You guys keep missing the point. WOODY HIMSELF SAID HE WAS KEEPING A LOT OF MDA'S OFFENSE!!! What the hell do you think we've been running all year. It's some of Woody's stuff and some of MDA's stuff plain and simple. Also i'll say this again for the hard of hearing, we pretty much NEVER ran SSOL here in NY. MDA tried but the team couldn't handle that pace, so he went with a slowed down version. You guys have really no sense of what SSOL was like anymore. They ran even off makes, none of our Knicks teams was that fast.

For further support of what i've been saying:

They took the game by 20 points, and in the fourth quarter it never closer than ten. This was domination. Obviously, credit the players for their hot shooting and moving the basketball. Also credit Mike Woodson for coming up with a plan that this group could execute, putting them in a position to succeed with top gun Carmelo Anthony on the bench.

Know who else deserves credit? Mike D’Antoni.

Watching the Knicks on Thursday night was akin to watching them at any time during the past three seasons: run the high screen-and-roll, spread the floor and find the open man.

Felton took Jeremy Lin’s spot in his own little version of Linsanity. When the Heat went under the pick-and-roll, there was an open jumper. When they trapped, the Knicks were one pass away from an open three or Tyson Chandler at the rim. When they switched, it became a mismatch for the Knicks guards, who took it to the hoop.

It was unstoppable. It was Mike D’Antoni’s system at its best. It was the only way the Knicks could have won last night without Carmelo Anthony.

We’ve seen Woodson employ that offense for stretches this season, but never for nearly an entire game like against Miami. After he got the job, Woodson said he would be foolish not to continue to utilize some of Mike D’Antoni’s system in his offense. There were many skeptics, mostly because of the Knicks’ plodding and ball-stopping ways late last year. Now, it’s pretty obvious that was due to a complete lack of competent point guard play after Jeremy Lin got hurt.

Woodson deserves a ton of credit for not being stubborn and adjusting his style to make the team better. Many coaches have their way and stick with it no matter what, but he did what was best for the players and the team.

The Knicks have officially come full circle. They now have the best of both worlds. For all the Knicks fans that couldn’t stand D’Antoni, they now have his offensive system and the players to run it at their disposal when needed. The Knicks lead the NBA in three-pointers — both attempted and made. Last night they shot a ridiculous 44 and made 18. They have a stable of point guards to get those open shots that D’Antoni would sell his soul for.

They also have the defensive intensity and accountability that comes with Woodson. It’s a combination the league is having a hard time dealing with, and I don’t think that’s going to change any time soon.

D’Antoni may not have won a title here with the Knicks. He couldn’t even win a playoff game. But he helped lay the foundation that will help the Knicks contend for a championship this year.

For that, at least, we can remember him fondly.

Schmeelk’s Snippets

- So this means the Knicks are better without Carmelo Anthony right? I hope no one actually is saying that this morning, but I wouldn’t put it past his detractors.

- Raymond Felton will not shoot like that from behind the arc often, but you have to love the way he attacked the paint and found the open man. He showed no fear and only had three turnovers as the primary ball handler against a hawkish Heat defense. The Knicks had just seven turnovers as a team. WOW!

- You’ve got to love the balanced scoring. The Knicks had six players in double figures and eight players with seven points or more.

- The Heat shut down Steve Novak in last year’s playoffs because the Knicks’ ball movement was terrible. Well, it wasn’t in the first two matchups this year and he is getting open looks all over the place.

- Ronnie Brewer did a good job against LeBron James. He has the size and strength to prevent LeBron from bullying him like he does so many other guards.

- LeBron James got no help from his two wingmen last night, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. No-shows. Wade had the Heat’s worst +/- last night, -31. Bosh was second worst with -21. Yikes.

- Something is not right with Miami. Could they have grown complacent so quickly after just one championship? I just don’t sense an edge, especially on defense.

You can follow me on Twitter here for everything Knicks, Giants, Yankees and New York sports.

Give D’Antoni some credit for this one? Let’s get your comments!

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/12/07/schmeelk-the-man-behind-knicks-huge-win-mike-dantoni/

JrZyHuStLa wrote:It was just a matter of time till the most naive MDA supporter chimed in.

jrzyhustla,SOME of mdas jockriders just cant let go of him and our horrendous offense during his time.

I don't read too many articles because I go what see with my own eyes and the stat of shots taken popped out.

SSOL is a MDA brand I agree. And we used it. And we won. If thats some sort of sacrilige to some and I offended you then Im sorry.

Once coach can take a scheme and make it work even for one nite.

Thanks Nix. No winning on this one.

Sometimes the games do matter.

Nalod wrote:If I read that article I would have posted it but we all know how poplular that would have been. I did not read it.

I don't read too many articles because I go what see with my own eyes and the stat of shots taken popped out.

SSOL is a MDA brand I agree. And we used it. And we won. If thats some sort of sacrilige to some and I offended you then Im sorry.

Once coach can take a scheme and make it work even for one nite.

Thanks Nix. No winning on this one.

Sometimes the games do matter.

So Nalod is it so hard to admit you were wrong about us running ssoland mdas offense? Studies show that mens biggest fear is,speaking in front of a group and admitting they are wrong on a subject. Which are you nalod?

gunsnewing wrote:There is just no need to bring MDA into this even if you are right about 1 or 2 points. The coaching philosophies and results are night and day

Oh and by the way lets bring up ray ray looking like linsanity too.SMFH

Coach of the Year: Mike Woodson. This D'Antoni crap has to stop. The guy failed here his last 2 years when he actually had talent.

MSG3 wrote:It doesn't make sense to give MDA any credit here. So what if Woody uses some of his sets? Coaches have borrowed from each other throughout the history of every sport. What separates coaches is not always who knows a particular offense or defense the best. It's how everything is communicated to players. I've been saying all along that D'Antoni knows his basketball. But there's a reason he could only win with Nash. Nash isn't the type of player who needs to be handled. D'Antoni told him what he wanted and he was intelligent enough to go out there and execute as one of the greatest point guards in the history of the game. Most of the time teams won't have a player that is so perfectly suited for a situation and just happens to be one of the greatest of all time. What D'Antoni couldn't do elsewhere is communicate with his guys and coach them into doing what he wanted. If Woody is actually using some of D'Antoni's sets it just proves who the better coach is. Woody is making everyone buy in WHILE PLAYING DEFENSE!!!

Coach of the Year: Mike Woodson. This D'Antoni crap has to stop. The guy failed here his last 2 years when he actually had talent.

You forget that MDA "won" with Felton too. Knicks were 42-40 and that was after being interrupted by the Melo drama. It was clear that MDA was also having some success with Lin and the Knicks bench. It's always about the players and the coach. You can't overlook how important it is to a coach to have the right players. Woody has some great PG's now. It makes a difference. Woody didn't have to teach Felton as much since he already knew the offense from MDA.

This is NOT ABOUT MDA VERSES WOODY! This isn't about taking credit away from Woody. Woody has done a great job, but he also was smart enough to make use of some of MDA's offense rather than be stubborn and not use any of it.

nixluva wrote:

MSG3 wrote:It doesn't make sense to give MDA any credit here. So what if Woody uses some of his sets? Coaches have borrowed from each other throughout the history of every sport. What separates coaches is not always who knows a particular offense or defense the best. It's how everything is communicated to players. I've been saying all along that D'Antoni knows his basketball. But there's a reason he could only win with Nash. Nash isn't the type of player who needs to be handled. D'Antoni told him what he wanted and he was intelligent enough to go out there and execute as one of the greatest point guards in the history of the game. Most of the time teams won't have a player that is so perfectly suited for a situation and just happens to be one of the greatest of all time. What D'Antoni couldn't do elsewhere is communicate with his guys and coach them into doing what he wanted. If Woody is actually using some of D'Antoni's sets it just proves who the better coach is. Woody is making everyone buy in WHILE PLAYING DEFENSE!!!

Coach of the Year: Mike Woodson. This D'Antoni crap has to stop. The guy failed here his last 2 years when he actually had talent.

You forget that MDA "won" with Felton too. Knicks were 42-40 and that was after being interrupted by the Melo drama. It was clear that MDA was also having some success with Lin and the Knicks bench. It's always about the players and the coach. You can't overlook how important it is to a coach to have the right players. Woody has some great PG's now. It makes a difference. Woody didn't have to teach Felton as much since he already knew the offense from MDA.

This is NOT ABOUT MDA VERSES WOODY! This isn't about taking credit away from Woody. Woody has done a great job, but he also was smart enough to make use of some of MDA's offense rather than be stubborn and not use any of it.

From Wikipedia:

Nellie ball is an unconventional offensive strategy in basketball developed by NBA head coach Don Nelson. It is a fast-paced run-and-gun offense relying on smaller, more athletic players who can create mismatches by outrunning their opponents. A true center is usually not needed to run this type of offense. A large volume of three-point attempts is generally a staple of Nellie Ball as well.[1] This offense is most effective against teams that do not have the athleticism or shooting ability to keep up with the fast pace.

Maybe Mike D'Antoni's SSOL offense should be sued for copyright infringement!