do that for the Knicks this season.

D'Antoni has reason for optimism
Early last year, D'Antoni had his group of up-and-coming players, anchored by the re-invigorated Ray Felton running the point, playing basketball at a high level. As the team improved, and the individual performances and consistency of Gallinari, Chandler, and Felton solidified, management sensed an opportunity to grab one of the game's biggest stars, Carmello Anthony. Building on their acquisition of Amar'e Stoudemire, they pulled the trigger on a blockbuster trade which brought big name buzz back to the Garden for the first since the days of Latrell Sprewell and Allan Houston.

The subsequent results were mixed, as the Knicks, although competitive, succumb to injuries and were soundly beaten in the playoffs by the Boston Celtics.

With Tyson Chandler, the Knicks finally have a big center inside to grab rebounds and defend around the basket. As a team, the Knicks were one of the more active teams with regard to blocked shots. Amar'e Stoudemire averaged nearly 2 blocked shots per game, as he was forced to play center for the better part of the 2009-2010 season. Chandler brings to the Knicks a solid, true center with a desire and tenacity to battle it out on the boards, and determination on defense. It is apparent that his work ethic and drive is having a trickle down effect. Stoudemire and Anthony already brought a certain swagger and attitude to the team. With Chandler, the Knicks big three will certainly lead by example, as their actions during practice and on the court will inspire their teammates to greater achievements. 

As for putting points on the board, Melo and Amare Soutedmire were the third and sixth leading points per game scorers in the NBA in 2010-11, respectively. The only other NBA team with that kind of firepower is the Miami Heat with their tandem of LeBron James and Dwayne Wade, who comprised the second and fourth leading scorers respectively last season.

Tyson Chandler knows a thing or two about the Miami Heat as the center for the NBA Champ Mavericks. Chandler averaged 9.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per game last season. He was the biggest presence around the basket in the Finals and a "big" reason (pun intended) why the Mavs are the reigning NBA Champions, having disposed of the Heat in 6 games.

As for the Bill Russell comparison, Tyson Chandler is not Bill Russell - Mike D'Antoni never said he was. D'Antoni was alluding to the fact that Chandler could potentially bring that same type of defensive intensity and leadership to the Knicks, a team starving for defensive improvements, that Russell brought to the Celtics.

Knicks Can Win It All in 2011-12
As long the New York Knicks can keep their Big Three of Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler healthy, they should an excellent shot at capturing the NBA Championship. They now have the scoring, rebounding, and the inside presence they need to win big. The big question that remains is that of depth, and distribution - but that is a story for another day.