nixluva wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

nixluva wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

WaltLongmire wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

nixluva wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

nixluva wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

nixluva wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

EnySpree wrote:The Knicks are the better team... sooner or later the Knicks should be able to get a comfy lead aND rock out with a win

Knicks are better, but the Lakers can score, the Knicks can't defend, Lakers keep games close and so do the Knicks.

Actually it's more accurate to say the Knicks don't defend consistently but they can and do defend well in stretches. That's how they've won games but it goes under the radar.

They're 26th in defensive efficiency.

26th in opponents field goal percentage allowed.

23rd in opponents points allowed.

They are not good defensively.

I'm aware of the stats but some of that is blowouts factoring in. They can and have played good D in stretches which is how they've won games. It's one of those things that overall stats aren't gonna show.

Name the last team that finished 26th in defensive efficiency that made even the second round of the playoffs. It's not a good sign.

Now you're talking about something different. We don't know how this team will be defending by the time the playoffs come around. It's an issue to be sure but they don't have to be great defensively in order to win. Timely stops can be enough. They do need to improve tho.

I'm not talking about anything different. I'm talking about them being bad at defense. They should be blowing this Lakers team out, but they can't get stops, so the game is closer than it needs to be. That sort of thing is also not a good sign for the playoffs.

Lakers have made some tough shots, especially on runners, shots I usually don't consider to be good ones...sometimes they just go in.

Lakers have a lot of bad shot takers and makers. This isn't just about the Lakers game - they were 26th in defense coming in to tonight.

Though I do feel like if they were better on D this game would be over already.

I've said it from the start. The Knicks play good D in stretches and that's why they have won games. They've gone 6-0 in close games. You've gotta get stops in order to win games. They often do just enough to get the job done.

Yes, they play good D in stretches, but more often they are in close games because they don't defend well enough to create separation and get a blow out win. Even Hornacek has said this. They are about to be 14-10 and still have a negative point differential on the year. That's not good. The defense is not good.

They're a smart, crafty veteran team... but they need to improve the D.

They've gotta improve as I've said but the stats are negatively impacted by some brutal losses. Outside of the Cavs blowouts they haven't been as bad as that makes them look.

If they ever tighten up their D they won't have as many close games. Hey they won again so there's that 😜

That's been my point the whole time. This game felt like it should've been over heading into the 4th quarter, instead it wound up being close and KP played almost 40minutes. They aren't five guys on a string yet, not even close. Not on D.

Their offense, on the other hand, has phases where it looks very very very good.

nixluva wrote:If Rose and BJ improve their shooting like this or at least at a good level, this team is gonna be a tough out. I hope they continue to hit shots at a good clip going forward.

rose has never been a good 3 pt shooter. he needs to stick to his 2s. jennings is streaky and not afraid of thr big shot

crzymdups wrote:

nixluva wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

nixluva wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

WaltLongmire wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

nixluva wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

nixluva wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

nixluva wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

EnySpree wrote:The Knicks are the better team... sooner or later the Knicks should be able to get a comfy lead aND rock out with a win

Knicks are better, but the Lakers can score, the Knicks can't defend, Lakers keep games close and so do the Knicks.

Actually it's more accurate to say the Knicks don't defend consistently but they can and do defend well in stretches. That's how they've won games but it goes under the radar.

They're 26th in defensive efficiency.

26th in opponents field goal percentage allowed.

23rd in opponents points allowed.

They are not good defensively.

I'm aware of the stats but some of that is blowouts factoring in. They can and have played good D in stretches which is how they've won games. It's one of those things that overall stats aren't gonna show.

Name the last team that finished 26th in defensive efficiency that made even the second round of the playoffs. It's not a good sign.

Now you're talking about something different. We don't know how this team will be defending by the time the playoffs come around. It's an issue to be sure but they don't have to be great defensively in order to win. Timely stops can be enough. They do need to improve tho.

I'm not talking about anything different. I'm talking about them being bad at defense. They should be blowing this Lakers team out, but they can't get stops, so the game is closer than it needs to be. That sort of thing is also not a good sign for the playoffs.

Lakers have made some tough shots, especially on runners, shots I usually don't consider to be good ones...sometimes they just go in.

Lakers have a lot of bad shot takers and makers. This isn't just about the Lakers game - they were 26th in defense coming in to tonight.

Though I do feel like if they were better on D this game would be over already.

I've said it from the start. The Knicks play good D in stretches and that's why they have won games. They've gone 6-0 in close games. You've gotta get stops in order to win games. They often do just enough to get the job done.

Yes, they play good D in stretches, but more often they are in close games because they don't defend well enough to create separation and get a blow out win. Even Hornacek has said this. They are about to be 14-10 and still have a negative point differential on the year. That's not good. The defense is not good.

They're a smart, crafty veteran team... but they need to improve the D.

They've gotta improve as I've said but the stats are negatively impacted by some brutal losses. Outside of the Cavs blowouts they haven't been as bad as that makes them look.

If they ever tighten up their D they won't have as many close games. Hey they won again so there's that 😜

That's been my point the whole time. This game felt like it should've been over heading into the 4th quarter, instead it wound up being close and KP played almost 40minutes. They aren't five guys on a string yet, not even close. Not on D.

Their offense, on the other hand, has phases where it looks very very very good.

You're underestimating the Lakers scoring ability. The Knicks had a very good stretch of D which allowed them to get a good lead. This is probably who they are. They may not have it for 48 minutes but they can and do turn it up for key stretches.

nyknickzingis wrote:Our defense isn't good, but it has improved more than our offense since the first 9 games.
We rebound and defend much better. You can not win as many games in a row on the road like we have without some defense.

Mainly what I hate about our defense is that we just don't have good speed from inside to out on shooters. We have KP and he anchors great but he's 7'3 and worries about fouls. He can't close shooters great. Noah's a Center. There's Melo, slow footed and low on energy in most defensive situations. The front court of ours just isn't quick enough to close out on shooters.

I think we're seeing why Rambis is sticking to more man defense. You play man defense and switch less you allow less confusion and less situations where you're in a last second decision to make a close out or chase down your man.

The other thing is toughness. We've got great length and Porzingis has been really more tougher since that OKC loss, but we can be pushed around. That can hurt you on defense.

Overall though, this team has played pretty well. We're tied for 3rd in the East right now. We got to keep evolving on offense. I saw some more depth to the offense tonight. More recognition of where to go and what mismatch to seek. We seem to be able to find good shots rather easily these days unless it's a 2nd night of a back to back. Take away those 4 losses on a 2nd night of a back to back, and we tend to play pretty well when fresh.

Rose looked like an all-star tonight, but it was also the worst defensive team in the league.
Monster game on both ends by Kris. Love that kid.

Yeah, the offense has been much better and I agree the defense is improved. But your point about being slow to close out shooters is right on.

And, yeah, good point that they're 0-5 on the second night of back to backs. They're 14-5 when it's not a back to back! 10-1 in their last 11 games where they've had at least a day of rest. Only loss was OKC... where their interior D was exposed.

But, yeah, there's a lot to like right now. They're really coming together. I just think and want them to get even better, because I can see areas where they can improve. There is still a ton of room for improvement. I like that Drose keeps saying that after every game - because he's right. Can't get complacent. Need to improve the D, need to hold leads better, need to get better.

I wouldn't be harping on the D if I didn't think it could be better. I still think this team can make some noise in the playoffs and I would like to play the Raptors and Cavs when we're rested and healthy... and playing smarter, tighter D.

nixluva wrote:The crazy thing is that they're finding a way to win at the same time that they're still trying to figure things out in all facets. Jeff is still assessing his roster and how best to use them. The team is still not totally smooth on either end so there's still plenty of upside for this team. That said I'm very pleased with how things have developed.

Can't help but notice all the Rose and BJ hate has died down!!! The guys that dissed Holiday as just a throw in were way off. The interesting thing tonight was Jeff going with a tighter rotation. I wonder if that's gonna be something he continues or if it was just a feel thing.

EnySpree wrote:This team is getting better regardless of how we feel the outcome should have been. The defense was the worst in the league early on. Now in spurts we look fantastic but can't keep it together consistent enough to get the blowouts we should get. I feel those days are coming.

crzymdups wrote:

nixluva wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

nixluva wrote:

crzymdups wrote:

EnySpree wrote:The Knicks are the better team... sooner or later the Knicks should be able to get a comfy lead aND rock out with a win

Knicks are better, but the Lakers can score, the Knicks can't defend, Lakers keep games close and so do the Knicks.

Actually it's more accurate to say the Knicks don't defend consistently but they can and do defend well in stretches. That's how they've won games but it goes under the radar.

They're 26th in defensive efficiency.

26th in opponents field goal percentage allowed.

23rd in opponents points allowed.

They are not good defensively.

I'm aware of the stats but some of that is blowouts factoring in. They can and have played good D in stretches which is how they've won games. It's one of those things that overall stats aren't gonna show.

Name the last team that finished 26th in defensive efficiency that made even the second round of the playoffs. It's not a good sign.

But...
we are tied for the 3rd seed
On pace to win 48 wins
we are able to impose our will on inferior teams and find ways to win

Some observations...

Boy Rose looks good. Where are all the "he's the worst PG in the league" and "he hurts his team" crowd now? This guy has been fantastic and that area of the floor where he hits those mid range shots and in the paint with those floaters.. that area is pretty open for him to operate in. If a big comes to help Rose has an open Noah/KP/KOQ to hand it off too. If they dont help he's got a 1-1 look for a floater or midrange shot. He's really looking great in this offense as a big 3 and scoring option.

Great to see Melo have a positive impact on a crappy shooting night. Some timely steals on defense, 7 boards, 7 assists... despite the terrible shooting he helped us win the game. Great to see.

Great game by KP, but too many minutes for a guy who's nicked up. JH only played 9... I wonder if that was by design or just flow of the game. No Kuz last night... Suns game should give us some insight.

What really makes me happy about the way things are going is everything can get better. We can distribute better, we have games where we dont box out well, stretches we dont defend well... and we are 14-10 and 11-4 over the last 15. I think what we are seeing this is a talented team just starting to hit their stride figure out an identity.

I DVR the games.. same with football. I dont have time in life to sit through commercials etc. LAst night was a treat. I switched between the Giants and Knicks and watched every play of both while FF through the commercials and FTs. Needless to say both were highly enjoyable

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martin wrote:

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KP did a great job of getting to the line. Really went after them.

reub wrote:

GustavBahler wrote:When you see Rose put on a scoring display like that, its hard not to want to see him brought back. Its also not hard for me to want to see him moved to shooting guard if Phil did. Try to bring in another PG if Jennings isnt up for the job. He's making a case for consideration at least.

Rose had only two assists, and it appeared that KP was looking to pass to Rose more than the other way around. Rose has shown he can play off the ball with Jennings. If Rose's shot isnt falling, and he isn't getting KP involved, thats not good. Might need time to transition from his traditional role, but I dont see that happening, yet anyway. If Jennings isnt the right call, try to find a good pass first PG in free agency, if doable.

Part of Rose's lack of assists was that he was a one man fast break much of the night. He was ahead of the rest of our players on the court, knew he could score, and did so. There was no reason for him to wait for his teammates to run down the floor along with our opponents when he didn't need them.

Thats a fair point about how Rose got his buckets, but I disagree about the lack of opportunities to be a playmaker.

GustavBahler wrote:When you see Rose put on a scoring display like that, its hard not to want to see him brought back. Its also not hard for me to want to see him moved to shooting guard if Phil did. Try to bring in another PG if Jennings isnt up for the job. He's making a case for consideration at least.

Rose had only two assists, and it appeared that KP was looking to pass to Rose more than the other way around. Rose has shown he can play off the ball with Jennings. If Rose's shot isnt falling, and he isn't getting KP involved, thats not good. Might need time to transition from his traditional role, but I dont see that happening, yet anyway. If Jennings isnt the right call, try to find a good pass first PG in free agency, if doable.

I completely disagree...Rose should be doing exactly what he is doing..It hasn't been since the 70s the Knicks have had three players who can score 30 pts on any given night...When Melo gets doubled then Rose and KP should be aggressive which is what occurred last night...KP got 16 shots last night and 19 shots the game before, this is what balance looks like...The starters don't need another point guard they need defense..They need exactly what a Shumpert can bring, a lock down perimeter defender and a guy who can hit the three and rebound...KP will get his looks, he can't get all the looks...Melo will get his looks and Rose will slice and dice them..That is a diversified offense..I'm upset they aren't running any plays to hit Lee for the open three...Melo running the pick and roll should be a staple of this offense, often and then often again, I don't see it enough..But our problem won't be offense, it will be defense...Too many open looks for perimeter players..KP has to play better perimeter defense...Defense can put us over the top THIS year...