LIN, PARSONS, HARDEN GO "GANG-UP-ON-EM STYLE" AGAINST KNICKS (VIDEOS)
LIN-LIGHTS AS KNICKS ARE EMBARASSED BY CAST-OFF AND BOYS
WHY DID WE GET WHUPPED GANGNAM STYLE? WERE WE TIRED?
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KNICKS GUNNING FOR 7-0 vs MEMPHIS
The two hottest teams in the league square off tonight as the Memphis Grizzlies host the New York Knicks.
Head to head, the favorite is 4-1-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings. The Grizzlies are 18-5 ATS in their last 23 home games vs. a team with a road winning % of greater than .600, 4-1-1 ATS in their last 6 home games and 6-0 ATS in their last 6 games overall. The Knicks on the other hand are 13-3 ATS in their last 16 games playing on 0 days rest, 8-3 ATS in their last 11 vs. Western Conference and 25-10 ATS in their last 35 games overall.
The Memphis Grizzlies are off to their best start in franchise history after dismantling the Oklahoma City Thunder 107-97 on Wednesday to secure their sixth straight victory. Just two nights after making light work of the Miami Heat, the Grizzlies looked equally impressive on Wednesday, opening up the game behind a 36-15 second quarter. Rudy Gay continued his strong start to the season with a season high 28 points for a Memphis team ranked in the top 10 in points, points allowed, assists and rebounds per game.
The New York Knicks are 6-0 for the just the second time in franchise history and the league’s only remaining unbeaten team after knocking off the San Antonio Spurs 104-100 on Thursday night. Despite trailing by 12 points with only seven minutes remaining, the Knicks didn’t give up as they closed the games on a 22-11 run to continue their blistering start to the season. J.R. Smith added 17 points, Jason Kidd had 14 and Tyson Chandler 13 for a New York team who snapped a nine game skid in San Antonio.
When ESPN made this a National TV game I don't think anyone expected both of the Grizzlies and Knicks to be form they are currently in. If you didn't know any better, you would think Memphis and New York are the front runners for the title they are playing that good. While I love this Memphis team, how can you possibly not take the points in this one ( -6) ?
Source One's pick : New York by 20
THE SPARK: JR SMITH WILL LEAD KNICKS TO 6-0
REPOAST FROM KNICKS NOW
JR SMITH: THE SPARK
Jonah Ballow Throughout a grueling 82-game NBA season, a team will often suffer through droughts, appear lackadaisical, or simply fall on a night in which it was expected to win. This is exactly why every elite squad relies on a spark. J.R. Smith is the man that ignites the Knicks on both sides of the floor. A perfect example of Smith’s impact occurred on Tuesday night. With the Knicks trailing the undermanned Magic in Orlando 57-52 at the 9:48 mark of the third quarter, a familiar face jumpstarted New York’s offense. Just moments after checking back into the game, Smith nailed a ridiculous 14-foot fadeaway jumper with the defense draped all over him. He then sunk a runner in the lane to tie the game at 59-59. Two minutes later, Smith buried a 3-pointer, followed by a steal on the defensive side of the floor, and the Knicks were able to generate momentum heading into the final quarter. “Anthony lauded the performance of his teammate following Tuesday’s win, “The one thing about J.R., he is definitely buying into what’s our task, defensively, offensively. He’s not trying to do it by himself out there on the basketball court. He’s taking what the defense is giving him and he’s taking advantage of that.” Over the course of his eight-year career, Smith has been regarded a top-level talent but at times he would veer from the game plan and attempt to take over ball games on the offensive side of the floor. Under the guidance of head coach Mike Woodson, the guard is accepting his role off the bench and flourishing into a mature professional basketball player. The straight out of high school shooting guard is off to a sparkling start to the 2012-13 season. Smith has displayed all the weapons in his arsenal this year, including the long range shooting, step-back midrange jumper, and an underrated off the dribble game. He’s averaging career highs across the board, points per game (18.2), field goal percentage (49.3), free throw percentage (88.9), rebounds per game (4.8), and assists per game (3.2). “That’s been my biggest thing coming into this season is to be more focused, be more consistent,” Smith admitted. “It just feels good that my teammates are recognizing me and at the same time, I just have to keep it up and keep making them proud.”
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Smith scored 16 of his 21 points in the second half against the Magic, leading the second unit and complementing All-Star Carmelo Anthony down the stretch. He hit 7-of-9 attempts from the floor, grabbed three rebounds, dished out two assists, and recorded two steals in 20 minutes of action in the second half. Keyed by Smith’s spectacular play, New York rallied late and defeated Orlando 99-89 to remain unbeaten on the season.
One of the vocal leaders inside the Knicks locker room has certainly taken notice of Smith’s growth this season. “J.R. has a big personality as we all know but he is so locked in and focused this year, he’s just a different player,” Tyson Chandler confirmed. “He came back a different player, he’s really matured he’s really buying in to what the coaches are preaching and he’s been a big help. We obviously know what he is capable of doing on the floor and coming off the bench, he’s been amazing with the second unit.”
All those statistics fail to highlight the drastic improvement on the defensive end of the court. Surrounded by defensive-minded teammates and a coach that demands a focused approach to stopping the opposing team, Smith is utilizing his athletic frame to create havoc. As one of the fastest 2-guards in the league, Smith can outrace just about any wing player and his quick hands lead to steals. Smith ranks No. 7 in the league in steals per game this year at 2.2 each outing. He’s become a thief in the passing lanes and a pest on the perimeter for Woodson’s top defensive unit.
“He’s been able to play three positions as well, he can guard point, he can guard the 2 or the 3 as well. If there’s a mismatch, he’s feisty enough with the big guys to try and hold them down until we can get back whole again,” Woodson acknowledged.
Smith is a fun-loving individual with a gregarious personality. However, by his own admission, Smith needed to take the next step at a pivotal point in his career. At the ripe age of 27, the New Jersey native is beginning to put all the pieces together, maturing on the floor, and seeing the big picture. If he continues to find the balance and provide the spark, Knicks’ opponents will have a difficult time extinguishing the flame Smith creates.
5-0 GOING INTO THE ALAMO. REMEMBER THE ALAMO?
The Knicks played horrible against a terrible Magic team. A ten point win is not enough. Don't expect a repeat vs the Spurs. Kirt Thomas and Camby were on that 1999-2000 team that lost the Chip to the Spurs. Watch the Knicks come out smoking and never let up. Under a different coach... the Knicks would have lost tonight, however, Woodson is a Game changer!
Every Knick will be up for this game. Watch us go 6-0. If you are not excited by this Knick team... you are in a coma or dead! After we BLOWOUT the Spurs... we have 6 more to go 12-0..believe it!
Don't worry about Memphis..... we got their number! This young Magic team used to be the Kryptonite that killed our Supermen.... that's all over. The Spurs play the Lakers tonight ..lets hope they get banged up a little. LGK
Knicks move into Number One Power Ranking .
It's been longer than most die hard knick fans can remember when we were at the Top of the Power ranking. Can we stay there? I have no doubt and you shouldn't either.
We should not look past the Magic. Play them like it's game 7 for the chip then onto the Spurs and Memphis. One game at a time and don't overlook any team or take off nights and
we will remain at the top all the way to the raising another banner in the garden.
NBA.com's Power Rankings are just one man's opinion and are released every Monday during the season. If you've got an issue with the rankings, or have a question or comment for John Schuhmann, contact him via twitter.
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New York (4-0) Pace: 93.5 (25), OffRtg: 112.2 (1), DefRtg: 93.2 (2) The Knicks' perimeter shooting cooled off on Friday, and they still won. So there are no asterisks next to their 4-0 start. But they will have their toughest challenge to date with a back-to-back in San Antonio and Memphis on Thursday and Friday this week. Ronnie Brewer was already a bargain at the minimum, but if he can continue to hit corner threes (he's 6-for-10 so far), that's huge. |
| Last week: 2 |
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San Antonio (6-1) Pace: 95.3 (16), OffRtg: 103.1 (7), DefRtg: 98.9 (16) When Tony Parker's out with the flu, it's nice to have Gary Neal go off for a career-high 27. But turnovers and (surprise!) defense have been issues for the Spurs over the last few games, including Wednesday's ugly loss to the Clips. Each of the Spurs' next five games is a must-watch. They play the Lakers, Knicks, Nuggets, Clippers (again) and Celtics over the next 10 days. |
| Last week: 1 |
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Oklahoma City (5-2) Pace: 96.7 (10), OffRtg: 104.6 (5), DefRtg: 94.6 (3) Well, the Kevin Martin thing is working out just fine. The new guy is still shooting better than 50 percent from both the field and 3-point range, the Thunder are a plus-15 in 50 minutes where Martin has been on the floor with neither Kevin Durant nor Russell Westbrook, and he can't be blamed too much for the fact that his team still can't take care of the ball (30th in turnover rate). |
| Last week: 5 |
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Memphis (5-1) Pace: 97.3 (5), OffRtg: 103.0 (9), DefRtg: 94.7 (4) The Grizzlies are now 3-1 against Miami in the LeBron era, so it's no huge surprise that they won on Sunday. But they're supposed to beat the Heat on the glass and in the paint, not with 14 threes (seven from Wayne Ellington). They should have saved a few of them, because they have two more great matchups this week, visiting the Thunder on Wednesday and hosting the Knicks on Friday. |
| Last week: 13 |
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Miami (5-2) Pace: 95.2 (18), OffRtg: 111.3 (2), DefRtg: 102.4 (24) The Grizzlies were supposed to be a litmus test for the Heat's small lineup, but Miami handled its own on the boards on Sunday. Instead, the Grizz exposed the Heat's 3-point defense, which now ranks 27th. It was similarly bad early last season, but just fine by the time the playoffs came around. Maybe the Clippers (Wednesday) or Nuggets (Thursday) will test Miami on the glass this week. |
| Last week: 3 |
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Lakers Fire Mike Brown. Mike Dantoni and Phil Jackson lead as the next head coach.It doesn't matter as Kobe's reign is done. WELCOME THE MELO MVP ERA!
What a difference a year makes. Please LA.. hire Mike Dantoni.....see how long he lasts.
Does Kobe need to hear "Let's Go" or hear Phil Jackson's trianular offensive talk? Neither!
Asking a 1-4 squad that's old (Gasol, Antawn Jamison, Metta World Peace), less-than-100-percent (Howard) or both (Kobe and Nash) wouldn't seem to be the best solution. Inherent in the job description of any Lakers head coach, Mike Brown or otherwise, is a mandate to keep the team's stars fit and energized for a deep playoff push.
Not exactly something to which sprinting up the hardwood is conducive.
Keep in mind, too, that pushing the pace under D'Antoni requires depth. Without a reliable bench on which the coach can lean, those in the rotation are likely to be depended on so heavily as to leave them all depleted, if not ground to a pulp, by season's end.
And last I checked, the Laker's bench has one of the worst benches in the NBA (viahoopsstats.com). Opting, as the Lakers have done, for the top-heaviness of a Fab Four can only afford a team so much leeway to build depth.
As a result, the Purple and Gold must count on the likes of Jamison, Steve Blake, Devin Ebanks, Jordan Hill and Jodie Meeks (not exactly star power) to fill in the gaps when Kobe, Nash, Gasol and Howard aren't on the floor.
Not exactly a recipe for success if your team needs to shuffle guys in and out of the game.
Well it's the Knicks time to shine. Tonight they will go 4-0 on their way to a 12-0 start. Suddenly the Knicks are no longer the joke of the NBA but the feared team to beat! We are both the Hunter and Hunted. Expect another blowout Knick win at the Garden tonight. My, my things have changed.
KNICKS FACE EDDY CURRY AS THEY GO FOR 4 -0
Knicks will try to stay unbeaten as they take on Dallas and E-City. Yes ..the former Knick Eddy Curry. Look for Jason Kidd and Tyson Chandler
to have big games and guide the Knicks to the Mav's game prep. The Knicks remain without two major starters in Stat and Shumpert, however,
this is a year of Zero excuses for this Orange and Blue Hurriccane. Look for Melo to go off early and JR will have just as good of a game. Don't bet on Brewer
to shoot as well as last game but expect Novacaine to have a much better outing. Bottom line is another blowout for the Knicks as we move to 4-0.
