Charlotte was Rooting for the Knicks

The night before, Dennis Smith Jr, when asked about the Detroit game, said “We’re going to keep their ass out”. But before the game it was announced Smith Jr would not be playing due to his bad back.

.@Dennis1SmithJr has a message to the Pistons: don't expect an easy game tomorrow.

Hear his thoughts in his post-game interview with @RebeccaHaarlow! #Knicks #NewYorkForever pic.twitter.com/1cwVJ0zG9L

— MSG Networks (@MSGNetworks) April 10, 2019

Before the game, the Charlotte Hornets posted this on twitter:

Charlotte is rooting HARD for a Knicks W tonight against the Pistons.

(: @hornets) pic.twitter.com/9G7LJB3qqf

— theScore (@theScore) April 10, 2019

It was also reported that Hornets coach James Borrego played for and coached with Knicks coach David Fizdale at the University of San Diego, so Fizdale would make sure his Knicks tried to beat Detroit.

So with that incentive, it was surprising to see the Knicks show no fight whatsoever and get blown off the court on Fan Appreciation night at Madison Square Garden. They played no team defense and didn’t look like much of a team at all.

The Highlights

Mitchell Robinson was a “Skinny Shaq” slam-dunk highlight show in the first half. It was alley oop slam after alley oop slam. He finished with 11 pts on 5-6 shooting (all slams) but only played 23 minutes due to 4 fouls — and didn’t block a shot, ending his consecutive game 2-blocks-or-more streak.

.@23savage____ ending the season with after pic.twitter.com/xtpVZyerEP

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) April 11, 2019

On the other end of the court, Andre Drummond powered his way to 20 points on 10-15 and 18 rebounds. DeAndre Jordan did not suit up for the game so couldn’t come in to help. Guess Fizdale wasn’t THAT intent on beating Detroit.

Luke Kornet couldn’t stop Drummond — he had 6 points (on 2-9 shooting) and 2 rebounds in 28 minutes. The Knicks left the job mostly to Isaiah Hicks (11 points) and Henry Ellenson (12 pts). If I were Charlotte I’d be like WTF?

John Jenkins played well — 16 points on 6-9. He’s a SHOOTER. Some believe the Knicks signed him to a one year contract to act as contract fodder in a coming deal for Anthony Davis (where Knicks need to accumulate salaries to send to Memphis to match Davis’ salary). Kadeem Allen (13 pts on 3-10) was brought in to lead the offense in the second half — he had a decent game — very aggressive and penetrating as usual. Billy Garrett Jr played ok.

The Low Lights

Mario Hezonja lost his slippers. He started at point and was horrible — 21 minutes, 0 points (0-3), 6 turnovers and a -21. Kevin Knox shot poorly — 3-12 (o-6 from 3) for 9 points with 7 rebounds. Damyean Dotson with another poor shooting game (2-8).

Lance Thomas suited but didn’t play — again — did Fizdale really care about this game?

Allonzo Trier, Emmanuel Mudiay, Frank Ntilikina, Noah Vonleh continued to be injured.

For Detroit

Detroit is in the playoffs with the win. Besides Drummond’s heroics, Reggie Jackson looked quick and fast and hit his jumper; Knick reject Langston Galloway played 32 important minutes and looked good; Jose Calderon played too. Detroit emptied their bench to get everyone playing time as they prepare for the playoffs — as this game was over in the 2nd quarter: Bruce Brown, Zaza Pachulia, Thon Maker, Jon Leuer, Ish Smith, Glenn Robinson III, Luke Kennard, and Khyri Thomas all got minutes.

The Boxscore

http://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=401071896

The post Stinking Up Fan Appreciation Day — April 10, 2019: Detroit 115 NY 89 appeared first on Knicks.City.

And win they have.

The Game

This one, in Chicago against a “who’s that?” team fielded to audition for next season — was a solid win. There was no incentive for Chicago to lose this game — as they are in 4th worst spot — with no chance to move to the 3 spot (3 games back of Cleveland with 2 to play) or fall back to the 5 spot (7 games ahead of 5th place Atlanta).

So it was a legitimate win for the Knicks, who put on a SHOW early and jumped out to a huge 20+ point lead in the first quarter. They led start to finish (although Chicago pulled back to within single digits early in the 4th).

Smith on Display

Oddly Mario Hezonja — superstar point guard of the previous two games — was ‘sick’ and didn’t play. That left 34 minutes of point guard play for Dennis Smith Jr. Knicks management have got to be trying to make a decision on him in one way or another. Rumor has it Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving have already made a pact to sign with the Knicks; the only unfinished business is who signs first. So that means Dennis Smith Jr will be the backup or trade bait for Anthony Davis? And of course the Knicks’ position in the draft will affect things, with a couple of top-notch point guards available at the #2 or #3 slot. We’ll see.

Knicks Two-Headed Monster Dominates

The Knicks started their two-headed monster and it dominated again — Mitchell Robinson (3-6, 8 pts, 17 rebounds, 3 blocks) and Luke Kornet (5-14, 12 pts, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 6 blocks).

Big man's got moves. pic.twitter.com/ZO9jrMofB8

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) April 10, 2019

The kid doesn't stop pic.twitter.com/oNEZUGbbA5

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) April 10, 2019

Kevin Knox (5-16, 4-8 from 3, 17 pts, 10 rebounds) rounded out the big front line and Dennis Smith Jr (10-23, 25 pts, 5 assists) orchestrated. Smith looked GREAT orchestrating. He looked like a good NBA point guard.

Damyean Dotson (5-10, 12 pts) rounded out the starting five and coach Fizdale played reserves Henry Ellenson, Billy Garrett Jr, Isaiah Hicks, and John Jenkins.

Chicago started Robin Lopez, Shaquille Harrison (looked very quick with an ability to cut thru defenses and finish at the rim in a variety of ways), and the unknowns — Ryan Arcidiacono, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, and Wayne Seldon Jr.

The Boxscore

http://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=401071886

Crazy Night

This was a Crazy night in sports — the Knicks win completely overshadowed by other happenings in NY and in the NBA.

• The Yankees ballpen blew a 3-2 lead and lost in Houston,
• Jacob DeGrom got BLASTED in his start with the Mets,
• Ian Begley quit ESPN for SNY,
• Chris Mullin quit St Johns as head coach, and then
• Earvin Magic Johnson said ‘hold my beer’, announcing he was quiting the Lakers in an impromptu press conference, without having told owner Jennie Buss yet.

Magic Johnson just stepped down as Lakers president with this strange, meandering press conference. It’s too kind to call the Lakers a dumpster fire. Wherever LeBron goes, chaos follows. pic.twitter.com/iVhE9ApRVb

— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) April 10, 2019

This lit Twitter afire, with tweets such as these:

Magic Johnson’s mood at that press conference pic.twitter.com/nAved8r0sX

— Daniel Berhane (@dannyberhane) April 10, 2019

Magic Johnson is pulling the "it's not you, it's me" breakup excuse with the #Lakers in this press conference lol

— Erin Ashley Simon (@erinasimon) April 10, 2019

ladies, if he:

-ghosts you
-tweets too much
-holds a press conference where he tells the world he loves you but couldn’t break up face to face because he cares too much

he’s not your man. he’s NBA legend Magic Johnson.

— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) April 10, 2019

Magic Johnson walking into his press conference to resign after fucking up the Lakers roster pic.twitter.com/OSKfawVFRx

— kitty kat man (@timthekat) April 10, 2019

Holy shit Magic Johnson just quit the Lakers, on live TV, in a press conference…

He just told the media before he told Jeanie Buss lol

Thank you for this gift of content, Lakers.

Never change. pic.twitter.com/LNz39Rcf61

— Rachael Van Oranje (@GameDayOJ) April 10, 2019

And a good counter point!

I’m a @Lakers fan so I’m not objective but I will say…. if when Magic was hired and they had said “His whole job is just to get LeBron here and then he’ll step down” I think most Laker fans would have signed up for that.

— Matthew Berry (@MatthewBerryTMR) April 10, 2019

The post Wins Coming Easy Now — April 9, 2019: NY 96 Chicago 86 appeared first on Knicks.City.

What Last Place Means

What Top Lottery Spot means is that the Knicks do not walk into the lottery with a 20 percent chance of the #6 pick, and a 33% chance of the #6 or #7 pick. They are guaranteed no lower than the #5 pick. It’s not much, but it’s all we’ve got. And in what some are calling ‘not a deep draft’ that could be significant. Remember Stephen Curry (whom the Knicks wanted but Golden State took with the #7 pick while Knicks had #8 pick) or Russell Westbrook (whom the Knicks wanted but Oklahoma took with the #4 pick while Knicks had the #6 pick).

The Game

Knicks jumped out to an early 24-16 lead in this one, before Orlando came back and tied the game in the 1st quarter and took a commanding lead by end of the second quarter on the play of Aaron Gordon, Evan Fournier, and Michael Carter-Williams (23 points with 5-10 from 3) especially. Orlando was up 58-45 at the half. But the Knicks hung tough and pulled to within 2 points near the end of the 3rd quarter, based on the terrific night that Mario Hezonja was having. Plus Kevin Knox.

Enter Terrence Ross, who came off the bench to hit 3 straight 3’s in the final minute of the 3rd quarter to put Orlando back up by 11. Knicks hung around a little bit, pulling to within 7 early in the 4th — creating ojeda for Knick fans watching who DID NOT WANT A WIN. But again, saner head prevailed; that was as close as the Knicks got.

The Players

At this point in the season, what matters to Knicks fans is not winning but how well the players are doing. The key players that could shape the Knicks future. In other words, Kevin Knox. We already know:

• Mitchell Robinson is an “untouchable” and possible future superstar. And
• Allonzo Trier looks real good too, but he’s injured.
• Dennis Smith Jr is also injured, as is
• Noah Vonleh, who will receive votes for ‘most improved player’ (although he is far from the winning candidate).
• Emmanuel Mudiay (another ‘most improved’ vote getter) is going to be a free agent and he’s a nice guard who attacks attacks attacks but makes mistakes, is poor on defense, and doesn’t look like the Knicks future point guard.
• Luke Kornet is etching a bench role for himself into the future.
• Hezonja is probably gone unless he signs for a minimal salary if Knicks get two max free agents (aka Kevin Durant and someone else probably Kyrie Irving).
• DeAndre Jordan may be back since he is going to be 31, and is wonderful for the lockerroom. It would depend on if he is content on being a reserve to Mitchell Robinson and signing for the $5 million stretch. He’s already made over $100 million in his career so might be open to that.

That leaves Knox.

Knicks’ Knox

And Knox looked Great last night. He is the Knicks best 3-pt shooter — it is one of his key strengths — ability to shoot off the pass with no hesitation with a beautiful high-arcing, and accurate 3-pt shot. And if he’s not shooting the 3, he’s attacking the basket. He’s a legit 6’10 maybe 6’11 and growing. He’s 19. He has to improve his handle and finishes at the rim, and his defense. Last night his drives were strong and accurate. He looked good.

.@KevKnox goin' for it pic.twitter.com/5NDOhHPuDi

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) April 3, 2019

Hezonja’s Day in the Sun

Mario Hezonja had a terrific game. Before the game, it was reported that the Knicks Coach David Fizdale was going to ‘keep a promise’ to start him in his former home Orlando. Hezonja tweeted before the game that “I still have a lot of messages, a lot of texts on my Twitter feed full of Magic fans. So I want to thank them for everything for their support. Now that I’m on another team, they’re still supporting me. It means a lot to me.”

where it all began with 2⃣9⃣ pic.twitter.com/YlEzPAHlGK

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) April 4, 2019

Hezonja lit the place up — 11-22 for 29 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals in 34 minutes. He was everywhere.

The @mariohezonja hustle pic.twitter.com/Prif0n2vtV

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) April 4, 2019

Which begs the question — why didn’t he do this all year???

Robinson vs Vucevic

Mitchell Robinson had a nice game — 6-9 for 12 points, 9 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks (one credited after the game when they switched a steal to a block) in 34 minutes. But he had trouble with Nikola Vucevic who pounded him inside for 29 points on 11-21 shooting, 13 rebounds and 3 assists in 33 minutes. Often Vucevic got inside position on Robinson; some of this a consequence of Robinson being so active on defense — patrolling the paint out to the 3-pt line; some of it because Vucevic is wiley. Going into the future this will be something Robinson will need to figure out — there is always a tradeoff, and in this case blocks of 3-pt shots create openings inside; and Robinson’s height-weight ratio which enables him to be so athletic, also allows him to be pushed a bit inside (although he is quite good at holding his position). If Robinson gains muscle weight, he might lose some of the athletic-ness. We’ll see.

That's a N from @23savage____. pic.twitter.com/NaSnQogLyN

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) April 3, 2019

Other Knicks

This was Billy Garrett Jr’s first game as a Knick. He had 4 pts. Unlike the previous game where only 8 Knicks played, Fizdale emptied the bench in this one. Henry Ellenson, Luke Kornett, Lance Thomas, and John Jenkins all got minutes off the bench. Damyean Dotson started and had 7 pts (1-4 from 3 where he is streaky). Frank Ntilikina, Allonzo Trier, Dennis Smith Jr, and Noah Vonleh continued to be injured.

For Orlando

Besides Aaron Gordon, Evan Fournier, Michael Carter-Williams and Terrence Ross, Orlando was helped by. Jonathan Isaac, DJ Augustin, Wes Iwundu, and Khem Birch. With the win, Orlando is 39-40, tied with Brooklyn for the 7th spot in the playoff race, with the top 8 making it. Good for them.

The Boxscore:

http://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=401071839

The post A Good Loss — April 3, 2019: Orlando 114 NY 100 appeared first on Knicks.City.

With the loss, Knicks have a very nice 3-GAME LEAD on last place, 4-game lead over Cleveland, and 5.5-game lead over Chicago with 14 games to go.

Van Gogh Overrated

Van Gogh is by the way overrated as an artist. He was my favorite artist as a kid; loved his colors. But visited the Vincent Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam, and found out he only learned to paint late in life, painted for only 10 years (some of his stuff was rudimentary with bad angles but he was in right place at right time — in Paris at the advent of new paint technology — became ‘one of the boys’ of the many other famous artists flocking to Paris at the time; he artfully used the new bright colors available); cut off his ear after an argument with another male artist because he was going insane due to syphilis (there was a syphilis epidemic at the time); and went to town and threw his ear at a hooker (who perhaps gave him the syphilis). He sold one painting while alive and wasn’t particularly regarded as a fantastic painter; he lived off his brother who owned an art gallery, and died after his brother died also of syphilis. The brother’s wife, with child, out of desperation marketed and sold Van Gogh’s art and made him famous in his after-life. The song “Starry Starry Night” furthered his fame to current-day gigantic proportions. There are probably thousands of current day artists who are better. Maybe tens of thousands. Not so Rembrandt.

The Game

Trying to think of a deeper analogy between Van Gogh and the Knicks but can’t. Last night was not a good night if you are a fan of Mitchell Robinson or Allonzo Trier (3-12 for 7 points) as Robinson played only 13 minutes, and Trier had a poor shooting game. Robinson — who has been avoiding foul trouble almost completely the last two months — got into early foul trouble in this game against Domantas Sabonis, who can do that to you. Robinson picked up his 3rd foul in the second quarter — and finished with only 13 minutes, 3-3 shooting for 7 pts and 3 blocks. Sabonis dominated the Knicks in two previous games against them this season, but not tonite — 4-12, 10 points — although he did pick up two fouls on Robinson, once by leaning into Robinson on a drive.

Not happenin' pic.twitter.com/M2DKVB1ctV

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 12, 2019

DeAndre Jordan had something to do with that and blew up the boxscore for 5-6 shooting, 12 pts, 16 rebounds, 5 assists. Somehow he didn’t look that impressive while watching the game; will have to watch it again.

.@DeAndre is HYPE pic.twitter.com/f6X9q6L6lG

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 13, 2019

Despite the poor shooting game from Trier, he did connect on a 3 and provide one of his usual drives:

Make way for @ISO_ZO pic.twitter.com/JE2MoOPMiq

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 13, 2019

Good News Knox

Good news for the Knicks: the second good game in a row for Kevin Knox — he hit his 3 and finished on drives to the basket — he was 5-9 (4-5 from 3, 2-2 from free throw line) 16 pts, 5 rebounds in 25 minutes.

Stay out the splash zone pic.twitter.com/knlIHaPKQl

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 12, 2019

Other Knicks

Damyean Dotson again looked like a starting NBA shooting guard. He had 18 pts on 6-16 shooting (4-8 from 3) and 6 rebounds, 3 assists. Emmanuel Mudiay played well — 7-14 for 21 pts. He attacks the basket — attack attack attack — and has become much better at finishing tough layups in traffic, something he didn’t do when he came to the Knicks a year ago. He still doesn’t orchestrate his teammates well — doesn’t even look to pass sometimes; and his defense is shoddy. Coach has him out there because he attacks; pushes the tempo.

Dennis Smith Jr (3-8 for 7 points, 3 assists) didn’t play that well again. He was there at the end and you had a feeling if Trier was in there instead in the last 3 minutes, the Knicks would have won. Smith did nothing as far as penetrating to the basket or scoring in the final minutes. Still he finished with a team high +11. Fizdale is clearly playing Smith Jr to close to see what he has in him for the future.

Lance Thomas played 12 minutes and scored 2 points. Henry Ellenson and Luke Kornet did not play. Frank Ntilikina and Mario Hezonja continue to be injured.

For Indiana

This is Indiana without Victor Oladipo, out for the rest of the year. Knick castoff Wesley Matthews is the starting shooting guard, playing well (4-8, 14 pts). Boran Bogdanovic was tough — 24 pts on 9-16. Miles Turner was 5-15 for 15 pts, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks in 37 minutes (Mitchell Robinson had 3 blocks in only 13 minutes). Darren Collison had 16 pts on 5-11 shooting. And Doug McDermott had 8 pts on 4-6.

More on Banning of Knick Fan Event

Meanwhile, there was more news on the banning of the Knick fan for telling James Dolan to sell the team — according to Dolan he was going to give the fan a visit to the lockerroom, etc, but then found out the fan set up the whole thing:

Knicks & Rangers owner James Dolan explains why he banned a fan for life from Madison Square Garden. pic.twitter.com/RmSE0TnO9k

— YES Network (@YESNetwork) March 12, 2019

The boxscore:

http://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=401071680

The post Like Van Gogh Knicks Paint Another Loss — March 12, 2019: Indiana 103 NY 98 appeared first on Knicks.City.

• The day before they lost 102-94 to Sacramento.
• Before that 107-96 to Phoenix.
• Before that 115-108 to Sacramento.
• Before that a blowout loss to LA Clippers, but the 5 games before that — all lost by about 10 points.

Minnesota did not look like they had more talent than the Knicks on the court, especially with Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins out — but they looked like the better team. Better coached. Their coach is Ryan Saunders — son of “the great Flip Saunders”. The MSG analysts said Knicks coach David Fizdale tried to hire Ryan Sanders as an assistant coach in Memphis, but it never went through.

The Knick Guards

In this game, Damyean Dotson and Allonzo Trier shot lights out in the backcourt. Dotson 10-19 for 26 pts in 41 minutes; Trier 5-11 (4-5 from 3) for 15 points in 24 minutes. On one play, Trier grabbed the defensive rebound, raced full court then did a stutterstep stop go stop go layup in traffic and got the foul — terrific play! After the game Wally Sczerbiak and Alan Hahn agreed that Trier is going to find a home in the NBA as an excellent instant offense off the bench player. However to my reckoning — he looks like a starting NBA shooting guard who may become an All Star someday.

Too smooth. pic.twitter.com/hiVhtI17om

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 11, 2019

Dennis Smith Jr overall played well but made some poor decisions on passes. He finisheed with 6-15 13 pts 4 assists. Emmanuel Mudiay played poorly — mistakes and 2-7 for 4 pts.

Skinny Shaq

Mitchell Robinson dominated as usual — 4-5 for 8 pts, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocks in 33 minutes. On one play, Dennis Smith Jr made a beautiful penetration and behind the back pass to Robinson who made the shot and got the foul.

This duo though pic.twitter.com/r1Ef5bh2oP

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 11, 2019

.@23savage____ is on auto block pic.twitter.com/dDZTjt6Yyb

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 11, 2019

The Knock on Knicks Knox

Kevin Knox was good and bad as usual. In this game mostly good (5-11, 13 pts, 5 rebounds, 4 assists in 27 minutes). He throws down terrific plays which show he can be a star in the NBA; then follows with terrible plays which make you scratch your head and say he needs to get better. He showed off his beautiful, high-arching, accurate 3, and on one play used his loooong arms to intercept a pass in the lane then drive fullcourt to make a tough layup in traffic. On another play, he botched an inside layup twice and lost the ball out of bounds.

Jordan Old Overnight?

In this game DeAndre Jordan looked like he got old overnight. He missed several slam attempts — couldn’t get the height on his jump, and opponents drove at him in the lane regularly. He blocked one shot but allowed a number of easy inside scores. He had 2 points on 1-8 shooting in 15 minutes; 5 rebounds. He mostly looked terrible.

Other Knicks

Noah Vonleh was back from injury and started (3-4, 8 pts 6 rebounds in 28 min), Lance Thomas had 13 minutes as first man off the bench; John Jenkins played 10 minutes, and Luke Kornet and Henry Ellenson did not play.

For Minnesota

Taj Gibson (11-15 for 25 pts) and Jeff Teague (8-18 20 pts, 10 assists) killed the Knicks all night. It was like a 2-man team. Three if you count Keita Bates-Diop (7-12 for 18 pts) who was also good. Four if you count Dario Saric (5-11, 11 pts). Five if you count Tyus Jones (5-10, 13 pts) but who’s counting.

Bottom line Knicks looked like they had more talented players than Minnesota — especially with Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins out — but Minnesota was the better coached team.

The boxscore: 

http://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=401071671

The post Knicks Making Losing an “Art Form” — March 10, 2019: Minnesota 103 NY 92 appeared first on Knicks.City.

You Shoot Light’s Out from 3 You Win

But even the contested ones LA made — they have some guys who can shoot the 3. Coming into this game, these were the 3-pt percentages of some key Clippers:

• Danilo Gallinari .425
• Landry Shamet .408
• JaMychal Green .398
• Lou Williams .357

Knicks were down 38, but scored the last 2 points of the first half to pull to within 82-46 at halftime. If you only watched the second half — the Knicks looked good! They had a strong 3rd quarter, outscoring LA 32-19, and also outscored them in the 4th, 29-27. They never pulled closer than 19 however; LA might have simply lost interest.

The Glass Half Full Part

But it’s not about wins now for the Knicks. It’s about losses, and player development, and team development. In this game:

Allonzo Trier continued to play Great. He is coming out of a period where — as we mentioned in articles on this site — he looked like he was purposely trying to pass first at coach’s instructions, and is now finding his way through that learning plateau. In an article published before the game by Marc Berman in the NY Post, he acknowledged this: “That’s what I’m doing right now. Struggling between finding a balance of looking to find my teammates more & being who I am — a basketball player doing what I do best…’’ In this game, Trier had 16 pts on 5-7 (3-3 from 3), and 4 assists in 25 min.

Mitchell Robinson was a Beast as usual. He had 16 pts on 7-8 (2-2 free throws), 13 rebounds, and 4 blocks. One of the few Knick highlights of the 1st half was when Montrezl Harrell — who approaches the rim like a Mack truck going 70 MPH, challenged Robinson by driving right at him at the basket, which resulted in a BLOCK!

Do your thing, @23savage____ pic.twitter.com/oeHoxkAGwp

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 3, 2019

In the 2nd half, when the Knicks picked it up — the team of Trier, Robinson, Vonleh, and Emmanuel Mudiay played well together. When Mudiay gets the ball on the break you KNOW he’ll make the basket. It’s a sure thing — a complete opposite of when he came to Knicks last year when he always seemed to blow the layup.

Emmanuel Mudiay had 16 pts on 6-15; Vonleh had 17 pts (on 6-8), 12 rebounds, and 3 assists.

.@NoahVonleh pic.twitter.com/eCV7QbVlcV

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) March 3, 2019

Damyean Dotson played well — hitting 3’s in the 3rd to pull the Knicks back to respectability. He finished with 17 pts on 5-14 (4-8 from 3) in 29 min. Dennis Smith Jr made some nice plays but overall finished 3-11 for 8 pts, and 6 assists. Luke Kornet played well, especially on D, and 6 pts (although on 1-6 shooting). Henry Ellenson had 5 pts.

The Glass Half Empty Part

On the minus side, Kevin Knox continues to struggle. He seemed lax on defense, and lax on offense. He finished 1-6 for 6 pts in 24 minutes. John Jenkins had 0 pts on 0-5 in 12 minutes and Knicks fans on Twitter were asking why he was here and Kadeem Allen wasn’t.

Mario Hezonja, Frank Ntilikina, and DeAndre Jordan continued to be injured and did not play. It was reported Hezonja is going to be reevaluated in a week — which may mean he will never play again for the Knicks, said a media person on Twitter.

For the Clippers

The Clippers new uniform looks good — the HUGE “LA” on the front shouts out that they are an LA team. The players shot light’s out from 3 as previously mentioned:

• Danilo Gallinari looked good — hitting 3’s, driving to the basket for slams, layups, or pass-outs — he had 20 pts (3-6 from 3).
• Landry Shamet shot light’s out — 21 pts (7-11 from 3).
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander‘s name barely fits on his uniform. He had 15 pts (2-3 from 3).
• JaMychal Green had 16 pts (3-4 from 3).
• Montrezl Harrell as mentioned above, plays high energy; like a Mack Truck coming right at you; he had 18 pts on 9-15.
• Lou Williams had 18 pts (2-6 from 3).
• Patrick Beverley had 3 pts (1-2 from 3), but 10 rebounds, and 5 assists.
• Ivica Zubac looks just like Willy Hernangomez, had 11 rebounds

Sam Cassell Sighting

There was a Sam Cassell sighting — on the Clippers bench as assistant coach. That son of a bitch cost the Knicks the 1994 title. Maybe THE MOST UNDERRATED point guard ever. Everywhere he went, he made the team a winner.

The boxscore:

http://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=401071620

The post Game Log Wipeout in LA — March 3, 2019: LA Clippers 128 NY 107 appeared first on Knicks.City.

The Knicks have now won 3 out of 4 — and after 3/4 of a season — 60 games — these young Knicks are finally arriving, as a team.

The Knicks fell down by a lot early in the first, but then came right back to be within 6 at the half, fell behind a bit more in the 3rd, but then came on strong in the 4th — led by Robinson, Allonzo Trier, Emmanuel Mudiay, and new reserves John Jenkins and Henry Ellenson — Mr Wisconsin Basketball.

For most of the year, Robinson has been getting 18 min a game, increased recently to 24 minutes, and in the last game, over 30 minutes. Before the game, Mitchell Robinson was asked how many blocks per game he could average if he got starter’s minutes. He said 6.

Knicks rookie Mitchell Robinson says he could get six blocks per game with more minutes.

Right now he’s at 2.2 BLK in 18 MPG

(via @SNYtv)pic.twitter.com/wRwBSz4Roc

— Bleacher Report NBA (@BR_NBA) February 26, 2019

And so in this game Robinson got 33 minutes and had 6 blocks. Funny.

The NBA has become all about the 3-pt shot — and now there is a new Secret Weapon against the 3 — Mitchell Robinson. Robinson blocks shots on the perimeter more than any player ever.

Mitchell Robinson was dominant in the @nyknicks win over the Magic!

: 17 PTS | 14 REB | 6 BLK | 3 STL#NewYorkForever pic.twitter.com/RPiukwNvuA

— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 27, 2019

Robinson finished with 17 points (6-9), 14 rebounds, 6 blocked shots. His rebounding has risen to a new level over the last month, and his free throw shooting is much improved. “The intangibles that he brought Mike, when guys got inside, looking at him, had to get the ball back outside,” said Clyde Frazier at game’s end.

Mitchell Robinson blocked Aaron Gordon twice in one possession pic.twitter.com/rziI8tK3Pv

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 27, 2019

All the Young Knick Dudes Carried the News

Robinson wasn’t the only young Knick to play great — they all did (except Kevin Knox — who seemed to play well but shot poorly, finishing 3-16 for 8 points). Allonzo Trier was doing his hot-knife-thru-butter scoring in the 4th — SO MUCH FUN TO WATCH — finished with 18 points on 4-5 (9-10 from free throw line).

That's just mean… pic.twitter.com/aHMSKLpIQq

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) February 27, 2019

Emmanuel Mudiay led the Knicks down the stretch in this one. “He’s become the leader of the Knicks — in the lockerroom and on the court”, said Wally Szczerbiak in the post game analysis.

Mudiay (19 pts) aggressively drove to the basket in the 4th — he has become SO TOUGH at finishing at the rim, the opposite of what he was a little less than a year ago when he came to the Knicks. In a key play with 3 minutes left and the game tied 100-100, Mudiay drove to the basket and got SLAMMED by Nikola Vucovec — but no foul was called; instead Robinson got the rebound and was fouled by Vucovec which they did call. Robinson hit the free throws to give the Knicks the lead.

Mudiay still makes some mistakes — for example with the Knicks up 104-100 and less than 2 minutes left, Walt Frazier said, “I’d like to see the Knicks move the ball instead of dribbling it like Mudiay is doing.”

Jenkins showed he can SHOOT and handle the ball; good passer too. Henry Ellenson finished with 13 pts (5-11, 3-6 from 3) 9 reounds 5 assists, 2 steals.

The Knicks starters fell way behind in the 1st quarter, and with the reserves playing so well in the 4th — the starters didn’t get many minutes. Dennis Smith Jr had 9 pts (3-10), Damyean Dotson had 6 pts (2-7), Noah Vonleh had 7 pts (3-5), and Lance Thomas had 3 pts in 15 minutes. Luke Kornet got 4 minutes in the 4th.

Mario Hezonja and Frank Ntilikina are still out, injured.

For Orlando

For Orlando, Aaron Gordon was a tough cover for Knox and the Knicks. Gordon had 26 pts (8-16), Jonathan Isaac had 16 pts (6-12), Nikola Vucevic had 26 pts (12-19), D.J. Augustin had 13 pts (5-10), and Evan Fournier had 15 pts. In the first quarter, Isaac tried a slam but got blocked from behind by Dennis Smith Jr. Said Walt Frazier, “When he (Isaac) used the tomahawk (dunk) he allowed Smith to come from behind and block it. He should have used the Statue of Liberty dunk.”

In an Elevator in Portland

Enes Kanter isn’t on the Knicks anymore — playing well in Portland. But during the game this video surfaced, of the whole Portland Trailblazer team getting stuck on an elevator:

Stuck in the elevator with the squad @trailblazers pic.twitter.com/2Yu5zrdFfH

— Enes Kanter (@Enes_Kanter) February 26, 2019

The boxscore:

http://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=401071581

The post Game Log — Feb 26, 2019: NY 108 Orlando 103 appeared first on Knicks.City.

The Game

Karl-Anthony Towns was in a car accident the day before and missed his first game as a Minnesota Timberwolve as he was on concussion watch. Headlines after the game said that Minnesota had won despite the fact that Towns had missed his first game ever. This made the Knick fan chuckle — I mean we were going to lose no matter who Minnesota put out there.

Knicks stayed around 10-12 points behind the whole game, made a run in the 4th to close within 8 — but then Jeff Teague put some sneaky moves on — back to back buckets to put the Knicks back to 12 behind with like 5 minutes left and it was over. Just before that, Walt Frazier said Teague used to be one of his favorite players; so slippery and smooth. Frazier always with the accidental honesty — aka Teague not the player he once was, has been criticized in Minny.

For the Knicks

Allonzo Trier looked great this game. He is back. Penetrating the defense like a hot knife thru butter so fun to watch. And earnestly playing an aggressive D too. Allonzo was 7-11 (1-1 from 3, 5-5 from free throw line) for 20 points.

There goes that man… pic.twitter.com/sYbDYsf49p

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) February 23, 2019

Kevin Knox has a terrific 3-pt jumpshot — very pretty and high arcing and accurate — and he shoots quick off the pass. He will shoot over 40 % from 3 some day & possibly for seasons to come.

Splash zone pic.twitter.com/SSDDVJg9ZG

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) February 23, 2019

Knox needs to learn how to make 50 % of layups however. He has the most awkward drives to the basket I’ve ever seen a supposed offensive scoring big man ever do. He also needs to get better at defense and passing, and play with a little higher motor. If so he’ll be very good. Knox was 5-14 (3-7 from 3 and 5-5 from the free throw line) for 18 pts.

Whatever works pic.twitter.com/hUbuLHbR6K

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) February 23, 2019

The Start

This game started off with Headband Damyean Dotson on FIRE — scoring the Knicks first 11 points! He kept hitting 3’s then hit a 4 (getting fouled and hitting the free throw). The Knicks were up 25-21 and Dotson had 18 of the Knicks points.

After that 1st quarter he cooled off (as usual) and finished with 20 pts (7-16, 5-9 from 3).

1⃣8⃣ for #WHOLETEAM pic.twitter.com/6apx87hKey

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) February 23, 2019

Also in the 1st quarter, Dennis Smith Jr made a massive slam dunk on the break that would’ve won the Slam Dunk contest (just finished last weekend where he finished second). Smith had 7 points in only 22 minutes.

Get out of DSJ's way. #Knicks #NewYorkForever pic.twitter.com/RrHC0Btnon

— MSG Networks (@MSGNetworks) February 23, 2019

Emmanuel Mudiay got 26 minutes. Knicks fans on Twitter were pissed he got so much playing time down the stretch over Smith Jr. Other fans pointed out the tank was on. Coach Fizdale said he thought Mudiay and Trier were rolling together and he figured he’d roll the dice with Mudiay because he was passing well. Mudiay finished with 15 points on 6-16, 6 rebounds, and 1 assist.

Mitchell Robinson only got 13 minutes due to 4 fouls; he was 0-2 for 0 pts, but had 3 blocks.

NAH pic.twitter.com/5vZrZbLbR5

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) February 23, 2019

The post Game Log: Feb 22, 2019: Minnesota 115 Knicks 104 appeared first on Knicks.City.

And just like that the 18-game losing streak came to an end. In Atlanta. That’s how bad Atlanta is. That’s how good the Knicks are. Very secretly on this team there is talent. In Mitchell Robinson, a ton of talent. Behind him — Dennis Smith Jr, Allonzo Trier, Kevin Knox, Kadeem Allen, and now John Jenkins is shooting lights out from all over. The Knicks finally have a ‘shooter’ (besides Luke Kornet, who was a horrid 3-16 in this game).

Not enough talent to beat Golden State, or even New Jersey — but young rising talent who, with the right coach, could win some games. And that is the fear with 24 games to go. They have to lose probably 22 of those games to keep their bottom-3 position for the draft lottery. Already Phoenix has surpassed them into last place.

In this game, like any game, there was Mitchell Robinson — who some people on twitter are starting to compare to Bill Russell, let alone Shaquille O’Neal (Trey Burke and teammates knicknamed him “Skinny Shaq” during the summer.)

Not up in here pic.twitter.com/RC9ivDkmIG

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) February 15, 2019

Robinson had 6 pts (3-5), 7 rebounds, and 4 blocks in 19 minutes in the last game before the all star break — without the injury that kept him out a month he would have surely been in the Rising Star game — and would have possibly been the most eye-opening player in the game.

I mean… pic.twitter.com/0dg7jhX5Ds

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) February 15, 2019

And so that was it — easy win. Everyone shot well (except Kornet) and went into the All Star break feeling good. Dennis Smith Jr was 7-10 for 19 pts, DeAndre Jordan had 10 pts (4-4 and 2-2 from the free throw line) and 13 rebounds, Dotson 4-11 for 13 pts, Trier 2-2 (needs to take more shots!) for 6 pts in 19 min, Allen 5-9 for 14 pts, and Jenkins 6-13 for 14 pts. Knox only 2-9 but pulled down 10 rebounds in 22 minutes and people have been getting on him to rebound more so he can attend the All Star game happy.

Casual pic.twitter.com/CUN2oHZQ2f

— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) February 15, 2019

For Atlanta

Trae Young can not only shoot but he can PASS — making him quite good. In this game — 16 pts, 6 rebounds, 11 assists. He is small though. Listed at 6’2 he looks 5’11. If the 2018 NBA draft were held again — at this point in time — I’m betting he’d go 3rd behind Mitchell Robinson the 2nd pick, and Luka Doncic the 1st pick?

John Collins, who so many people are in love with, had an ordinary game (8 pts and 1 rebound in 25 min). Seven footer Dewayne Dedmon had 21 pts, Kevin Huerter didn’t score (0 pts on 0-4), Basemore had 16 pts, Taurean Prince had 10 pts.

After the All Star Break — Guards Returning

Mario Hezonja was out due to injury. Frank Ntilikina and Emmanuel Mudiay remain out with their injuries; they are due back after the All Star break. What then? How many minutes for them — versus Kadeem Allen, John Jenkins, Allonzo Trier, Damyean Dotson, Dennis Smith Jr? All good guards. And remember — Knicks have to LOSE — 22 of the last 24.

The boxscore:

http://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=401071538

The post Easy Win. Break 18-Game Losing Streak — Feb 14, 2019: NY 106 Atlanta 91 appeared first on Knicks.City.

Here's Mitchell Robinson blocking Embiid twice in the last few minutes of the 4th pic.twitter.com/ySJ15VEc3J

— Binyomin Goldgrab (@bgoldgrab) February 14, 2019

After the game, Embiid was interviewed by Rebecca Haarlow and had high praise for Robinson: “A couple times I thought I had a shot, but he just came up with his long-ass arms and blocked it.”

Our @RebeccaHaarlow speaks with the star of tonight's game, our statistician, Dave Fried!

Oh, and @JoelEmbiid as well! #Knicks #HereTheyCome #NewYorkForever pic.twitter.com/1h2bd3cY2M

— MSG Networks (@MSGNetworks) February 14, 2019

Turning Point?

This may have been the turning point for Knicks management to make Robinson an untouchable and not make him available in an Anthony Davis trade this summer. Robinson’s ceiling looks sky high.

Here was Mitchell Robinson’s response to the compliment:

In the #Knicks locker room, @23savage____ explains to @RebeccaHaarlow how much of challenge it was to go up against Joel Embiid. #NewYorkForever pic.twitter.com/a4OniMloHL

— MSG Networks (@MSGNetworks) February 14, 2019

In the game, Robinson had 14 pts (on 5-8), 13 rebounds, 4 blocks and only 2 personal fouls in 28 minutes — he had drastically reduced the fouls he is committing the last 8 or so games now. For the first time, Robinson got the most minutes at center for the Knicks.

Your nightly Mitchell LOB-inson play! #Knicks #NewYorkForever pic.twitter.com/dqoD93Q679

— MSG Networks (@MSGNetworks) February 14, 2019

DeAndre Jordan added 12 pts (5-10), 5 rebounds, and 7 assists in 20 minutes at center.

Allonzo Trier played well — 19 pts (5-9), and Kadeem Allen had 13 pts (5-11). But poor shooting by Dennis Smith Jr (5-15, 13 pts), Damyean Dotson (6-16, 16 pts), and Luke Kornet (2-11, 7 pts) doomed the Knicks.

For Philly

For Philly, Embiid had 26 pts (7-13) and 14 rebounds, and Tobias Harris (9-14, 25 pts), Ben Simmons (5-7, 18 pts), JJ Redick (4-10, 15 pts), Jimmy Butler (4-6, 13 pts) played well.

The play of the night was Kevin Knox (4-10, 9 pts) slamming on Ben Simmons.

RIP Ben Simmons pic.twitter.com/YcLH9uC6qW

— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) February 14, 2019

The boxscore:

http://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=401071529

The post 18th Straight Loss! — Feb 13, 2019: Philadelphia 126 NY 111 appeared first on Knicks.City.