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[captmcblack]

That's not entirely true. I think the only time they double or triple teamed melo was game 3. Now it's only single coverage with bass/green unless he comes into the paint.

That's a smart defensive tactic; that's what the Knicks are doing to Pierce. You show the single coverage and encourage the player to shoot instead of attack the basket. The double/triple comes in the paint if they attack. It'd be worthwhile to maintain that attack if you could draw fouls on the contact, but if you can't get calls, you end up shooting.

Give the Cs credit for good defense. Give Melo demerits for missing shots in single coverage he'd been making all season. Welcome to the playoffs.

Vestal, he's definitely doing heroball stuff. When he does that, he's lame. I wish the other guys would take the open shots they're getting from that so they can help open that defense up. Kidd, Shumpert and Prigioni literally passed up open shots several times in the game that were caused by looks Anthony/Smith generated...and that isn't even counting open layups that were just missed outright from such looks. Gotta make those.

For Melo to be a championship player, he doesn't have to be an "all-around player" in the same way people want him to be. He can't be asked to be Lebron. He's not Lebron. He's not supposed to be Lebron.

Why can't he be Kobe? Why can't he be Dirk? Why can't he be an excellent scorer who makes timely passes/defensive plays and gets support from his teammates who step up? That's pretty much how every championship won by people who weren't literally some of the greatest players of all time (like Tim Duncan, or LBJ, or Kobe or Jordan) were won.

 

[Emwitus]

Beverley's playoff PER is 16.8

Lin's playoff PER is

Spoiler

-.08

How about feltons?

lol Remember all that complaining from knicks-age when they traded him?

 

[1871]

How about feltons?

lol Remember all that complaining from knicks-age when they traded him?

- he's been the best Knick so far (which is not a happy thought)

- I... don't? And it was not a trade?

 

[Truelize]

I have a cold. I'm in bed with snot rags surrounding me like Obrien trophys surrounding the Lakers. I am watching a shitty movie about a scary tooth ferry. Can't go into my kitchen because it's being replaced. Starting a new job tomorrow.

Can you blame me?

Darkness Falls? Sweet!


I started coaching an 11 and Under girls team last night. It was a painful first practice. Ugh.

 

[captmcblack]

I'm sure Lin will get it sooner rather than later. He's only 22 or 23 or something like that...he's only going to learn and theoretically improve. I legitimately love Felton, warts and all - I was a big fan of his on his first go-around w/NY too - but in the long run, Lin will likely be better.

 

[Sanjuro]

I'm sure Lin will get it sooner rather than later. He's only 22 or 23 or something like that...he's only going to learn and theoretically improve. I legitimately love Felton, warts and all - I was a big fan of his on his first go-around w/NY too - but in the long run, Lin will likely be better.

Depends on the context. I think Lin will be ultimately forced into better statistics.

 

[Emwitus]

- he's been the best Knick so far (which is not a happy thought)

- I... don't? And it was not a trade?

Really, were you even on gaf when it happened? And my bad, yes, they said they would match up to a billion dollars any offer from any team...

 

[captmcblack]

Man, why revisit that?

Of course you want to say you'll match anything.
We didn't match it because we'd be in Isiah/Layden-level cap hell if we were paying Lin 14/15 million in year 3. Yeah, the Chinese money. Yeah, just use him as an expiring. Forget all that. Houston made a poison pill contract offer, and that's it. We made our bed by sticking with Amare/amnestying Billups/paying Tyson Chandler, so there was no way to deal with that poison pill provision. We're going to see how that plays itself out.

 

[obijkenobi]

Btw, do you guys think the league will fine Fisher and Sefolosha for their double at the same time flop last night? I mean, if they don't, they pretty much can't fine anyone for it this year can they?

 

[Emwitus]

I'm sorry knicks gaf. I'm going in hard until y'all win.

 

[1871]

I'm sorry knicks gaf. I'm going in hard until y'all win.

You're the kind of fucker that smells his own farts, aren't you?

 

[Emwitus]

You're the kind of fucker that smells his own farts, aren't you?

 

[Vestal]

Btw, do you guys think the league will fine Fisher and Sefolosha for their double at the same time flop last night? I mean, if they don't, they pretty much can't fine anyone for it this year can they?

It was trully horrible. I hope they get fined.

On a different note, are we going to get a 2nd round game this weekend? Can the Bulls & Warriors close out tonight?

I think the bulls could, but I think Denver will prevail tonight and force a game 7.

 

[effzee]

Durant is averaging 6 assists and 7.8 boards against the Rockets. Melo, 1.2 and 5 against the Celtics.

Right he is averaging that now when Westbrook is out. Durant, by make up though, is at his best when he is a pure shooter/scorer. So is Melo. And when the Thunder lose or have lost in the past people complain that Durant doesn't shoot enough or doesn't take the last shot. No one brings up his rebounds or assists statistics. Would people say the same if Knicks lost while Melo took say 6-7 less shots? Or passed up the final shot?

I am not saying Melo is perfect, not playing poorly, or that he shouldn't be doing more. Its obvious that he isn't and his playoff performances have left a lot to desire for. BUT for some radio hosts to claim that Melo is somehow wrong for shooting that many shots, when that is the only thing he is great at, is stupid. Especially when in this case, Cowherd then goes on and on to praise Durant for doing the same thing.

Knicks problems aren't that Melo shoots too much. Its when in the possession and degree of difficulty. Outside of JR though there is no one on the team that should be averaging more than double digit shots.

 

[Future PhaZe]

dat playoff sweat if the knicks lose tomorrow

knicks-age going to be tight as fuck on Sunday if it happens lol

 

[ItWasMeantToBe19]

Right he is averaging that now when Westbrook is out. Durant, by make up though, is at his best when he is a pure shooter/scorer. So is Melo. And when the Thunder lose or have lost in the past people complain that Durant doesn't shoot enough or doesn't take the last shot. No one brings up his rebounds or assists statistics. Would people say the same if Knicks lost while Melo took say 6-7 less shots? Or passed up the final shot?

I am not saying Melo is perfect, not playing poorly, or that he shouldn't be doing more. Its obvious that he isn't and his playoff performances have left a lot to desire for. BUT for some radio hosts to claim that Melo is somehow wrong for shooting that many shots, when that is the only thing he is great at, is stupid. Especially when in this case, Cowherd then goes on and on to praise Durant for doing the same thing.

Knicks problems aren't that Melo shoots too much. Its when in the possession and degree of difficulty. Outside of JR though there is no one on the team that should be averaging more than double digit shots.

Umm, why shouldn't Melo be criticized for taking a lot of heavily contested jumpers when he's on a cold streak? Other star players can draw defensive attention and then kick the ball out to their teammates for good looks instead of just trying to shoot their way out of cold streaks.

 

[effzee]

So conflicted. I hate the Celtics but can't stand JR and the punk ass clowns on the Knicks. Hate the JET too.

Don't really care for Melo but wan him to shut up wanna be NBA experts like Colin Cowherd.

Want Miami to stomp either of them if they reach the ECF.

Anyway...Hinrich and Gibson out tonight?

 

[effzee]

Umm, why shouldn't Melo be criticized for taking a lot of heavily contested jumpers when he's on a cold streak? Other star players can draw defensive attention and then kick the ball out to their teammates for good looks instead of just trying to shoot their way out of cold streaks.

Did you read what I said?

I said he isn't playing well and should be criticized for the degree of difficulty of his shots. He can create his own but instead of driving he keeps settling for very difficult shots.

My initial premise was about guys like Colin Cowherd who go out of their way to beat up on Melo for shooting too much when he has nothing but praise for other 1 dimensional players only because he likes them. Sort of like Skip going on and on about LBJ not being clutch but then coming up with excuses for his boy Romo who always finds a way to lose.

If Melo doesn't shoot his shots the only other option they have is JR. He isn't a superstar but a great asset off the bench. Their starting lineup doesn't have any shooter or scorer unless guys like Kidd, Felton, and Shumpert are hitting their open looks. I do think Melo needs to take majority of his shots after the ball has swung around a bit so either he gets a better look or drive to the rim or another guy gets an open show. But in terms of pure skill, if I am the Knicks I want Melo taking close to 30 shots and JR the only one who even comes close to that volume of shots.

 

[Smokey]

Snip from Insider article. From the Celtics v Knicks section:

Variance is a good thing for underdogs like Houston, which needs risky strategies to overcome a talent disadvantage, but it can be the downfall for a favorite like New York. Why? If you're a good team, you want to be consistently good so you limit your risk of an upset. But you know who shot more 3-pointers than the Rockets this season? That's right, the Knicks.

However, the Knicks have cut down on their 3-point attempts a tad in exchange for long 2s by Carmelo Anthony. That's not good. Lately, they've reverted back to the notorious "give the ball to Melo and hope for the best" strategy of yesteryear, which would be OK if Anthony was a metronome of efficiency. Instead, he was the most volatile scorer in the NBA this season, according to his game-by-game variance in the points column. For a guy who relies so heavily on contested jumpers, the Knicks have been needlessly handcuffed to Anthony's brand of basketball.

Consider this: Anthony has shot an NBA-high 69 midrange jumpers in the playoffs, according to NBA.com/stats. The second-place guy? Carlos Boozer with 38. Yes, Anthony has almost doubled the number of midrange jumpers than the next-highest player. In fact, Anthony has taken more midrange jumpers than the Heat (67 in four games), Bucks (66 in four games) and Rockets (46 in five games).

This bears repeating: Anthony has taken 23 more midrange shots than the entire Rockets team. Maybe it shouldn't be a surprise that the stathead Rockets have been allergic to the most inefficient shot in the game. For a favorite like the Knicks, it's not a sustainable strategy to hang your hopes on whether a low-percentage shot goes in.

The result is that Anthony has posted the highest usage rate by far among any player in the playoffs (39.7 percent), but he ranks 106th among 150 players with a .494 true shooting percentage (a field goal percentage that accounts for 3-point shots and free throws). The Celtics, whose front office ranks as analytically savvy as they come, will gladly allow Anthony to take jumper after jumper if it means efficient scorers like Raymond Felton (who has been fantastic in this series), Tyson Chandler and Steve Novak have to watch from the periphery.

The Knicks' offense is unhealthy right now. For all the talk about how coach Mike Woodson revamped the offense this season with more passing, the Knicks are assisting on the second-lowest proportion of their field goals (43.6 percent) of any playoff team of the past five seasons[/B]. The only team worse than this one? Last season's Knicks (41.2 percent assist rate). If the ball-stopping continues, the Knicks will likely be same ol' Knicks with the same ol' first-round exit.

.

 

[ItWasMeantToBe19]

Did you read what I said?

I said he isn't playing well and should be criticized for the degree of difficulty of his shots. He can create his own but instead of driving he keeps settling for very difficult shots.

My initial premise was about guys like Colin Cowherd who go out of their way to beat up on Melo for shooting too much when he has nothing but praise for other 1 dimensional players only because he likes them. Sort of like Skip going on and on about LBJ not being clutch but then coming up with excuses for his boy Romo who always finds a way to lose.

If Melo doesn't shoot his shots the only other option they have is JR. He isn't a superstar but a great asset off the bench. Their starting lineup doesn't have any shooter or scorer unless guys like Kidd, Felton, and Shumpert are hitting their open looks. I do think Melo needs to take majority of his shots after the ball has swung around a bit so either he gets a better look or drive to the rim or another guy gets an open show. But in terms of pure skill, if I am the Knicks I want Melo taking close to 30 shots and JR the only one who even comes close to that volume of shots.

Durant isn't one-dimensional and is signficantly better at scoring though.

If Melo had the jumper of Dirk or the explosion of LeBron, then it would be hard to criticize him taking too many shots...But he's not on that level.

 

[linsivvi]

Man, why revisit that?

Of course you want to say you'll match anything.
We didn't match it because we'd be in Isiah/Layden-level cap hell if we were paying Lin 14/15 million in year 3. Yeah, the Chinese money. Yeah, just use him as an expiring. Forget all that. Houston made a poison pill contract offer, and that's it. We made our bed by sticking with Amare/amnestying Billups/paying Tyson Chandler, so there was no way to deal with that poison pill provision. We're going to see how that plays itself out.

Yeah, there's no way the Knicks or the Bulls would match Lin or Asik's contracts. It's unfair that one team needs to pay a ridiculous amount of tax while the other doesn't have to. The poison pill loophole needs to be fixed.

 

[jordan0386]

I know what I saw with Lin in NY. DAMNIT, I KNOW WHAT I SAW.

But its Hardens show.

Jeremy isnt a dead eye shooter. Like most NBA players anyway.

Next season, McHale has to get more PnR for the dude.

In turn, Lin still has to put more work in and hope for the best.

 

[LegendofJoe]

dat playoff sweat if the knicks lose tomorrow

knicks-age going to be tight as fuck on Sunday if it happens lol

Please god let this happen

 

[Vahagn]

Melo's gonna Melo. He's never going to learn to get to 5-6 apg or play consistent defense for a season, or a postseason, or his career.

He's a one dimensional hyper skilled scorer who doesn't think the game the way the greats do. None of that is a surprise.

The surprise would be if KD loses 3-4 straight games to the rockets. You don't lose as a one seed in the first round up 3-0 without having legitimate questions asked about whether or not you're overrated.

 

[KingGondo]

The surprise would be if KD loses 3-4 straight games to the rockets. You don't lose as a one seed in the first round up 3-0 without having legitimate questions asked about whether or not you're overrated.

It's a team game. KD has been awesome since YNB went down. It's guys like Ibaka, Martin and Perkins that aren't stepping up.

 

[SoulPlaya]

So which young player is next on the list of "oh my god we love him but 2 years later he is a giant bitch now"?

Just for a reminder here are recent winners:

Derrick Rose
Blake Griffin
Kevin Durant
???

Can't wait to see the same thing happen to Anthony Davis

It's funny that two years ago, most people had a negative image of Carlos Boozer, but he's now universally loved. As those guys went down, he rose like a phoenix.

 

[Sanjuro]

dat playoff sweat if the knicks lose tomorrow

knicks-age going to be tight as fuck on Sunday if it happens lol

GAF would be tight buttholes.

 

[Vahagn]

It's a team game. KD has been awesome since YNB went down. It's guys like Ibaka, Martin and Perkins that aren't stepping up.

True but Irrelevant. Dirk didn't live down what happened in GS and his MVP that year sure seems overrated now. He didn't recover from that till he outplayed the entire league in the 2011 postseason. He was a top 5 player in 2007 with an MVP to prove it - he wasn't thought of the same way again till the 2011 finals ended.

KD is gonna go through that and it would be justified. Remember Rose has been out, Dwight's been injured all year, so has Dirk. D Wade and Lebron share a team together. If everyone is healthy and Durant loses this, there will be serious questions about whether or not he's truly #2 in the league.

 

[Future PhaZe]

.40% Usage is so insane lol

In comparison when Kobe took 28 shots a game in 05-06 his usage was 38.7 and I think it was around the same for Jordan during his 37 PPG season.

Melo is higher than both and those guys were jacking shots nearly ever possession down the court so they are hard to beat.

 

[h3ro]

dat playoff sweat if the knicks lose tomorrow

knicks-age going to be tight as fuck on Sunday if it happens lol

Once you reach knicklightenment, you're neither tight or lose. You just are.

 

[jmdajr]

Spurs and Heat must be enjoying their vacation.

 

[Emwitus]

Spurs and Heat must be enjoying their vacation.

Spurs are loving this season so far. I'm pretty sure they would gladly trade ending on a losing streak this season and be rested and healthy...for that 22 win streak into the playoffs that ended in a back door sweep. It's amazing how JT has been silent so far. Didn't even brag about the lakers sweep.

 

[Future PhaZe]

when JT isn't talking shit about you

damn

then you know you suck

 

[ClovingWestbrook]

Spurs are loving this season so far. I'm pretty sure they would gladly trade ending on a losing streak this season and be rested and healthy...for that 22 win streak into the playoffs that ended in a back door sweep. It's amazing how JT has been silent so far. Didn't even brag about the lakers sweep.

Spurs won't do anything vs the Heat. Speaks to just how shitty this league currently is. Last year the Heat benefitted from Rose going out due to his knee injury and this year its YNB going down. Embarassing. Heat will just skip to ma lou championship. Stern gets what he wants.

 

[Talon]

Spurs won't do anything vs the Heat. Speaks to just how shitty this league currently is. Last year the Heat benefitted from Rose going out due to his knee injury and this year its YNB going down. Embarassing. Heat will just skip to ma lou championship. Stern gets what he wants.

 

[effzee]

Durant isn't one-dimensional and is signficantly better at scoring though.

He is one dimensional. He is a scorer. He might have a night here and there where he rebounds well or dishes assists. But that isn't his game. He also isn't a strong defender. I am not dissing KD but he like Melo specialize in scoring. They are both looked at very differently though. Not everyone can be Lebron or posses his ability to play D, be a great passer, and score almost at will. And its not like LBJ didn't have to work on his game. He still can't shoot well.

If Melo had the jumper of Dirk or the explosion of LeBron, then it would be hard to criticize him taking too many shots...But he's not on that level.

Ok but he still is a premium scorer. There is a reason the Knicks did so well this season and Carmelo is considered a better pure scorer than most in the league. He had two bad games which also coincided with JR's suspension and JR's terrible game also so they lost but that also talks about how bad the rest of the team is when it comes to offense. We don't need some new narrative for Melo or even KD here.

I don't see how he shouldn't be taking these many shots for the team he is on. He wasn't playing like this on the Olympics team and even he and AI averaged high amounts of shots and points when they played and started together.

Melo's gonna Melo. He's never going to learn to get to 5-6 apg or play consistent defense for a season, or a postseason, or his career.

He's a one dimensional hyper skilled scorer who doesn't think the game the way the greats do. None of that is a surprise.

The surprise would be if KD loses 3-4 straight games to the rockets. You don't lose as a one seed in the first round up 3-0 without having legitimate questions asked about whether or not you're overrated.

If KD loses, even without Westbrook, the same should be said about him. Killer offense but not an all around game. Which isn't a crime btw, just that because Lebron does it and makes it look effortless people think all superstars should be doing it. These guys aren't PGs. Melo or KD could average 1 assist per game and it won't matter.

The bigger question is when they take those shots in the game or in the possession. Or if theb all has been swung around and touched by others. Melo gets himself to take terrible shots when he just gets the ball and goes up. He needs to drive more and swing it to the spot up 3 point shooters. The # of shots isn't really relevant IMO.

 

[PBY]

Spurs won't do anything vs the Heat. Speaks to just how shitty this league currently is. Last year the Heat benefitted from Rose going out due to his knee injury and this year its YNB going down. Embarassing. Heat will just skip to ma lou championship. Stern gets what he wants.

Think what you want, but I think the Rose argument (which gets brought up all the time) makes no sense. We dropped a 4-1 donging on the 2010 Bulls, which are a much better team than they are now (w/ a 100% Rose), and the Heat were soooooo much worse at the time.

 

[ph33nix]

Think what you want, but I think the Rose argument (which gets brought up all the time) makes no sense. We dropped a 4-1 donging on the 2010 Bulls, which are a much better team than they are now (w/ a 100% Rose), and the Heat were soooooo much worse at the time.

this is a friendly heat age reminder to look at who you quoted

 

[PBY]

this is a friendly heat age reminder to look at who you quoted

What am I doing. Thx man.

 

[ph33nix]

What am I doing. Thx man.

i know that feel

we just wanna change his ways so bad


but it's like teaching your cat how to fetch

 

[Tragicomedy]

5. YNB is way more valuable than even I thought. Not just from a scoring perspective, but from an energy and enthusiasm perspective. It was more upsetting for the team to play scared than for them to get beat, and YNB never ever plays scared.

I thought most people knew that already, though. Westbrook is a top 10 player in the NBA. The freshprinceandcarlton.gif notwithstanding, he actually complements Durant's game very nicely. Westbrook's biggest strengths (insane speed, athleticism, fearlessness, energy levels) fill the gaps for many of Durant's weaknesses. Durant does the same for Westbrook, with his level-headed play and his focus on efficient shooting. When they're both on the court at the same time and at the top of their games, the only team that can consistently beat us is Miami.

 

[PBY]

i know that feel

we just wanna change his ways so bad


but it's like teaching your cat how to fetch

LOL

 

[Kacar]

Melo's game is the most one dimensional Ive seen for a superstar, I dont understand why the Knicks dont do more PnR. The fact that he only has 6 assists this series confirms his play. If melo's shot is off he is pretty useless.

With KD I dont know though, everywhere I read all year said he had pretty well improved all aspects of his game. He was desperately trying to take over last night but couldnt, somehow Garcia was denying him the ball pretty well on many possesions, which shouldnt happen. Also YNB being gone is killing him right now, so he gets a slight pass. He hasnt played a game without him in like 4 years.

But we are overanalyzing them as superstars but thats just how it is, and they are basically being compared to Lebron which makes it unfair because of how amazing he is playing right now.

Lebron makes them both look bad since he does it so effortlessly.

 

[Shadow780]

So KD is just a glorified Joe Johnson now, right?

 

[KingKong]

oh snap http://deadspin.com/melos-wife-to-jordan-crawford-you-on-the-bench-for-a-487287534

Try again. You on the bench for a reason.

 

[PBY]

oh snap http://deadspin.com/melos-wife-to-jordan-crawford-you-on-the-bench-for-a-487287534

Feelings were caught.

 

[Sanjuro]

oh snap http://deadspin.com/melos-wife-to-jordan-crawford-you-on-the-bench-for-a-487287534

Salty Honey Nut.

 

[victreeb3l]

oh snap http://deadspin.com/melos-wife-to-jordan-crawford-you-on-the-bench-for-a-487287534

lol crawford brought up melos wife again? jeez

it must be nice to be the heat and spurs just relaxin by the pool while all these other teams are talking shit and acting stupid

 

[Shadow780]

KG's doucheness is more contagious than Wade's STD. He needs to retire asap.

 

[ph33nix]

lol crawford brought up melos wife again? jeez

it must be nice to be the heat and spurs just relaxin by the pool while all these other teams are talking shit and acting stupid

this playoff run is definitely very different from the past 2 years

so far I've forgotten the Heat are even in it but I'm sure that will change once they play anybody but the Bucks