The Knicks came into last Sunday’s contest riding a tough road win against Lebron James and the new look Cavaliers. The Hornets were coming off a two point loss to the Memphis Grizzlies at home. Both teams had a 1-1 record, and were looking to pick up a win in the Garden. The game was tightly contested throughout. We also were able to witness history, as Carmelo Anthony scored his 20,000th career point, which we know is no easy task.
The Knicks showed growth in running their triangle offense which was impressive facing a team that was in the playoffs the previous year. Quincy Acy got the start for the 2nd straight game, and has shown that he has a lot to give the Knicks. His hustle plays, and persistence on the boards and on defense has been very valuable early. Although he only had 2 points and 3 rebounds in 20 minutes of actions, he does a lot that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet to help you win games.
Amar’e Stoudemire, as voiced by Derek Fisher, is not on a minutes restriction this year. However, the Knicks are doing a great job of managing his minutes to keep him fresh and maximize his production. He finished Sunday night with 17 points and 10 rebounds to give him his first double double of the year. He did so in just 23 minutes of play, and off the bench. In previous years it was said that him and Anthony could not play on the floor at the same time. In the three games we’ve seen this season, that has not been the case. Arguably the Knicks have looked their strongest with both playing alongside each other.
Iman Shumpert also had a good game, adding 15 points and 4 assists in a starting role. He has looked very healthy coming off injuries to his knees, and is showing great confidence in his long range jumper. He had a very crucial 3 pointer late in the 4th quarter to swing the momentum over to the Knicks. His defensive pressure has always been his strength, but he needs to cut out the silly fouls. He is too important to the team right now, and needs to be on the floor.
The Knicks only wound up winning this game by a total of 3 points (96-93). It is important for them to win close games like this, considering closing games has always plagued the Knicks for years. It was impressive to see that the Knicks shot 50% from the field (39-78), which speaks volumes to the effectiveness of the triangle. They have been able to get much better quality shots, and in turn the ball movement has created those opportunities. Last year there was a lot of standing around and watching, whereas this year there were several times the Knicks were “over passing.”
Anthony was the high man on the night with 28 points. He shot 12 out of 22 from the field, and did not look fatigued in the 4th quarter as he had looked many times last year. Lance Stephenson was the top performer on the Hornets. He almost had a triple double (14 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists). The game was back and forth, until Anthony hit the go-ahead basket with 1:23 remaining and the Knicks didn’t look back after.
The rest of the starting lineup (Acy, Larkin and Dalembert) only had 11 points between the 3 of them. Against more elite NBA teams, that lack of production is not going to cut it. Also, the Knicks only had 6 fast break points, which is very unimpressive. Larkin adds good speed with the ball and needs to look to push the ball more. Dalembert also needs to work on his interior passing. He had 3 turnovers, and each one looked equally terrible. JR Smith also needs to limit his turnovers. He had 4 himself which led the team, and he only added 7 points off the bench. He still was playing hard though, and has shown good pick and roll chemistry with Jason Smith. The Knicks next contest is Tuesday at home against the Washington Wizards.
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