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Don’t let the box score fool you. Much like so many other Knicks’ games, the score does not fully dictate how this game went.
LeBron hit 8 of his first 9 shots, and the Cavs never really looked back. The Cavs scored a whopping 63 points in the first half against the helpless Knicks. A late fourth quarter push brought the Knicks within ten, but there was never any doubt that the Cavs had the game in hand after the first quarter.
Without emphasizing him too much, I have to give credit where credit is due. LeBron is an unbelievable player and he showed why again tonight. 33 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists to go along with 3 steals and a win. With that said, I am not overly impressed with the rest of that Cavs team. In my opinion, both the Magic and the Celtics are both better teams. Without question. But enough about the opposition.
The same old story with the Knicks is getting old… fast. The bottom line is that this team is not very good. Through the first six games, they have been nothing short of awful. The team lacks focus on both ends of the floor and everywhere in between. The Knicks have gotten nothing out of Chris Duhon thus far, and we all know that with the way this team is constructed, poor point guard play will lead to losses. There is no rhyme or reason to this team offensively.
On the bright side, i thought Larry Hughes had a nice game on both ends. Despite LeBron’s success, I thought Larry played him fairly tight.
The Knicks’ players are growing tired of everyone writing off this season and talking about this coming summer. Frankly, I’ve been tired of that headline for months now myself. But what do the Knicks’ players want the media and the fans to talk about from now until then? Would they rather talk about all of their flaws? Would they rather talk about how poorly they choose their shots and how poorly they shoot the ball? Should we instead talk about how porous the defense is on a nightly basis? Would they like us to simply go down the list and talk about how bad this team has been? Because we can do that too.
The LeBron coverage on ESPN and even on MSG was a bit much, but this Knicks team has not proven that they deserve to be talked about. During the fourth quarter surge, Mike Breen tried to give the Knicks some credit. Marc Jackson refused to give them any credit for crawling back into a game they had lost in the first quarter. There are no moral victories in the NBA. This is not CYO hoops.
To all the Knicks’ players, trust me as a Knicks fan when I say that my fellow fans would love for nothing else than to talk about something other than the summer of 2010. Your job is to turn this season around while you still can and to give us something else to discuss. The ball is in your court.
how can anyone take them seriously when they put forth no effort.
D’Antoni laughing at the post game presser disgusts me.
Unacceptable.
The Game was over as soon as they announced the starting Center as 6′9″ David Lee. Someone tell me why he has not tried to play David Lee and Milicic together. How does he expect Lee to guard Shaq. The only reason David did not foul out is because Lebron was putting on a show for the Celebes. After seeing Chicago playing the Cavs so tough. You see Noah (a real center) playing defense and giving hard fouls. It makes me feel so bad for Lee. As Dantoni ask him to guard a center and also defend the paint. He looked like a small boy defending the Cavs centers. As for Jordan Hill, he shot well from the perimeter but still looked lost on the defensive side. After the first 20 games or so we should know if we can compete for a playoff spot. If things don’t change drastically then we might as well let the rookies develop.
this team is a disgrace and why the hell isnt jordan hill getting more minutes.jj is HORRIBLE. there were plenty of pgs available a la jennings and ty lawson…. if you werent going to plan on playing jordan hill and letting him develop then you should have drafted jennings. and why the hell is mike laughing at any point at all during the game… we have no pick and without gallinari this team is atrocious. we are arguably the hardest team to watch from a fans perspective. just a bunch of below average players who have no upside. thank God for Gallinari….. i will praise donnie for not signing sessions though…. as of right now he kinda looks like a mess.
This team doesn’t deserve Gallinari.
i agree with all you are saying except i still would take sessions over duhon and i think he would do good
no way bob. id much rather have sessions over duhon but that extra four million could kill us in 2010…. not worth it… we suck without sessions and we would suck with him. brandon jennings would like REAL nice here though…. the kid seems to have that ny personality and is clearly gifted. on the other hand, hill was the best pick available and i would still take him, im happy with the pick…. it takes big men a lot longer to develop than it does guards. roy hibbert looked SO much better the other night… last year he was horrendous. i think in the long run jordan hills going to be a big part of our team…. but he needs to play to develop.
You’re 100% right Chris.
The veterans have to look in the mirror, but let’s talk about them if they don’t want to hear sh*t about LeBron James!
Chris Duhon wouldn’t be a starting point guard in Poland. He’s a disgrace. His @ss needs to be traded ASAP, period.
And did they try to freeze out Gallinari? Are some players jealous because they know that Donnie Walsh wants to showcase a 21-year old italian player? Maybe it’s a simplistic assumption (and he did not play particularly well tonight) – but Duhon didn’t give him the ball when Shaq was on him and Hughes didn’t reward him after his block when the Knicks needed a 3 pointer.
Donnie Walsh needs to make something happen. I think he understands that. I couldn’t care less if the Jazz get a top 5 pick – but I’d deal 10 wins for a young/promising player. Give me Jerryd Bayless or Anthony Randolph (I’d ship Wilson Chandler plus Jordan Hill for him).
Neither Bayless or Randolph are as good a player as Chandler. To throw in Hill is just crazy. Despite what you think, both Chandler and Hill are promising young players. To trade two for one would be retarded.
And, I still don’t think Duhon is that terrible that he should be shipped out of town. He could be an excellent back up PG at a discounted price next year, he’s not absolutely terrible as a starter. He had a good year last year carrying the load of the team. Every player on this team is having a rough start. Don’t blame it all on Duhon.
1. That’s the problem, Duhon was playing well last year but it looks like he doesn’t give a care anymore – he just doesn’t play hard enough.
2. I didn’t talk about Hill and Chandler for Bayless, but I think Randolph has more potential than Hill and Chandler together.
duhon is a disaster yes, but i wont critisize him bcuz we all know what he is… its the fact the this team came out of a heavyily talented point guard draft without a true point thats hard to swallow
on another note … how does all that Wilson Chandler kool aid taste guys?
when the hell is Coach D going to take him out of the starting lineup
Duhon
Hughes
Galo
Lee
Milicic
in my opinion is the best starting 5 .. but dantoni has a man crush on chandler and is going to play J.J. till someone comes knocking
Exactly, jgilch82
I have been asking for this line up before the season even started. It is what any real nba coach would put on the floor. Duhon and Lee need to run the pick and roll more often. It is the most effective offense we have.
ive been ranting all summer long about how overated Wilson Chandler is and how lousy a point guard Chris Duhon is but Chris Alvino,if you want to talk about something,lets talk about how shitty the coaching has been.Im really tired of Mike D’antoni getting a pass here just because of what he did in phoenix.Any team with this bad of a shot selection,the coach has got to take the blame.i mean for christ sake,when he calls a time-out what the frig is telling the players?even dantoni has to notice that Gallo is being frozen out.there no way the coach cant correct the shot selection of these guys
danni boy isn’t getting a pass by me
i know basketball
an i know the coach has alot to do with a team losing.
end or story…
This team is garbage and is in obvious desperate need of a superstar, the only players I see with a future here are Gallo, Chandler, and Douglas (excluding Hill for now) .Does anyone know if Dolan and the knicks can legally offer Lebron a max contract + stock or a small percentage of ownership in cablevision? I read somewhere, possibly here, that this scenario has been discussed among Knicks brass. If this is allowed it’s a genius plan but it just seems way too illegal and unfair to me but i’d take what I can get. Tommy, Myles, Chris can you shed a little light on this?
I am not that well read on the CBA, but I would have to imagine that is illegal. I am not sure what the parameters are regarding putting property and financial securities into contracts. Something tells me it is not allowed,
If Donnie wants to make a statement which im not sure if he does he should shake this team to its core for me that means David Lee / Nate Robinson the career losers that seem to fester the putrid stink of losing. I said it once I will say it again I don’t care how many DD this guy gets we will never win with him playing center ever and Nate doesn’t seem to get it and im tired of waiting don’t give me the fan favorite crap. Jerryd Bayless could be a fan favorite Rudy Gay could be a fan favorite and actually win some games for us make a move Donnie you know you have to.
Mike Dantoni do what he wants on the team and Mr. Dolan and Mr Walsh
are playing deaf and blind.
For anyone reading these comments and feel bad that there are soo many fans saying our team is a disgrace and they are horrible.
Dont read into it they are just going through their progressions. First three game winning streak everyone will be saying playoff spot here we come.
Deny it if you want to it always happens.
Also How many times does Lebron give advice to opposing teams young players after a game? (Toney, Nate and Gallo)
Im just curious.
I can accept the fact that they are not playing well (I can forgive them for that – the roster just isn’t good enough).
But some things are unnacceptable :
- Hill sitting on the bench.
- Harrington going 1 on 5.
- Teammates freezing out Gallinari.
- Duhon laughing while the Knicks are trailing by 6 (vs. Hornets).
- D’Antoni laughing during the press conference after a blow-out loss.
The Knicks were not a good team last year but at least they played hard. I’ll be saying “playoff spot here we come” if they put themselves in a position to make the playoffs, but they’ll have to show another attitude to do it.
What happened to all the optimism at this site? Everyone here in the preseason was talking playoffs and just give this team time they will gel and win 40 games. I got a long memory and its funny to see you all turn after 6 games . . . I, for one, always knew this team would be terrible and I don’t believe Gallo is any type of savior. He will be a good role player but if, based on the comments above, everyone wants to build around Gallo, this team is in serious trouble. And this freeze out Gallo stuff is moronic. Seriously what has he proven. He can’t even create his own shot . . .It is a disgrace how the Garden has turned into a place where people come to watch the others teams best players. That falls squarely on Dolan and Layden with a healthy assist from IT . . .This team needs a PG in the worst way. The biggest disgrace of all is the Knicks refusal to draft a PG. It is borderline demented and drives me insane.
Moronic? He didn’t touch the ball in 5 possessions at one point and Duhon didn’t give him the ball when Shaquille was guarding him (and you heard D’Antoni scream “Gallo Gallo Gallo!”).
Gallinari’s 21 years old – granted he has to play better (drive) but he’s obviously one of our best players and the guy the Knicks had to showcase against the Cavaliers. The veterans had to understand that.
I think Lebron see’s how good Gallo is..He wasn’t giving hugging and giving D Lee or Wilson the advice it was Gallo.
But he can’t create his own shot are you serious with that?
i suppose everyone has their axe to grind. Lets just say, no one, players, coach, or management is doing a particularly good job right now. I had hoped that we would see a fight in the team this year that would get us in the 35+ win category and with a little luck in sight of a playoff spot. Obviously, its early but it’s tough to see that shaking out at this point as our deficiencies from last year are magnified. I think that’s the most serious issue… that basically the same team from last year (with more depth) seems to be going backward…I really hate to say it, but you can’t put it all on these crappy players. What’s worse, I’m beginning agree with DaGawd Knowledge! D’Antoni need to find a way to get to these guys and get them to play better.
big stage..nationally televised game on ESPN..yankees just had their parade..everyone watching..and we dont show up ? Duhon plays at the level of a 42yr old pg..can someone explain y is it that on a “break” every one jogs to their spots on the floor instead of running hard and pushing the issue to get an easy lay up? thank god half this team is gone at the end of the yr…i dont want not even one of our free agents resigned…not Lee..not Nate..not Milici..not Harrington…Another quick question – Does Jay-Z even come watch LJB courtside at the Izod Center? lmfao….and in closing…with the open letter regarding 6 gyms around NYC opening for a day for the kids..LBJ gushing in the post game about playin at MSG…words of wisdom for Gallo…just reinforces my belief that LeBron loves this stage and he will find his way to broadway when everything is said and done
like LeBron said “no matter the opponent..the situation..if u cant get up to play at the garden..something is wrong” …think that was a shot at our knicks?lmfao …ps – hughes is the only one that showed any sort of professionalism in his approach ….he played hard d on the king..
I was in Atlantic city seeing Daughtry and missed the game. Did Lebron Really give advice to Gallo, Chandler and T.doug? That’s Very intersting to say the least. I Really think he wants to come to Nyc. As far as the team they are what they are. I Wish J.Hill would get minutes instead of JJ. I know we have to trade him but teams know what he can do for them and we really need to develop Hill for our future.
Bob was right. This is a really terrible team. This has been a really terrible team since 2003 when Allen Houston injured his knee. Our last all star. We haven’t had a top draft choice since Patrick Ewing in 1985. This will continue to be a terrible team until next year when DW starts bringing signing quality free agents. The disaster didn’t happen last night. It happened in 2003. We might as well be historically correct. IMO
Get readyfor more crying time tonite as you watch the 10th pick of the draft (BJ3) take another step towards ROY. Let’s see how he matches up the “steal” of the 1st round, Toney Doug. Even Chris Rock dissed TD on the ESPN coverage saying that his (Rock’s) J was better than TDs … and Everybody Hates Chris … oh, that show can now be about Du-NON.
Other observations:
Guess Nate s/b blamed for the last couple losses, huh ? This was exactly the type of game (with LBJ & celebs present) that he excells in. Bet the Knicks would have put up more of a fight with N8 on the floor (even if he was break dancing on the lay-up line) … and B/T/W, LBJ loves him!
The difference between Jerry Manual’s goofy laughing at Met pre & post games vs. D’antoni’s guffaws is that Manual seems to be genuinely cracking himself up by not knowing what’s going wrong. D’Ant is way more manipulative, trying to butter up the reporters & deflect from his role in the mess.
Mike Brown, who showed his flaws in last year’s playoffs, at least knows when to call timeout. Each time the Knicks cut large double digit leads to smaller double digits last nite, he called TO’s. D’Ant continues to let deficits balloon without stopping the clock even when the opponent blitzes us with 10 & 12 point runs.
The “Nightmare Trilogy” of games ends on Monday with the Jazz. What’s the “Nighmare Trilogy” ? Game 1 – the pipedream FA who won’t really come to NY in 2010 (he crushed us last night). Game 2 – the potential ROY PG (BJ3) that we passed with the 8th pck herks & jerks his way (think Kenny Anderson) past us tonight . Game 3 – the squad with our lottery pick (Utah) pummles us at MSG on Monday.
See you at 1 & 7 on Tuesday moning !