"Lenny's the best coach I've ever played for, he really is. That's not to say anything bad about Skiles [Crawford's coach in Chicago] or any of the others, but he's forgotten more than all those guys know...He's a Hall of Famer, he explains to me what I do wrong. I love him for that. He's really genuine...[The speculation about Wilkens being fired] bothers me because I feel we're prepared, it's the players. We have to come out with effort and we have to play hard. We can't put it on the coach."Crawford, clearly a big supporter of his beleaguered coach, is the first Knicks player to come forward and take the blame for the recent run of wretched performances...kinda. Since Crawford's turf toe has kept on the sideline the past three weeks his statement isn't exactly a mea culpa, it's more like a they-a culpa.
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Jamal hearts Lenny
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Boo! Boo this team!
Since I'll never get back the time I spent watching the game I'm not going to give up any more of my life writing something about that is thought out or articulate (also, it's entirely possible that my boss is beginning to realize how much of the work day I spend doing this stuff). Instead, here are some observations and notes from the game that was and should never have been.
- New Orleans had lost 15 straight road games before last night
- Jerome Williams (JYD) kept the Knicks within striking distance in the first half as the team, JYD notwithstanding, took the floor pathetically unprepared to play (Lenny I'm looking at you).
- Allan Houston didn't have the stroke that he had on Sunday, but his ability to move with and without the ball continues to improve incrementally. Early on, he drove to the hoop, PAST his defender, and dished the ball off to the JYD for a dunk.
- Following the aforementioned JYD slam (set up by the Houston drive), JYD intercepted a pass and drove the length of the floor for another dunk. On the next possession he forced a jump ball. After winning the jump ball against the taller Anderson the Knicks scored again to tie the score at 30-30 with 8:40 left in the first half. JYD had just dragged the Knicks back into this game, whether they wanted to be there or not remained to be seen. During the next Hornets possession, Marbury left Dan "my mom is taking me to get my haircut after I finish all my homework" Dickau wide-open for a jumper. It was starting to seem that the Knicks, in fact, did not want to be in the game.
- With just under 7 minutes remaining in the half the Knicks take their first lead of the game when Jerome Williams rebounds his own missed foul shout and slams it home. The Garden filled with barks and growls and Tim Thomas officially loses his spot in the starting lineup.
- This lead doesn't last.....
- The first boos rain down on the court (with 7:30 remaining in the 3rd quarter) after two consecutive Knicks possessions end in turnover. Meanwhile the Hornets are in the midst of a 7-0 run that extends their lead to 59-51. You always wonder how the players will respond to getting booed. There are two ways to go, and for the moment I refer to one as the "Kurt" and one as the "Steph." The "Kurt" is defined by the way that Kurt Thomas played in the minutes immediately following the boos: he scored on the Knicks next three possessions. Meanwhile the "Steph" is defined by continued lackluster defense and body language that looks suspiciously like sulking.
- An example of Stephon Marbury displaying the traits of the "Steph" reaction: after Ariza pulls the Knicks within three, at 74-71, and the Knicks force the Hornets to take a poor shot, Stephon allows Dickau to grab an offensive rebound. Dickau finds a cutting Baron Davis for an easy layup.
- A 2nd example of Stephon Marbury displaying the traits of the "Steph" reaction: the Knicks have the ball down by 2 (after a huge offensive rebound and basket by Ariza) with only 2 and a half minutes remaining in the game, Marbury brings the ball up the floor, passes it to JYD who stands at the top of the three-point arc, and then Marbury drifts to the wing and stays there for the length of the possession. Meanwhile, JYD swings the ball to Houston who misses a contested shot from the perimeter. Now, at first glance, it might seem appropriate for Houston to get the ball and the shot in this situation. However, Marbury is the team's point guard and allegedly its leader. He needs to control this offense during crunch time. He cannot give the ball up at the start of the possession (least of all to a big standing beyond the three-point arc), and just hang out on the perimeter. Marbury needs to take that ball to the basket and either get a shot for himself or dish it to Houston, who is probably open as the defense would have collapsed on Marbury. This non-play was the game.
Knicks Lose to Worst Team in NBA, 88-82
Every time I think about last night's loss to the lowly New Orleans Hornets (only their second road win of the season) I throw up in my mouth a little....more to come later.....
and the news, the opinions, the hearsay, and the naysaying...
ESPN
New York Post: recap; Lenny; Hornets, not so bad?
New York Daily News: recap; Lenny
Newsday
Yahoo Sports/AP
and the news, the opinions, the hearsay, and the naysaying...
ESPN
New York Post: recap; Lenny; Hornets, not so bad?
New York Daily News: recap; Lenny
Newsday
Yahoo Sports/AP
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Tri-Captains, Try Again....
According to published reports, Vin Baker orchestrated a players only meeting sometime after the team got rocked in Cleveland and before they took the court Sunday night against Sebastian Telfair and the Blazers. While I applaud the veteran leadership shown by Baker, and am glad that his voice can still be heard from his somewhat baffling seat so far down on the bench, it is extremely unsettling that this sort of action would fall to him. Why isn’t Marbury calling this meeting? Why isn’t Houston setting the tone as the last vestige from the team’s defensive heyday? Why isn’t Kurt Thomas exhorting his teammates to match his own defensive intensity? Why is Vin Baker the only one who sees that there is a problem? And the scariest question of all, what happens if none of the "leaders" are listening?
It's Not Alright to just be OK
There seems to be an outbreak of complacency spreading around the Knicks organization faster than the flu in a kindergarten class.
(quotes are courtesy of The New York Times)
Isiah: "Those who have been around a team that wins 42, 43 games, I mean, this is what it looks like."
Steph: "I think the way he's looking at it, he's trying to be realistic... If we do better than that, that's a plus. I feel if we're healthy, we can be better than that. But right now, where we're at, with so many guys out and guys down, it would be tough to win 50 games."
Lenny: "Let's get everybody healthy and see: Are we just .500, or what?"
It sure doesn’t seem like anyone is too frustrated with being mediocre. It doesn’t seem like anyone is disappointed with being average. It doesn’t seem like anyone is going man up and keep this team from slipping every time it manages to climb a little higher.
Just because every winning streak comes with a free a losing streak (of equal or greater value) doesn’t mean that it should be. Once again, this team is too talented to lose 4 games in a row in today’s NBA. Each loss is marked by a lack of effort, focus, and determination. The Knicks didn’t get beat by the Cavs on Sunday: they beat themselves by not showing up. Knicks losses are either blowouts (see Cleveland, Dallas, Boston) or games where they fall far, far behind in the first half, stage a strong comeback, but can’t compensate for their lackadaisical start. Regardless, it’s rare that this team plays a good game from start to finish and loses. The only thing stopping them from pulling away with the Atlantic division is consistent effort.
(quotes are courtesy of The New York Times)
Isiah: "Those who have been around a team that wins 42, 43 games, I mean, this is what it looks like."
Steph: "I think the way he's looking at it, he's trying to be realistic... If we do better than that, that's a plus. I feel if we're healthy, we can be better than that. But right now, where we're at, with so many guys out and guys down, it would be tough to win 50 games."
Lenny: "Let's get everybody healthy and see: Are we just .500, or what?"
It sure doesn’t seem like anyone is too frustrated with being mediocre. It doesn’t seem like anyone is disappointed with being average. It doesn’t seem like anyone is going man up and keep this team from slipping every time it manages to climb a little higher.
Just because every winning streak comes with a free a losing streak (of equal or greater value) doesn’t mean that it should be. Once again, this team is too talented to lose 4 games in a row in today’s NBA. Each loss is marked by a lack of effort, focus, and determination. The Knicks didn’t get beat by the Cavs on Sunday: they beat themselves by not showing up. Knicks losses are either blowouts (see Cleveland, Dallas, Boston) or games where they fall far, far behind in the first half, stage a strong comeback, but can’t compensate for their lackadaisical start. Regardless, it’s rare that this team plays a good game from start to finish and loses. The only thing stopping them from pulling away with the Atlantic division is consistent effort.
New York Knicker-Blogger Fact o' the Day
The currently creaking Allan Houston was a participant in the 1993-94 Slam Dunk contest, where he placed fourth.
Monday, January 10, 2005
...and on the seventh day, they WON
NYC: Knicks beat Blazers, 113-105.
Alright, it actually took the Knicks 9 days to win their first game of the new year, but under the media glare of the Big Apple the four-game, losing streak had begun to take on biblical proportions. Sunday night's game against the visiting Portland Trailblazers had been billed as the "Clash of the Coney Island Kids," because of the Garden debut (at least as a professional) of Steph's precocious cousin, Sebastian Telfair. However, it just as easily could have been dubbed "Lenny's Last Stand." If the Knicks looked anything like the listless losers who were embarrassed before a national audience on Saturday, it would be a safe bet that Lenny would be escorted to the door just as quickly as his players have been escorting opponents to the basket.
Last night, Lenny could thank Allan Houston and Jerome "the Junkyard Dog" Williams for warding off his dismissal. Houston’s jumpshot was as fluid and beautiful as it has ever been. His sweet stroke showed why he is an all-star caliber player, and was so effortless that it even hinted at (hinted at, not legitimized) the rationale for his enormous contract . This was the type of night when a healthy Houston drops in 40-45 points. However, the rusty version never made the leap and took the game over. He never really got warmed up again after an extended rest that straddled the 3rd and 4th quarters, but still scored an effortless 25--all while dragging one hobbled leg up and down the court. Every time the ball left his hands it looked like it was going in, and the few times that he did miss the crowd was more surprised than disappointed.
Contrasting the poetry of Houston's jumpshot was the frenetic energy of Williams--inserted into the starting lineup like a livewire to replace the injured (knee/leg) Tim Thomas. The electricity coursing through the JYD’s veins was apparent before the opening tip. He was the first man on the court and hopped around the center circle while his co-workers were still at their respective benches tying shoelaces and joking around. From the opening whistle, and for each of the 44 minutes that he prowled the court, he willed himself on the game in so many ways that will never be shown by a box score. On the Knicks' first possession he got an offensive rebound and missed the putback, but Nazr would tip in Williams’ miss. Moments later, Williams pokes the ball away from beneath the basket and dives into the row of photographers to get it to Steph. His manic play and self-less hustle enraptured the crowd. He was taking charges and recklessly driving the lane and hitting an open Mohammed in the paint. On a play where Kurt Thomas, already in foul-trouble, was called for a fairly obvious foul in the paint, Williams raised his arm to try to assume the foul for his own and hounded the ref until he changed the call. More than anything, this moment—not really even an actual play—defined what Williams brought to this game. It was an act whose only purpose was to help his team win. As the barks of the crowd reverberated through the Garden the Junkyard Dog—playing with a confidence that he doesn’t always have coming off the bench—may have changed from a fiery role player to a leader.
Still, the Knicks could never really close the door. For every lob that Ariza tomahawked through the net there was a defensive breakdown to highlight the ineptitude lurking behind every fastbreak. With 4:02 left in the 1st quarter it seemed as if the Knicks were going to blow the doors off the Blazers, but instead the wheels came off on the defensive end. The Blazer’s next 7 possessions went something like this:
-layup
-dunk
-offensive rebound, layup
-dunk
-dunk
-jumper
-missed wide-open shot
The pesky Blazers—led by Zach Randolph’s 27 points—seized on the suddenly limp defense just as they would seize every opportunity that the Knicks were foolish enough to give them. Although New York was decidedly the better team, the Blazers played smart enough to walk in any doors left unlocked. On the Blazers first possession Derek Anderson drove right at Allan Houston, flashed by him, and drew a foul. Blazers coach Maurice Cheeks, clearly watching film, had directed his players to take advantage of the hobbled Houston. Meanwhile, the Knicks did not seem to take full advantage of matchups that favored them. As usual, it seemed that the Steph and Kurt Thomas pick-and-roll combo was not established early in the game. Likewise, there were several stretches when Allan Houston was being guarded by the diminutive Damon "mighty mouse" Stoudemaire; he didn’t post him up once. There were a few trips down the court when it seemed as if Houston was trying to establish position, but no one got him the ball.
Lenny and Steph need to make sure that we take advantage of any glimmer of opportunity on the offensive end. Make no mistake, Sunday’s win against the Portland Trailblazers was a big win for the Knicks (who are now 8-5 against the Western Conference), but it highlighted the team’s need to score points in order to be successful. In this game, where their defense was—with the exception of a few lapses—better than it is on most nights, their opponents still got a sniff (and a taste) of 100 points.
Last night, Lenny could thank Allan Houston and Jerome "the Junkyard Dog" Williams for warding off his dismissal. Houston’s jumpshot was as fluid and beautiful as it has ever been. His sweet stroke showed why he is an all-star caliber player, and was so effortless that it even hinted at (hinted at, not legitimized) the rationale for his enormous contract . This was the type of night when a healthy Houston drops in 40-45 points. However, the rusty version never made the leap and took the game over. He never really got warmed up again after an extended rest that straddled the 3rd and 4th quarters, but still scored an effortless 25--all while dragging one hobbled leg up and down the court. Every time the ball left his hands it looked like it was going in, and the few times that he did miss the crowd was more surprised than disappointed.
Contrasting the poetry of Houston's jumpshot was the frenetic energy of Williams--inserted into the starting lineup like a livewire to replace the injured (knee/leg) Tim Thomas. The electricity coursing through the JYD’s veins was apparent before the opening tip. He was the first man on the court and hopped around the center circle while his co-workers were still at their respective benches tying shoelaces and joking around. From the opening whistle, and for each of the 44 minutes that he prowled the court, he willed himself on the game in so many ways that will never be shown by a box score. On the Knicks' first possession he got an offensive rebound and missed the putback, but Nazr would tip in Williams’ miss. Moments later, Williams pokes the ball away from beneath the basket and dives into the row of photographers to get it to Steph. His manic play and self-less hustle enraptured the crowd. He was taking charges and recklessly driving the lane and hitting an open Mohammed in the paint. On a play where Kurt Thomas, already in foul-trouble, was called for a fairly obvious foul in the paint, Williams raised his arm to try to assume the foul for his own and hounded the ref until he changed the call. More than anything, this moment—not really even an actual play—defined what Williams brought to this game. It was an act whose only purpose was to help his team win. As the barks of the crowd reverberated through the Garden the Junkyard Dog—playing with a confidence that he doesn’t always have coming off the bench—may have changed from a fiery role player to a leader.
Still, the Knicks could never really close the door. For every lob that Ariza tomahawked through the net there was a defensive breakdown to highlight the ineptitude lurking behind every fastbreak. With 4:02 left in the 1st quarter it seemed as if the Knicks were going to blow the doors off the Blazers, but instead the wheels came off on the defensive end. The Blazer’s next 7 possessions went something like this:
-layup
-dunk
-offensive rebound, layup
-dunk
-dunk
-jumper
-missed wide-open shot
The pesky Blazers—led by Zach Randolph’s 27 points—seized on the suddenly limp defense just as they would seize every opportunity that the Knicks were foolish enough to give them. Although New York was decidedly the better team, the Blazers played smart enough to walk in any doors left unlocked. On the Blazers first possession Derek Anderson drove right at Allan Houston, flashed by him, and drew a foul. Blazers coach Maurice Cheeks, clearly watching film, had directed his players to take advantage of the hobbled Houston. Meanwhile, the Knicks did not seem to take full advantage of matchups that favored them. As usual, it seemed that the Steph and Kurt Thomas pick-and-roll combo was not established early in the game. Likewise, there were several stretches when Allan Houston was being guarded by the diminutive Damon "mighty mouse" Stoudemaire; he didn’t post him up once. There were a few trips down the court when it seemed as if Houston was trying to establish position, but no one got him the ball.
Lenny and Steph need to make sure that we take advantage of any glimmer of opportunity on the offensive end. Make no mistake, Sunday’s win against the Portland Trailblazers was a big win for the Knicks (who are now 8-5 against the Western Conference), but it highlighted the team’s need to score points in order to be successful. In this game, where their defense was—with the exception of a few lapses—better than it is on most nights, their opponents still got a sniff (and a taste) of 100 points.
NY Knicker-Blogger Player(s) of the Game:
Allan Houston and Jerome Williams
And, not necessarily, the news….
New York Post: recap; Is Lenny safe(r)? ; JYD; Telfair's homecoming
New York Daily News: recap; Lenny still alive; Telfair
New York Times
Newsday
ESPN
AP/Yahoo
"The Battle for Brooklyn"
Well, Sebastian Telfair's family reunion at the Garden was overshadowed by the return of the real Allan Houston and his cousin, Stephan, played fourth fiddle behind Houston and the crowd-pleasing highwire acts of Ariza and the Junkyard Dog. Marbury played the efficient point guard tonight as he was surrounded by hot hands while Telfair looked every bit the promosing neophyte. His shot won't be mistaken for Allan's, but his passes had eyes and found his teammates everywhere on the floor. Round One must go to Marbury, but the showdown never really materialized. To be continued....
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