Jacksonity......or the Knick thread

[Jed Zeppelin]

Fields with an inspiring effort with his job on the line: 4 pts (1-8, 0-3 3pt, 2-4 FT), 4 reb, 3 ast and -18 in 33:39. Should be no problem giving JR a bunch of his minutes.

edit: And no, I'm not just basing that on tonight. I don't think he's very good in general.

 

[rembrat]

It's crazy how this was so close. The Knicks basically throw the ball away at every turn or jack up ill advised jumpers.

 

[dolomite133]

I just wanted to come here and ask if Lin looked more like a player who had nine turnovers or one who scored 26 points tonight? Hard to believe he continues to post such large numbers in BOTH categories.

 

[jon abbey]

Fields has been playing better lately, but hasn't been able to buy a 3 all year. JR Smith is so welcome, looks like his first game may be Monday now.

And if NY can trade for Howard, you do it. Chandler/Melo/Lin for Howard/Turkoglu/Nelson? I'd do it in a second.

 

[jon abbey]

I just wanted to come here and ask if Lin looked more like a player who had nine turnovers or one who scored 26 points tonight? Hard to believe he continues to post such large numbers in BOTH categories.

A story of two halves, 8 of the turnovers were in the first half and I think 16 of the points were in the second half.

In his defense, it's not easy to play PG when the other team plays a zone and the rest of the team shoots 2-19 from 3 point range.

 

[bbc23]

Not sure if this belongs here or the ESPN thread

 

[OCST]

Not sure if this belongs here or the ESPN thread

Holy shit, is that bad.

About the game: with the Time Warner thing just resolved and us being able to see the Knicks finally, my wife, who knows zero about the NBA, was curious to see just what all the fuss is about (Lin has been the biggest news story of any kind in NYC the last week). So e watched.

According to Frazier, the first quarter was the worst quarter of basketball the Knicks had played all year. It was awful to watch. Excruciating, even.

 

[kazuneko]

Not sure if this belongs here or the ESPN thread

Not sure if this belongs here or the ESPN thread

Wow...
As you might expect that headline has been pulled and apologies have been issued. But still...
I mean, its hard to imagine why anyone thought that would be acceptable. You'd think it would be pretty obvious that racial slurs are not OK to be thrown into sports headlines. Seriously, ESPN needs to fire whoever was responsible.
Jeez.....
http://www.ibtimes.c...chink-armor.htm

 

[JakeRae]

The obvious explanation is that the headline was written using a somewhat common expression and no one realized there was a racial slur in it. There are likely a couple very sorry and embarrassed people at ESPN, none of whom should lose their job over a stupid yet honest mistake.

 

[kazuneko]

The obvious explanation is that the headline was written using a somewhat common expression and no one realized there was a racial slur in it. There are likely a couple very sorry and embarrassed people at ESPN, none of whom should lose their job over a stupid yet honest mistake.

Whoever is responsible will likely use that as an excuse - and still be fired.
I mean, do you really believe this was an "honest mistake"? come on...
Heck, even if it was a mistake, anyone not capable of recognizing such a mistake probably shouldn't be working as a journalist...

 

[jon abbey]

Meanwhile, Melo is still unlikely for the Dallas game tomorrow, but it looks like Smith and Davis may both debut (!!!):

http://www.nba.com/2012/news/02/18/knicks-injuries.ap/index.html?rss=true

 

[Jed Zeppelin]

Well, Whitlock is still employed as a journalist. Maybe ESPN will just say Jemele Hill produced the headline so they don't have to address the problem.

 

[A Bartlett Giamatti]

Friday night just feels a little bit like an aberration at this point. Lin playing very well (12 pts, 6 assists, 1 turnover) against an excellent Dallas defense.

 

[JBill]

Linsanity: Lin dunks, camera cuts to a delirious crowd, grown men embracing, then cuts to ABC's live feed from a bar in Chinatown, room is full of Asians, everyone cheering.

 

[SoxScout]

Man, I love when someone just gets UNCONSCIOUS

 

[PseuFighter]

holy crap.

 

[PseuFighter]

i hate that the knicks are fun to watch right now.

 

[Al Zarilla]

i hate that the knicks are fun to watch right now.

I'm sure somebody has said by now (a million times) that the NBA is better if the Knicks are good.

 

[Grin&MartyBarret]

Pretty incredible that Lin was able to have a game like that today despite the way the Mavs were playing him. For most of the game, they had Marion on him, and were doubling him off the screen and collapsing 4 men into the paint to take away his penetration. And because of that, Novak, Smith, and Fields got a ton of open looks today. When Davis is back it'll be a big help, because at this point Lin is playing far, far too many minutes.

 

[jon abbey]

Pretty incredible that Lin was able to have a game like that today despite the way the Mavs were playing him. For most of the game, they had Marion on him, and were doubling him off the screen and collapsing 4 men into the paint to take away his penetration.

This exact defense held Jrue Holliday to 0-9 and 3 points in the previous game, and Lin has a lot less offensive help around him.

Amazingly his best game yet, he played almost the entire thing (45 minutes, including the whole second half again). We got a glimpse of the future when Smith and Novak were both in, the lane opened up and Lin got right to the basket twice in a row. How about when Melo and Smith are on the wings?

Anyway, since it's the Knicks, Chandler is going for x-rays after falling hard twice on his wrist. Fingers crossed.

 

[zeraza]

45 minutes is an absurd amount of time to be on the court, but that 3 of Nowitzki was great. Fearless

 

[jon abbey]

Fewest career games started since the 1976 merger until a player's first 28 point, 14 assist game:

Jeremy Lin 8
Kevin Johnson 25
Kenny Anderson 29
Michael Jordan 38
Frank Johnson 42

 

[johnmd20]

Fewest career games started since the 1976 merger until a player's first 28 point, 14 assist game:

Jeremy Lin 8
Kevin Johnson 25
Kenny Anderson 29
Michael Jordan 38
Frank Johnson 42

The numbers Lin is putting up are insane. Truly remarkable, he does play pretty cool in the 4th quarter. Today's game was impressive. If Carmelo can come back and play unselfishly, this Knicks team is pretty awesome all of a sudden. One of the biggest surprise stories in the history of sports.

 

[kazuneko]

Jeremy Lin's best season at Palo Alto High School:
15.1 points, 7.1 assists
Jeremy Lin's best season at Harvard:
16.4 points 4.5 assists
Jeremy Lin as an NBA starter:
24.6 points 8.9 assists

I think that's a pretty good summary of how ridiculous this story has been.
I mean, this isn't a Disney movie, its the friggin NBA. This stuff just isn't supposed to happen...

 

[rembrat]

I have to ask, is this shit a fluke? Is he legit?

 

[EvilEmpire]

Jeremy Lin's best season at Palo Alto High School:
15.1 points, 7.1 assists
Jeremy Lin's best season at Harvard:
16.4 points 4.5 assists
Jeremy Lin as an NBA starter:
24.6 points 8.9 assists

I think that's a pretty good summary of how ridiculous this story has been.
I mean, this isn't a Disney movie, its the friggin NBA. This stuff just isn't supposed to happen...

Seems like the better quality players he's playing with, the better he does. Good quality in a point guard I think. All those years in H.S. and college when he was the best player on the floor probably helped him develop pretty well too -- I imagine he was often the threat that teams focused their defensive efforts on and had to elevate his game as a result.

Awesome time to be a Knicks fan after so many years of futility. The Knicks haven't gotten this lucky since the Ewing draft.

 

[dolomite133]

So what are the odds Melo buys in, plays team ball and cuts out all the iso plays? (Am I correct in saying he plays a lot of one-man ball?).

 

[EvilEmpire]

So what are the odds Melo buys in, plays team ball and cuts out all the iso plays? (Am I correct in saying he plays a lot of one-man ball?).

Will he have to cut out all the iso plays though? I wonder what it will look Iike when he starts getting the ball with some actual space to do something with it.

 

[SemperFidelisSox]

 

[jon abbey]

I have to ask, is this shit a fluke? Is he legit?

Today went a long way to answering that, facing a really tough D with the best advance scouting in the league, one that had been entirely taking out opposing PGs of the game in the past few weeks, and he had his best game yet.

He can't keep playing 45 minutes a game, virtually no one in league history could do that over this kind of schedule, but getting Melo and Baron Davis back should only make him better. He was doubleteamed constantly today, no way you can do that with Melo and JR Smith both in the game.

 

[jon abbey]

So what are the odds Melo buys in, plays team ball and cuts out all the iso plays? (Am I correct in saying he plays a lot of one-man ball?).

We'll see presumably starting tomorrow, but I think they will mesh fine, maybe after a short adjustment period. Again, having other real offensive players alongside him is just going to open up the lane for Lin, and he is the one who will mostly have the ball in his hands and be making the decisions, not Melo.

 

[TomRicardo]

So what are the odds Melo buys in, plays team ball and cuts out all the iso plays? (Am I correct in saying he plays a lot of one-man ball?).

He would be an absolute fool not to. He would also be stamping his ticket to Orlando.

 

[amlothi]

Not sure if this belongs here or the ESPN thread

That's just an egregious mistake. Seriously, the story is about Lin's turnovers and you put a photo that looks like Lin is stealing the ball? You didn't have any better photos of any of his multiple turnovers to use?

Oh yeah, and the racial slur too. I wonder what they changed it to? "Poo Poo Platter"? "Linexcusable"?

 

[bosox4283]

Zuckerberg and his sister? Is that his girlfriend on the right?

 

[johnmd20]

Zuckerberg and his sister? Is that his girlfriend on the right?

Looks a heck of a lot like Rashida Jones, who was in The Social Network. It all comes full circle, Mark finally got the girl.

 

[A Bartlett Giamatti]

The chatter on New York sports radio is about whether this team can win a championship. While I'm firmly rooted in the wait-and-see camp, I still think this is the last best shot.

Due to the cap and the deals they have in place, a lot of these guys won't be back next year.

And if you can't get by Miami with JR Smith, Baron Davis, Novak, etc, it's unlikely it'll happen in the future without them.

 

[johnmd20]

And William Rhoden from the NY Times chimes in. Shockingly, with a racial angle. And I think he's wrong. Lin is a huge story because he is Asian, there are obviously not too many Asians who have killed it in the NBA. And Lin's story is awesome because he came out of nowhere and has turned the NBA upside down, for a few weeks at least.

Cam Newtown is different for the sole reason he didn't come out of nowhere, he won a National Championship and the Heisman. And Dontrell Willis came out of nowhere and received a ton of fanfare. I kind of feel like Kobe receives a lot of fanfare. So does Lebron. And Tiger Woods, of course, certainly received, uh, A TON of print and adulation.

 

[zeraza]

And William Rhoden from the NY Times chimes in. Shockingly, with a racial angle. And I think he's wrong. Lin is a huge story because he is Asian, there are obviously not too many Asians who have killed it in the NBA. And Lin's story is awesome because he came out of nowhere and has turned the NBA upside down, for a few weeks at least.

Cam Newtown is different for the sole reason he didn't come out of nowhere, he won a National Championship and the Heisman. And Dontrell Willis came out of nowhere and received a ton of fanfare. I kind of feel like Kobe receives a lot of fanfare. So does Lebron. And Tiger Woods, of course, certainly received, uh, A TON of print and adulation.

That's why the Tebow comparisons for Lin also annoy me. Tebow was a highly touted recruit that picked Florida over a slew of other BCS title competitors, then won a National Championship, and got picked (way early) in the first round

Lin had no scholarship offers from any of the D1 NCAA schools, played in the Ivy League, went undrafted, etc.

Oh, and he's actually good

 

[Nick Kaufman]

Looks a heck of a lot like Rashida Jones, who was in The Social Network. It all comes full circle, Mark finally got the girl.

I think Zuckerberg has a long time asian gf, so she should be the girl two seats away from him.

Also, while valid, I agree that the race angle has been overplayed.

 

[Grin&MartyBarret]

Baron Davis will see his first action of the year tonight, and Carmelo will be back in the lineup.

Shumpert, however, will be out.

 

[zeraza]

And Tiger Woods, of course, certainly received, uh, A TON of print and adulation.

Just read the article too, and thought of Tiger as well. He pretty much destroys that entire argument too.

Tiger Woods sure as hell got a lot of attention - and while Cam Newton may not be deified, Tiger sure as hell was unlike pretty much any other athlete of this generation outside maybe Jordan.

 

[TomRicardo]

Thank god Melo is back with his patented brand of zero defense and lazy selfish play to make the Nets look like a real NBA team.

That was horrendous. Does not bode well for a Melo/Lin world. To be fair Amare looked nearly as shitty.

 

[jon abbey]

They missed Shumpert's D on Williams, and the officiating was horrendously one-sided, especially on Chandler, but yeah, Melo was dreadful.

 

[NatetheGreat]

Lin looked gassed as hell, and the entire team couldn't shoot shit, but he still finished with 21pts 7rebounds 9 assists 4stl. The kid just keeps doing this. If you give him touches, which it looks like they'll continue to, he is capable of producing.

 

[dolomite133]

Wow, Melo's return couldn't have gone worse. A loss to the NETS?!?!?!? This guy is going to spend the rest of the season dogging critics.

 

[TomRicardo]

Dribbling away from open shots to try to create an iso to take a shit shot or turn the ball over then half assing down the court playing little to no defense. MELO BALL

 

[dolomite133]

Thankfully the Kincks have D'Antoni to straighten things out. He'll definitely get Melo to give more effort and play hard on defense. Bwah haw haw haw.

 

[Jed Zeppelin]

Didn't catch the game, how was Lin's D? I was thinking today the best D on the guy might just be to attack him all night at the other end, especially with the kind of minutes he's been playing.

 

[Three10toLeft]

Didn't catch the game, how was Lin's D? I was thinking today the best D on the guy might just be to attack him all night at the other end, especially with the kind of minutes he's been playing.

Didn't watch the game, but according to rotoworld, Derron Williams did just that:

Deron Williams hit a career-best eight 3-pointers in Monday's win over the Knicks, and finished with a season-high 38 points on 10-of-22 shooting (8-of-14 from downtown, 10-of-12 from the foul line), four rebounds, six assists, and a steal.
Williams committed two silly fouls late that kept him out for much of the fourth quarter, but that's the only blemish on his night. He repeatedly went at Jeremy Lin and was clearly on a mission to remind folks who the best PG in the New York area is

 

[NatetheGreat]

Lin didn't actually defend that badly--Deron took a shitload of long 3's and made a ton of them. When he actually tried to drive Lin actually did a decent job.