Paladin55 wrote:

Papabear wrote:

nixluva wrote:I actually thought the effort was there. The Knicks simply didn't hit shots. There were a TON of point blank misses that we usually convert. I didn't have a problem for the most part except for the doubling on Duncan. To me it's just not worth it with the Spurs ability to it open shots. At least send the help from the weakside instead of TD or Felton dropping off Parker or Ginobili. We just need for Denver to admit it's over and make a deal. If they wanna play hardball then they're just being stupid.

Papabear Says

If we would play defense the whole game maybe the outcome would be different. During Mike D's interview after the game all Mike D talked about was missing shots. What about defense?

I thought we played decent D. We missed a lot of shots, especially in close, and we didn't move the ball around enough.

I agree. That was one of the Knicks better defensive games. I also think we missed a lot of shots you expect to make.

On the other hand I thought we lacked ball movement and Felton was trying to force the issue too much. He was doing this even when we were winning but he was making a lot of tough shots. I think he plays with a lot of heart and tries to take over. You want guys that aren't afraid on the other hand he's not an elite scorer and he's the PG. He needs to get a little more under control and move the ball.

OldFan wrote:

Paladin55 wrote:

Papabear wrote:

nixluva wrote:I actually thought the effort was there. The Knicks simply didn't hit shots. There were a TON of point blank misses that we usually convert. I didn't have a problem for the most part except for the doubling on Duncan. To me it's just not worth it with the Spurs ability to it open shots. At least send the help from the weakside instead of TD or Felton dropping off Parker or Ginobili. We just need for Denver to admit it's over and make a deal. If they wanna play hardball then they're just being stupid.

Papabear Says

If we would play defense the whole game maybe the outcome would be different. During Mike D's interview after the game all Mike D talked about was missing shots. What about defense?

I thought we played decent D. We missed a lot of shots, especially in close, and we didn't move the ball around enough.

I agree. That was one of the Knicks better defensive games. I also think we missed a lot of shots you expect to make.

On the other hand I thought we lacked ball movement and Felton was trying to force the issue too much. He was doing this even when we were winning but he was making a lot of tough shots. I think he plays with a lot of heart and tries to take over. You want guys that aren't afraid on the other hand he's not an elite scorer and he's the PG. He needs to get a little more under control and move the ball.

I agree with you on Felton- but if I take his side, and perhaps look at things from his point of view, I would say that he is less likely to look for someone at the 3pt line if they are not hitting those shots consistently.(For what it is worth, SA played better D this game- we had numerous open looks in that first game- few in this game.)His offensive aggressiveness may then be directly related to his feeling that the other options on the team are not working.

Gallo's lack of consistency on his jumpers has surprised(and annoyed) me, and I haven't figured out if is mechanical or injury related. I just know that he is not showing the effectiveness that he showed his first year- when he had the bad back- or last year, and I'm not sure that Felton feels all that comfortable feeding him for the 3pt shot. I think the reason Gallo looks to drive more now is because he does not feel as confident as usual when taking his J.

Guys showed a lot of activity in the beginning of the game. Gallinari was looking like Fields with all his cuts to the basket- much more frisky than usual, and Fields (he always plays this way- which is why we love the guy) and Chandler were also moving around well.

We missed so many shots in the paint, though- much more than usual- and ultimately, this is why we lost the game(getting some calls on those missed shots would have been nice)IMO.

Paladin55 wrote:

Papabear wrote:

nixluva wrote:I actually thought the effort was there. The Knicks simply didn't hit shots. There were a TON of point blank misses that we usually convert. I didn't have a problem for the most part except for the doubling on Duncan. To me it's just not worth it with the Spurs ability to it open shots. At least send the help from the weakside instead of TD or Felton dropping off Parker or Ginobili. We just need for Denver to admit it's over and make a deal. If they wanna play hardball then they're just being stupid.

Papabear Says

If we would play defense the whole game maybe the outcome would be different. During Mike D's interview after the game all Mike D talked about was missing shots. What about defense?

I thought we played decent D. We missed a lot of shots, especially in close, and we didn't move the ball around enough.

Papabear Says

We gave up 101 points maybe thats good D for us.

Papabear wrote:

s3231 wrote:This is going to sound redundant, but we really need to establish Gallo as our #2 guy on offense. The more I watch this team play I realize that it's not Gallo being passive that is preventing that from happening but rather, it's Felton and Amare dominating the ball (and Wilson to a certain degree this season, but def. not last night).

I keep thinking about that Miami Heat game at MSG earlier this season when Gallo went off in the 1st half. He did most of his damage with a bunch of starters on the bench and then when Amare and company came back in, they just stopped going to him. That seems to happen a lot and I'm not convinced that it's all about Gallo being passive at times rather than being aggressive.

D'Antoni or Amare or someone has to realize that we need to involve him more on the offensive end. Instead of running PnRs all day with Felton and Amare, maybe switch it up and have Gallo/Amare do it at times? I love Felton but he's been killing us the last several games and he shouldn't be taking 21 shot attempts when his shot is off and he is playing hurt.

Papabear Says

What do you think you guys have here? a Larry Bird? Not close Gallo on other teams in the upper tier is not even a starter. When Gallo drives to the basket he looks to get fouled but he can't finish the shot. I predict that the team is close to tuning Mike D out.

I don't think any of us know exactly what we do have with Gallo and that's why I'd like to find out.

All I know is that he has been driving to the hoop with ease lately and is showing signs of becoming the offensive weapon we dreamed of when we drafted him. When he gets touches, good things typically happen and I'd like to see us feature him on offense at least for a little bit just to see what the kid is capable of. People forget but when we started that great stretch earlier this season after the Denver game on the road, it was Gallo who went off in multiple 4th quarters and was critical to the success.

I'm starting to think that Gallo isn't as inconsistent as we make him out to be but rather, that a big part of it is how inconsistent the surrounding players are in getting him the ball.