SPORTS WITH 3

Wednesday, February 20th, 2013

Post Game Recap

Final Score: New York Knicks: 91 Indiana Pacers: 125

The All-Star break ended but it looked like the Knicks were uninformed of that as they gave no effort against the Pacers Wednesday night. It was very disappointing for anyone involved with the Knicks as they were unable to get going against a team challenging them for second place in the Eastern Conference. The Pacers brought to light every flaw the Knicks have in one night. The Knicks were thoroughly beat on both sides of the court, going down by as many as 39 points and never leading in the game. Right now the Knicks have currently lost four of their last five games and sit only ½ games ahead of Indiana for second in the East and one game ahead of Brooklyn for the Atlantic division lead.

-Positives

• Tyson Chandler was the lone bright spot on a dark night for the Knicks. Chandler brought his normal workman-like approach to the game, grabbing 11 rebounds and leading the team with 19 points. Chandler showed a different way of scoring the ball Knicks fans aren’t accustomed to seeing, as he knocked down a 16-foot jumper and threw in a hook shot as well. Most eye-catching was the 11 for 11 from the free throw line for Chandler. He would also add one block and steal to his stat line for the night.

• Chris Copeland did not get into the game until garbage time but he made the most of his 10 minutes. Copeland came in and did what he does best and that is score the basketball. He light up the scoreboard with 13 points in his appearance, bringing to question again why Mike Woodson refuses to use him more. Copeland is a legitimate offensive NBA player and could add a spark to a team in desperate need of one.

• Pablo Prigioni also got extended minutes because of the result of the game but he too made the most of it. Prigioni dished out a team high eight assists on the night and got two steals. Prigioni should see more playing time as Jason Kidd is being used too much currently. Woodson needs to show more trust in some of his bench players or this team will go nowhere.

-Negatives

• The whole no effort thing needs to change. This falls on Woodson who is ultimately the leader of this team. He needs to get his players ready to go before games and pump them up. If they are not responding it is time to change things up. A change to the starting lineup, some minutes for a bench player, anything. Right now Woodson keeps running the same lineups and rotations and it is not working, a change needs to be made. The honeymoon for the Knicks and Woodson is over.

• The defense was poor from the beginning and never got better as the game went on as the Pacers continued to pour it on. On the night the Pacers shot 53.2 percent from the field and 45.8 from the three point line. The Knicks offered little resistance in slowing them down as they scored at will in any fashion they pleased. Every player but Ben Hansbrough scored for the Pacers.

• While the Pacers clicked on offense the Knicks looked lost again. The Pacers do sport the top defense in the NBA but the Knicks were not even making the shots when they were open. Multiple shots missed around the rim and an inability to knock down anything resembling a jump shot put the Knicks in a big hole right from the start. On the night the Knicks shot 33.7 percent from the field and 17.9 from the three point line.

• Carmelo Anthony struggled to get his shot going, looking to still be feeling the effect of that bruised bicep as his jump shot was not falling. Anthony shot seven of 21 from the field, only making one of his six three point attempts. He also missed both of his free throw attempts. Anthony was not alone in struggling, as J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert both went one of seven from the field and Amar’e Stoudemire went one of five. Chandler even had an off night by his standards, going four of nine from the field.

• Saying the Knicks were hammered on the glass is an understatement. On the night the Knicks were outrebounded 54-39 which is an ugly ratio. Which makes it even crazier is the fact the Knicks shot so poorly they had plenty of opportunities to rebound but they were unable to even capitalize on that. They were beat handily in every facet of the game as Pacers got a team effort on the glass with eight different players grabbing four or more rebounds; on the flipside the Knicks had four guys with six or more but no one else with more than two.