Was a great game last night. Garden was electric. First with mostly excitement about having the the champs in the house. (First time seeing KD and Curry together live). Big buzz when the starting five came out. Most were surprised. Have to say, was also taken back by the change. Specially cuz we were playing the Warriors. But boy did they come out with energy. Shots were not dropping but they were playing aggrrssive defense. Those five are Very fast and athletic. From,1 to 5.
Dotson was what I thought he can be all pre season. Super quick. Covers a lot of ground on D and not afraid on offense. Frank played with intensity on BOTH sides! Best game I have seen him play live. Kid obviously gets up for big names. (LeBron last year). Looked like the point guard some were saying he could be. Hope he can bring that type of aggressiveness on a consistent basis no matter the level of competition. Timmy was Timmy. Started slow but got it going. Guy can flat out shoot and has no conscience. Know that many on here dont like his style (would rather a guy with a good two handed chest pass) but when going up against high level guys like this "you need him on that court you want him on that court".
when he is on he is a guy that can play at a ridiculous level. Kanter was visibly surprised of the benching. But came off the bench as he had something to prove. Think Fiz"s message was heard loud and clear. Robinson gave a good effort but his age showed. Do think that he is real athletic and noves so well for his size. Think we got a steal with him and Trier. Think the challenge is niw on the Knicks to develop them. Burke also played like he received the message, came off the bench with more intensity, specially on defensive side, and looked a bit more like last year. Trier looked a bit hesitant and taken back by the competition. But he had some pretty good defenders on him and had to worry about chasing Thompson. Mario played decent. Still think he needs a bit more court vision when driving. Sometimes just puts his head down and goes. As for Lance....respect the effort and attitude but he is starting to look old. Do think he can turn it around as long as he starts hitting his threes. Very vocal on the court and always coaching. Was surprised no Baker? Another Fiz message? Biggest surprise for me was Vonleh. Just continues to impress. Kid is a physical specimen. Can see him running a 4.5 and playing middle linebacker in the NFL. Another guy that has good upside on both ends. For those questioning Perry, the athleticism on the court is top notch.
Was surprised reading the game thread this morning. People complaining of Franks benching? Some complaining about Fizs minute management. Fair enough. Understand some think winning is everything. And Of course everyone has a right to their opinion. For me it was all good last night. Dont really think a win or a loss last night meant anything. Questioning what buttons could have been pushed to beat the world champs seems to be irrelevant and disconnected from whats is truly going here. Or what the goals are and should be. Think Fiz is showing why he was picked to lead this team. He can care less about ONE win or what the fans want. He has laser focusd on developing the culture and teaching these young players. Could care less about short term success. Has his eye on only long term goals. Something all claimed is what was needed and wanted around here. If no one can see that the reason we looked so good the first three quarters is because of what he is preaching, your not paying attention. Just look at how well the new first unit played and how much more energy the players that were moved to second unit had. Look at how he finally put Frank at the PG spot, after some thought starting him at 3 was a long term move. These are all parts of a bigger plan. All messages that will pay dividends when it counts. Guy is teaching. Fiz knows what he is doing. Fans should just sit back, enjoy and keep an eye on the progression of the team. Keep those learning moments coming Fiz. Even if the cost is a few meaningless wins. Super excited to see this taking place. Saw nothing but positives last night. Great night of basketball.
Btw. Probably a seperate topic. But KD and Curry together are something to watch. KD is the best offensive player I have seen, the last couple of years, in the NBA. If dreams came true he would be a Knick next year. Curry is amazing as well. Took a video of him practicing shots from half court. He was making most! For those claiming defense is the most important thing to winning Chips or guys that can pass and not take crazy shots, you have not seen these two guys play or witnessed them in the 4th quarter of last nights game. No one could have guarded those two. And they did not exactly take good wide open shots that were the result of good ball movement.
'Knicks focus should be on players that have grown up playing soccer or cricket' - Triplethreat 8/28/2020
10/27/2018 12:26 PM