The Knicks vs Hawks Match-Ups for the Playoff Series

In the first game match-ups .. I was 100% right about coach Thibs, Payton, Barrett, and Randle !!!
The painful part of the game was watching the Knicks 2nd unit players come from behind to give the Knicks their first lead of the game 44-45, and on the Hawks timeout Thibs substitute the 2nd unit for starters.

PLEASE start Rose tonight....

"Over the Knicks final five regular-season games, E-Payton had more turnovers (4) than made FG’s (3), made FT’s (0) and made 3PT’s (0) combined. Payton also has more fouls (8) than total points (6). Then, in Game 1 on Sunday, he missed all three of his FG attempts and logged just eight minutes."

mafra said:

PLEASE start Rose tonight....

"Over the Knicks final five regular-season games, E-Payton had more turnovers (4) than made FG’s (3), made FT’s (0) and made 3PT’s (0) combined. Payton also has more fouls (8) than total points (6). Then, in Game 1 on Sunday, he missed all three of his FG attempts and logged just eight minutes."

Click to expand...

DRose don't want to start with Randle .. The same as when Jason Kidd did not want to start with Melo !!!
Letting Randle play point-forward for 40 minutes a game for 2 consecutive seasons, has swollen-up Randle head into thinking he's the Knicks real PG. And becoming an all-star on Thibs team-ball defense, and DRose 2nd half high scoring for the WIN .. has Randle performing like it's all bout him.
The reason DRose don't want to be in the starter lineup.
Randle never pass the ball back to Payton even when he gets double team.
If you havn't notice DRose pass the ball to everyone except Randle when they are in the same lineup.
When Payton do get a chance to bring the ball up court, Randle at the top of the key waiting for the ball to do his shoot-first routine, when it should be Barrett at the top of key helping Payton distribute the ball to teammates. In the offseason the Knicks will have to get us a veteran PG (like CP3, Westbrook or Conley) to be our starter, plus keep the ball out of Randle hands from running the POINT .... The young Alonzo Ball won't be able to take the ball out of Randle's hands. Or convince Thibs to let him run the point 75% of the time in the lineup with Randle.

ATL shooters are 1-23 when being guarded by Randle in the series, when he is the nearest defender.

In the first half of the 2nd game, the Knicks performance were so poor and awful, being down by 13, having a 57-44 HalfTime ... I was ready to throw the towel in and give the series to the Hawks.
Super Star DRose, and star role-players Taj Bullock Burks, and the two rookies gave a dynamic 2nd half performance to win the first postseason game in a very long time 2012.

In Game-3 ,, I say we start DRose & Burks, and bring bad decision making Barrett/Payton off the bench.

mafra said:

PLEASE start Rose tonight....

"Over the Knicks final five regular-season games, E-Payton had more turnovers (4) than made FG?s (3), made FT?s (0) and made 3PT?s (0) combined. Payton also has more fouls (8) than total points (6). Then, in Game 1 on Sunday, he missed all three of his FG attempts and logged just eight minutes."

Click to expand...

This. We can?t afford to spot the Hawks a 10-15 point lead starting ?Awful? Payton. Time to ride Drose and Frank, IQ, Payton can relieve Derrick as needed

Taking D.Rose & Taj Gibson out of the Knicks 2nd unit was not the answer.
Putting D.Rose & Taj Gibson in the starter lineup in Game-3, and Game-4 resulted in 2 Knicks losses.
Taking D.Rose & Taj Gibson out of the Knicks 2nd unit lineup for two games resulted in the Knicks getting two straight awful performing losses, where in Game-3 the Hawks took a 17 point lead in the 2nd qtr., and in Game-4 the Hawks took a 17 pt lead to end the 3rd qtr..

During the regular season the Knicks announcers & writers & coaches never gave any Due-credit to the Knicks 2nd unit lineup of D.Rose, Burks, Taj Gibson, and the two rookies Obi and IQ for out-scoring 65% of the Knicks opponents.
How did the Knicks WIN Game-2? On the strength of the Knicks 2nd unit lineup digging us out of a 13 pt Hawks lead to take a Knicks 1 pt lead to end the 3rd qtr.. Plus in the 4th qtr. the 2nd unit lineup outscore the Hawks 25-17 for the Knicks first postseason win (in a very long time.).

All coach Thibs had to do after Game-2 was add some new plays for the starter-lineup to keep Capela in foul trouble by every Knicks boxing Capela out of the paint, plus add some new plays for the 2nd unit lineup vs Hawks coach Nate's 8 to 9-Man rotation.

Marv Albert to call game 5. YES!

mafra said:

Marv Albert to call game 5. YES!

Click to expand...

Marv Albert is my HOF Announcer ....
Breen & Clyde who ???

Being 1-3 in the first round of the playoffs ... Game-5 .. I would finally like to see this season, all of the Knicks 2nd unit lineup of (D.Rose, Burks, Taj, and rookies Obi & IQ) receive 24+ plus minutes of playing-time in Game-5.
I would luv to see the stats of Randle & Barrett receiving only 24 minute per game???
Recall .. The Knicks record were 11-15 the day they traded for D.Rose.

I seen two seasons of a 40 min Randle, and a 35 min Barrett to know they are not creative and their athleticism is lazy most of the time. Matter fact we Knicks fans watch Randle & Barrett make the same ole moves on the court on offense/defense which seem impressive vs a different team each night. But tired in a playoff series.
The Knicks team performance has been very impressive in the regular season. Although, all the credit for the Knicks wins and success in the regular season has been going to Thibs, Randle, or Barrett.
The big problem no one talks bout this season are our two so-call best Knicks (Randle & Barrett) when they are put under pressure in a close crunch-time situation or in the playoffs their performance really are 1-3, lets hope not 1-4 after tomorrow game !!!
P.S. Who would u like on the Knicks team to take the Last shot ???

I would start either Frank or EP and return Rose to the second unit, where I would unleash Rose, AB and the 2 rookies. Let that second into return to a strength....

I got a good feeling about tonight. I think we get this one.

RJ guarantees victory tonight. Better deliver or else it?s like Ewing?s empty promise.

mafra said:

RJ guarantees victory tonight. Better deliver or else it?s like Ewing?s empty promise.

Click to expand...

Ha Ha Ha .. has Randle seen his postseason stats LOL
The only thing guaranteed bout Randle going down the stretch of games are TURN-OVERS!
Several role-players on other teams has better postseason stats in 4 games.

mafra said:

I would start either Frank or EP and return Rose to the second unit, where I would unleash Rose, AB and the 2 rookies. Let that second into return to a strength....

Click to expand...

Coach Thibs did not look at the Knicks 2nd half performance in Game-2 ..
If he did, then he wouldn't have put Taj & Rose in the starting lineup.
All season the Knicks 2nd unit lineup (D.Rose, Burks, Taj, Obi, and IQ) has been creative to out-score 65% of their opponents like they did to the Hawks 13 point lead in the 3rd quarter in Game-2.

I guess it don't look good when your 2nd unit leader D.Rose bench lineup, keep out shining your all-star Randle's starter lineup.
If you didn't or couldn't put D.Rose in the starting lineup during the regular season, why would u change up in the 3rd postseason game when your 1-1 in the series ???
And Taj Gibson built a great chemistry throughout the 72 game season with the 2nd unit bench lineup, why-why would u put Taj in the starter lineup in the 3rd playoff game, when Taj & Rose regroup the 2nd unit bench-players (Burks, Obi, and IQ) to over-come a Hawks 13 pt lead to give the Knicks the lead plus win the game ???
Inside CONSPIRACY !!!

I agree. This is the game I would start Frank and make him mirror Young. Go Box and 1 if you have too. This also frees RB up to hit shots and helps second into with Rose guiding them.

More Obi too

mafra said:

I agree. This is the game I would start Frank and make him mirror Young. Go Box and 1 if you have too. This also frees RB up to hit shots and helps second into with Rose guiding them.

More Obi too

Click to expand...

Dum-Dum coach Thibs already announce he will start the same starting lineup ..
Which mean we will not be getting our 40 to 50 points from the bench.
In the last 2 games we average 28 pts from the bench.

It's not Payton we should have taken out the starter lineup, and replace with Frank.
Ir's Barrett's bad decision-making and lost movement that needed to be replace by Frank.
We could've did that in the Phoenix Suns game, instead of being embarrass by CP3 & Booker.
Leon Rose still have his chains on Frank playing-time.