Recap: Knicks 103, Pacers 105

by Chris Alvino on January 2nd, 2009 at 10:12 pm

Box Score

Shot Chart

21 Turnovers.  Jarrett Jack going off for 29 and Danny Granger going off for 22.  No shotblocking presence in the paint.  7 missed free throws in a 2 point loss. Oh, did I mention the 21 turnovers?

David Lee had a nice game, putting up 26 points on 12 of 15 shooting along with 11 rebounds.  Lee also had 3 assists and 5 steals.  Harrington had a decent game as well, but he also had some terrible, and I mean terrible, turnovers.  Overall, the team was sloppy.  Duhon played well, but he tried to force too many passes.  On that last play, Duhon also gave Jack too much room to shoot.  He almost looked like he was trying to keep him from getting to the hoop.  Without a decent shotblocker, I can see why.

For the Pacers, Troy Murhpy had a good game along with Jack and Granger.  Murphy grabbed 18 boards and was very active in the paint.  But overall, it was Jack that was the killer.  From the outset when Jack hit his first three shots from beyond the arc, Jack showed that he was prime for a big game.

My impression was that the Knicks did not play that well.  They still seem to be missing something.  Clearly they need a shotblocker and they need another guard.  But there seemed to be something else missing.  They still need a leader.  Duhon comes close to being that.  Harrington is a bit too erratic to be a true leader on the court.  They need a guy who will step up on defense down the stretch.  They need a guy who will step up and stop a guy from killing them, a Ron Artest type.  I have called for Artest countless times, but this season (and probably in seasons after this one) he is not coming to NY.  Maybe Raja Bell can be that guy if the Knicks can nab him.  Who knows?

Tough loss for the Knicks, especially with the Celtics coming to town on Sunday.  Not to be a pessimist, but that has loss written all over it.  Also, look for the Marbury to Boston talk to continue through Sunday.

About Chris Alvino

Chris Alvino grew up in Crestwood, NY. He graduated from Regis High School in 2005. There he played both basketball and baseball. Chris is currently a student at Boston College, where he practices with the varsity Women's Basketball Team (... seriously). Chris has been a Knicks' fan for years and can literally talk about them all day long, every day of the week. Chris enjoys writing on this blog and seeing what everyone out there has to say about it. View all posts by Chris Alvino →
  • bob knick slave

    I Swear to GOD<the next person who mentions 2010 is gonna get their jaw broken!i dont put aside 2 hours on a friday night to watch a team who gives up on the next 2 seasons,in the faint hop[e that they are going to try to sign 2 players who might not be so great by 2010!THE YEAR RIGHT NOW IS 2009,AND THIS IS WHEN THEY SHOULD BE TRYING TO BE GOOD.my tickets cost good money,my cable bill costs good money,and i doubt if the knicks are gonna give me a refund for this year.but i bet when 2010 gets here,they raise the price!if they’re gonna just fold tent and not do anything about this roster,then tell me NOT TO WATCH<AND NOT TO GO TO THE GAMES CUZ WERE JUST WAITING FOR 2010!if you close your eyes ,its just as if ZEKE were coaching this sorry bunch.I QUIT!!!KNICKS STICK IT UP YERAZZZ!

  • Chris Alvino

    Knick Slave- While most fans will disagree with you, I actually share some of your snetiments. They did not look good tonight. Walsh has to realize that this team needs reinforcements. After this season, if we do not make the playoffs, and right now we are not even close to a playoff team, I will look back to the period between his two trades and his next move and think about what could have been if he simply brought in reinforcements right away. What if he cut Marbury? James? Roberson?

  • BiggieSmalls

    i obviously disagree with the sentiments above by knicks slave.

    There is no point is trying to “be good” in 2009. Nights like last night just reinforce how far this squad — as currently constructed — is from hanging a banner. We lack a defensive stopper in the middle as well as a go to player in the clutch. And Dont give me Zbo or Craw.. They were not lock down clutch players. THey were just as likely to miss the big shot as they were to take it.

    As far as “investing 2 hours” — I dont get it. Are you really forgoing other activities to sit at home and watch the Knicks? My investment in last night was asking the bartender to put MSG on a TV near me. The game — while sloppily played — was a fun and entertaining watch. We were in it at the end and could have pulled it out.

    Ive said this before and it rings true after each of these losses.. This is a unique position we Knciks fans are in. We can watch and hope for competitive teams and root for players we feel good about rooting for.. BUt when we lose a close game we can look at it as not a loss but a gain in out ultimate goal of getting a decent pick in 09 as we dont have a 10 pick.. when we will be in the market for those elite players we need to hang a banner.

    Good times are ahead all.. revel in that.

  • DanL

    I’m with BiggieSmalls on this one. Chris and Slave, ask yourselves and think hard about it: What would you rather have. A team that this year would be a 8 seed that gets swept in the first round in 4 blowout losses to the Celtics, or a rebuilding franchise with a plan that will have 2 great players in 2010 (notice I didn’t name any players, the point is that we’ll wind up with 2 and possibly three great players out of the many many free agents that year) and will compete for the 1 seed and a title?

    Don’t you guys remember the Willie Anderson Knicks? Sometimes you have to retool and it takes time. That is what Isiah and Scott Layden should have been doing since about 2000 but instead they were desperate to make the playoffs with teams that could not contend for the title. Look where it got us.

    I know its hard, but please just be patient.

    DanL

  • bob knick slave

    BIGGIE,THEY DID PLAY A CLOSE GAME!buy they wereat home and it was against a lousy team.i can take a loss like this if the GM(walsh) was actually trying to win,but this guy is doing nothing but getting ready for a season that is 2 years from now.if i was the NBA commish,i would not allow this .THIS IS PROFESSIONAL SPORTS! PERIOD.YOU HAVE TO AT LEAST FILL YOUR EMPTY ROSTER SPOTS! WHY NOT JUST FORFIET THE GAMES ?AT LEAST US FANS DONT HAVE TO PAY AND WATCH FOR A GARBAGE TEAM WITH NO IDEA HOW TO PLAY.say what you want about 2010,what walsh is doing now ,is a CRIME.YOU CANT THROW AWAY 2 SEASONS AND CALL YOURSELF A PRO!also NATE ROBINSON IN CRUNCH TIME IS A JOKE.THIS GUY IS MORE OUTTA CONTROL,THAN THE DRIVER OF PRINCESS DIANA’ LIMO.I REMEMBER BACK IN THE DAY,WHEN A TRADE LIKE Z-BO FOR TIM THOMAS WOULD NOT BE ALLOWED BY MR STERN.you guys are being so sucked in by the MYTH that were gonna be a championship caliber team in 2010 that you are willing to have some pizzzz all over you in the meantime

  • Chris Alvino

    DanL- The point is that, even with those deals that Walsh made, which i do not have a problem with, he has still yet to attempt to fix some of the problems that this team has with ST fixes.

    Would I rather, with the 2010 plan in place, compete this year or bomb the season to get a lottery pick….. give me a playoff berth.

  • Chris Alvino

    BTW, Dan…. I checked the site out. Good stuff.

  • mariners005

    Bob im tired of you’re mindless rants and atrocious comparisons. I’m a die-hard knick fan since ’99, I go in every season hoping for 82-0( but thats just fantasy). You cry about wanting a team that can play now like a 5 year old child. Do understand what it means to be under the cap, something the Knicks haven’t been under for a long time. Look at teams like Atlanta and Portland they went through many seasons of looking bad and now there playoff teams. The Knicks are filled with over payed players which we are trying to drop. Its not a myth 2010 there will be good role players and solid players which the Knicks can sign. What confuses me the most is that you wanna go to the playoffs and being smacked on national tv how does that help the team? It didn’t help us and it didn’t help us when we played the Nets. Lets get a lottery pick and fill some holes and not waste our time being embarassed.

  • bob knick slave

    mariner A DIE HARD KNICKS FAN SINCE 1999?A BANDWAGGON FAN WHO LIKED SREEWELL?IVE BEEN A KNICKS FANATIC SINCE 1966.AND ALL I AM SAYING IS…..IF YOU ARE A PROFESSIONAL SPORTS TEAM,AND PEOPLE ARE PAYING GOOD MONEY TO SEE YOUR PRODUCT,AND PAY FOR MSG TV ,THEN THE VERY LEAST YOU CAN DO AS A G.M.IS TO FILL YOUR EMPTY ROSTER SPOTS AND GET RID OF YOUR “DEAD WOOD”(MARBURY,JAMES,ROSE ETC.)TO TRY TO WIN AT LEAST 9 OR 10 EXTRA GAMES TO MAKE IT ENTERTAINING TO YOUR FANS IS NOT ONLY THE RIGHT THING TO DO,ITS THE TEAMS OBLIGATION!WHEN THEY FOUND OUT THAT CUTTINO COULDNT PLAY,THEY SHOULDA WENT RIGHT OUT AND GOT A 2 GUARD,THEY NEED A BIG MAN ,EITHER PLAY JEROME FOR 7 MINUTES PER OR CUT HIS LAZY FAT AZZ AND SIGN SOMEONE ELSE.THEY OWE IT TO US (SINCE WE ARE THE ONES PAYING)TO AT LEAST HAVE THEIR BEST 10 MAN ROTATION ON THE FLOOR.YOUR IMMATURE DREAMS OF HAVING LBJ AND S BOSH AND NASH ON THE FLOOR ARE JUST THAT DREAMS

  • gbaked

    since your a fan from 66 I have to imagine you are a bit older.

    Allow me to help you. And I swear I mean no disrespect by this, and I am not trying to be mean. I have noticed lots of people from my elder generations do this and I am just lending some technical advice…

    The all CAPS thing is just rude and obnoxious. Its the equivalent of screaming. It also causes a good number of people to skip over what you read.

    Please use either all lowercase or sentence structure.

    Thank you.

  • gbaked

    *skip over what you wrote*

    … sorry

  • mariners005

    I never said that we were gonna get a star on our team. I said we can finally sign role players and finally get those over payed contracts off our books. Lastly if I was a band wagon fan then I would have stopped caring for the Knicks once there record dipped. Stop assuming and read what I write sir. 10 man rotation are you kidding me, D’antoni never did that he had an 8 man rotation. In NY he is working with a team that doesn’t have the stamina or the speed like the Suns had.

  • bob knick slave

    G BAKED :ITS ONLY CAPITAL LETTERS,EASY TO WRITE,EASY TO READ!HOW IN GODS NAME IS THIS RUDE?…and by the way……I AM SCREAMING!!!!

  • BiggieSmalls

    Bob.. It is simple Netiquette to NOT type in all caps. It is considered rude. Trust us on this. We welcome you passion and thoughts but — with all due respect — think it out and edit yourself before hitting send.

    I agree that the dead roster spots are an issue but this aint 1970. There is a salary cap to consider with every move and you cant just cut players and fill roster spots. The team is responsible for every spot on the roster.

    The Cuttino situation is working itself out. Walsh doesnt have the exception yet so he cant bring in a real useful player with that slot. I agree that Roberson and James are wasted space. Roberson should be cut and will in the next 10 days.

    James should be bought out .. but mariner is right . D’Antoni doesnt play more than 9 in a rotation anyway.so some of the players would be sitting regardless. Having Curry and Gallo hurt isnt helping any either.

    We’ve all sat thru the lean years.. Ive been following the team since i was real young and Frazier/Pearl were around… I sat thru Eddie Lee Wilkins and Ken the Animal Banister before we hit the lottery.

    But you’ve go tto admit.. these one and done strategies of making the playoffs doesnt serve the purpose. Remember when Marbury came in the first year and we were swept out in the first round? That was not something to look forward to.

    I feel ya on the passion but the players are much much more watchable than they were in the past five years and we have something to look forward to..

    Keep it up and Lets go Knicks. The promised land is just around the corner.

  • bob knick slave

    BIGGIE.if d’antoni is gonna let fat eddy play,then why didnt he just put jerome in for maybe 7 or 8 minutes per game ?if you really think about it (not considering offense at all)jerome is a much better defender down low,in the middle,(now dont go jumpin down my throat over jerome,i know hes a big waste)what im saying is ,for 10 minutes per game ,if what you needed was a defensive presence in the middle ,he has to be a better option right now than malik,eddy,lee,or jeffries.my point is ,instead of wearing out the guys we had by playing them way too many minutes(and we are losing anyway)why not bring james in for a blow.nobody is stopping anyone in the paint anyway!dantoni was going with 7 mediocre players for endless minutes,no matter how many combos of these guys he tries,they are still crap!knicks fans being knicks fans are way overating the players we have,just because DANPHONY and WALSH THE SNAIL say “things are gonna get better..i mean d’antoni was talkin bout a playoff run just a week ago,what a joke.people are talkin “what a great player duhon is ….if you werent a knicks fan ,you would see a guy who is unsure of himself,makes bad passes in the clutch and is afraid to shoot when he should,nate robinson is just out of control,jeffries pretty much cant do anything except once or twice a game keeps the ball in play,wilson wouldnt even be in the rotation of most teams and yet he starts for us,quenton richardson?uggghhhhh,if you seriously look at it even david lee is just sleightly above avg,on a real bad team…we havethe same record as we did last year with zeke,but he didnt get off to a 6-5 start!am i being unkind?ALSO THIS TEAM ISNT THE SAME AS THE FIRST MARBURY TEAM .WE HAVE BEEN IN THE DUMPS FOR 4YEARS AND BEFORE THE Z-BO TRADE I(sorry)we looked as if we had some life in us ,i was excited .i didnt think wed win a ring but it looked as if we were getting better then the trades,shortage of manpower,the marbury crap ,….it seemed like that jackass isaah was still running things FRUSTRATED IS ALL go knicks cant wait till the rooster gets back

  • BiggieSmalls

    Totally agree on the usage of Big Snacks. I have no reason why he isnt out there for 7-10 a game. Ive said as much before.

    But you know Snacks is plain no good and cant get up and down the floor more than three times in a row., But I hear ya.. to give someone a blow it seems reasonable.

    I think the 6-5 start was a bit of a reach. We snuck up on some teams that diodnt know what to expect. You make some decent points in this post.. But I really think we have to give Donnie a bit longer to make some moves. The team that started the year wasnt going to win 40 plus games out of 82. I am looking forward to what Donnie B-Ball does in the next month or so then I’ll evaluate. Coach D. has made some stubborn moves with his short rotation as well.. So I would not give him a pass.

    I hear Eddy is back and practicing.. So thats something.. the games are much much more watchable and I bet we are in it tonite against the C’s.. Should be a good watch.