Knicks play like adults, spank the Heat in home opener

D.J. Foster

Nov 2, 2012, 11:23 PM EDT

23 Comments

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The advanced age of the Knicks has been a source of comedy this offseason, but the Miami Heat probably don’t think the Knicks are much of a joke after getting blown out, 104-84, at Madison Square Garden.

The Knicks may be short on speed and athleticism with their role players, but it’s evident already that they’re a significantly smarter team than they have been in the past. Spacing has always been an issue on Carmelo Anthony led teams – particularly when Amar’e Stoudemire shares the floor with him. Tonight, however, the Knicks spaced the floor perfectly and actually gave Anthony room to operate from the high post and on the block. The result? New York knocked down an incredible 19 3-pointers, the area where Miami’s juggernaut team defense is most susceptible.

Of course, floor spacing doesn’t mean much without great passing, but the Knicks had that in spades. Even though Anthony’s final stats might not show it (30 points, 10-for-28 shooting, 2 assists), he was a willing passer and had a handful of kickout passes that led to hockey assists. Steve Novak, who may be the best shooter in basketball, was often the beneficiary of great swing passes to the corner (17 points, 5-for-8 from deep). Heck, even J.R. Smith caught the passing bug as a slash and kick player, and finished with 6 of the Knicks 27 assists.

As effective as the offense was, give the defense some credit, too. It’s not easy to hold down a team like Miami, but there was a surprising lack of defensive lapses from the Knicks tonight. Wade (15 points) and James (23) got going a bit at times, but Miami’s role players were almost completely neutralized. Instead of over-helping on Wade and James and leaving shooters alone, the Knicks played the two stars straight up for the most part, aided by having a serious rim protector in Tyson Chandler behind them. Again, that’s smart basketball.

For years now, the Knicks have been assembled like a fantasy basketball team. They were a bunch of individual talents who got their individual stats, and that was it. And although that culture won’t change with one game, and there are still some fit concerns once Stoudemire comes back, it’s nice to think that after years of selfish basketball, the Knicks are finally grown up.

CrushAlot wrote:Its been a long time since the Knicks played defense like they did last night. Its been a long time since the Knicks have had a coach that emphasizes defense first. Its been a long time since the Knicks had a productive training camp and productive practices where changes were made as Tyson noted when talking about the week leading up to the season. I think the Knicks are going to be very good this year.

I tell you what..This took me back to games when JVG was here defensively...It just sort of have that feel..It's one game but if we can play that kind of defense and revive the passions of years past, I welcome this brand of basketball...

MSG3 wrote:Totally agree with this article. Can anyone remember a game under MDA where the passing was that good? I know we had 3 ball handlers out there, but the extent of our great passing was all in the PnR under Dantoni. The way the ball moved from side to side was beautiful. And what he said about Melo was right. He was passing a lot. And his FG% was mostly a product of missing multiple shots under the basket while getting hacked.

I really hope that game wasn't a fluke.

For me this is a great part of the reason. 3 guys who know exactly what to do and when to do it. Stark difference between Lin, TD, aging Bibby, BDavis and Felton, Kidd, Prig.

martin wrote:

MSG3 wrote:Totally agree with this article. Can anyone remember a game under MDA where the passing was that good? I know we had 3 ball handlers out there, but the extent of our great passing was all in the PnR under Dantoni. The way the ball moved from side to side was beautiful. And what he said about Melo was right. He was passing a lot. And his FG% was mostly a product of missing multiple shots under the basket while getting hacked.

I really hope that game wasn't a fluke.

For me this is a great part of the reason. 3 guys who know exactly what to do and when to do it. Stark difference between Lin, TD, aging Bibby, BDavis and Felton, Kidd, Prig.

Yea. Might be a bit unfair to judge, but still. The passin along with the defense, just beautiful.

foosballnick wrote:They will have some trouble with quick PG's off the dribble as Cole showed at times last night against Prigs. Can't wait until Shump returns to help address the latter issue. This team will go as far as the defense takes them. When Camby is healthy, it should even get better.

Yup, Yup, was thinking that last night...

As for the guys bringing up MDA and comparing, STOP IT! You think that if MDA had THREE good PG's and a full training camp that the team wouldn't do well? It's not like MDA never won anything at all. MDA NEVER had this many defensive players either, so let's also keep that in mind. It's more than just wanting to defend. You have to have players that understand how and actually have the talent to defend at a high level too. MDA may not have the same respect around the league for his defense, but in truth he and Woody have many of the exact same defensive schemes. The thing missing for MDA was enough defensive talent over the years to execute at a high level. If you had teams with Nash and STAT up the middle how good could you be defensively? Woody is very fortunate to have had a chance to learn MDA's offensive concepts and blend them with his. When Woody tried to use only his own offensive schemes it wasn't enough. I think this team is perfect for Woody. He should excel with this vet team.

martin wrote:

MSG3 wrote:

martin wrote:

MSG3 wrote:Totally agree with this article. Can anyone remember a game under MDA where the passing was that good? I know we had 3 ball handlers out there, but the extent of our great passing was all in the PnR under Dantoni. The way the ball moved from side to side was beautiful. And what he said about Melo was right. He was passing a lot. And his FG% was mostly a product of missing multiple shots under the basket while getting hacked.

I really hope that game wasn't a fluke.

For me this is a great part of the reason. 3 guys who know exactly what to do and when to do it. Stark difference between Lin, TD, aging Bibby, BDavis and Felton, Kidd, Prig.

Yea. Might be a bit unfair to judge, but still. The passin along with the defense, just beautiful.

I am judging. Lin is a talent. He can score points, he can hit his teammates for assists, he can drive the lane to draw contact, he can and did hit big shots. (not even worth mentioning the other guys, they couldn't really do anything).

I am not yet convinced he can run and manage a team effectively, especially against playoff teams. Time will tell.

Knicks got guys who CAN and have done it.

This is the best and most honest review of Lin. I see your point about managing a team against playoff teams and I am very excited to see if he can do it. The fan in me says he will. When other posters attack Lin's game I just shrug and just accept that they hate Lin for other reasons because if they claim Lin is a scrub then they lose credibility with me.

Knicks have assembled 3 very good PGs. While I believe Lin is better than any of them individually, I think as a group they are a lot better than last years PG group. This group have question marks but if they click, Knicks are going to the ECF. If they falter then I think they might miss the playoffs.

NYKBocker wrote:

ChuckBuck wrote:I think there is a big difference between "old" and "veteran" team. We're not relying on the "veterans" to carry the team. Simply impose their basketball IQ and leadership. You can see it rub off on Melo, JR, and the rest.

I think Kidd is becoming the leader of this team. He has really rubbed off on the entire team.

I think people underrate Kurt, Camby, Sheed, and Prigioni's presence as well. These guys have been through wars at every level. Just having them around, there's a respect and influence level.

ChuckBuck wrote:

NYKBocker wrote:

ChuckBuck wrote:I think there is a big difference between "old" and "veteran" team. We're not relying on the "veterans" to carry the team. Simply impose their basketball IQ and leadership. You can see it rub off on Melo, JR, and the rest.

I think Kidd is becoming the leader of this team. He has really rubbed off on the entire team.

I think people underrate Kurt, Camby, Sheed, and Prigioni's presence as well. These guys have been through wars at every level. Just having them around, there's a respect and influence level.

Great point, but I would not put Pablo in that list just yet. Very hard for rookies to get respect even if they are older than their fathers :-)