On a day when it was unofficially announced that Knicks legend Bernard King would finally be inducted into the Hall of Fame and on a night when MSG would pay homage to the 1972-1973 New York Knicks championship team featuring an unprecedented 10 NBA Hall of Famers, budding Knicks legend Carmelo Anthony would rise to the occasion and lead his team to its 11th consecutive win.
- Second half explosion
All you need to know is that the Knicks scored 36 points in the first half and exceeded that total in the first nine minutes of the third quarter. Once down 9 at halftime, the Knicks poured in 42 in the third to take a commanding 12-point lead and they never looked back. The first half saw the Knicks miss far too many easy shots at the goal and from beyond the arc, but Carmelo kept a steady pace and opened 7-7 in the third to fuel the Knicks. Despite the presence of Larry Sanders, the paint was open for much of the night and even Jason Kidd managed to swoop to the hoop for a lay up. The Knicks fought on the offensive glass, capturing 12 offensive rebis and found their stroke from the outside to close the game.
Half of J.R.'s 22 shots were 3s, but he made 5/11 and finished with 30 points. Melo ended his night with 41, tying his idol Bernard King's franchise record from 1984-85 of 3 consecutive 40-point outings. That makes 131 points in 3 games on 64% shooting! I tried searching for someone with this type of scoring output and FG efficiency, but Basketball Reference turned up no results for the time it spans - the last 28 years. We are witnessing something special. It's fitting that this game comes against the team Melo first played as a Knick. It was Legends Night that night as well.
- 1973 Champs reunite
I never watched this team play, minus a game or two on the Knicks Dynasty DVD, but I was in awe as the Knicks honored them at halftime. Of course Clyde received the most vociferous applause, but the likes of Earl "The Pearl" Monroe, Willis Reed "The Captain", Phil Jackson and even Harthorne Wingo were also cheered and revered. One day in 2053 I hope we will see the current team being honored for their achievements. Of course Jason Kidd will still be an active guard for the Knicks.
- MSG crowd
This game was immensely fun to watch, partly because the crowd was so into it. The way they responded to the legends, sounded horrified when Melo shot an airball that Clyde called a UFO and stood up on the possession where Melo would eclipse 40 once again reminded me that the MSG experience is unlikely any other. Note to MSG: Bring back the $10 student tickets.
- First half struggles
Both teams started off shooting poorly, but as the first half continued the Knicks just could not get their shots to fall. At least 3 lay ups failed to drop, Tyson Chandler had butterfingers except for an early alley-oop and a couple of passes from Felton and Carmelo were not crisp and could not be handled. Given how well the second half turned out, I was eager to dismiss this half, but I looked at the box score and saw that Iman Shumpert was 0/7 in almost 19 minutes. He had a great rejection in the second quarter, but a couple of fouls sent him to the bench. He never sees much action in the fourth quarter, so that was all she wrote for the gradually-recovering Shumpert. Oh, he also had the Adidas logo shaved into the back of his head. To me, that is the final sign that he needs a new cut.
For Milwaukee, Brandon Jennings turned up the heat early in the third quarter, but Tyson might have pushed him down after a drive and he cooled off shortly after. Chandler appears to be rusty offensively, but defensively he had no problem communicating with everyone and playing an active role, jumping around and almost dropkicking the Bucks waiting for 3s in the corner. Speaking of 3s, Novak could not buy a 3 or an adequate stop on defense and he was less than effective, especially when playing in a lineup that featured Copeland. K-Mart was out and Camby has had plantar fasciitis, so it's understandable that Woodson has had to rely on this pair to play minutes, but in the playoffs I do not believe you can expect to play both Novak and Copeland together and have a positive result defensively.
I actually recorded my thoughts for you to listen to: http://vocaroo.com/i/s13CxZYaqvEN
On Monday it will officially be announced that former Knicks Bernard King and Spencer Haywood will be inducted into the Hall of Fame! Congratulations to them!
The Knicks are in Oklahoma City to do battle with the Thunder on Sunday in a matinee affair that will be televised at 1 PM EST on ABC. The game will feature Carmelo and Kevin Durant, the NBA's two leading scorers both tied at 28.3 PPG. Oftentimes it seems to be the case that when offensive juggernauts meet, the duel rarely lives up to expectations and the game is won with a supreme defensive effort. Camby will be out, but if Kenyon Martin returns you can bet it will be a fierce contest. For this one I think it would be wise to finally utilize the Tyson-Kenyon-Carmelo front court as starters, but Woodson probably will not. However, if the Knicks win, that makes 50!
