Before the season, I'd never of thought we'd be 27-15 at this point especially if you'd told me Amar'e would be out for 6 weeks, followed by Felton for a month.

CrushAlot wrote:

StarksEwing1 wrote:

NYDiva wrote:Shump locking down Korver on that last possession won't be anywhere in the box score, but that was key. Can't understand why Woody wouldn't play him down the stretch til then.

I love shump. I still dont understand why our best defender was on the bench most of the 4th quarter until the last 30 seconds

I think shump is still on a minutes restriction. Also they said when he first came back they wanted him to start the first and third quarters because they didn't want him to tighten up.

Yep- and don't forget, this was a back to back, so we couldn't really play him more than we did.

I see why I get lumped in with the anti Melo crowd sometimes as there is a lot of it on this thread.

My thoughts on the game, Most of the posts (there are exceptions) don't give the other team enough credit. ATL played tough the whole game. Larry Drew to me is in the COY conversation as he is doing real well with a a low star like team. Nothing fancy but they are playing tough and we were on the back end of a back to back.

I did not see the philly game so I don't know how Shump played but I'd say we spared him last nite to no stress his leg. Injury occurs from fatigue. given we were short without Kidd we stilled won. Priggy played well.

ITs also why JR is getting more minutes as well. Woody has to also protect Felton.

This is why Melo was bringing up the ball a lot.

I think these threads assume these are our games to lose. Its the NBA. Thunder lost to the Lakers. Miami to Boston. Even bad teams win on the road!

ATL is not a bad team. That was a great game. crowd was not into it both teams played hard.

We got some injuries was have to deal with.

Nalod wrote:Nalod don't do too many game threads as I usually DVR the games.

I see why I get lumped in with the anti Melo crowd sometimes as there is a lot of it on this thread.

My thoughts on the game, Most of the posts (there are exceptions) don't give the other team enough credit. ATL played tough the whole game. Larry Drew to me is in the COY conversation as he is doing real well with a a low star like team. Nothing fancy but they are playing tough and we were on the back end of a back to back.

I did not see the philly game so I don't know how Shump played but I'd say we spared him last nite to no stress his leg. Injury occurs from fatigue. given we were short without Kidd we stilled won. Priggy played well.

ITs also why JR is getting more minutes as well. Woody has to also protect Felton.

This is why Melo was bringing up the ball a lot.

I think these threads assume these are our games to lose. Its the NBA. Thunder lost to the Lakers. Miami to Boston. Even bad teams win on the road!

ATL is not a bad team. That was a great game. crowd was not into it both teams played hard.

We got some injuries was have to deal with.

This is pretty accurate. My only gripe is that there was a bit too much iso for my liking. It may have been a case of just going with the hot hand last night. Time will tell.

dk7th wrote:

yellowboy90 wrote:I do not mind the Melo critique but what I do mind is that no one else beside Jr and Felton get critiqued by the same posters. They do not feel the same need to critique Kidd or Tyson and just give Amar'e a pass on D cause he is what he is. Sad when they do not critique the so called leaders of the team.

let's be clear: these 3 players take the lion's share of the shots so they should get the lion's share of the critique if the offense does not look like a ECF-worthy offense.

felton can't stay in front of the more than half the point guards of this league and you want to get on kidd's case are you kidd-ing me? the man is 40 years old and playing with a bad lower back. he should not be playing more than 18 minutes a game but he is playing 28 by necessity. have you any idea how hard it is to play basketball that way? it looks to me that he has not been healthy in weeks and weeks. translation: he gets a pass.

jr is a knucklehead pure and simple. 15.3 fga and 3.5 fta is a terrible ratio. has anyone committed more fouls on a 3-point shooter? also 2.9 ast and 1.6 TO the guy overdribbles every night and no amount of bad shot-making nullifies what i see and i assure you come playoff time his type of game will hurt the team.

ty chandler came straight out of high school and he is an old 30. the back tap rebounds are an adaptation for old legs with not much spring in them. he needs a running start to get elevation. and this season he is has been wearing down by playing too many minutes because sheed and camby have sandcastles for feet. dallas recognized that he should not be playing more than 28 minutes a game but the knicks are forced to play him 33 minutes a game because the bench is ancient. translation: he gets a pass.

dk, I find that odd as well. I remember people directly blaming toney Douglas for losses when he played like 5 min a game... I just don't get it...

JamesKPolk wrote:

smackeddog wrote:It was a fun game and we played well for the most part- hawks are 25-19, they're a good team. It was great seeing Amar'e getting some timely points and rebounds, Melo shutting his critics up AND that Amar'e, Tyson and Melo can play together. Good to see Amar'e and Melo passing to each other a lot more. It was an enjoyable game.

Before the season, I'd never of thought we'd be 27-15 at this point especially if you'd told me Amar'e would be out for 6 weeks, followed by Felton for a month.

No we didn't.

Yes we did.

tkf wrote:

NUPE wrote:It's so comical to me that several posters are literally incensed in regards to the Knicks thriving with Melo. LMAO!

thriving? ok... surviving.... I think several are upset that they see another first round exit.. with MELOOOOOOOO........

I think literal thousands are seething that we're in first place at anything with MELOOOOOOOOO.......

NYDiva wrote:

dk7th wrote:

NUPE wrote:Can one of the several stat obsessed guys - you know who you are - tell me what Melo's TS% was tonight?

it was 71.6% tonight and it is going to be around 57% for the season after tonight, stopping-- for one game-- the gradual reversion back to his career average of around 54-55%.

55% is average and anything above 58% is elite.

what's your point?

I think the point is that when a guy has a 72% TS on his way to scoring 42 points in a win, including the clutch go ahead 'and one', maybe his detractors could lay off of him for 5 minutes. Maybe.

But, Martin has spoken so I shall respect the mods position on this. No more on this subject for moi.

no the point is that many fans are so starved for any inkling of success from anthony-- who has not proven he can win anything playing the way he does-- that they lose sight of the overarching goal for our team which is to win it all, or short of that make the ECF. we are in win-now mode as a result of the melo trade and if we sink the trade will have been proven to be a mistake. if we succeed then everything i understand about winning basketball will have been proven wrong-- i will be only too happy to be proven wrong, despite those who believe otherwise, ie i am glad when we lose or melo fails. baloney!

he has been regressing all season in terms of shooting and defense and looks increasingly like the player he has always been and that should be cause for concern.

last night his usage rate to assist rate was an unprecedented 8:1. iso-MELO is not going to win in the playoffs with that ratio, let alone 3:1 or 2.5:1.

so far as martin and andrew are concerned you guys should be glad they are tolerating dissenting points of view-- the powers that be at realgm don't have such an inclusive approach and the site is probably boring as hell right now.

i make this observation not as a complaint but a reminder that it is entirely possible to remain courteous even if one holds a diametrically opposite point of view.

and it's also a great way to learn something-- because it's not about clinging desperately to ones point of view so much as learning or disabusing yourself of faulty notions.