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| A true Casanova. |
Are the New York Knicks a legitimate contender?
Scott's Answer: You tryin' to get the pipe?
Someone has to give Miami a run for their money, right?
It would be easy to point to the Knicks’ win last night over Miami as proof that they’re ready to come at the king--and not miss.
To be honest, it’s very hard for me to put much stock in an April regular season matchup like last night’s. Since the Heat’s winning streak ended last week, they've clearly eased up mentally and physically as they get their affairs in order for another deep playoff run.
Point is, the Knicks are legitimate contenders but it would be foolish to use such a small sample size as proof. Over seven games against the same team, you've got to have a go-to strength that’s sustainable and difficult to neutralize, even with extensive gameplanning.
Your meat and potatoes sets have to be lethal in their most basic forms--this requires elite players capable of winning one-on-one matchups. But, to hold up in the playoffs, these sets must have attractive options far out on the decision tree. All of those “If...then...” scenarios must end with at least a good option, if not a great one. If the center doubles Carmelo in the post, then...
Now, what I like about the Knicks roster is that they can score in any number of ways, all of which are good. Coach Woodson can run iso sets with Carmelo, pick and rolls with Felton and Chandler, run JR Smith off screens and let him work, etc.
Then, through each of these sets the Knicks have some deadly three point shooters to kick it out to if the defense collapses. Novak, Kidd, Shumpert, and Prigioni all present the Knicks’ playmakers with appetizing options.
Now, when the Knicks have struggled this year it’s been because the three point shooters have gone cold. They need their shooters--especially a one dimensional guy like Novak--to be locked in if they want to truly challenge the Heat.
Defensively, the Knicks are a mixed bag. Tyson Chandler in the middle is a huge defensive asset that learned how to roam the middle against the Heat during the 2011 NBA Finals with Dallas. If Iman Shumpert’s knee is cooperating, he’s also a lockdown caliber defender.
Beyond that, though, the Knicks will need to overcome individual defensive deficiencies through effort and communication. For all the floor spacing Novak and Kidd bring to the offensive end, they are both defensive liabilities that teams will work to expose constantly.
No amount of spin can hide the fact that the East is weak behind the Heat this year. That being said, I really do believe the Knicks will present the only legitimate test to the Heat before the NBA Finals. Now, this Knicks team also has a lot to prove before a hypothetical Eastern Conference Finals matchup with the Heat.
For all of the experience on their old roster, they haven’t proven anything yet as a collective. I suspect the first two rounds will be rocky at times for the Knicks, but they’ll take what they learn and enter the Eastern Conference Finals ready to battle.
They best not miss.
Logan’s answer: No...but it was...oh, so close.
The Knicks are one of the leagues oldest and premiere franchises, and when teams like the Celtics, Lakers, and the Knicks are competitive, the league as a whole benefits with increased viewership and media attention. But now it is time for the post-season to begin and though the Knicks are the best they have been in years and a deep playoff run would be great for the league, it just won’t happen. They are not constructed defensively, and especially offensively, to have great post-season success.
The Knicks offense can be exciting and in the beginning of the season it was a beautiful thing to watch, but it has slowed since the first few months. The ball doesn't move around as well as it did in the beginning and Carmelo and Smith isolation plays have become more and more frequent. The offense is largely reliant on Carmelo Anthony and JR Smith luring defenders onto them by creating and hitting their own shots. If they succeed in doing that, which they largely do, they can then free up their three-point shooters to barrage their opponents from behind the arc.
Though in the playoffs, the defensive pressure will be ratcheted up making it harder for J.R and Carmelo to create their own shot. This is especially true for JR Smith who has made a career of hoisting contested low-percentage shots. Recently, he has played far more efficiently averaging over 9 points in the paint during the Knicks current 9-game win streak. This just seems to be more of an anomaly when you look at the rest of the season where he is just barely shooting over 40% from the field, and if he isn’t playing effectively the entire offensive load falls on Carmelo’s shoulders.
The Knicks offense can be exciting and in the beginning of the season it was a beautiful thing to watch, but it has slowed since the first few months. The ball doesn't move around as well as it did in the beginning and Carmelo and Smith isolation plays have become more and more frequent. The offense is largely reliant on Carmelo Anthony and JR Smith luring defenders onto them by creating and hitting their own shots. If they succeed in doing that, which they largely do, they can then free up their three-point shooters to barrage their opponents from behind the arc.
Though in the playoffs, the defensive pressure will be ratcheted up making it harder for J.R and Carmelo to create their own shot. This is especially true for JR Smith who has made a career of hoisting contested low-percentage shots. Recently, he has played far more efficiently averaging over 9 points in the paint during the Knicks current 9-game win streak. This just seems to be more of an anomaly when you look at the rest of the season where he is just barely shooting over 40% from the field, and if he isn’t playing effectively the entire offensive load falls on Carmelo’s shoulders.
This is a heavy load to bear and though he is a superstar scorer, he still has a tendency to shoot a lot of jumpers when flustered and if he is the only offensive threat you can believe defenses will be trying to do just that. This will lead him to get content hoisting these low percentage shots destroying his effectiveness and leaving the New York Knicks offense in a lurch.
The Knicks need a more multi-dimensional offense. This would best come through establishing a steady scoring output in the paint to free up Melo and the three point shooters, but none of the Knicks bigs are capable of such a feat. Tyson Chandler and Kenyon Martin are high percentage shooters but are unable of creating their own shot. The loss of Stoudemire was huge in that he provided the potential to be that extra offensive spark that diversified the Knicks offense enough to be a true contender.
Sadly, this Knicks team is just a few pieces short of being taken seriously. If Chandler is healthy, he can single-handedly bolster the Knicks defense and make them a playoff contender. He proved this with Dallas as he led that team to a championship even though poor defenders surrounded him.
However, Dallas was such a superior offense and created such mismatches that this success was possible. The Knicks, however, are not the same offensively but very similar defensively (in that they can’t play it) and unlike that championship Mavericks team, the Knicks do not have an elite-level scorer to pair up with Chandler in the paint like Nowitzki. If the Knicks had a post threat the team would be more complete, but since Stoudemire went down with yet another injury, the Knicks just do not have enough offensive power to be a legitimate contender.
The Knicks need a more multi-dimensional offense. This would best come through establishing a steady scoring output in the paint to free up Melo and the three point shooters, but none of the Knicks bigs are capable of such a feat. Tyson Chandler and Kenyon Martin are high percentage shooters but are unable of creating their own shot. The loss of Stoudemire was huge in that he provided the potential to be that extra offensive spark that diversified the Knicks offense enough to be a true contender.
Sadly, this Knicks team is just a few pieces short of being taken seriously. If Chandler is healthy, he can single-handedly bolster the Knicks defense and make them a playoff contender. He proved this with Dallas as he led that team to a championship even though poor defenders surrounded him.
However, Dallas was such a superior offense and created such mismatches that this success was possible. The Knicks, however, are not the same offensively but very similar defensively (in that they can’t play it) and unlike that championship Mavericks team, the Knicks do not have an elite-level scorer to pair up with Chandler in the paint like Nowitzki. If the Knicks had a post threat the team would be more complete, but since Stoudemire went down with yet another injury, the Knicks just do not have enough offensive power to be a legitimate contender.
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