I missed the game and tryna figure out how julius dropped 30We won tonight and we got two people I’ve never seen before arguing over nothing in this thread?!
Instead, we got some random birds clucking
Older thread '20 NYK Off-season Thread
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Instead, we got some random birds clucking
@Nicole0416 gets a pass.We won tonight and we got two people I’ve never seen before arguing over nothing in this thread?!
But Danielson...who referred to Linden Blvd as Linden Ave
'Sgust
JMurder
SOHH Member since 01...
He's not rotting away if he's getting rid in G League. It's where they should send Allonzo and Dennis if he doesn't put it all together by there time Elfrid comes backSo....what are we going to do with Iggy anyway? Seems like a waste to have this guy just rotting away like Zo is
Whose the top 5 teams in the nba right now?
Lmao sis you need to sit this one out.
Since we won tonight. This classic goes out to you and Knick brehs
Ironman
#Knickstape
Miles Davis
Prince of Darkness
This thread must be Amsterdam since damn near the whole coli come here to parlay
I can see the coaching starting to sink in on the defensive end, even though the Cavs were a skeleton crew of trash, the Knicks were moving well as a team on the defensive end; the switching was seamless, it was nice to see. There's really no reason they can't move like that against a good squad.
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YO...this shyt was fukking BRILLIANT.
storyteller
Veteran
The Knicks had their best performance of the season, a wire to wire 123 to 105 beatdown of the Cavs in MSG. This was a nice bit of redemption for New York, after getting smacked in their first meeting with the Cavs. The victory does come with some caveats though, the Cavs were on a back to back and rested Kevin Love. But these are the games that you NEED to perform in and, all too often, we've seen the Knicks come out lackadaisical only to let a bad team beat them. Not last night. The hustle stats all favored the Knicks and their only real blemish was poor three point defense in spells that they've really gotta figure out. Regardless, damn near everyone had positive marks so let's reminisce a good one.
Frank: Frank Ntilikina looked the part of an playmaker last night and found himself in the paint more often than we've seen in prior games. Part of that success was taking advantage of screens, Frank started the game on a lay-up off a simple cut past Julius Randle in the post and continued to make nice plays when he had screeners available. Ntilikina went 3/7 for 6 points, 6 assists to 1 TO and a steal in 29 minutes. He missed both his three point attempts and did take a backseat in the second half as the lead had ballooned but on the brightside, that means his production mostly came before the Knicks had the game locked up.
The nature of the assists is what really shines though. He was patient with his handle instead of picking up his dribble even when defenders were all around. This helped him to hit cutters and roll men often, as well as helping him to spot some three point shooters. The scoring and creation are coming along nicely with more minutes to create, but we'll need Frank to continue to assert himself to maximize his value. He's surrounded by a lot of offensive minded players and can't afford to be lost in the fold...also, his defense is still a nightly gem.
RJ: RJ Barrett turned some early difficulty into a productive performance. He went 5/13 on the night, missing on some early drives and shots but getting some very nice buckets as the game wore on. Barrett continues to get into the paint almost at will, thanks to his strength and savvy. He's started to finish with his right hand more often which makes him an even bigger nightmare in the lane. But it was free throw shooting that shined brightest for Barrett who made 4/5 from the line (also 1/1 from three). Barrett didn't throw away points like he has been in some past games.
RJ put up 15 points, 1 assist, 2 boards, 2 steals and 2 blocks. It's a beautiful thing that even when he's not filling out the boards and assists, he's capable of putting up steals and blocks to still contribute. The kid is always working, a trait embodied by a hustle steal while the Knicks were up 16 late in the third quarter. Barrett outran the speedy Colin Sexton to grab a ball that would have otherwise wound up a backcourt violation. The rookie could have given up on that play, the Knicks had the lead and would receive the ball. Instead he sprinted for a steal and lay-up, no letting up. I loved that.
Morris: Usually it's the Knicks putting guys on the free throw line off of three point attempts, but last night Marcus Morris seemed to have defenders in his landing area all damned night. The Knicks best scorer posted 23 points, 6 boards, 1 assist, 2 blocks and a steal on 5/13 shooting and 1/3 from three. Despite the poor shooting efficiency, Morris put an efficient scoring performance together by making 12/13 free throws. A lot of that came from catch and shoot opportunities where late defenders fouled him. I can't stress enough that he's at his best when letting the game come to him instead of forcing the issue (but he's still good in isolation to be fair).
Also, Morris is a bit unsung on defense. Frank and Mitch are the show on defense but Morris is a steady and effective presence that provides some rotation flexibility for Fiz.
Randle: Julius Randle started the game with an assist to Frank Ntilikina and proceeded to eat the Cavs on the offensive glass. Once he had his interior game going, Randle started to take jumpers as well and was automatic (a first in a Knicks uniform). The jumper opened the lane even wider and Randle feasted from wherever he wanted all night. The big acquisition dropped 30 points, 7 boards and 4 assists on 12/17 shooting in 32 minutes. We can't expect the jumper to be that great nightly, but a lot of what he did is sustainable...that's hard effort on the offensive boards and willful passing when the defense is shading him. An assist from Randle seemed to jump start struggling RJ at one point and got Frank attacking the paint from the first play on.
Maybe even more importantly, there was a flash of real defensive effort in the first half from Randle. He played solid defense, jumping passing lanes and poking the ball loose from his man on occasion. The second half showed a let up on that end, but it was a positive sign from Randle who finished with 2 steals and a block. With the amount of effort he'd shown, I'm not surprised he slowed down in the second half...dude was WORKING.
Taj: The move to put Taj Gibson into the starting line-up might be one of Fizdale's most slept on smart plays. Taj has been productive and helped keep to offensive minded vets and two inexperienced young guys playing in sync. The elder statesman looks like a glue piece leader while providing the little things like contact on screens and crisp box outs. Gibson posted 7 points and 8 boards on 2/6 shooting in just 16 minutes while getting to the line 4 times and making 3 of the free throws. He's not gonna takeover, but he will do the little things that can buy the Knicks a couple of extra possessions or stops.
Smith: Things still aren't clicking for Dennis Smith Jr but there are flashes. I thought his first half burn was mostly filled with solid play, but he got down on himself for two bad cross court passes (one which ended in a TO). In the second half, Smith let Dotson take over for the most part which worked out but also rendered him fairly invisible. DSJ finished with 8 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist to 1 TO. Smith showed some really nice footwork for one of his finishes inside, mixing up pump fakes with simple pivots that you see out post bigs usually. Overall, he's looking more comfortable in the lane but still not all the way there yet on timing and rhythm...which led to some errant passes where he threw the ball to a player that had made a different cut.
The big worry with Smith has been defensively though. We got 19 solid minutes offensively and better effort on defense, but he still had a number of glaring lapses. It doesn't hurt during a blowout, but we've seen porous defense lock Trier onto the bench (the only explanation I can think of). Smith was a better defender last season. It's in him. Hopefully that half of the game is more about timing and rhythm as well for him.
Dot: I just want to say that Damyean Dotson not having a single assist is a damned travesty. The young man made some very nice third quarter finds that ended in bricks. But the rest of his game was good anyway so I won't belabor that point. Dot put up 11 points on 5/10 shooting while going just 1/5 from three. His jumper hasn't gotten back to last season's form but he's more than made up for that lately by attacking off the dribble and on cuts. Dot did his damage last night by getting into the lane and finishing. That opened up kickout opportunities later but he wasn't rewarded for his finds. The rest of his statline is barren, but Dot gave a positive 18 minutes and seems to have the back-up SG role locked down right now.
Ellington: We got a Wayne Ellington sighting last night but only for 9 minutes. He knocked down his only three pointer and grabbed a pair of boards for 3 and 2 in his 9 minutes. The real value of Ellington is that he came in when Knox got lackadaisical on the defensive end and gave the Cavs a last gasp of hope via three pointers. Wayne came in and the defense resettled, with everyone else stepping up a notch after seeing a teammate held accountable...funny how that works.
Knox: Kevin Knox had his second tough shooting night and paired with some defensive lapses, found himself benched at one point. But in the blowout, Knox was able to find more minutes and make some nice things happen. The sophomore finished with 6 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists on a rough 2/10 shooting and 0/4 from three. That three ball has been really reliable so far, so the back to back 0-for's are just a bit worrisome. That said, Knox is showing vastly improved awareness of his teammates and making some nice dimes even when his jumper struggles. It's good that he got 20 minutes to work on things thanks to the blowout.
Portis: It's tough to stay mad at Bobby Portis because despite his deficiencies, the guy always plays hard. This contributes to some rebounds and he's usually a three pointer away from having a nice stretch on the floor. With Mitch backing him up, Portis' defensive flaws are more hidden and his value can really shine even if he's not putting up eye popping numbers. Last night Portis went 3/8 and 1/2 from three to put up 7 points, 7 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block and 1 TO.
I'm going to make a wild comparison because they're entirely different players. But Bobby Portis reminds me of Lance Thomas in one aspect of his game. You don't want to leave him out there long enough to try and do too much. Like Lance, Portis will hustle his heart out and give you some good but inevitably some bad as well. His value ends up tied to the players around him and the coach keeping him from pressing too hard. 23 minutes is usually pushing your luck, but it was fine last night but you noticed the "too much" part when he was out there too long with Randle and Morris instead of Mitch.
Robinson: It was clear that Mitchell Robinson hasn't fully recovered from his ankle injury because he was missing some bunnies that are normally dunk. Other than though, the sophomore continued his tear since returning from a concussion, albeit in limited minutes. Mitch tallied 7 points, 8 boards and 4 blocks over just 17 minutes on 3/7 from the field. He also picked up 5 fouls in that limited action but considering he hasn't had much rest for the ankle, maybe it wasn't the worst thing in the world.
Mitch as a defensive presence has just been great. Offenses look different when the ball handlers know that Mitch is on the prowl. The only trouble he ran into defensively was against Brandon Knight's step back three pointers which he didn't even defend badly. Robinson could really reach rare air as a defender and might be there already if not for nagging injuries. The big has had multiple finger injuries, a concussion, the ankle roll and let's not forget knee soreness over the summer with Team USA. Hopefully all the health problems get behind him, they're mostly off of freak accidents and bad luck.
Fizdale: It looks like David Fizdale is settling onto a consistent rotation and the continuity is already paying dividends. During the halftime show against the Mavs, Kenny and Chuck asked what the Knicks identity is...well with Frank starting and Mitch back; the past three games have shown much more of a defensive identity with forced TO's and blocks abounding. He's also shown some more urgency. I get on Fiz a lot for making decisions one or two possessions too late...not last night. When Knox and Randle got lazy, Fiz called time outs. Knox got benched for a bit and the team woke up again. The quick timeout calls at signs of momentum loss happened on more than one occasion.
The offense is looking improved as well. Two factors that I've noted are an increase in pick and rolls along with Julius Randle and Marcus Morris both sharing the ball more. They still lapse into Iso mode at times but they've started trusting teammates more often, especially Randle. Randle has the ball in his hands so often that it's no surprise that his mistakes start to stand out, but he's also been trapped in traffic less often and the forced takes with everyone else open haven't been as prevalent. There's still a LOT of work to be done but the team is trending right. That said, we are now entering a nightmare stretch.
For the next 10 games there's essentially no let up. Coach Fizdale is going to have to work HARD to keep this team trending in the right direction and avoiding old habits kicking up. The real tests start now and that includes finding out if Fizdale can stick to the continuity that he's building if things go awry for a night or two. The players will have to respond to tougher opposition, so will the coach. Buckle in fam.
Frank: Frank Ntilikina looked the part of an playmaker last night and found himself in the paint more often than we've seen in prior games. Part of that success was taking advantage of screens, Frank started the game on a lay-up off a simple cut past Julius Randle in the post and continued to make nice plays when he had screeners available. Ntilikina went 3/7 for 6 points, 6 assists to 1 TO and a steal in 29 minutes. He missed both his three point attempts and did take a backseat in the second half as the lead had ballooned but on the brightside, that means his production mostly came before the Knicks had the game locked up.
The nature of the assists is what really shines though. He was patient with his handle instead of picking up his dribble even when defenders were all around. This helped him to hit cutters and roll men often, as well as helping him to spot some three point shooters. The scoring and creation are coming along nicely with more minutes to create, but we'll need Frank to continue to assert himself to maximize his value. He's surrounded by a lot of offensive minded players and can't afford to be lost in the fold...also, his defense is still a nightly gem.
RJ: RJ Barrett turned some early difficulty into a productive performance. He went 5/13 on the night, missing on some early drives and shots but getting some very nice buckets as the game wore on. Barrett continues to get into the paint almost at will, thanks to his strength and savvy. He's started to finish with his right hand more often which makes him an even bigger nightmare in the lane. But it was free throw shooting that shined brightest for Barrett who made 4/5 from the line (also 1/1 from three). Barrett didn't throw away points like he has been in some past games.
RJ put up 15 points, 1 assist, 2 boards, 2 steals and 2 blocks. It's a beautiful thing that even when he's not filling out the boards and assists, he's capable of putting up steals and blocks to still contribute. The kid is always working, a trait embodied by a hustle steal while the Knicks were up 16 late in the third quarter. Barrett outran the speedy Colin Sexton to grab a ball that would have otherwise wound up a backcourt violation. The rookie could have given up on that play, the Knicks had the lead and would receive the ball. Instead he sprinted for a steal and lay-up, no letting up. I loved that.
Morris: Usually it's the Knicks putting guys on the free throw line off of three point attempts, but last night Marcus Morris seemed to have defenders in his landing area all damned night. The Knicks best scorer posted 23 points, 6 boards, 1 assist, 2 blocks and a steal on 5/13 shooting and 1/3 from three. Despite the poor shooting efficiency, Morris put an efficient scoring performance together by making 12/13 free throws. A lot of that came from catch and shoot opportunities where late defenders fouled him. I can't stress enough that he's at his best when letting the game come to him instead of forcing the issue (but he's still good in isolation to be fair).
Also, Morris is a bit unsung on defense. Frank and Mitch are the show on defense but Morris is a steady and effective presence that provides some rotation flexibility for Fiz.
Randle: Julius Randle started the game with an assist to Frank Ntilikina and proceeded to eat the Cavs on the offensive glass. Once he had his interior game going, Randle started to take jumpers as well and was automatic (a first in a Knicks uniform). The jumper opened the lane even wider and Randle feasted from wherever he wanted all night. The big acquisition dropped 30 points, 7 boards and 4 assists on 12/17 shooting in 32 minutes. We can't expect the jumper to be that great nightly, but a lot of what he did is sustainable...that's hard effort on the offensive boards and willful passing when the defense is shading him. An assist from Randle seemed to jump start struggling RJ at one point and got Frank attacking the paint from the first play on.
Maybe even more importantly, there was a flash of real defensive effort in the first half from Randle. He played solid defense, jumping passing lanes and poking the ball loose from his man on occasion. The second half showed a let up on that end, but it was a positive sign from Randle who finished with 2 steals and a block. With the amount of effort he'd shown, I'm not surprised he slowed down in the second half...dude was WORKING.
Taj: The move to put Taj Gibson into the starting line-up might be one of Fizdale's most slept on smart plays. Taj has been productive and helped keep to offensive minded vets and two inexperienced young guys playing in sync. The elder statesman looks like a glue piece leader while providing the little things like contact on screens and crisp box outs. Gibson posted 7 points and 8 boards on 2/6 shooting in just 16 minutes while getting to the line 4 times and making 3 of the free throws. He's not gonna takeover, but he will do the little things that can buy the Knicks a couple of extra possessions or stops.
Smith: Things still aren't clicking for Dennis Smith Jr but there are flashes. I thought his first half burn was mostly filled with solid play, but he got down on himself for two bad cross court passes (one which ended in a TO). In the second half, Smith let Dotson take over for the most part which worked out but also rendered him fairly invisible. DSJ finished with 8 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist to 1 TO. Smith showed some really nice footwork for one of his finishes inside, mixing up pump fakes with simple pivots that you see out post bigs usually. Overall, he's looking more comfortable in the lane but still not all the way there yet on timing and rhythm...which led to some errant passes where he threw the ball to a player that had made a different cut.
The big worry with Smith has been defensively though. We got 19 solid minutes offensively and better effort on defense, but he still had a number of glaring lapses. It doesn't hurt during a blowout, but we've seen porous defense lock Trier onto the bench (the only explanation I can think of). Smith was a better defender last season. It's in him. Hopefully that half of the game is more about timing and rhythm as well for him.
Dot: I just want to say that Damyean Dotson not having a single assist is a damned travesty. The young man made some very nice third quarter finds that ended in bricks. But the rest of his game was good anyway so I won't belabor that point. Dot put up 11 points on 5/10 shooting while going just 1/5 from three. His jumper hasn't gotten back to last season's form but he's more than made up for that lately by attacking off the dribble and on cuts. Dot did his damage last night by getting into the lane and finishing. That opened up kickout opportunities later but he wasn't rewarded for his finds. The rest of his statline is barren, but Dot gave a positive 18 minutes and seems to have the back-up SG role locked down right now.
Ellington: We got a Wayne Ellington sighting last night but only for 9 minutes. He knocked down his only three pointer and grabbed a pair of boards for 3 and 2 in his 9 minutes. The real value of Ellington is that he came in when Knox got lackadaisical on the defensive end and gave the Cavs a last gasp of hope via three pointers. Wayne came in and the defense resettled, with everyone else stepping up a notch after seeing a teammate held accountable...funny how that works.
Knox: Kevin Knox had his second tough shooting night and paired with some defensive lapses, found himself benched at one point. But in the blowout, Knox was able to find more minutes and make some nice things happen. The sophomore finished with 6 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists on a rough 2/10 shooting and 0/4 from three. That three ball has been really reliable so far, so the back to back 0-for's are just a bit worrisome. That said, Knox is showing vastly improved awareness of his teammates and making some nice dimes even when his jumper struggles. It's good that he got 20 minutes to work on things thanks to the blowout.
Portis: It's tough to stay mad at Bobby Portis because despite his deficiencies, the guy always plays hard. This contributes to some rebounds and he's usually a three pointer away from having a nice stretch on the floor. With Mitch backing him up, Portis' defensive flaws are more hidden and his value can really shine even if he's not putting up eye popping numbers. Last night Portis went 3/8 and 1/2 from three to put up 7 points, 7 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block and 1 TO.
I'm going to make a wild comparison because they're entirely different players. But Bobby Portis reminds me of Lance Thomas in one aspect of his game. You don't want to leave him out there long enough to try and do too much. Like Lance, Portis will hustle his heart out and give you some good but inevitably some bad as well. His value ends up tied to the players around him and the coach keeping him from pressing too hard. 23 minutes is usually pushing your luck, but it was fine last night but you noticed the "too much" part when he was out there too long with Randle and Morris instead of Mitch.
Robinson: It was clear that Mitchell Robinson hasn't fully recovered from his ankle injury because he was missing some bunnies that are normally dunk. Other than though, the sophomore continued his tear since returning from a concussion, albeit in limited minutes. Mitch tallied 7 points, 8 boards and 4 blocks over just 17 minutes on 3/7 from the field. He also picked up 5 fouls in that limited action but considering he hasn't had much rest for the ankle, maybe it wasn't the worst thing in the world.
Mitch as a defensive presence has just been great. Offenses look different when the ball handlers know that Mitch is on the prowl. The only trouble he ran into defensively was against Brandon Knight's step back three pointers which he didn't even defend badly. Robinson could really reach rare air as a defender and might be there already if not for nagging injuries. The big has had multiple finger injuries, a concussion, the ankle roll and let's not forget knee soreness over the summer with Team USA. Hopefully all the health problems get behind him, they're mostly off of freak accidents and bad luck.
Fizdale: It looks like David Fizdale is settling onto a consistent rotation and the continuity is already paying dividends. During the halftime show against the Mavs, Kenny and Chuck asked what the Knicks identity is...well with Frank starting and Mitch back; the past three games have shown much more of a defensive identity with forced TO's and blocks abounding. He's also shown some more urgency. I get on Fiz a lot for making decisions one or two possessions too late...not last night. When Knox and Randle got lazy, Fiz called time outs. Knox got benched for a bit and the team woke up again. The quick timeout calls at signs of momentum loss happened on more than one occasion.
The offense is looking improved as well. Two factors that I've noted are an increase in pick and rolls along with Julius Randle and Marcus Morris both sharing the ball more. They still lapse into Iso mode at times but they've started trusting teammates more often, especially Randle. Randle has the ball in his hands so often that it's no surprise that his mistakes start to stand out, but he's also been trapped in traffic less often and the forced takes with everyone else open haven't been as prevalent. There's still a LOT of work to be done but the team is trending right. That said, we are now entering a nightmare stretch.
For the next 10 games there's essentially no let up. Coach Fizdale is going to have to work HARD to keep this team trending in the right direction and avoiding old habits kicking up. The real tests start now and that includes finding out if Fizdale can stick to the continuity that he's building if things go awry for a night or two. The players will have to respond to tougher opposition, so will the coach. Buckle in fam.
Peter Popoff
PROTECT YA NECK!! 🖕🏽🇺🇲
She been rocking with Knox for a minute. Wouldn't be surprised he clapping them cheeks on the low low.
Pardon my interruption.Our thread is one of the most consistent on the site period#Tape
It's @Bryan Danielson 's fault for tagging me. His NYC envy knows no bounds. I usually don't venture round these parts. He will feel my wrath
in that other forum which will remain unnamed.
@storyteller Dap + rep
storyteller
Veteran
@storyteller Dap + rep
I appreciate you guys fam! Wouldn't put these together without you and the rest of the posters here and over at Realgm.
Bryan Danielson
Jmare007 x Bryan Danielson x JLova = King Ghidorah
Pardon my interruption.
No smoke!!!
My initial post was relevant to what I was talking about. That was the halftime show
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