"It was kind of like a panic play almost. I'd seen Jamal drive so I just rotated basically, just by instinct." -- Wilson Chandler
"He [Danilo Galinari] was the star of the game. He did an unbelievable job for us. He did a great job forcing Joe [Johnson] into tough shots. Sometimes they went, but he did a good job of forcing him into them. Gallo played well on both ends for us." -- David Lee
"I've learned a lot. I can honestly say, not playing, I've become a better student of the game on the bench. Watching the veterans out there, watching the other teams, watching the whole NBA, being a student of the game, watching film, knowing what I need to work on and what I can do to get better. I feel like I have a lot more to keep doing, and I'm gonna keep doing it until I can't get better no more."-- Toney Douglas
Game Observations
The Knicks have beaten the Hawks three times this season which makes it hard to believe that the Hawks are really as good as their record. The three losses also cast doubt on the ability of Joe Johnson to be that top tier go-to player who can turn a team, especially the Knicks, into a championship contender. The Hawks coach, Mike Woodson, blames the losses on the match-ups, which indicates that Woodson doesn't have a clue himself. The Hawks lose to the Knicks because they are a poorly coached team against the Knicks. The Knicks win the battle of the Mikes. It's that simple.
The keys to beating the Knicks are fairly clear and should be obvious at this point in the season: solid defense for at least 2 1/2 quarters, post play and fast break offense to place pressure on the Knicks' transition defense. The Hawks did none of the above and lost a game they should not have lost.
"We cannot come out and lose against New Jersey - they have the worst record in the league - especially at home. We have to play aggressive every game.'' -- Danilo Gallinari
"It was bad because we lost at home, not necessarily because we played the Nets. I can't really see why they're 7-, 8-55." -- Tracy McGrady
Game Observations
If you're going to be a bricklayer, be the best bricklayer you could possibly be.
The Knicks continued their reconstruction project by throwing bricks at it, as they missed an NBA record 18 three pointers in another demoralizing loss to the lowly New Jersey Nets. Although the Knicks jumped out to an early 16-point lead, they could not sustain the performance, especially considering they played the Bosh-less but energized Raptors the night before.
"As good as they are at home, with Bosh not playing, we should have won this game. No matter what quarter we didn't play well in, with Bosh not playing, this is a game we should have won." -- David Lee
"I just didn't think we had the necessary gumption to get up on them and guard a little man-to-man and stop it. We couldn't do it. They scored every time." -- Mike D'Antoni
"He's been here for quite some time now. He personally has been successful. The team really hasn't done that much. Maybe he wants to start off fresh with another franchise. Or maybe he's doing it for tax reasons. I'm not speaking (for) Chris Bosh. I'm just saying, the individual that wants to move on ... there are different reasons why a guy wouldn't want to play (in Toronto)." -- Tracy McGrady
"I didn't see how you could improve this franchise by making trades or building through the draft over a long period of time. So I looked and said, 'We could get under the cap.' So I tried to do that. And if that doesn't work right away, I would continue to try to do it. And if I'm not the guy, I'll leave. I don't know another way to say it. But I don't think I put Mike in a situation where I think he should be winning with this team." -- Donnie Walsh
And according to our last poll, you Fanatics thought the Knicks weren't going to get a Cavalier. . .umm. . . . I mean cavalier.
The truth is that Donnie Walsh has always been a stand-up kinda guy. So it's no surprise that with the anti-D'Antoni furor gaining momentum, not just by the loss, but by the lackluster and uncommitted performance of the team, Donnie Walsh stepped up and fell on the sword for his coach. As he should have. He said, "Mike's my coach, all right? I have more responsibility for whatever you guys are writing about than he does. So I should be the guy looked at. I'm taking the responsibility for these first two seasons. I did it the first day I got here".
When Walsh first arrived he said a major part of his plan was to make the Knicks competitive. In order to do that he hired Mike D'Antoni and committed to giving him players while buying cap space. The effort to provide a quality product has reached "Epic Fail" proportions which Walsh did not anticipate. He probably did not tell D'Antoni, when he hired him, that the next two years would be the worst of his career. At least D'Antoni, with the many new gray hairs of managerial stress, doesn't express his emotions like he expected to fail to be competitive.
After a brief public expression of doubt about the 2010 Plan, D'Antoni quickly pulled it back together and clarified that he believes in Walsh and the plan. "That's why I came here, because I have so much faith in him that we can get the job done together. There's nobody out of the boat. Everybody's in the same boat, so everybody's got the same responsibility, same blame, same everything else. So that's nice of him to say. Everybody has to share the responsibility and that's what we're going to do. We're sticking with the plan and we're going to try and see it through," he told reporters
He's right. There's enough blame to go around.
Check out following Hot Links for more on Walsh's "My Bad."
"For me, I'm a winner, I just want to win. "I have yet to play for a team that doesn't like defense in my career. It's not about the team, it's about individuals. Individuals have to take the responsibility to guard the guy in front of them." -- LeBron James
This morning "The New York Beats" are taking swipes at each other, as usual, because one reporter, who shall not be named here, dared to ask LeKing about the summer of free agency. LeChosen One's response was dismissive of the reporter and the issue. "I stopped answering ... I don't know if you've been around. I don't know what you've been doing. I stopped answering free-agent questions a long time ago. So, move on to the next (question), please," advised LeBron. We know that the absolute answer is coming soon. It's getting frighteningly closer by the day, but we still want to know and I think he really wants to tell us.
His reference to defense was a direct swipe at the Knicks, who offered so little resistance that it became a Cav bench joke during the game. Even more telling is that LeBron believes defense begins with individuals being committed to guarding the man in front of them. "But it's not about team. It's individuals first. Individuals have to take and want the responsibility to guard the guy in front of him," he said. Since defense is not as simple as one man standing in front of another, he leaves a bit open for interpretation regarding how he feels about the Knicks as a team and as individual players. During this last audition by the Knicks, he saw no defensive commitment from the team or the individuals on the team.
It is clear that his coach, Mike Brown, as one would expect, is reminding LeBron that teams that the present-day Knicks are modeled after have not been successful because they have been virtually defenseless. Coach Brown opined, "I'm not a fan of those old Sacramento, old Dallas and old Phoenix teams. The success of that formula in the playoffs is not very high."
Certainly, we'll stay tuned to the next episode of "As The Knicks Turn" but the more LeBron says, the more he chips away at any reasonable hope that he will come to the Knicks, no matter what others say about him needing New York to become more than King of the NBA but Master of the Universe. What do you think?
"Nate is pure energy, man, I said it from Day 1, since he has been here. We hated to lose E. House but not only is [Robinson] pure energy, he's good energy. He's almost like fresh air. He fits right in with our team, he's unselfish. We all knew he could play, but his personality is what stands out most about him - very respectable person, very high energy. And, like I said, I love the way he plays. We love the way he comes out and just puts it all on the floor.''-- Kevin Garnett
Nate Robinson is not Eddie House. Nate Robinson is not Stephon Marbury. But, the Celtics are thrilled that Nate Robinson is Nate Robinson and Doc Rivers has been very smart and flexible in learning how to use the guards considerable talent and energy. When we lost to the Celtics a few days ago, we witnessed Doc's willingness to put faith in Robinson in his first game as a Celtic. He kept Nate in the rotation late in the contest although Nate was not having a great game. It was clear that he intended Nate to be more than a novelty act.
Doc confirmed the importance of the Nate trade to the Celtics when he approached the guard to have him teach the team a play the Knicks used to get Nate going. Not only did Doc treat Nate as though he wanted him on the team, he immediately gave Robinson a leadership role by delegating responsibility to him to teach and interact with his teammates. Just brilliant coaching and leadership by Doc who clearly understands the importance of delegation and the need for players to have an affinity (not necessarily like) for each other.
"He [Bill Walker] knows how to play. He's got a nice feel for the game. He's just got to get in shape and stay in shape and keep working on his game. ...I don't want to go too far, but I'm pretty excited by what I see." -- Mike D'Antoni
"I always thought I could play on this type of level. It just took a while for me to get the opportunity." -- Bill Walker
"Today was one of those days where I actually felt like my old self as far as my movements and my timing and everything, my rhythm. I felt like I had another step." -- Tracy McGrady
GAME OBSERVATIONS:
Before we get carried away, we will admit that the Knicks were fortunate to play the piss-poor Pistons who arrived into the Garden on the end of a back-to-back after traveling from Detroit. The previous night the Pistons suffered a competitive loss against Nate Robinson's Celtics as Robinson taught his teammate a Knick play that allowed him to get more comfortable and make a significant contribution to the team's win. Ben Wallace, who injured himself last night, was absent, but his presence actually could have helped the Knicks.
"For me, I'm a winner, I just want to win. "I have yet to play for a team that doesn't like defense in my career. It's not about the team, it's about individuals. Individuals have to take the responsibility to guard the guy in front of them." -- LeBron James
"We kind of gave up.Obviously, they are a little bit better team than we are. . . .We just can't guard them, they're just a little too big, too fast. LeBron is the best." -- Mike D'Antoni
"God just said I'm going to make you the perfect basketball player, perfect body and everything. He ought to be on his knees every night thanking the Lord because he has a gift. Seriously, no bull." -- Tracy McGrady
GAME OBSERVATIONS
There is really not a heckuva lot one can say about a blowout where nothing can be seen outside the warped perspective of a Class-A ass whuppin'. Even the positive revelations from Bill Walker's 25 point, 5 rebound, 1 block, 1 assist game can't be judged in the context of a real professional basketball game. We can say he looked athletic which is more than we could say for most of the Knicks being washed away by waves of Cavaliers as they beat them down the court time and time again. Besides a total absence of collective mental toughness, the Knicks weaknesses are exactly the same as they were at the beginning of the season -- transition and interior defense.
''I had a chance to work with Donnie Walsh. He's a terrific guy. I love Donnie Walsh and whatever he does is probably great for whoever he is with.''-- Coach Mike Brown on Knicks creating enough cap space to lure LeBron.
We all know about the 2010 plan, but somehow we forgot what the details were supposed to look like -- at least those few details revealed to us outside of the general plan to create a cap space reservoir. At this point in the year, the Knicks were supposed to demonstrate to LeBron why we are worthy because we can make him a bigger winner on a bigger stage. At this point, the plan was to showcase two new young rising stars, Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler. We were supposed to show him how we had changed from disrespected patsies of the last few years to playoff contending warriors. Epic Fail, unless, he comes to New York despite the fact we are on our way to another 50-loss season and our showcase comprises of an all-star without a defensive bone in his body and a former-all-star trying to recover from the damaged, aching bones in his body.
Fortunately for the Knicks, they will face LeBron without Big Shaq Daddy who promised to be the ring-bearer that would give LeKing all the reason he needed to stay in Akron, I mean Cleveland. Unfortunately for the Cavs,Shaquille O'Neal could miss rest of season for Cleveland Cavaliers with thumb injury. Shaq is expected to be out six to nine weeks after he has surgery on his injured thumb . But tonight we should see a much faster and more athletic Cavs team pounding the ball into the paint against the soft underbelly of the Knicks interior defense. Without Shaq in the lineup we can also expect them to be quick on transition another weakness of the Knicks.
Joe Johnson spent a brief time in Boston to start his NBA career, but beyond that, hasn’t played in a major market.
The Hawks star hails from Little Rock, Ark., went to college at Arkansas and has spent almost his entire NBA tenure in the mid-level cities of Phoenix...
As sixth man for the playoff-bound Hawks, Jamal Crawford will soon lose the not-so-coveted title of being the active NBA leader in career games without a playoff appearance.
But Crawford still feels for the fans he left behind in New York after being dealt to Golden State 11 games into...
Last night was the Knicks' most frantic ending of the season.
First, with the Knicks clinging to a one-point lead over the Hawks in the final seconds, Wilson Chandler blocked Josh Smith's final-second dunk attempt. Then Al Horford's game-winning putback, which initially was ruled to be good, was...
CLEVELAND (AP) -- LeBron James was in street clothes. Shaquille O'Neal was nowhere to be found, and Antawn Jamison was in the locker room icing his sore knee.
Joe Johnson is not on LeBron James' talent level, nor does he have the same global appeal. But Johnson stands alone in the 2010 free-agent class in that the All-Star shooting guard may be the most realistic option for the talent-starved Knicks.
Wilson Chandler said the play was pure instinct, but for the Knicks, it was pure vintage. Really, when was the last time the Knicks made a great defensive play at the rim, let alone one that decided a game?
Mike D'Antoni's team defeated Atlanta for the third time this season, winning, 99-98, Monday night as Wilson Chandler preserved victory by blocking Josh Smith's dunk attempt with one second remaining.
Maybe it was coincidence. Or maybe this was all about trying to convince the Knicks' dwindling fan base that Mike D'Antoni actually cares about coaching defense.
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