He's learned from his Atlanta stint, and is really coming into his own as head coach of the Knicks.

Love that he isn't stubborn like what's his name...if it's broke, FIX IT!

CrushAlot wrote:

gunsnewing wrote:Woodson still hasn't lost 3 games in a row

Knicks went on a 6 game losing streak after their 10th game last year.

1. Carmelo and J.R.Smith both started playing defense as much as they could and a lot more than last year. Not to mention, these two were considered drama queens when they were on other teams.
2. Tyson Chandler became a low post defensive threat since last year and continue to slap the ball out and save the ball.
3. Raymond Felton became a legit starter and even at times with all-star performance. I thank Mike (coaching) and Jason Kidd (mentor) and Jeremy Lin (giving Felton the pressure to prove he's better)
4. Efficiency on 3 point shots, we've become very smart on picking the chances to make 3 point shots.
5. OMG, the selflessness (look at our team assists average) our players have exhibited throughout all these games this season. The passes were amazing at times and players always look for teammates with open shots. Not to mention all those fancy retarded alley oops (Prigioni to Smith in 4th quarter tonight should be one of the best in history) that makes the games fun for everyone.
6. Defensively Mike Woodson had preached the players to believe in that system and we've taken legit teams down to their lowest scoring at times, not to mention our extremely low turnovers.
7. We've had so many injuries, so much drama. Mike Woodson took over for less than 2 years and turned the team around this much. He MADE me whine about Jimmy Dolan less than my whole 12-13 years of life doing so (although I still believe we need a new owner to actually win the championship and become legendary like the Lakers and Celtics).
8. He continues to show positive reinforcement, and although he rarely smiles, I believe the players enjoy playing for him and this team, despite all the troubles our team had since Mike D'Antoni.
9. He made players believe in themselves and do what they do best. Just watching J.R. Smith change so much from before is amazing.
10.He made grumpy fans like me actually fear for the possibility that I've suffered my whole life, the championship we've all been thirsty for. I'm actually starting to believe now that this year is our year to shine.

matt wrote:I really don't understand how this guy didn't get coach of the month for November. Looks really stupid choosing Avery, especially after he got canned

I think it's all politics. Mike Woodson rarely talks about his coaching in public. Maybe they gave it to Avery so he can stop talking. Sorry, Avery's voice just annoys the crap out of me since his rookie year.

It drove a lot of hawks fans nuts that he would have them switch EVERY screen to prioritize staying in front of ballhandlers. Normally that would result in constant mismatches but with a big guard in Joe Johnson and versatile defenders like Josh Smith, Horford, and Marvin Williams maybe that was the best way to handle things.

I was afraid we were just sliding back to middle of the pack defensively before last night's game. Here's something Zach Lowe wrote on what exactly Woodson is doing well. We've all seen it with our own eyes but it's still nice to read:

But the early results are good, and (Mark)Jackson has these guys (Warriors) playing hard.

So does Woodson, who has reached both Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith in ways previous coaches couldn’t; resurrected Rasheed Wallace’s career as a useful defensive stopper; and, most importantly, embraced NBA modernity by spacing the floor for a rainstorm of 3s and Tyson Chandler pick-and-rolls. Woodson has been pigeonholed in the past as an iso-ball, slow-it-down conservative stick in the mud, but he has bucked that perception by adding a bit of Mike D’Antoni/Stan Van Gundy flavor. Moving Anthony to power forward was the right move, though it took an early-season injury to Amar’e Stoudemire for Woodson to make the switch. The real challenge comes now.