as mr. russell has said the playoffs are about defense and matchups.

do any of you agree with me that this is what boston is going to do and if you do agree with me then what is the knicks counterpunch?

misterearl wrote:The Answer Man Drops A Chinese Proverb Like It's Hot, Correctly

dk7th wrote:that's one possession out of 200. you might as well show me fotos of all 200 possessions while you're at it. otherwise what's your point?

A. "A Picture's Meaning Can Express Ten Thousand Words."

Carmelo is playing basketball at an elite level. The best basketball of his career. No matter how you put a veg-o-matic to it, (slice and dice it) that is a beautiful thing.

Seriously.

you fail to distinguish between "scoring" and "playing." is he making others around him better? the only thing you can hang your hat on is that he getting a bit better at passing the ball while not racking up actual assists.

on my block fool's gold players like carmelo anthony are guilty until proven innocent. he has been a failure in the playoffs 9 of 10 years and that translates to fool's gold.

no matter how you slice it the litmus test for any player is how often he sniffs the second round of the playoffs and beyond.

and for the record i am not angry and never have been. in fact i was genuinely excited the first ten games and that excitement is being rekindled a bit. i am looking forward to the playoffs but there are legitimate concerns if we end up facing chicago or boston.

i have mentioned one of those concerns. now how about addressing that concern or are you going to tell me to "enjoy the ride" for the umpteenth time as though the regular season means ANYTHING AT ALL in the final analysis?

dk7th wrote:you fail to distinguish between "scoring" and "playing." is he making others around him better? the only thing you can hang your hat on is that he getting a bit better at passing the ball while not racking up actual assists.

on my block fool's gold players like carmelo anthony are guilty until proven innocent. he has been a failure in the playoffs 9 of 10 years and that translates to fool's gold.

no matter how you slice it the litmus test for any player is how often he sniffs the second round of the playoffs and beyond.

and for the record i am not angry and never have been. in fact i was genuinely excited the first ten games and that excitement is being rekindled a bit. i am looking forward to the playoffs but there are legitimate concerns if we end up facing chicago or boston.

i have mentioned one of those concerns. now how about addressing that concern or are you going to tell me to "enjoy the ride" for the umpteenth time as though the regular season means ANYTHING AT ALL in the final analysis?

"The turning point was Utah. Kurt Thomas set us up there, in terms of us keying in on a win we really had to have and made our trip coming home a lot sweeter. And we forgot about that West Coast swing now. Ten games later, we're still undefeated."

- Head Coach Mike Woodson

Could the "blank stare" which Seth Rosental describes, be partly influenced by the intense stare, or warrior attitude, of Kurt Thomas?

(The Playoffs Don't Start Until April 29, But The Answer Man Plays Along Anyway)

dk7th wrote:i don't care how you slice it: boston is going to be focussed on getting carmelo anthony into early foul trouble, be it through forcing him to guard pierce or garnett.

Carmelo will not foul out of any games. At a rugged 6'9, Melo is no day at the beach to shoot over.

dk7th wrote:as mr. russell has said the playoffs are about defense and matchups.

Did You Say Defense?

Surrounded by the unfamiliarity of hostile opposing fans, the Celtics have stumbled. It’s as if they have suddenly forgotten how to play defense. More specifically, it’s almost as if they don’t care. Losses to the Charlotte Bobcats (twice) and New Orleans Hornets prove that.

On the other hand, our beloved Knicks have turned the defensive switch up a notch in fourth quarters. You do the math.

Matchups?

Matchups - Paul Pierce is the only Celtics player that gives us problems. Kenyon Martin, come on down. Starting out, we can throw the muscular Shump at him to deny the ball.

6'11 Garnett? 7' Chandler. Done. 6'11 Marcus Camby is in the bullpen warming up.

The rest are not a problem.

dk7th wrote:what is the knicks counterpunch?

A. Madison Square Garden

Boston is on Queer Street. They are desperately searching for an identity. Consider this dk7th: Out of the 16 NBA teams currently in playoff position, Boston holds the worst record on the road.

Fun Factorial Notes

At home, in 718 minutes with the lead between one and five points, Boston has an offensive rating of 102.5 and a defensive rating of 91.2. The team has shot 46 percent from the field and 37.2 percent from three-point range.

On the road, in 728 minutes with the lead between one and five points, the Celtics have an offensive rating of 99.8 and a defensive rating of 107.3. They have shot just 43.4 percent from the floor and 33.6 percent from outside.

Counterpunch number two. Earl Smith, Raymond Felton, Pablo Prigioni - all playing tenacious defense. On offense, add just a skootch of a contribution from Steve Novak and the Celtics are scrambling trying to cover the floor.

dk7th wrote:coach rivers is way too experienced to not exploit weakness.

Doc better concern himself with the Celtics flaws.
It’s no secret that the Celtics have had their fare share of issues when it comes to closing out games. They have already lost seven contests this season in which they held a double-digit lead at some point—including margins of 16, 17 and even 27.

I Ain't Scared of No Ghosts.

No smiles tonight

just a third consecutive 40+ game with a bunch of rebounds thrown in as garnish. the crowd goes nuts

To Tina, he mentions something about elevating his game this time of year.

thank you for leading the way Carmelo.

Anji wrote:LOL, even Jason Kidd was doing the "holy roller" 3 point celebration, come on MrE smiles have nothing to do with winning.

Anji - the serious expression (or "blank stare" as described by Seth Rosenthal) is more symbolic of how Carmelo has locked in since Kurt Thomas played on a stress fracture in Utah. It's also a left jab for anyone who doubts Carmelo understands the gravity (and legacy) of a championship in New York City.

"As a team we feel that we're in a real good place, a real positive place. The energy is positive, on the court, off the court, in the locker room. We're feeding off each other, our confidence is growing each day."

Oh what a (beautiful) night.

misterearl wrote:Dead Wrong?

OGkush121 wrote:sorry, but whoever thinks Melo stopped smiling is dead wrong....he'll never stop smiling, and why should he? :)

Carmelo Anthony has his eyes on the prize

“That was the championship team out there and that’s our goal. Today was a legendary game with all the legends in the house. It’s an inspiration to know that history, know what they’ve been able to do. They’re fans of ours as much as we’re fans of theirs. Great night, great feeling for us and the legends."

The Answer Man is thankful to watch this moment of rare excellence

Well last time I checked smiling doesn't mean you're not focused or determined, and he has smiled a couple of times during the past couple of games so I don't know where that's coming from :)