Knicks V Cavs - Fri, March 4

I agree Red. It's all a learning experience. This team will see growing pains, we'll go through a learning curve with two-three new starters in Billups, Melo & even Turiaf... The main focus is playing strong & heading into the playoffs with momentum, confidence & focus.

Cleveland L's behind us; this is still a team that can make noise & compete out of the East. We're only 3-3 since the trade, but the best of NY has yet to come. Still, with Amare & Carmelo... There is no reason to lose to the Cavs.

Hopefully Billups will give us a spark & we get hot starting with Atlanta. Thats still a big game on the road. Beat the Hawks & we're only 3 games back in the loss column for the 5 seed with over 20 games to go.

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KnicksFanFromQueens1985 said:

I agree Red. It's all a learning experience. This team will see growing pains, we'll go through a learning curve with two-three new starters in Billups, Melo & even Turiaf... The main focus is playing strong & heading into the playoffs with momentum, confidence & focus.

Cleveland L's behind us; this is still a team that can make noise & compete out of the East. We're only 3-3 since the trade, but the best of NY has yet to come. Still, with Amare & Carmelo... There is no reason to lose to the Cavs.

Hopefully Billups will give us a spark & we get hot starting with Atlanta. Thats still a big game on the road. Beat the Hawks & we're only 3 games back in the loss column for the 5 seed with over 20 games to go.

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All I hear you and Red saying are EXCUSES. We need time to GELL, Its all a Learning Experience, we are having Growing Pains, we will go through a Learning Curve???? These are Professionals. COME ON. Every other team in the NBA can figure out on their home floor how to embarrass these guys and all starters be sitting on sidelines laughing it up by the 3rd quarter in GARBAGE TIME. This team only has 12 wins!!!!! and 3 of them our to US!! Thats 25% of their wins!!! Against US! NO>> NO NO< not the Knicks, we cant dispose of them like 27 teams in a row did and about 34of35 did during their LONG losing streak (by the way we were the ONE in that 34of35) and we cant BLOW them out like 26other teams did in a row on their LONG never ending ROAD LOSING STREAK> NO. WE HAVE TO GELL... Thats bull. Guys with that much talent should know how to play a little D. I realize we did against the Heat and Hornets but we are to inconsisent. 3-3 since trade is not going to cut it. Look at Denver losing 2 of its starters and both HUGE STARS, do they need time to GELL, are they using the LEARNING CURVE EXCUSE... no, they are just 5-1 since the trade, and only the HIGHEST scoring team in the NBA, and oh they can play a little D as well. Save the excuses. THIS TEAM CANT PLAY D. Period. look how Philly is lets see....GELLING since they made a change to a more Defensive minded coaching staff. sometimes i think we were better off prior to the trade but realize we had to make that trade to take another step to get to the next level. BUt we will never get to the top unless they stop and go back to the drawing board when it comes to D. I am happy considering where we came from, but this is unacceptable for us to give up 119 to and 114 in 2 games to these guys. 233.. come on

One word: embarrassing!

skisloper said:

In a game like this I could only blame the coach.
I have never had a negative email on D'Antonio but this
game is on him.

I think its time for a change.

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I told you guys.We need a new coach we're never going to be championship contenders with D'antoni as our head coach.If we had Doug Collins as our coach we would be championship contenders.Sad thing is that i was actually starting to think D'antoni was actually starting to preach defense but the he just f**s it all up.

YungMelo15 said:

I wasnt gonna point any fingers but jeffries pretty much blew it

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Don't forget about TD,he let sessions run right by him throughout the whole game.

I dont know

its time to blame every body

there were like 20 layups where knicks players just stood there with their hands up as if to say

I dont wanna get a foul

our entire front court played like david lee last night

while I hold Mike D culpable on many fronts
I hold our leaders melo and stat responsible as well

with that being said
we are an incomplete team to say the least

games like this where no bodies are dunking in our faces show that we need a legit lane clogging big man ala dampier, kaman, camby, etc.

we get drawn into the paint by other teams big men, leaving wide open threes all day long, and as much as you want to blame the coach, our roster just isnt built to play team defense its just not

we have no 2 guard who can literally lock up another teams shooter, we have no depth at the pg offensively or defensively despite douglas's recent shooting streak , the other team doesnt fear him because they billups is out so carter is now the back up etc etc etc

we have no depth at PF or C having to play s williams at PF and defend power forwards. and we literally

DO NOT HAVE A CENTER

and I dont mean like do we or do we not

WE DO NOT HAVE A CENTER



let me repeat that so every one understands the big reason why we suck on defense right now and pretty much all season


WE DO NOT HAVE A CENTER

lol


so it really comes down to what it is

we are rebuilding we are plugging holes

the idea was to get two stars

GOT EM

the idea was to get a servicable big man

DONT GOT EM

the idea was to get a pg to run the offense

ehhh GOT EM, but for how long


lets be patient and just enjoy the fact that our two stars cant be stopped

and we need fillers who can do the stopping on the other end.

thats how titles are won.

Sprewell-Houston said:

WTF?????

Statement game my ass!

Giving up 119 against ****ing Cleveland is a joke.

STAT is such a weak defender...it's not even funny anymore.

Our whole team defense was bullshit!

Sorry for cursing around here, but I'm pissed!

Losing all 3 against the worst team in the league....can I get a break?

If we show up in Chitown with this type of defense we'll get swept by the Bulls.

Shame on our players they defended like morons!

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I feel your frustration, I feel the exact same way. Losing to the worst team in the NBA 3 times is simply inexcusable. Melo, STAT, MDA & all the rest of these guys came in talking about how this team took the last loss personal & how they hold grudges, well after this loss they better take a long look at themselves in the mirror & figure out if they're really being accountable for themselves with their performance, because that was just a joke from players & coaches alike. The defense was horrific last night, particularly from the "defensive specialists" we had on the floor to balance out the offense being provided by our 2 main stars. Toney Douglas, Jared Jeffries, Shelden Williams, Anthony Carter, Bill Walker, Shawne Williams, all these role players need to step up their game defensively bigtime. Melo & STAT do as well but I give them a little more leeway since they're expending so much energy on the offensive side to get points for this team. If our role players aren't Ding up then MDA needs to find the guys that will. Play Balkman & Derrick Brown if that's what it takes, I don't care how it gets done just get it done, I'm sick of watching this team lose to the Cavs!!!

I fear this might end up as the Starbury deal 2.0

We have 2 superstars now but still hover around .500.......Chicago has 1 superstar and is second in the conference.....New Orleans have 1 superstar and might get home court in the west.

I think our biggest assets (STAT, Melo) are also our biggest concerns.
STAT is a joke on defense and Melo's style of play has disturbed our offense.

I don't know why people keep blaming D'Antoni for everything. It's time to let the players know what they have to do! It's nice that Amar'e is such a beast on offense, but defensively he's among the worst big men in the league.
If he doesn't realize that defense wins championships he'll never get a ring...

Mike D'Antoni emphatically told them before the game and during timeouts how important this game is for us and that they need to play defense....and yet they didn't care.

Our 99 Knicks would wipe the floor with this bunch of players....no commitment on defense..where's the pride Amar'e? Getting abused by Hickson and Samuels.....

Shawne Williams was terrible too. Wasn't he supposed to be a bad man? Where's his confidence?

As long as we don't get a coach who isn't afraid to start a conflict with Amar'e for his lack of defense and 2-3 physical guys like DeAndre Jordan or Nene we won't be winning much.

I think odds are 50-50 at the moment that our whole plan might end up in disaster...just like it did with the Marbury trade.

Sprewell-Houston said:

I fear this might end up as the Starbury deal 2.0

We have 2 superstars now but still hover around .500.......Chicago has 1 superstar and is second in the conference.....New Orleans have 1 superstar and might get home court in the west.

I think our biggest assets (STAT, Melo) are also our biggest concerns.
STAT is a joke on defense and Melo's style of play has disturbed our offense.

I don't know why people keep blaming D'Antoni for everything. It's time to let the players know what they have to do! It's nice that Amar'e is such a beast on offense, but defensively he's among the worst big men in the league.
If he doesn't realize that defense wins championships he'll never get a ring...

Mike D'Antoni emphatically told them before the game and during timeouts how important this game is for us and that they need to play defense....and yet they didn't care.

Our 99 Knicks would wipe the floor with this bunch of players....no commitment on defense..where's the pride Amar'e? Getting abused by Hickson and Samuels.....

Shawne Williams was terrible too. Wasn't he supposed to be a bad man? Where's his confidence?

As long as we don't get a coach who isn't afraid to start a conflict with Amar'e for his lack of defense and 2-3 physical guys like DeAndre Jordan or Nene we won't be winning much.

I think odds are 50-50 at the moment that our whole plan might end up in disaster...just like it did with the Marbury trade.

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Flip Flopping mother ****er. One game, BRILLIANT MOVE, next game its starbury 2.0. Get a fn grip. No Billups, chemistry still way off. Was it bad yea, but for you to start comparing us having melo n stat to starbury, well dude you need to GTFO.

Call me a new comer. Call me a bandwagon fan. But your post was a disgrace and you shouldnt call yourself a Knicks fan.

Tokie420 said:

Flip Flopping mother ****er. One game, BRILLIANT MOVE, next game its starbury 2.0. Get a fn grip. No Billups, chemistry still way off. Was it bad yea, but for you to start comparing us having melo n stat to starbury, well dude you need to GTFO.

Call me a new comer. Call me a bandwagon fan. But your post was a disgrace and you shouldnt call yourself a Knicks fan.

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Chill dude. No need to insult people. I'll ignore the 'm'****er' comment.
Rule 1 is: Don't insult people over the internet. Next time I'm in NY I'll let you know and you can say those things to my face ok buddy?

Second thing is: I never said it was a brilliant move. I said that Billups is a great player and Melo will improve our team. I stick with that, we are better than we were before, but before the trade expactacions were to make the playoffs and try to put up a good series.

Now the goal is to win a championship as soon as possible. Get to the second round at least this year.

I'm a big Knick fan for over a decade, so if you don't mind partner I'll criticise the players here and then when I feel they didn't give their all...

No need to start drama within the fanbase. Aren't we supposed to support the same team? Just chill out and we'll forget about it.

Would be appropriate though for you to excuse yourself for that 'm'****er' comment. Things like that are completely out of place on a fan forum.

@DontForgetDerekHarper...strong post, I agree with pretty much everything you wrote. It's true, the Knicks lack a center. That was the case before the trade though, Mozgov was only averaging 4 & 3 on the offensive side of the ball & was also a disaster on under the basket on defense. Fields may not be a lockdown defender, but he brings solid defense to the 2G position. If only we kept Brewer; he's a player who could have, & would have, helped us defend in more ways than one. Good post though Harper, & it's true, Amare & Melo are great offensive players but they deserve some blame as well. These guys are the two leaders of NY. They must start to lead by example. If their offensive production drops here & there, because their playing with heart & hustle on defense; then so be it. Just like KG, Pierce & Allen all left some offensive production on the back burner, for the better of the team when going to Boston; Amare & Melo will have to do the same inorder to bring defense back to New York. Time to focus on D'.

I don't know why people are worrying or panicking.The Knicks just got beat by a team that is much better than them.If it wasn't for their horrendous losing streak, the Cavs would be competing for the 6th seed with the Knicks and Sixers.You have to tip your cap to Byron Scott.He is perhaps the best coach in the NBA and is doing an excellent job leading the Cavs out of the gutter.

I have a strange feeling like Zeke is coming back to the organization. All the decisions that have been made lately look a bit incomprehensible. We kept injured Azu for 16 months and we waived him off when it seems he'll be ready to play very soon. We bought out Brewer, a solid defensive player, but we signed Brown who was absolutely unknown to the fans until he was traded. And last but not least, we signed Jeffries but we let Barron sign with the Bucks.
I hope this all is just what rebuilding takes and we'll back on track, I would never forgive Dolan if he rehires Thomas.

Walsh gave Dantoni Darko, Turiaf, Randolph, Mozgov, and hardly any of them play. MD wants Stat to be his C. Face it.

His bball philosophy has no room for a defensive-minded big to clog the lane. Sure, 70 years of nba history may dictate otherwise... But what do they know. Our coach is ahead of the curve.

If only we scored on every possession, the world would witness that SSOL is superior!

People, why did the Mavs pick up Brewer? To guard Kobe and Durant. CB is one of the better 1-on-1 defensive players in the league against SG/SF. The moment he arrived, he should have started at SG and been our def. stopper.

Coach is the guy who plays Fields 40 minutes a night. Coach is the guy who told Walsh to bring back Jeffries, and not sign a real Center.

Sure, I blame our players. Carmelo especially. But Melo aint going anywhere. Players are a big problem, but shouldn't the coach demand more? Would Van Gundy accept this?

Guys lets calm down here.

A loss to a playoff team is worse than a loss to a non-playoff team. You're supposed to bring your best against the best.

Every good team loses to a bad team every now and then.

Heat lost to the Clippers
Lakers lost to the Cavs
Lakers lost to the Kings
Spurs lost to the Clippers
Bulls lost to the Raptors
etc..

Upsets happen,lets put this one behind us and focus on beating the Hawks.

Sure. Good teams lose to bad teams. But they never go 0-3 against bad teams.

Coach failed again to get us a basket following a timeout. Heck, he cannot even get us an open look. Put Melo on the blocks! Don't give it to him at top of the key.

You guys know that these guys are only motivated when they face a playoff team, watch them beat Atlanta

knicksin60 said:

I don't know why people are worrying or panicking.The Knicks just got beat by a team that is much better than them.If it wasn't for their horrendous losing streak, the Cavs would be competing for the 6th seed with the Knicks and Sixers.You have to tip your cap to Byron Scott.He is perhaps the best coach in the NBA and is doing an excellent job leading the Cavs out of the gutter.

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:agreed: with your ssessment of Scott. This guy is a great coach. Wish he were with the Knicks.

AmareForPresident said:

Guys lets calm down here.

A loss to a playoff team is worse than a loss to a non-playoff team. You're supposed to bring your best against the best.

Every good team loses to a bad team every now and then.

Heat lost to the Clippers
Lakers lost to the Cavs
Lakers lost to the Kings
Spurs lost to the Clippers
Bulls lost to the Raptors
etc..

Upsets happen,lets put this one behind us and focus on beating the Hawks.

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Its not an upset when a team beats you three straight. No matter what the record is. They own us right now.

How can anyone say Antoni want Amare to be "his center", when D'Antoni has played Amare @ the PF position since day one of Amare's NBA career. & when did MDH play Amare @ the C position by choice? Last I checked, Turi got hurt & we had no other options other than a project guy from Russia. Give D'Antoni a true BIG such as Marc Gasol, DeAndre Jordan or Dalembert & watch out entire defense improve. Not his fault he has career backups @ C & nothing special behind Amare.