# Jamal makes games dramatic



## The True Essence (May 26, 2003)

this is the first time were over .500 in 3 years, when i believe we were 11-10 when Van Gundy left. 

Now, can somebody tell Crawford hes off????????????? i like that he made the game winner, but he could have just as easily missed that. there was no reason to take TWELVE threes!!!

Marbury was having a great night but crawford felt like jacking up shots any time the ball was near him. this guy needs help. but with that last shot he basically redeemed himself so i dont care.

im gonna hafta question lennys rotation now. Tim Thomas plays bad, he gets benched the rest of the night. Jamal plays horrible, he stays in. Tim shoulda been in the game tonight. he was 4-8 from the field, not 4-22. Penny hardaway stinks. He really thinks hes Penny of 95 with the kind of shots he takes. 

also Jamison Brewer killed us. We were up 15 and decided to put him in for some unusual reason and heres what he does:
1. Airball jumper
2. Has crawford wide open on a break, instead gives it to JYD who gets the offensive foul.
3. Plays horrible defense and lets Tony Delk have about 22 seconds to get his feet set and drill a three
4. Another horrible defensive play where he lets a hawk scrub get a 3 point play on him.

He leaves the game and were only up 5. This changed the game and the hawks went on a run led by delk who caught fire from brewer giving him that wide wide open trey. People should really stop thinking this guy is good cause he dunked the ball.

and how about Antoine walker. what did he have 8 turnovers?

Next in the schedule is Memphis, which is a winnable game.

oh yeah and Houston lied, hes not coming back saturday. once again, we have no clue


----------



## truth (Jul 16, 2002)

Lenny has a very strange rotation...Why is Sweetneys time so limited???

And Why doesnt Lenny grab JC by the ear and say "Young man",go to the hoop..BTW,that was a sweet move to the hoop by JC on the break

Penny does sukk...TT seems to be comoing out of it..

And what is up with NAZ??


----------



## NYKBaller (Oct 29, 2003)

TT sat because he was injured...


----------



## Rashidi (Oct 2, 2003)

> Lenny has a very strange rotation...Why is Sweetneys time so limited???


Because Sweetney can't guard Walker, plain and simple.



> And Why doesnt Lenny grab JC by the ear and say "Young man",go to the hoop..BTW,that was a sweet move to the hoop by JC on the break


You don't think Bill Cartwright and Scott Skiles have already done that? Free shooters tend not to stop even if the coach asks. And to his defense, it's not like the Knicks have anyone else who wouldn't brick every three. Penny is also guilty of clanking everything but the big shots, while T clanks, well, everything.



> Penny does sukk...TT seems to be comoing out of it..


Penny: 4 rebounds (many of them in key situations)
T: 0 rebounds



> And what is up with NAZ??


The worst defense in the league is whats up (I'm not talking about the one that he anchors, thats the 2nd worst defense). Were you expecting him to suck against the likes of Jason Collier and Kevin Willis?

Collier and Willis combined for 19 points and 15 rebounds on 7-14(Nazr had 22 and 15 on 9-13). 42 year old Kevin Willis was even seen calling for the ball whenever Nazr was guarding him. 

The Hawks got the better end of the offensive glass. The Knicks rebounded 14 of their 53 misses. The Hawks rebounded 12 of their 39 misses. I don't think Nazr had a dominant rebounding performance, he didn't have to work for many boards, most of them went straight to him. He had 4 offensive rebounds in the first quarter, all of them pretty much going straight to him off long threes by Marbury/Crawford. After the 1st quarter, he only had 1 offensive board.

The Knicks had 1 block. The Hawks had 6. We might have a better perimeter defense (barely), but Kevin Willis would be the second best post defender on the Knicks.



> also Jamison Brewer killed us.


And yet there are people who would rather have him than Moochie Norris, Charlie Ward, Howard Eisley, etc.

Brewer basically showed why the only GM willing to give him a job is Isiah Thomas. When dunking is your PG's best skill...

The Knicks should have used that chunk of the MLE they had left over to bring in a backup that can provide perimeter shooting and perimeter defense. I guess Charlie "Heisman" Ward wasn't athletic enough to fit the bill.

All in all, the Knicks were very lucky to come away with a victory. They did everything in their power to blow the game to the worst team in the league. Between launching horrible shot after horrible shot, getting vexed by a zone defense by the worst defensive team in the league, reminding people that Tony "53" Delk is only slightly worse than Crawford, allowing "The Rifleman" 'Chuck' Walker to actually hit 5 of 6 threes, letting the Hawks shoot a whopping 90 points better from the field, making the oldest player in the league look 10 years younger, depending on Jon Barry (a career 85% shooter) to miss a FT towards the end of regulation, and getting away with fouling Barry at the end of regulation, the Knicks were lucky to come away with a 1 point win in OVERTIME against the worst team in the league.

The Hawks did what they were supposed to do, and blew the game at every opportunity they had to seal it. If the Knicks are going to depend on their opponents to blow games in order to win, then the second worst defensive team in basketball is probably in for a rude awakening.

Oh, slight correction.

Since the Knicks allowed the Hawks to shoot 90 points better, and the Knicks only trailed the Hawks by 7 points in opponent's FG%, then that officially makes the Knicks the worst defensive team in the league. Hey, it's been awhile since the Knicks actually led the league in something. This is exciting!

Also, despite a .500 record, the Knicks are 23rd in the league in point differential (-2.83), not including the Hawk game (and since it was a 1 point victory, it doesn't change anything). The only teams worse are

Pistons (-3.46) 7-7 record (they are higher than knicks now with 21 point win over rockets, and have been without ben wallace most of season)
Bobcats (-4.58) 3-10 record
Hornets (-6.69) 1-12 record
Warriors (-7.46) 3-10 record
Bulls (-11.00) 1-10 record
Nets (-11.00) 3-11 record
Hawks (-12.76) 2-12 record
Combined record of non-Piston teams: 13-65.

But hey, the Knicks are .500. That will most certainly last, right?
If it weren't for divisional realignment, the Knicks would be the 6th seed. Even though the Nets are 3-11, I'd be awfully worried about Jason Kidd coming back. The Knicks are only ahead of the Nets by 4.5 games.

Also, for those of you expecting the Grizzlies to be "easy", they are 5-9 overall, and 5-8 vs the west. They haven't faced the LEast yet. They've faced the Kings twice, Sonics twice, Rockets twice, and Mavs twice. The Knicks have faced the Hawks twice. I'll take losing to the Kings by 5 over barely beating the hawks in a 1 point OT game where my best 3 players all played 44+ minutes. The Grizzlies, who actually utilize their depth, won't be nearly as tired tomorrow.


----------



## son of oakley (Dec 24, 2003)

It was crappy performance. We suck on the road. I would play nothing but zone D against the Knicks, it kills us every time. I thought our PG play was bad the whole second half, especially Crawford. Both he and Marbury think they need to be finishers on those rare break opportunities, even as PG. Penetration and mid-range shooting was almost nonexistent in the second half. Crawford and Walker have very similar games, but Walker's is marginally better by virtue of his size and post play, while Crawford's is marginally better by not being this team's first option. With roles reversed, like last year, Walker may well have been the better/smarter player. The only reason for optimism against the Grizz is it's a home game, where Crawford usually shoots well.

BUT, you are what your record says you are. It's all about where we end up. Time will tell. And other assorted cliches.


----------



## truth (Jul 16, 2002)

good teams find a way too win...

and against zones,i would have sweetney in the game...obviously not for shooting,but zones give up offensive rebounds and having an inside out game would help..as would not shooting 5-23


----------



## Rashidi (Oct 2, 2003)

Also, in regards to Brewer, I notice Lenny Wilkins didn't have any qualms about playing the kid in his hometown. I guess Lenny was under orders to break his consecutive games not played streak.


----------



## son of oakley (Dec 24, 2003)

> Originally posted by <b>truth</b>!
> good teams find a way too win...
> 
> and against zones,i would have sweetney in the game...obviously not for shooting,but zones give up offensive rebounds and having an inside out game would help..as would not shooting 5-23


Yes, it was a win, I'll take it.

But the lack of the inside game is what bothers me about the P play. They all (Brewer, Marbury, Crawford) seemed all too content to pass the ball around the perimeter, and not find the inside man. There was one play, where I think Crawford drove baseline and gave a backdoor pass to Sweetney, but Marbury almost never does that, his entire attack is frontal, and I think that is a big weakness of his. WHen he penetrates it's 95% down the middle, and he either puts up a shot that goes in or he gets fouled. Or, he does a long dish to the perimeter. It's hard to argue with his success rate with those tools on penetrations. However, guys like Nash, Bibby, and Kidd can attack from all angles, and even if they penetrate frontally (don't mean to get kinky) they will sometimes maintain their dribble, go under the basket and look for someone in the corner or a backdoor pass to a big man. Marbury doesn't have that aspect. So the problem with Marbury's penetrations is that it usually requires that he finishes, or a perimeter man hits his shot, rather than a high percentage finish for a big near the bucket.

So again, he finishes well himself, or goes to the line where he shoots a high percentage, so that's all good. And he sets up perimeter guys for open looks, so that's all good. But on those occasions where the perimeter guys are "off", he's not the best at drawing the defense and giving an easy backdoor for a high percentage finish.

But one way or another, I felt in the second half especially we totally went away from Nazr and Sweeteny, relying on guys who's shot was questionable on that given night. And the bigmen also have to learn to draw the double team and pass to each other. No reason Sweets can't be setting up Nazr. And an alley oop now and again shouldn't be out of the question, Nazr can jump.


----------



## SPIN DOCTOR (Oct 31, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>truth</b>!
> 
> 
> And Why doesnt Lenny grab JC by the ear and say "Young man",go to the hoop..BTW,that was a sweet move to the hoop by JC on the break


Truth, long time.

Jamal stopped driving to the hoop a few years ago when he shredded his ACL. His orthapedic told him it was better for his career and wallet if he did a H20 imitation!::grinning: 

More to the point, Jamal need to come off screens much better and you can see a RIP type game evolve. His drives are only when the D fall asleep on a rotation or forget to get back in transition. Glad to hear he's doing well. Knicks are looking better, were still not playing ball in Chicago.


----------



## Peter123321 (Jan 2, 2004)

I find it funny how a few days ago everyone was saying how great penny was for us and then after one bad game everyone jumps off his bandwagon.


----------



## Rashidi (Oct 2, 2003)

I'll still take Penny at SF over T any day of the week.


----------



## The True Essence (May 26, 2003)

i never liked penny this year. hes been a brick layer all year.


----------



## truth (Jul 16, 2002)

I like pennys basketball IQ..Unfortunately his injuries have taken away his incredible physical skills


----------



## truth (Jul 16, 2002)

> More to the point, Jamal need to come off screens much better and you can see a RIP type game evolve. His drives are only when the D fall asleep on a rotation or forget to get back in transition. Glad to hear he's doing well. Knicks are looking better, were still not playing ball in Chicago.


Hi Spin,how have you been....Ild love to see JC have half of RIPs decision and shot taking skills..hes talented but totally unbridled..and he is NOT a point guard..

Speaking of which,I think Marbury may be the best PG in the NBA


----------



## bigpoppa*UK (Nov 26, 2004)

the best pg the knicks have is steph

the best scorer the knicks have is steph

tim thomas is a moron and should be selling cheesecakes at juniors

nazr mohammed could`nt guard my granny

penny is a loafer and just picking up cheques
j
amal crawford is a crap version of iverson

Apart from that the knicks are doing alright


----------



## truth (Jul 16, 2002)

big poppa,what trade would you like to see the knicks pull off??

and how do you feel about KT,Sweetney and Ariza?


----------



## bigpoppa*UK (Nov 26, 2004)

gonna be hard to make a trade with houston still draining the salary

kurt thomas is a good defender but his offense is suspect

considering what there earning, sweetney and ariza are keepers

sweetney can fill it up for sure


----------



## SPIN DOCTOR (Oct 31, 2002)

> Originally posted by <b>truth</b>!
> 
> 
> Hi Spin,how have you been....Ild love to see JC have half of RIPs decision and shot taking skills..hes talented but totally unbridled..and he is NOT a point guard..
> ...


Thanks Truth, good to feel welcome over here! 

Steph, can be as good as Steph wants to be. Best in the L eh? Thats pretty strong, but we all have our favs. I'm loving the way Nash is running the floor for the Suns so far this season, but its still way early. 

Jamal is still far from a finished product, and ultimately I do see him RIP-esque as a true catch and shoot weapon coming off screens. I also agree with your opinion on his point play, he can run it for small stretches but thats not his true strenth (except for his ability to feed the post). I saw a few mentions of his small frame, and his need to gain weight. In the past, he has been pretty dedicated to weight training, but because of his body type, he has been a 5 pound a year improvement kind of guy. He would gain 15 pounds in the off-season and lose 10 of it after 6 weeks of ball. As he ages it should be easier for him to keep it on.

Glad to see the Knicks looking strong, the league is much healthier when you guys are doing well! The league needs cornerstones now more than ever, and its great to see excitement back at MSG.


----------



## truth (Jul 16, 2002)

Spin,I love nash...BUT

Q Rich
JJ
Amare 
Shawn marion

Put me at the point and ill get you 10 assists per:yes:


----------



## son of oakley (Dec 24, 2003)

The thing with Nash is, like Kidd, he really pushes the tempo. He gets the ball up-court fast, and his guys shots before team defense sets up.

Marbury is more deliberate, draws the D, and gets his guys clean looks, but his teams don't get as many shot opportunities per game, so not as many points.

Assists might work out the same, but Nash's teams score more.


----------



## bigpoppa*UK (Nov 26, 2004)

> Originally posted by <b>truth</b>!
> Spin,I love nash...BUT
> 
> Q Rich
> ...


Finally someone who knows what there talking about

i posted the same thing on an earlier thread

if steph had no pressure to score and had the kind of players nash did ,he would put up FAR superior numbers than nash or anyone else


----------



## truth (Jul 16, 2002)

BigPoppa,

Steph is close to the tops in assists,and he has Jc shooting 6-26 on any evening and TT virtually non existent at this pointt.He would easily be averaging another 4 per game and probably will..

You would be hard pressed to find a better point guard in the half court set.Plus,he goes to the hole at will and is basically unstoppable...

The Knicks are starting to run the last couple of games,especially with JC,sweets,ariza and junkyard..Its the first time we have had some good team speed..


----------



## bigpoppa*UK (Nov 26, 2004)

I dont think that the knicks have the personal to run an uptempo offens

steph,crawford and the rookies can run, but kurt,jerome etc are not quick enough and cant score anyway

Look ata the athleticism the suns have all across the team,they probly the only team that can run and gun now, kings used to but they sticking to open jumpers now and there outstanding passing game


----------



## truth (Jul 16, 2002)

i was referring more to sweets,Jc and Ariza....Ariza is like a whippet and sweets is a rhino..with finesse:heart:


----------

