GREENBURGH, N.Y. –- There might’ve been times during the Cleveland game when it appeared that
Carmelo Anthony or
J.R. Smith would shoot or score off sets or early offense that did not look to resemble anything close to the triangle.
TNT analysts
Reggie Miller and
Charles Barkley also made occasional remarks noting when they thought the Knicks took a shot out of something that was not the triangle.
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Jesse D. Garrabran/Getty ImagesKnicks coach Derek Fisher is happy to point out the benefits of the triangle's mysteries.
Knicks coach
Derek Fisher was asked if his team played some non-triangle sets in the win over Cleveland or if he had simplified the offense a bit following the season-opening loss to Chicago.
“Well, no, I think it is hard for folks that haven’t played in this before to recognize when it is and when it isn’t,” Fisher explained. “So there are tons of things that we can do before and after that start in a triangle, end in a triangle, maybe there is no triangle.
“That is for us to know and everybody else to find out,” Fisher added with a chuckle.
Certainly, not every set is going to look like the triangle and have three players on one side of the court moving the ball. Fisher and team president Phil Jackson have said that they want the Knicks to push the ball when the opportunity presents itself and get some transition baskets and maybe into some early-offense situations.
And there will surely be times when Anthony is isolated on a defender to take advantage of a matchup or to try to score when the shot clock may be winding down.
“Yeah, we’ve tried to help our guys understand that the triangle is not this place that we exist in as soon as we touch the basketball,” Fisher said. “When we play solid defense, get rebounds and get steals, we want to run the floor and take advantage of things that we can early and then we settle into our offensive format after that.
“But there are ways that we get in and out of it that just gives a defense a different look,” Fisher added. “And it obviously gives the broadcasters a different look so I guess it is working well so far.”
Is hilarious for directing that Horry comment and webber
