New York Knicks 2011-2012 Season Wrap-up / Fan Reactions

     That's all she wrote ladies and gentlemen!  The New York Knicks were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Miami Heat. The Knicks lost by 12 points with the final score being 106-94. Fans were taken on a roller coaster ride during the Knicks constant up and down experiences. Despite finishing the season with a 36-30 record, which placed the Knicks in the seventh seed of the playoffs, this season was not necessarily a successful one.
     The team would constantly go through these loosing streaks which were derived from struggles within coaching and team chemistry. The coaching problem was taken care of once Mike D'Antoni resigned and replaced by interim coach, Mike Woodson. Tyson Chandler and rookie guard, Iman Shumpert were positive defensive additions for the Knicks. Unfortunately, the lack of team chemistry was never solved. Throughout the season, fans saw the difficulty of Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony co-existing together. Last year Stoudemire was the main star on the Knicks.
      At one point during last years season he had a streak of constant 30 point and over performances. Once Anthony was acquired to the team, he became the center of the offense, which made Stoudemire a second option offensively. The main question is if Stoudemire will be traded next season for a player who can possibly fit in with the offense revolving around Anthony. Once of the only hypes of this season came from the spectacular and surprising performance of the young point guard Jeremy Lin. Lin led the team to a seven game winning streak and livened up playoff hopes for Knicks fans.
     Unfortunately, the Knicks post season was ended in game five, thanks to the Miami Heat. Fans, brace yourselves, because their may be many changes and moves within the team next year. On move may be the trading of Stoudemire and the other may be a new coach taking control of the Knicks.

 THE PODCAST BELOW IS A REACTION TO THE NEW YORK KNICKS 2011-2012 SEASON AND POSSIBLE MOVES WITHIN THE TEAM FOR THE NEXT SEASON.

 INTERVIEW WITH NEW YORK KNICKS FAN, MICHAEL KOHLIOS.

INTERVIEW WITH NEW YORK KNICKS FAN, ERIC TSIOLAS.

INTERVIEW WITH NEW YORK KNICKS FAN, STEVE PANAGIOULAKIS.

Do The Knicks Still Have A Chance?

     Just when fans had their brooms ready for the series sweep, the New York Knicks won game four against the Miami Heat.The game was finished with the score of 89-87 leaving the Knicks alive for another game against the Heat. Carmelo Anthony had an impressive 41 points and 6 rebounds. Amar'e Stoudemire, who returned from hand surgery, contributed a strong 20 points and 10 rebounds.
     Despite the excitement fans felt at Madison Square Garden last night, an important question stands. Can the Knicks upset the Miami Heat? As a Knicks fan, and many other Knicks fans may give the game answer, I would say no. First off, the next game will be in Miami, which gives the Heat home court advantage. Second, the Knicks would need to consistently limit the talented offense and surpass the defense of the Heat. That is difficult to accomplish while playing a team with high caliber players like Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh. Knicks fans must not forget that we are lacking two of our better point guards (Baron Davis and Jeremy Lin) and the defensive spark of Iman Shumpert because of injury.
     Then again you never know what can happen. Anthony may have similar performances in the next 3 games to win the Knicks the series. The Knicks did win their first playoff game since 2001 so maybe they will be the first team in NBA history to comeback from a 3-0 deficit to win the series. The chances of this upset are very unlikely.

Lin May Be Back Sooner Than We Thought!

     There is hope of more Linsanity for the New York Knicks after the news of Jeremy Lin's torn meniscus which will require surgery. This injury was supposed to leave Lin to miss the rest of the season and also the first round of the playoffs, if they make it that far. According to a New York Post journalist, Marc Berman, an orthopedic surgeon named Dr. Wellington Hsu thinks that Lin can return in two to four weeks, if all goes well with the surgery. This is probably the best news for a Knicks fan today. Of course we have Baron Davis to carry the team at the point throughout Lin's injury, but who will be a consistent back-up? Obviously not Toney Douglas; he plays too much like a shooting guard which the Knicks have enough of on their roster for now. Lin has a dynamic style of play where at times he is able to take over a game which relieves a great amount of pressure from Carmelo Anthony as well. Then again, this dynamic and aggressive style of play is what led him to this injury.

     At least in the past few games, the Knicks have been able to progress without Lin and Amar'e Stoudemire in the line-up. Thanks to players like Anthony, Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith, and Tyson Chandler, the Knicks have been making a slow push for the playoffs. Even though they lost against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday, Anthony had a solid 39 points and 9 rebounds. Shumpert finished the game with 25 points and Chandler with 9 rebounds. In the Knicks ten point win against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday, Anthony had 19 points and J.R. Smith finished the game with 20 points and 9 rebounds. Chandler showed his strong defensive presence with 14 points and 12 rebounds.
     If the Knicks continue to run an effective offense and also continue to play solid defense, with the leadership of Chandler, they should be able to make the final spot for the playoffs. Let's see if the Knicks can move closer to the playoffs with a win against the Indiana Pacers tomorrow night.

Knicks Making a Playoff Push.

     After a strong win against the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday night, the Knicks blew out the Orlando Magic with a score of 108-86 on Wednesday. Analysts doubted this win for the Knicks mainly because of the presence of Dwight Howard in the paint. The Knicks have a tendency to play lazy defense, which was not the case against the Magic and Bucks. Tyson Chandler was able to keep Howard to only 12 points and 5 rebounds. Chandler, who finished the game with 9 points and 9 rebounds should consider himself an accomplished player after his defensive performance. Players in the NBA who end up guarding Howard struggle to keep him out of the post and end up excessively fouling him, putting them in foul trouble for the game. Fortunately for the Knicks, Chandler did not have any of these problems, which should show fans and analysts that he deserves to be placed as one of the top five centers in the NBA. 

     Despite the success of Chandler against the Magic, Carmelo Anthony has been a crucial player for the Knicks in their past few wins. Anthony has been playing up to his superstar standards under the coaching of Mike Woodson. Anthony finished the game against the Bucks with 28 points and 12 rebounds. He also had a strong game against the Magic with 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists. After watching these past two games, their is one positive change we have seen from Anthony, and that is defense. Finally, Anthony realized that consistent and effective defense is what completes a superstar. Yes, he has always been a consistent scorer, but how much does that count if he is going to ignore playing defense and stopping the opposing team from scoring? It is a good sign for the Knicks that Anthony is making an effort to play defense. It is shown that it is a part of his game which he has been working on.

     The New York Knicks hope to extend their winning streak with a win tomorrow against the Atlanta Hawks in Atlanta. What we have been seeing these past few games are good signs for the Knicks making the final playoff seed. Even with Amar'e Stoudemire, who will be out for 2 to 4 weeks because of a bulging disk in his back, and Jeremy Lin out because of injury, the Knicks have still been managing to pull out strong wins. This is because of the consistent performance from bench players like Steve Novak, J.R. Smith, and the rookie guard Iman Shumpert. Hopefully we will all be impressed with another win tomorrow night against the Hawks and a step closer to the playoffs.

 

Knicks Looking To Extend Winning Streak.

     Looks like the New York Knicks have been playing better under coaching scheme of Mike Woodson. Ever since Mike D'Antoni resigned from the head coaching position, the Knicks have won 5 games in a row. In my recent podcast post a few days ago, I discussed how Carmelo Anthony and D'Antoni's relationship was a little shaky which impacted Anthony's playing. Once D'Antoni resigned, it is almost as if the team clicked together and started playing like a playoff caliber team. Now lets go to the highlights of the Knicks most recent win against the Philadelphia 76ers.

     This game revolved around the outstanding performance of both Jeremy Lin and Amar'e Stoudemire. These two players are able to execute the pick and roll on a high level. With Lin's court vision and Stoudemire's skilled foot work and quick cuts to the basket, it is hard for defenders to stop this pick and roll offense. Lin finished the game with 18 points and 3 assists. Stoudemire led the Knicks with 21 points and 9 rebounds and shot an impressive 8 for 14 from the field. Another aspect seen in the last 5 games is the improved defensive of Anthony. Despite his 10 point performance in the win against the 76ers, he managed to impress fan with his improved swarming defense.
     Interim coach Mike Woodson seems to be handling the Knicks really well by trying to lead the team to a spot in the playoffs. Lets see if the Knicks can even out their record to 24-24 with a win against the Toronto Raptors, in Toronto. Keep checking out my blog for more recaps and thoughts on upcoming games!

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NEW POST ON THE KNICKS GAME COMING UP TONIGHT AS THEY TAKE ON PHILADELPHIA!!! CHECK IN LATER TONIGHT FOR A RECAP AND INTERESTING THOUGHTS ON THE GAME!

No More D'Antoni; No Problem!

It is said that Carmelo Anthony is the reason why Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni resigned. Despite the denial of this by Anthony, it does seems somewhat true. It is possible that the new system by interim coach Mike Woodson could be best for the Knicks team.