Posts Tagged ‘Carmelo Anthony’

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Woodson Sheds Interim Tag, Signs Extension With Knicks

May 25, 2012  ·  8:06PM





HANG TIME PLAYOFF HEADQUARTERS – Someone can go ahead and print up those new business cards for Mike Woodson, who shed the interim tag and officially became the head coach of the New York Knicks today after signing a multi-year extension.

Retaining the coach that led the Knicks out of their midseason mess and into the playoffs promises to be just the first of what should be many important steps for the franchise this summer. They have free agents to deal with, namely a guy named Jeremy Lin, and other matters to sort out after winning their first playoff game since 2001 on Woodson’s watch.

The former Hawks coach and former Knicks draft pick replaced Mike D’Antoni in March and guided to the Knicks to an 18-6 finish to the regular season, earning the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference playoff race and a date with the Miami Heat in the first round. They only lasted five games against LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the Heat. But they played without Lin and with an ailing Tyson Chandler, the KIA Defensive Player of the Year, not to mention Amar’e Stoudemire playing with an injured hand to finish the series.

Woodson was rewarded as much for the work he did getting to the Knicks to the playoffs as he was anything else. They were headed for next week’s lottery before he took over for D’Antoni, who resigned March 14.

“Mike has the respect of every person in this organization,” Knicks general manager Glen Grunwald said in a statement. “He and his staff led the team in an impressive push into the playoffs over the last 24 games and we believe he is the right man to lead the franchise as we move forward.”

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Who Should Be Defending Melo?

May 8, 2012  ·  12:06PM





NEW YORK – In the wake of Game 4 between the New York Knicks and Miami Heat, much was made about Erik Spoelstra‘s decision to have Shane Battier, instead of LeBron James, defend Carmelo Anthony in the fourth quarter of the Knicks’ 89-87 victory.

Anthony scored 12 of the Knicks’ final 16 points on Sunday. And in the series thus far, he has shot 12-for-41 (29 percent) when being guarded by James and 19-for-38 (50 percent) when being guarded by Battier.

Carmelo Anthony’s shooting, first round

Defender FGM FGA FG%
James 12 41 29.3%
Battier 19 38 50.0%
Wade 3 5 60.0%
Haslem 0 3 0.0%
Bosh 0 2 0.0%
Chalmers 2 2 100.0%
Miller 0 1 0.0%
None 1 1 100.0%
Total 37 93 39.8%

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Knicks ‘Not Counting’ On Lin For Game 5

May 7, 2012  ·  1:01PM





NEW YORK – The Knicks will have an update on Baron Davis later Monday, but it’s very safe to assume that Davis will not play again this season after suffering a dislocated patella in the third quarter of Sunday’s Game 4 at Madison Square Garden.

So now would be a great time for international sensation Jeremy Lin to return to action. Lin has been running up and down the floor in 3-on-3 games at the Knicks practice facility, and would be doing the same Monday and Tuesday before the Knicks travel to Miami for Game 5 on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET, TNT). But Knicks coach Mike Woodson tempered expectations in a conference call with reporters Monday morning.

“I’m not counting Jeremy Lin playing,” Woodson said. “We’ve just got to continue where we’ve been, in terms of guys that are in uniform. And I’m not counting on him to play.”

Lin had surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee on Monday, April 2. At that time, the Knicks said he’d be out six weeks. And right now, we’re at the five-week mark. And as he did with Amar’e Stoudemire for Game 4, Woodson made it clear that the decision on Lin is out of his hands.

“I think it’s going to be up to the doctors and Jeremy to make that decision,” he said. “It won’t be my decision.”

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Heat Ruling The Paint

May 5, 2012  ·  10:30AM





NEW YORK – There are different aspects to defending the basket.

First, there’s preventing shots near the basket. And second, there’s contesting them.

If you’re looking at the first aspect, you could say the New York Knicks have done pretty well in their first-round series against the Miami Heat. The Heat have attempted just 23 percent of their total shots from within five feet of the basket, easily the lowest rate among the 16 playoff teams.

But the Heat are shooting an incredible 73 percent on those shots, the highest rate in the league, with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade combining to shoot an incredible 29-for-34 from within five feet of the hoop.

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Heat Stars Take Over In Game 3

May 3, 2012  ·  10:22PM





NEW YORK – Game 3 of the first round series between the Miami Heat and New York Knicks was about the stars.

One star was wearing a suit, with a bandage on his hand and a sling on his arm. One shot 7-for-23. And the two other stars scored a combined 52 points on 38 shots.

The Heat had the right stars on this night. The Knicks had the wrong ones. Final score: 87-70.

This was an ugly game. But Dwyane Wade and LeBron James took over in the second half, outscoring the Knicks by themselves, 35-30, in the final 24 minutes.

The final score is a little deceiving, because it was a tight game for most of the night, one that could be swung by one or two bursts of scoring. And there were two bursts that really determined the winner. (more…)

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Knicks Left With Few Lineup Options

May 3, 2012  ·  12:25PM

NEW YORK – Chris Bosh is expected to be back in New York for Game 3 of the Miami Heat’s first round series with the New York Knicks (7 p.m. ET, TNT) at Madison Square Garden.

That doesn’t help the Knicks, who are down three starters.

Jeremy Lin is recovering from knee surgery and might be able to play in Game 4 on Sunday at the earliest. Iman Shumpert tore his ACL in Game 1 and is likely out through the start of next season. And Amar’e Stoudemire cut his hand on a fire extinguisher door after Game 2, taking himself out of Game 3 and maybe longer.

The Knicks still have 12 healthy bodies, but only seven that have played more than 20 minutes in the series thus far. So a player or two is going to have a bigger role tonight and coach Mike Woodson is going to have to go with a brand new starting lineup.

The Knicks have used 430 different lineups this season, but 344 of the 430 have included Lin, Shumpert, Stoudemire or Renaldo Balkman (who was waived in February). And the most-used lineup made up of five healthy Knicks — Toney Douglas, Landry Fields, Carmelo Anthony, Josh Harrelson and Tyson Chandler — has played just 34 minutes together.

Of course, Douglas (zero) and Harrelson (nine) have combined to play just nine minutes in the first two games against the Heat. So don’t expect to see any of the above lineup on Thursday.

Woodson said Wednesday that he will start Anthony at power forward, with Chandler at center, and Baron Davis and Fields in the backcourt. Thursday, at shootaround, Woodson said he’s still deciding between starting Steve Novak or J.R. Smith at small forward. (more…)

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Stoudemire Downplays Glass Smash

May 2, 2012  ·  2:30PM

GREENBURGH, NY – Amar’e Stoudemire downplayed his left hand injury Wednesday, in regard to both how it happened and how long it will keep him out.

Speaking to the media as his teammates finished practice, Stoudemire basically said that post-game frustration is a common occurrence in the NBA, and he just happened to put his hand through glass, instead of something less harmful.

“I’m not trying to make light of the situation,” he said, “but it happens all the time. Some players kick over ice coolers, some players tip over a table. Some players kick a chair. My thing was to hit the wall. I caught the fire extinguisher, sliced my hand. Bad timing. I know it’s the playoffs and how important it is for us to win every game, but I’ll be back soon.”

Stoudemire said that he wasn’t frustrated with anything in particular, not his lack of shot attempts or anything like that.

“I was more frustrated with the fact that we were down 0-2,” he said.

Stoudemire issued an apology via Twitter late Monday night, and Knicks coach Mike Woodson said Stoudemire was “very apologetic” with the team on Wednesday. But in front of the media, Stoudemire was looking more to explain what happened. He seemed intent to let people know that he hit the fire extinguisher door with an open hand and that the fire extinguisher door had just “a two-inch strip of glass,” that he had no intention of breaking.

“I think the fans are thinking I actually had a closed fist and I punched through a glass door,” he said. “So I think they got the wrong perception of what actually happened. Obviously, I walked by and I just swung my arm backwards, hit the fire extinguisher door, and sliced my hand a little bit by accident. So I think they got the wrong perception of what actually happened. I understand their frustrations right now. I’m frustrated myself as well for not being available for Game 3.”

Further, Stoudemire said that there’s a “great chance” that he will be available to play in Game 4 against the Heat on Sunday, missing only Game 3, because “I persevere through a lot of injuries. I work hard to recover from injuries.”

On Tuesday, the Knicks officially listed Stoudemire as “doubtful” for Game 4. (more…)

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Stoudemire Punches Glass, Injures Hand

April 30, 2012  ·  11:13PM





MIAMI – The New York Knicks just couldn’t let a day go by without making headlines.

In the wake of a fairly drama-less loss to the Heat in Game 2 of the first round, Amar’e Stoudemire suffered a laceration on his left hand in the Knicks’ locker room. As was first reported by Yahoo! Sports’ Marc Spears, Stoudemire suffered the cut punching the glass enclosure to a fire extinguisher.

Paramedics were called to the locker room, which was kept closed from the media for an extended time. By the time it was opened, only Tyson Chandler and Carmelo Anthony were left to talk.

Anthony pled ignorance, saying he was still on the floor when the incident happened and had yet to see Stoudemire. Chandler was a little more forthcoming.

“It’s tough,” he said. “Your emotions run high. Split second decision can obviously alter things, and you can’t fault anybody. Amar’e is a person that has high emotions at times, so one quick decision-making mistake and now you’ve got to deal with the repercussions.”

Stoudemire’s only comments postgame came via his Twitter feed, where he tweeted the following:

“I am so mad at myself right now, I want to apologize to the fans and my team, not proud of my actions, headed home for a new start”

“We all have done thing out of anger that we regret. That makes us human. Bad timing on my part. Sorry guys. This to shall pass.”

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Knicks-Heat Game 2 Instant Analysis

April 30, 2012  ·  9:55PM





MIAMI – Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra knows how dangerous the Knicks’ Steve Novak is.

“The 3-point shooting that they have can turn on immediately,” Spoelstra said before Monday’s Game 2. “And it can be five or six right in a row that can change the complexion of the game. So that will always keep us on edge.”

Against the Heat’s defense, which loads up on the strong side of the floor, Novak’s 3-point shooting can be a very useful weapon. He was the leading 3-point shooter in the league this season, connecting 47 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.

Novak is actually shooting 60 percent from 3-point range in this first round series, but that’s only three makes on five attempts. And that’s one reason the Heat have a 2-0 series lead after Monday’s 104-94 victory in Game 2.

Novak has been unable to free himself from the Heat’s perimeter defenders thus far. The Knicks need Novak to relieve the pressure on Carmelo Anthony, but thus far, the Heat have been able to help and recover to the weak side. And when they close out on Novak, he doesn’t have the quickness to make them pay with the dribble.

The Knicks were much improved offensively in Game 2. They made some adjustments against the Heat’s denial of Anthony in the post. They used cross-screens to get him open on the block or had the ball-handler dribble around the post, using Anthony’s defender to screen his own teammate. In general, they moved Anthony around the floor more.

As a result, Anthony led all scorers with 30 points on 12-for-26 shooting. And as a team, the Knicks shot 49 percent and cut their turnovers in half. But they couldn’t stop the Heat offense in the paint.

And they didn’t get enough from the guy that has been one of their more dangerous weapons this season. Novak is out there for offense, but when he’s only attempting three shots in 21 minutes, he’s not doing much good.

Now that they’ve freed Anthony, maybe the next adjustment the Knicks need to make is doing the same for Novak.

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Heat Deny Anthony

April 28, 2012  ·  6:21PM





MIAMI – When your offense is highly dependent on one player, you need to be able to get him the ball.

In Game 1 of their first round series against the Miami Heat, the New York Knicks couldn’t do that.

The Knicks’ offense is typically heavy on isolations and post-ups for Carmelo Anthony, but the Heat denied Anthony all over the floor on Saturday. They fronted Anthony in the post with LeBron James and Shane Battier, whether it was on the block or at the elbow.

As a result, the Knicks’ offense was disjointed and rushed, scoring just 47 points on 63 possessions through the first three quarters. At that point, they had more turnovers (24) than scores (19).

Anthony did get seven shots in the first quarter, but he missed them all, with James daring him to shoot from the outside. Still, the Knicks were down just one point midway through the second quarter.

That’s when the Heat’s defensive pressure turned up and the wheels came off for New York. On their final 12 possessions of the half, New York had 10 turnovers and just one score.

This is what the Heat do. They play aggressively on the strong side of the floor and take away your first option. And the way to beat them is to move the ball and make shots on the weak side.

But the Heat were too quick for the Knicks in Game 1. Their rotations were on point all afternoon, beating New York to the spot nearly every time and taking several charge calls in the paint.

Anthony finished with just 11 points on 3-for-15 shooting. Amar’e Stoudemire provided little help, scoring just six points on 2-for-7. And no other Knicks made a single trip to the free throw line.

If the Knicks are going to win a game in this series, head coach Mike Woodson needs to find a way to relieve the pressure on Anthony. Ball movement and patience will be the key. And somebody else is going to have to step up.

“We played on one side of the floor too much tonight, and we hadn’t done that a lot since I’ve taken over,” Woodson said.

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